Still Sugar after all these years…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I don’t like admitting when I’m wrong. But I’m man enough to do it. I was late in coming to the dance in admiring his work, but will we ever see another fighter in the same mold of Sugar Shane Mosley again?
I can’t believe that guy at all. At 37, the way he stopped Ricardo Mayorga with one frickin’ second left in the 12th round had me jumping up and down in my living room.
What was it about that that was so cool? That Mayorga always deserves such treatment because of what he says? Because it was possible that somehow some judges thought Mayorga was ahead of Shane going into the 12th? For the record, 7-4 for Mosley on my card.
No, when I thought about it, it goes back to 1999. And it was a deja vu feeling with Mosley. Up ahead on the scorecards involved in a tighter fight than people thought. Final round but not content with the decision. All-out assault on a game but tired opponent, dramatic KO.
I’m talking about Mosley’s 10th round KO of Wilfredo Rivera in September 1999. A week after Oscar de La Hoya lost the controversial decision to Tito Trinidad, it was possible another American fighter was going to bite the dust.
But at the end of the ninth round, Mosley found his energy again. It was so cool then, but it was even more amazing Saturday.
I feel bad for ever rooting against this guy. But I have on multiple occasions. I wanted de La Hoya to beat him twice. I wanted Vernon Forrest to beat him twice. I would have wanted Tito Trinidad to beat him if they would have fought. I would still root for Floyd Mayweather if they ever went head-to-head.
Before I knew of great boxing sites, I purchased a KO magazine from fall 1999. In it, it asked “who is the future of boxing? Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather?” The final line irked my brother so much, “one of them is the future of boxing and the other one is Shane Mosley.”
It’s debatable whether or not Mosley has the goods to go out against an elite fighter ever again. And I would seriously hate to see him get battered and bruised for a measly buck. But I don’t think he should retire.
So I’m torn. Part of it is selfishness. I want the chance to cheer for Mosley as many times as possible because of all the times I stupidly didn’t. I don’t know if I’ll ever watch the Mayorga fight again in its entirety. In less than 48 hours, I’ve watched the 12th round four times already. It’s just that cool. That wouldn’t be a finer moment for Shane to walk away, but I’m not begrudging him if he wants one more shot.
For my money, Mosley beats Andre Berto. Two years ago, I was gushing at Berto, but safe matchmaking has stunted his growth, and I think he’s regressed as a fighter. And he has a weak chin. Maybe it’s a little man-love feeling for Mosley right now but I think Shane knocks out Berto at this point.
Looking at Shane’s career, I have now seen 21 of his fights. But in Larry Merchant’s mind, I may have missed the best Sugar back when he was lightweight and knocking out people like clock work.
Mosley’s a rare breed. Someone who isn’t a businessman. He fights, he wants the KO, and he’ll do whatever he can to get it. I don’t know what’s my favorite moment now. I love the second knockout he had of Vargas a couple of years ago. And Rivera was awesome. But maybe, just maybe, the finality of that Mayorga KO will be our lasting Mosley image. And I have it on DVD, so that’s pretty cool.
Mailbag…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Sorry for the delay, fight fans. Got a little caught up in other areas the last couple of days. Now for the first installment of the Boneman’s Mailbag (a big high five to someone who comes up with a creative name).
FightFanMoon asks my assessment of Oklahoma boxers?
Without question, no one can touch Allan Green at this point. His falling out with Tony Holden does not take away from his natural talent and skills. The super middleweight from Tulsa can be a world champion. But right now, he just needs to get back in the ring. He’s wasting a prime year of his life with these promotional issues.
After that, there’s a dropoff for sure, but there are still some solid names such as Grady Brewer, Carson Jones and George Tahdooahnippah. There are questions for each (Grady’s age, George’s opposition level and Carson’s focus), but each provides that certain something that makes you want to show up to a fight.
Now if you ask me in six months, names like Kyle Sherman and Noah Zuhdi might be thrown in, especially Kyle. He’s just waiting for that right opportunity. Sadly in boxing, you can spend your whole career just waiting.
Pappy asks if I’m crazy for thinking Brock Lesnar can take out Randy Couture?
