Friday, December 19, 2008
Steve Kim talks with HBO's Larry Merchant
I have not been the biggest fan of HBO's Larry Merchant over the last few years but this interview by Steve Kim shows a more thoughtful side of him. It's worth a look.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Klitschko beats Rahman to retain title
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By ScottG
Wladimir Klitschko defended his crown by stopping Hasim Rahman in the seventh round on Saturday. The fight as I saw it was pretty predictable. Any of you who saw the Rahman vs James Tony debacle would have saw this one coming. Rahman had nothing for Klitchko who basically did whatever he wanted to do round after round. The only shocker in this fight was that Rahman lasted into the seventh round. He probably wouldn't have if Klitchko would have pressed him harder in the fight. Klitchko basically gave us the same plodding jabbing straight right hand throwing workman like performance we've grown used to seeing from him. Hopefully this is the last time we see Rahman in the ring, and hopefully this is the last time we are forced to watch and over rated washed up fighter get a cheap title shot. Yeah, right. At least it wasn't a Pay Per View fiasco =)
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Showtime Boxing: Champion Holt Will Defend His Title Against Hopkins
Kendall Holt will put his title on the line against Demetrius Hopkins, Saturday December 13, 2008 at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight will be shown on Showtime Boxing.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Old man Oscar is done...
By ScottG
Old man Oscar should have never fought a no win fight like this. He had nothing to gain and lost his dignity, That's right I said it, his dignity. He quit sitting on his butt between rounds. Even if Manny falls into the trap of fight the bigger guys for more money, he better be careful who he picks and stay with the older set of fighters that still have a name and are trying to prove they still have something to offer. Manny owns the lower division and would be crazy to stay up at welter. If he does he gets beat by a welter that’s young and fast and stronger. Not like Oscar had nothing to offer but a very nice payday for himself and Manny. De La Hoya fans should feel duped. Randyman stated that his son thought that he quit and you thought that he couldn't continue. Randyman’s son was 100% right. He QUIT on his stool. He was conscious, unhurt, and had presence of mind. What he also had was a pile of money and no real reason to continue being embarrassed. He had no title at stake, and had no chance to win the fight, so he quit in front of his god and everyone. He quit on his legion of fans that had put their hopes and their money on him. I think it would have been better for him to fight another Mexican like Chavez did for him so he could have also passed the torch to a younger stronger man for the fans to latch onto. He was just too selfish to share the fan base or give them up to someone other than himself. So, with that said ...Good by De La Hoya the man that was as they often become under .500 his last few years in the ring. And has more ego than skills allow.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Antonio Margarito vs Sugar Shane Mosley
Believe it or not, there are other things going on in boxing besides Manny and Oscar. On January 24, 2009 Antonio Margarito will defend his WBA Welterweight title against former four time world champ Sugar Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Is this another case of an older fighter (Mosley) not knowing when to quit?Mosley is coming off a win over Ricardo
Mayorga at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California last September. It was a hard fight for Mosley despite his win. A little over a year ago Mosley lost to Miguel Cotto in a tough fight. The same Miguel Cotto who was stopped by Antonio Margarito in another tough fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in July of this year.
Mayorga at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California last September. It was a hard fight for Mosley despite his win. A little over a year ago Mosley lost to Miguel Cotto in a tough fight. The same Miguel Cotto who was stopped by Antonio Margarito in another tough fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in July of this year.Manny and Oscar
Well, you guys know I was really pulling for Oscar. I like the kid. Always have, always will. I remember years ago when his pro career was starting to gear up, maybe after the Rafael Ruelas fight in 1995. Oscar was being interviewed and he stated that his plan was to retire by the time he was thirty. He was going to be smart. He didn't want to end up the way a lot of other guys did. I'm paraphrasing but you get the point. In the end he did what they all do, or at least most of them, he had one fight too many. They want to go out on top but instead they drag themselves down even further. I hope Oscar gets smart again.
I was there the night Oscar beat Chavez in their first fight, it was the same situation, a young strong fighter facing an older fighter, maybe up to that point still a force but clearly not what he was. Chavez became an old man that night. In the second fight Chavez was unable to come out for the fifth round. Oscar was overjoyed, as he should have been, nothing wrong with that. It's the nature of the business.
Fast forward 12 years, Oscar unable to come out for the 9th round, Pacquiao overjoyed, as he should be. It's a tough, cruel, and for the most part, an unforgiving business. Somewhere out there right now is a young fighter. Maybe he's Mexican, maybe he's Italian, Irish, Jewish or black, it doesn't matter, he's out there, skipping rope, hitting the bag, listening to his trainer. Maybe he has already had a few fights, maybe his star is just beginning to shine. Right now he has no clue he's the chosen one. He couldn't possibly. He'll be gunning for Pacquiao someday soon. it's inevitable. It's inescapable. Pacquiao's only chance is to retire at the right time. Otherwise...... Well you know the story. we've seen it enough times.
