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03/19/2004 Archived Entry: "The Good, the Bad and the Depressing"
The Good, the Bad and the Depressing
By Umar ben-Ivan Lee
In boxing there are always things that will make you happy. Those joyous moments when a good guy finally wins, a bad guy finally gets what’s coming to him and the truth gets exposed. As this is boxing; you also have to deal with the bad and the downright depressing and I will go over the good, the bad and the depressing for fight fans at this time.
The Good
Robbie Peden: Peden has always been a fighter that has excited me on tape, but against Nate Campbell he delivered a true gift to all fight fans who hate seeing the silly, immature and unsportsmanlike taunting that goes on in many fights. Knocking Campbell out with a left-hook as he dropped his hands and stuck his chin out was something I had wanted to see for years (the next closest thing had been Roy Jones dropping James Toney after he taunted , but it didn’t count since it was in response to the taunting of Jones).
If boxing is still a sport that should be regulated in a reasonable fashion then the sort of foolish behavior displayed by Campbell, and made famous by the likes of Jones, Naseem Hamed, Hector Camacho, Ray Leonard and others, should be banned and punishable by points and at a minimum shows a lack of class.
HBO Making Freitas Fight: I normally do not associate much good with fights of Acelino Freitas. As I have stated in previous articles I think that he and his handlers have wasted the potential he had to be a star.
Freitas who will now fight on HBO has Banner Promotions attempting to do the same old thing in getting him the weakest possible opponent. Apparently HBO will have none of this and is trying to get him to face big names such as Diego Corrales, Joel Cassamayor or other quality opponents.
Cory Spinks V. Zab Judah: When this fight happens on April 10th, as a non pay-per-view event, it will be the best matched fight of the year up-to-date. This will be even better than Shane Mosley V. Winky Wright, as these fighters are younger and definitely closer to their prime than Sugar Shane.
Spinks is coming of his career defining victory over Ricardo Mayorga and has quietly had a very fine career under the guidance of manager and mentor Kevin Cunningham. Looking for a rematch with Mayorga this summer in St. Louis, negotiated for him by former St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr., Don King wanted him to take the April 10th HBO date against Judah first.
In my mind this is a huge mistake for Spinks because he risks the Mayorga fight if he loses, but this is how it should be and champions should defend against the best. Judah for his part is hungry for recognition amongst boxings pound for pound best and winning the Undisputed Welterweight title would not only be historic but it would ensure future bouts against the best in boxing. The only major weakness of Judah is his chin, and I hardly think Spinks is the one who can test his chin.
Winky Wright: Good guys do not always finish last; that is the message we get from the world-traveling Winky Wright who finally became a major figure in boxing after schooling Shane Mosley to become the "Man" in the junior middleweight division.
Fight fans should look forward to this tactician in his up and coming bouts, which if he doesn’t have to face his mandatory Javier Castillejo or Travis Simms, will more than likely be against Felix Trinidad and other big names including possibly the Oscar De La Hoya V. Bernard Hopkins winner.
Manny Pacquiao V. Juan Manuel Marquez: The sport needs pure warriors and there are no two bigger warriors out there than Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Not only is this a perfect fight style wise and talent wise, but this is a great West Coast fight as it pits a Mexican fighter against a Filipino.
There are a lot of reasons why this fight might not have happened; Marquez wanted the older Marco Antonio Barrera to build his Mexican cred on, Pacquiao wanted Erick Morales, etc. Boxing fans will get the best featherweight fight possible in May and this could be a defining moment for both fighters.
The Young Heavyweights: The future in the heavyweight division is about more than a guy who can’t go nine rounds. I am not pessimistic about the young heavyweights and I see some real talent on the horizon. Dominick Guinn will fight Monte Barrett on March 27th on HBO and this should give us a good idea of how far away Guinn is from challenging for a title.
Guinn along with his Main Events stable mates Calvin Brock and Malik Scott represent an American future to the division. The hard-hitting African Samuel Peter holds the hopes of Nigeria while he also represents the one-punch knockout style that fans love. Also, we should not close the book on Audley Harrison of England, though he has been less than impressive in his career this far, it is possible that he could develop over the next year against better opponents.
J.A.B.: Is it possible that the business of boxing and the way that fighters are treated could be moving closer to civilized and ethical norms? If that will happen boxers need a voice, and as of now that voice is the Joint Association of Boxers which is now led by Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and the Teamsters International.
The creation of J.A.B. and promoter Cedrick Kushner recognizing J.A.B. and holding the first union cards is a positive step and boxing fans should do all that is possible to encourage the expansion of union cards.