I’ve been called worse. I remember Brock at Minnesota, so I just think of what a physical specimen he is. But of course, Couture has the experience and knowledge to make Brock’s night a forgettable one. It’s their old cliche of Couture has forgotten more about MMA than Brock even knows.
The buzz for this is going to be something the sports world has not seen from MMA. This is a legit Super Fight, and Dana White knows this is his time to strike. Nov. 15, OU is off and OSU is at Colorado, no reason for my Oklahoma brothers to miss this showdown on PPV. I’ll have a boatload more to say about this fight as it gets closer, but right now I’m leaning toward Couture.
Some e-mails. David in California asks who is my favorite Ninja Warrior contestant (this goes back to me saying former OU gymnast Jonathan Horton would make a great contestant)?
There are so many to choose from. It’s sad that you reach the point where you feel like you know those guys. They build courses in their backyard and stuff like that. It’s kinda nuts.
For my money, you can’t top Shingo Yamamoto aka the gas station man. We’ve watch him advance in his days at the gas station from attendant to manager, and he’s always there. He’s starting to get a lil old as well, but he’s always fun to watch.
Bill in Kansas asks who are my favorite boxers today?
I’ll never believe he’s retired, so Floyd Mayweather is going to top that list 11 times out of 10. Ever since he battered Angel Manfredy in 1998, I’ve been riding his wave. I’m in awe of the things he can do in a boxing ring.
But if Floyd has called it quits (he hasn’t), Manny Pacquiao is right near the top as is Paul Williams and Kelly Pavlik.
PacMan is never involved in a dull fight and has just taken on an insane list of who’s who in the fight game in the last few years. Williams is a freak at welterweight and couldn’t have made a better debut at middleweight Thursday night with a first round KO. I’ve always gotten mad at him about not sitting on his punches. Looks like he is starting to do that. Pavlik because he is one of the most personable guys around. The blue-collar aspect definitely rings true, and he is an Ohio boy as well. I don’t know what I would like to see more, Williams vs. Pavlik or Calzaghe vs. Pavlik.
Jenny in Tennessee asks about some of my favorite fights?
Hey, I have a female reading the site, whoo hoo. Seriously, that’s almost as tough as asking an all-time fighter list. There are so many.
Let’s see, I’ll just throw some out there. If anyone wants to know why these have been chosen, comment or send me an e-mail and maybe I’ll do a follow-up.
The entire Israel Vazquez and Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy, Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I, Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera I, Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez, Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson I, Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali I, Oscar de La Hoya-Fernando Vargas, Tito Trinidad-Fernando Vargas, Ivan Robinson-Arturo Gatti I & II, Hasim Rahman-Lennox Lewis I, Holyfield-Riddick Bowe trilogy. Wow, I could go on and on and on. It’s almost sad, I bet I could name more than 100 fights within 10 minutes that I absolutely love and have watched multiple times on my created DVDs.
Jeff in Texas asks my prediction for Kimbo and Ken Shamrock next week?
I won’t make any bones about it. I am pulling for Shamrock with everything in me. And it’s not because I don’t like Kimbo or appreciate what he can bring to MMA. I’ve always had that soft spot for Ken, going back to his WWE days in the late ’90s. Unfortunately, I don’t think he has anything left. Now I’m more or less just hoping Ken is physcially OK after the fight.
Tyrone in Mississippi asks will there ever be another major player in MMA besides UFC?
Excellent question. I don’t think so, but I’m not necessarily sure it’s not a good thing. Dana White is showing he knows what he’s doing. Elite XC is struggling beyond belief. HDNet has just offered to buyout the IFL (International Fight League). I’m no businessman, so I don’t know what’s going on here.
Competition is good but competent competition is much better. Perhaps Affliction is on the right path with the partnership with Golden Boy. We’ll see. It’s just so tough to stay afloat these days.
Appreciate the questions and keep ‘em coming. Next week is Shamrock and Kimbo, and we’re getting closer to Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver and Bernard Hopkins and Kelly Pavlik. It’s a great fall for fight fans.