I don't know for sure but Manny strikes me as a guy that knows when to retire but then going back a few years, that's what I thought about Oscar.
I was talking to a couple of guys after the fight. The names Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr (remember him?) came up. I said I was 100% convinced that Pacquiao beats both, and as easy as he beats Oscar. I added that not only does he beat both, he beats Cotto too if they fought. I finished by saying if he fought Margarito he has a chance. Thatmight be stretching but right now I would believe anything about the guy.
I was there the night Oscar beat Chavez in their first fight, it was the same situation, a young strong fighter facing an older fighter, maybe up to that point still a force but clearly not what he was. Chavez became an old man that night. In the second fight Chavez was unable to come out for the fifth round. Oscar was overjoyed, as he should have been, nothing wrong with that. It's the nature of the business.
Fast forward 12 years, Oscar unable to come out for the 9th round, Pacquiao overjoyed, as he should be. It's a tough, cruel, and for the most part, an unforgiving business. Somewhere out there right now is a young fighter. Maybe he's Mexican, maybe he's Italian, Irish, Jewish or black, it doesn't matter, he's out there, skipping rope, hitting the bag, listening to his trainer. Maybe he has already had a few fights, maybe his star is just beginning to shine. Right now he has no clue he's the chosen one. He couldn't possibly. He'll be gunning for Pacquiao someday soon. it's inevitable. It's inescapable. Pacquiao's only chance is to retire at the right time. Otherwise...... Well you know the story. we've seen it enough times.
I don't know for sure but Manny strikes me as a guy that knows when to retire but then going back a few years, that's what I thought about Oscar.
I was talking to a couple of guys after the fight. The names Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr (remember him?) came up. I said I was 100% convinced that Pacquiao beats both, and as easy as he beats Oscar. I added that not only does he beat both, he beats Cotto too if they fought. I finished by saying if he fought Margarito he has a chance. Thatmight be stretching but right now I would believe anything about the guy.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Pearl Harbor
By Roger Esty
They say 2000 World War II vets die each day.Today is Pearl Harbor Day. I heard an interview this morning with one of the last survivors of that Day of Infamy. Harder and harder to find those guys now a days. Yeh,he was scared all right. Get blind sided like that and you're reacting on instincts.
"All I could think of was getting the hell out of there," said the old soldier.
His voice was soft like he was bringing it all back when he was talking to the news reporter. He brings it back everyday. Probably doesn't talk much about it unless someone asks.Most of his pals are gone.The ones that were beside him that day. Not many around that know what happened on December 7th. Just as many don't care. Watching the NFL game. Not a word of it today. More interest in the local team. That's more important. Not really, but 1941 was so long ago. Look at an old man today and wonder what he was doing on December 7th.
DeLa Hoya lost. Were you disappointed? Did your team lose today? If you feel bad about these things,at least you're around to feel bad about it. We can thank the old soldiers and sailors and Marines that were scared as hell 67 years ago who made that all possible. They made it all possible because once they understood their fear, they used it to beat the devil.
They say 2000 World War II vets die each day.Today is Pearl Harbor Day. I heard an interview this morning with one of the last survivors of that Day of Infamy. Harder and harder to find those guys now a days. Yeh,he was scared all right. Get blind sided like that and you're reacting on instincts.
"All I could think of was getting the hell out of there," said the old soldier.
His voice was soft like he was bringing it all back when he was talking to the news reporter. He brings it back everyday. Probably doesn't talk much about it unless someone asks.Most of his pals are gone.The ones that were beside him that day. Not many around that know what happened on December 7th. Just as many don't care. Watching the NFL game. Not a word of it today. More interest in the local team. That's more important. Not really, but 1941 was so long ago. Look at an old man today and wonder what he was doing on December 7th.
DeLa Hoya lost. Were you disappointed? Did your team lose today? If you feel bad about these things,at least you're around to feel bad about it. We can thank the old soldiers and sailors and Marines that were scared as hell 67 years ago who made that all possible. They made it all possible because once they understood their fear, they used it to beat the devil.
On Oscar De La Hoya
By Rick FarrisAfter sixteen successful years of fighting the best, it's time for Oscar to hang 'em up. I will never forget the first time I heard his name. My former manager Johnnie Flores told me of Oscar in December, 1989, while attending the funeral of one of my stablemates. Flores was very excited about a 16-year-old amateur world champ named Oscar De La Hoya. Johnnie was Mr. Golden Gloves in Los Angeles, and the fighter was nearly three years from winning Olympic gold.