The Bad
“Baby” Joe Mesi: You are not a contender in boxing if you cannot compete after seven or eight rounds. Against both Monte Barrett and Vasilly Jirov Mesi was blown-out in the late rounds and is not ready for a twelve-rounder. So, how is someone who cannot fight twelve-rounds even mentioned as a serious threat in the division?
Well, Mesi is not a serious threat and I don’t think anyone serious thinks he is to be honest, but with his complexion for the connection he brings earning power to the table and when people see Joe, they see a lot of dough. Other writers have said this and I will say it again; Jack Mesi and Tony Holden better get their man in the ring with a big-money and big-name PPV opponent in the next fight, because they cannot risk Mesi getting knocked out in a tune-up by the likes of Hasim Rahman.
Shane’s Habit: Shane Mosley looked sluggish against Winky Wright that was clear. He openly whispered something to his father in the corner that his dad told him to be quiet about and then after the fight he complained of being tired and weak.
How appropriate was it that Barry Bonds was in the crowd to see the fight? Maybe this is a prelude to the season that Jason Giambi and others will have this year in baseball now that they are supposedly off the juice.
El Feroz and His Problems: Fernando Vargas is the kind of fighter you either hated or loved and I love the style of Vargas. When he fought DLH I said that he represented the people and DLH represented power and I still believe that. Listening to Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley downplay Vargas on that night and drool over DLH made me more of a Vargas fan.
My love of Vargas hasn’t stopped me from looking at the cold reality of his last two fights however and it is obvious to all that he seems to have nothing left and not even Buddy McGirt can come to the rescue. The question is this; will Vargas have a graceful ending and go back to Oxnard, CA where he is loved or will he be pummeled into retirement with more problems than a bad back that not even the doctor that he and Shane visit can fix?
The Future of Ricardo Mayorga: Out of nowhere based on his two defeats of Vernon Forrest, his foul language and his smoking and drinking habit Ricardo Mayorga became star and a darling of Don King and HBO.
Superfights with Mosley and DLH were talked about but that was all cut short when he got badly out-boxed (I had it 118-108 Spinks) by Cory Spinks. Now Mayorga will try to get back on the right track on the ridiculous DKP Madison Square Garden card on April 17th against Jose Rivera.
Rivera is one of the good guys in boxing and someone who has paid his dues for years and let’s just say I think they will be celebrating in New England and Puerto Rico on that night and Mayorga may have to drown himself in beer as he makes it back to the club fighting scene.
European “Champions” : If we think boxing in America is corrupt then we can thank God we don’t live in Germany or the United Kingdom (I hate that phrase btw because of its historical meaning; Ireland United with Wales, Scotland and England under the Crown). How many fiascos, gift decisions and flukes have there been in Europe, especially with Universum promotions, where top-twenty American fighters get robbed after beating so-called European champions.
I am waiting for Sven Ottke and others to make their way to the US and see if they can meet the challenge of being true world champions.
The Ugly
Golata and His “Title” Shot: No matter what some who sell their integrity and principals and get paid to do broadcasting on DKP shows may say; the Chris Byrd V. Andrew Golata is a complete fraud upon the boxing public and the way it came about is criminal in nature and needs to be investigated.
All boxing junkies should get their fix on April 10th by watching fight tapes and not by rewarding this shameless card being offered to the boxing public on that day on PPV.
The State Athletic Commissions: Some will say reform is needed, but I think that is clear that the system of state commissions doesn’t work and cannot be reformed and we need a national commission with congressional oversight. If the New York Athletic commission, or the New York Attorney General, will not stop Byrd V. Golata, then the system is totally broke and worthless.
State regulation of boxing has worked no better than state regulation of Civil Rights in the 1960’s South or slavery in the nineteenth century. We have a common national good as Americans and as fight fans and boxing regulation needs to be on a national level.
Chavez V. Randall III: Is this necessary? Are there people who are actually excited about this?
Holyfield, Foreman and the Rest of the Senoirs: We may be blessed to see George Foreman slug it out with Scott Ledoux or Evander Holyfield be the latest ring casualty. As bad as it is for the fighters it is worse for the fans that encourage this type of nonsense by paying to see it.
The Last Fight for Vinny Paz: The last fight should have been after he got that ferocious ass beating from Roy Jones, but I guess New England fight fans want to help him spend a little more cash and pay for a senseless exhibition.
Umar ben-Ivan Lee may be reached at ummahboxing@hotmail.com