That didn’t take long…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
If you blinked, tickets for the Oscar de La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao fight went on sale today. And if you blinked again, they were gone. It didn’t take long for the event to be sold out, and it amassed a gate of more than $17 million, the second highest ever.
Hmm, you think it’s a big fight? You think that may have been one of the reasons Oscar picked Manny?
In other news, de La Hoya picked Nacho Beristain as his trainer for the upcoming fight. I have to agree with Steve Kim of maxboxing.com on this one. This is like getting a square peg to fill in a round hole.
Beristain does a great job with Juan Manuel Marquez, but JMM and Oscar do not fight in the same style. I know for the next two months, Oscar is going to rant and rave about Nacho (he does it with all of his trainers) but what more can he really learn at this point?
He’s not a natural counterpuncher, so a lil skeptical about this one. It’s classic Oscar though. He’s going to say how Nacho has taught him things none of the other trainers have. It’s boring at this point.
I just completed my latest boxing DVD. This is a real gem. Caught b/w some clunkers, I have the three best fights of the year on the same DVD. First, we have Israel Vazquez defeating Rafael Marquez by split decision in their third meeting. Second, Pacquiao defeating JMM by decision. Third, Antonio Margarito knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 11th round in July. Now that’s a DVD.
That prob brings my collection into the high 20s or low 30s. I have some specialty ones like my cherished Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de La Hoya/Tito Trinidad combo DVDs but most are just a random assortment of fights. This latest one is a real keeper.
Not much news in the fight game (at least that I feel deserves some blogging). That will change next week with the Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice main event on Elite XC.
Thanks to all those who have left comments or e-mailed me some questions. The first Boneman Mailbag will be presented Friday.
Random Thoughts…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I’ve always been a big fan of these when other writers do them. We’ll see if I can create that same type of magic.
- I’m torn on how I feel about Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga. Five years ago, this was huge money fight. Now? Eh, I don’t know. While Mayorga is always entertaining, I think Shane walks over him easy. And I hope I’m not proven wrong on this one.
- Word on the street (what street?) is that Showtime is interested in purchasing Elite XC? As I’ve said before, Elite XC is down to its final days despite having some quality fighters and fights. That’s just the state of the business. Nobody can compete with the UFC right now. If this is a long term investment by Showtime, it’s got my interest. What could Showtime do with the rights? What would it change, etc? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
- I just want to get to October. I really want to see the Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver fight for the light heavyweight title. And for trainwreck appeal, Samuel Peter and Vitali Klitschko has got me as well.
- Tito Ortiz is supposed to announce where he is ending up here shortly. I’d like to see him fight again before I make a judgment. I did, however, see The Dog Problem last night on Showtime, one of Ortiz’s movies. While he doesn’t have a speaking part, I did enjoy the flick. He was just a big bodyguard/enforcer.
- I can’t stress enough how great it is that Oscar Diaz is alive and well. A two-month struggle no family ever wants to have to go through. One person who is as excited as the rest of us is Delvin Rodriguez, Diaz’s opponent. Hopefully, Diaz can recover and we’ll see him back around the fight game. He was a professional, and you can’t say that about everybody in boxing.
- Carson Jones looked good Saturday at Cox Convention Center. He said stomach cramps didn’t allow him to do what he normally does. The eighth round was by far the most exciting. Just when it appeared Donovan Castaneda may have found some footing, Jones turned it up and it was good night. That cut was the worst cut I’ve seen live. Take that for whatever it’s worth because I haven’t seen a ton of fights live. But it was a bad cut under that left eye.
- Can’t say it enough, always a treat to see Oklahoma legend Danny Hodge. The amateur and professional wrestling star was at Cox as well. One of these days, it would be great to pick his brain.
- Liked the environment at Cox. I think a lot more can be done, and the crowd was really sparse. So maybe even though I like the environment, you don’t necessarily think boxing when you think Cox Center.
- My family once again has power, yay. My mom had to throw out about $500 worth of food, but other than that, all is well back home in Ohio.
- As you know, my primary responsibilities are in the high school realm. A cheap plug for a story from last Friday about Canton football coach Rob Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. And check out the correponding video, too.