"He's the best amateur I have ever seen" Those were Johnnie Flores words, and Johnny had seen Mando Ramos, another youthful over-achiever just a few years back. Johnny had brought Jerry Quarry thru the amateurs to a National GG heavyweight title and on to a pro career that included world title bouts with Ali & Frazier. Even so, Flores told me on that day that Oscar was the best 16-year-old he'd seen. I started to tell Flores about the Ruelas brothers, who were about the same age and fighting amateur under the Goossens. Flores acknowledged Gabe and Rafael, but he waved off any suggestion that they were equal to Oscar. I'm then thinking back over Johnny's L.A. amateur experience and his familiarization with the Baltazar Boys, and Thurman Durden, Ed Sanders, Clay Hodges, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli . . . nope, this kid De La Hoya was the best he said he'd ever seen. Johnnie rarely made such statements, but I heard this, and a couple years later I'd see the Los Angeles boy win the Olympics, and everything else he touched.
Here's my feelings. Oscar is an L.A. guy, who came out of the same tournaments that I did, as did Mando Ramos, the Baltazar boys, Davila, Sandovals, the Quarry's, and so many more. He did it right. Was he lucky, maybe, but more so he was tough & talented. He did his mother proud, and he did all of former L.A. boxers proud, even the ones who are envious and bitter.
VIVA Oscar!
Now hang 'em up, it's over.
-Rick
"He's the best amateur I have ever seen" Those were Johnnie Flores words, and Johnny had seen Mando Ramos, another youthful over-achiever just a few years back. Johnny had brought Jerry Quarry thru the amateurs to a National GG heavyweight title and on to a pro career that included world title bouts with Ali & Frazier. Even so, Flores told me on that day that Oscar was the best 16-year-old he'd seen. I started to tell Flores about the Ruelas brothers, who were about the same age and fighting amateur under the Goossens. Flores acknowledged Gabe and Rafael, but he waved off any suggestion that they were equal to Oscar. I'm then thinking back over Johnny's L.A. amateur experience and his familiarization with the Baltazar Boys, and Thurman Durden, Ed Sanders, Clay Hodges, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli . . . nope, this kid De La Hoya was the best he said he'd ever seen. Johnnie rarely made such statements, but I heard this, and a couple years later I'd see the Los Angeles boy win the Olympics, and everything else he touched.
Here's my feelings. Oscar is an L.A. guy, who came out of the same tournaments that I did, as did Mando Ramos, the Baltazar boys, Davila, Sandovals, the Quarry's, and so many more. He did it right. Was he lucky, maybe, but more so he was tough & talented. He did his mother proud, and he did all of former L.A. boxers proud, even the ones who are envious and bitter.
VIVA Oscar!
Now hang 'em up, it's over.
-Rick
Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao
By Randy De La O
The saying goes "Never fall in love with a fighter because he'll break your heart every time". That sums up my feelings about last night's fight. Perhaps it was inevitable and inescapable. Oscar played the odds last night and lost. He had in front of him a 5' 6 1/2" giant of a man named Manny Pacquiao that took Oscar to a place he had never before been, a place he could never have envisioned for himself. It was a place called surrender. It is an unholy place.
I was as confident of De La Hoya's victory going into this fight as I have ever been. Despite the fact that I thought this fight was a no win situation for Oscar, I figured he would win the fight. I was caught off guard. Of course I thought the possibility of a Pacquiao victory existed. I have seen enough fights to know that in boxing anything is possible but not this.
My first inkling that things did not seem right was when I saw Oscar in his dressing room. His face seemed hollow and his skin did not set well on his frame. Still, I was confident, concerned, but confident. I saw no fire in his face when he was making the walk into the ring. A funny feeling came over me.
One minute into the first round, at least for me, it was foregone conclusion. Suddenly Oscar De La Hoya was an old man. The fact that he was facing a human dynamo, this relentless nightmare that is Manny Pacquiao, this human predator that would not be denied, had much to do with it but so too did Father Time. Still Oscar was showing some heart. He was taking his lickings and once or twice during the fight he mounted an attack but it was short lived, sporadic and unsustainable. He had nothing to offer in the way of defense or offense. Not an iota.
Somewhere during the fight, maybe the third round, I forget which because they all looked alike, I saw Oscar losing heart. There came a point when Oscar was just trying to survive. Where once Oscar De La Hoya was the hunter, relentless in his pursuit of his opponent, now he was the hunted, mere prey for the relentless Pacquiao, who was like a young wolf challenging the old wolf for his rightful place as the new leader of the pack.
It was painful for me to watch. I knew Oscar was going to fold. I saw it in his body language, I saw it in his eyes. I said out loud "Oscar, don't quit. Don't quit". At another point I turned to Ed Hernandez and said "I think he might quit on his stool". A round or two later, either the referee or the fight doctor asked "Are you alright? Do you want me to stop the fight? Can you continue? (I'm paraphrasing) Oscar just stared. His heart and spirit were gone. That he had enough of Pacquiao was evident. Age, weight loss, Manny Pacquiao, take your pick, all of them conspired in the total destruction of a fighter named Oscar De La Hoya. Unable to voice the words Oscar just stared but his eyes betrayed him, just as his once strong body betrayed him. His eyes, his body language and his overall demeanor told trainer Nacho Beristain everything he needed to know. He signaled to referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight and just like that the career of Oscar De La Hoya was over. It doesn't matter if he fools himself and fights again, it is over for Oscar De La Hoya. If you don't believe me ask the "Fat Lady" she was there last night singing.
My son Andrew called from Seattle last night after the fight to find out what I thought. We had two widely different opinions about the fight. He was disgusted with De La Hoya, once one of his favorites. His first words to me were "Dad, don't defend him!" He believes, as I'm sure many others do, and maybe rightly so, that Oscar didn't care if he won or lost, he made his money and took the easy way out. What it ultimately boiled down to is that Andrew believes Oscar would not continue and I believe he could not.
Whatever it was, only Oscar knows. He will play the fight over and over again, hoping for a different ending but the ending will remain the same. Oscar could not or would not come out for the ninth round. Time will not change that.
Never fall in love with a fighter, he'll break your heart every time. Every single damned time.
I was as confident of De La Hoya's victory going into this fight as I have ever been. Despite the fact that I thought this fight was a no win situation for Oscar, I figured he would win the fight. I was caught off guard. Of course I thought the possibility of a Pacquiao victory existed. I have seen enough fights to know that in boxing anything is possible but not this.
My first inkling that things did not seem right was when I saw Oscar in his dressing room. His face seemed hollow and his skin did not set well on his frame. Still, I was confident, concerned, but confident. I saw no fire in his face when he was making the walk into the ring. A funny feeling came over me.
One minute into the first round, at least for me, it was foregone conclusion. Suddenly Oscar De La Hoya was an old man. The fact that he was facing a human dynamo, this relentless nightmare that is Manny Pacquiao, this human predator that would not be denied, had much to do with it but so too did Father Time. Still Oscar was showing some heart. He was taking his lickings and once or twice during the fight he mounted an attack but it was short lived, sporadic and unsustainable. He had nothing to offer in the way of defense or offense. Not an iota.
Somewhere during the fight, maybe the third round, I forget which because they all looked alike, I saw Oscar losing heart. There came a point when Oscar was just trying to survive. Where once Oscar De La Hoya was the hunter, relentless in his pursuit of his opponent, now he was the hunted, mere prey for the relentless Pacquiao, who was like a young wolf challenging the old wolf for his rightful place as the new leader of the pack.
It was painful for me to watch. I knew Oscar was going to fold. I saw it in his body language, I saw it in his eyes. I said out loud "Oscar, don't quit. Don't quit". At another point I turned to Ed Hernandez and said "I think he might quit on his stool". A round or two later, either the referee or the fight doctor asked "Are you alright? Do you want me to stop the fight? Can you continue? (I'm paraphrasing) Oscar just stared. His heart and spirit were gone. That he had enough of Pacquiao was evident. Age, weight loss, Manny Pacquiao, take your pick, all of them conspired in the total destruction of a fighter named Oscar De La Hoya. Unable to voice the words Oscar just stared but his eyes betrayed him, just as his once strong body betrayed him. His eyes, his body language and his overall demeanor told trainer Nacho Beristain everything he needed to know. He signaled to referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight and just like that the career of Oscar De La Hoya was over. It doesn't matter if he fools himself and fights again, it is over for Oscar De La Hoya. If you don't believe me ask the "Fat Lady" she was there last night singing.
My son Andrew called from Seattle last night after the fight to find out what I thought. We had two widely different opinions about the fight. He was disgusted with De La Hoya, once one of his favorites. His first words to me were "Dad, don't defend him!" He believes, as I'm sure many others do, and maybe rightly so, that Oscar didn't care if he won or lost, he made his money and took the easy way out. What it ultimately boiled down to is that Andrew believes Oscar would not continue and I believe he could not.