- What’s on your mind? Throw any questions out there. I may not have the answers, but I’ll sure try to act like I do.
Clearing up confusion…
There has been a little confusion about the Cox Convention card. It is Saturday night as reported in the Carson Jones story in Friday’s Oklahoman.
Doors will open at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Stars & Stripes Professional Boxing
•When: 7 p.m. Saturday •Where: Cox Convention Center’s Great Hall
•Tickets: $35 reserved; $45 premium; $1,050 VIP table
•The story: Carson Jones gets his first crack at being the main event in front of his hometown fans. Lawton’s George Tahdooahnippah will also return to OKC, a mere eight days since fighting in Lawton.
Saturday’s card
Carson Jones (15-6-1) vs. Donovan Castaneda (10-3)
George Tahdooahnippah vs. Mike McGuire
David Robinson vs. Jose Castaneda
Angel James vs. Gina Abel
Brian Cohen vs. John Huskey
Bradley Wooten vs. Sam Norwood
Diaz wakes up…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Much more on this later, but a quick shout out to Oscar Diaz. The welterweight boxer has awaken from his two-month coma. Absolute great news, highlight of the day for me so far (even better than the thrilling Cubs win). Diaz is breathing on his own and looks like he is on the road to recovery. Again, excellent news. The prayers worked.
Hurricane Ike still doing damage…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Personal post here. Hurricane Ike didn’t just wreck Texas. It has hit hard back home in Ohio. While there was no rain, the winds got to as much as 80 mph and knocked out the power in more than 1 million homes in the Dayton-Cincinnati area.
That includes my parents. The phone reception has been awful at best and nonexistent at worse. Please keep the Ohioans in your thoughts and prayers.
It’s not getting much national news, but my Ohio brethren have gone four days without power. Doesn’t seem much in contrast to what some others will have to go through, but it’s still something.
To my Ohio brothers: you’re in my thoughts.
Affliction/Golden Boy: Match made in…?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
It’s pretty well known that Affliction, though offering some quality fights, has been pretty much on its last legs.
Well, lo and behold, that may have ended earlier this week. Affliction and Golden Boy Promotions have agreed to a partnership, featuring cards with both MMA and boxing action.
So I pose this: match made in heaven? Or match made in hell? As an aficionado of all things fighting, I’ve never understood the whole contempt boxing fans have MMA nor MMA has boxing and then what followers of both have professional wrestling.
Eh, it’s pretty much all the same to me. Some fights are duds, some are great, no matter what organization or brand you happen to like.
When it comes to both MMA and boxing, the PPV shows are normally a joke. It may be for budget reasons or pride reasons (the one I’m leaning toward), but PPV cards as a whole are pitiful.
Nobody is trying to produce a stellar card from top to bottom. MMA cards are just a tad above boxing, but MMA fights don’t last nearly as long as the pugilistic warfare. But bad boxing can still take 36 minutes while bad MMA should only take nine minutes.
Boxing is diluted with the meaningless title bouts featuring people nobody (outside of me and some other sickos) that people know. And it’s not so bad when you’re dealing with the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF. It’s when you get into those four-letter belts, that you start to shake your head and tap out on the sport.
Golden Boy of course is the brainchild of Oscar de La Hoya. And Affliction, whether it wants to admit to it or not, is being carried by heavyweight Fedor. Fedor won’t be lacing up any Grant gloves nor will Oscar be sporting only four-inch padding, but what if both were on the same card in what they do best?
This is where pride comes in, IMHO. You have to be willing to be the “curtain jerker.” If it’s a sensational card, swallow your pride. Fight your tail off so organizers have no choice but to never put you there ever again.
Who gets the better of this partnership? I honestly don’t know. Can MMA bring that kind of non-stop energy to boxing? Can boxing bring its throngs of Mexican-American fans to MMA? It’s interesting, so I’m in firm support of the move by both.
Golden Boy has quickly become one of the most stable promotions in boxing. If the partnership fails, Golden Boy will live on. I don’t know about Affliction.
Like I said, as a lover of the fight game, I hope this works. It’s a great way to bring both sets of fans together and learn they can co-exist.
Local scene: Hey, just want to throw out some info about the boxing card at the Cox Center on Saturday.
Discounted tickets will be offered at the Hooters’ on S. Penn on Thursday as well as at the weigh-in Friday at the Bricktown Hotel at 2 p.m.
Promoter Anthony McGhee has said he is going to spice up the card with a concert-like atmosphere. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m all for the glitz and glamour, but the fights need to deliver. And, for deadline’s sake, they need to conclude in a timely manner.
A great week to be a fight fan in OKC with C3 Fights on Friday at Lucky Star. Boxing on Saturday. And Freestyle Cage Fighting at the State Fair on Sunday. The Sooners and Cowboys are off, so it’s a perfect opportunity to re-introduce the fight game to Oklahoma City.
Stick to fighting…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
That’s the advice from me to myself regarding predictions. Yep, The Ohio State sure looked good Saturday.
I don’t know where all the hate is coming from. Todd Boeckman found Brian Robiskie for a touchdown to make it 14-10 USC and then the power went out. Wait, you say it was called back and from that point on, the Buckeyes showed NO heart at all? Oy.
Anyway, back in my field of “expertise,” I kinda showed I know what I’m talking about. Vernon Forrest took back his title from Sergio Mora. Timothy Bradley had no issues with Edner Cherry. And Juan Manuel Marquez took care of Joel Casamayor.
I didn’t see a KO coming with JMM, but that eliminated the predicted controversy. The fight I was looking forward to the most was Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman. As reported, Guzman was 3.5 pounds over the limit. Campbell was still game for the fight but at about 6:30 CST, Guzman backed out. Wha??
Poor Nate. It was one of the few chances he would have gotten to prove himself and this happens.
In the local scene, the Lawton boys, Grady Brewer and George Tahdooahnippah were both victorious Friday night.
Oklahoma City boys Kyle Sherman and Noah Zuhdi both posted wins as well.
Kid Carson Jones, who is the main event of Saturday’s card, has a new opponent. Originally scheduled to fight Michi Munoz, he is now fighting Donovan Castaneda.
I’m pumped to see how things work out at the Cox Convention Center. I’ve grown comfortable at Remington Park, so it’ll be interesting to see how this set up is and how the atmosphere is.
Quickie predictions…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Normally, I would have dedicated a nice post about this weekend’s fights. But with my other responsibilities as a HS writer, didn’t get around to it. This is a great weekend for boxing.
HBO PPV
Sergio Mora vs. Vernon Forrest II: Mora didn’t impress me in winning his title, but Forrest looked shot. And since the first encounter was so “epic,” it went from being on Showtime to being on PPV? Messed up. I’m hoping Forrest, so yeah, let’s go Forrest UD12 Mora.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Joel Casamayor: My brother thinks I’m nuts, but I’ve always been a fan of the Cuban. JMM only recently has become one of my fave acts in the game. This could be a blah bout with two counterpunches. I’m going to say JMM SD12 Casamayor, but Casamayor will believe he won.
Showtime
Nate Campbell vs. Joan Guzman: Kudos to Campbell. Guzman didn’t make the weight limit, but he’s still taking the fight. Of course, now Campbell’s belts are safe. I think this is fight of the night. Guzman is a slick boxer in the mold of Floyd Mayweather Jr. (all those years being trained by Floyd Sr. will do that to you). But you have to love Campbell’s aggressiveness. I’m pulling for Nate, but I think it’s going to be Guzman tonight. Guzman narrow UD Campbell.
Timothy Bradley vs. Edner Cherry: I’ve watched The Cherry Bomb so many times on ESPN2, I feel like I know him. And knowing him, I think I know he doesn’t have the firepower to be with the elite. He’s a solid 7-10th ranked contender, but Bradley should be able to handle his business. Or was the Junior Witter win a fluke? Bradley UD12 Cherry.
I also feel it will be a long night of boxing. I’m just not seeing any KOs tonight so strap in and enjoy. Oh, and have your clicker handy going back and forth b/w OU-Washington and THE Ohio State-USC games. On a side note, got Sooners and Bucks in those games.