Whatever it was, only Oscar knows. He will play the fight over and over again, hoping for a different ending but the ending will remain the same. Oscar could not or would not come out for the ninth round. Time will not change that.
Never fall in love with a fighter, he'll break your heart every time. Every single damned time.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao: The Fight Card
Saturday, December 06 2008
MGM Grand / Las Vegas, NV
Welterweight Fight (12 RDs)
HBO Broadcast: 9:00pm ET
International Broadcast: 02:00 GMT
Click here for the international format
Oscar De La Hoya
10 Time World Champion
(39-5-0, 30 Ko's) vs. Manny Pacquiao
No. 1 Ranked pound-for-pound champion
(47-3-2, 35 Ko's)
10-time World Champion "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya will face current No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound champion MANNY "Pacman" Pacquiao on Saturday, December 6 for a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit. This exciting and intriguing match-up pits two of the most recognizable and popular talents in the sport today in what will surely be the grand finale of the 2008 boxing calendar.
NABO Junior Welterweight Championship (12 Rounds)
Victor Ortiz
Oxnard, CA
(22-1-1, 17) vs. Jeffrey Resto
Bronx, NY
(22-2-0, 13)
WBO Junior Featherweight Championship (12 Rounds)
Juan Manuel Lopez
Caguas, PR
(23-0-0, 21) vs. Sergio Medina
Salta, AR
(33-1-0, 18)
Super Middleweight Fight (8 Rounds)
Daniel Jacobs
Brooklyn, NY
(12-0-0, 11) vs. Victor Lares
Corpus Christi, TX
(14-3-0, 3)
Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao: In Support of Oscar De La Hoya
By: Randy De La O
I have mentioned before that I feel like the Lone Ranger in my support of Oscar De La Hoya but a more accurate analogy would be General George Armstrong Custer making his last stand against the entire Souix and Cheyenne nations. It's a lonely feeling.
Whether Oscar wins his fight with Manny Pacqiauo or not, his career is coming to an end. Even if he fights one or two more times next year, his career is winding down. It's been a great career too. A gold medal in Spain in the 1992 Olympics, several world titles and several great fights. Through it all Oscar has recieved a lot of criticism, some deserved, some not. Oscar may not have won all of his fights but I don't really see that as a big deal. Not even Babe Ruth batted a thousand. Everyone loses. Oscar never really made excuses and he was one of the few that took on all challengers. He fought the best of his era and if he came up short a few times it was only because he dared. While everyone else around him were doing their best to avoid each other, trying to keep their positions and rankings or titles, in the hope of fighting Oscar.
We lament about the fighters from the past. We remember how they could lose a fight, shake off the loss and come back and fight again. We loved the old time fighters. No trash talking and no excuses. We complain too, how promoters, managers and just about every hustler looking to make a buck would use up a fighter, then spit him out when they were done with him. So many exfighters ended up broke, alone and maybe a little punch drunk, some more than a little. Some never made it at all.
So, in Oscar De la Hoya, we have a fighter that fought the best of his day. Win lose or draw, he fought the best of his day. In 1996 when De La Hoya fought and beat the great Julio Cesar Chavez, we all thought he did something special. He made it look easy that night. At that time Chavez had suffered only one loss, by split decision to Frankie Randall only two years earlier. Chavez, though no longer at his peak, was still a force to be reckoned with. Why have we retroactively changed the dynamics of that fight?
If Oscar has fallen short at times, and who hasn't, it is only because he is a fighter who takes risks. Fighting guys like Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Sugar Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr and early in his career, Rafael Ruelas and Genaro Hernandez. In the riskiest of business' DeLa Hoya took plenty of risks.
The late Jerry Quarry, one of the bravest in what is arguably the toughest of occupations once said "No coward ever stepped in to the ring". I agree. It would be an impossibility.
To sum it all up, in De La Hoya we have a fighter that has faced the best, he has been a gracious winner and just as importantly he knew how to lose. He shook of his losses, ignored the criticism and continued to fight, winning some and losing some. Unlike most fighters, Oscar has never touted his own greatness.
In Oscar we have a fighter who made up his mind early on that no one was going use him up and spit him out when they were done with him. In that, he has succeeded like no other fighter before him.
In Oscar, we have a fighter that, despite proving himself over the years in a business where "No coward has ever stepped in to the ring" he continues to be called a coward, even by those that should know better. It's almost shameful.
Oscar fights Manny Pacquiao tonight. On paper it has the makings of a fight that can't fail. I hope it lives up to the expectations. Despite the fact that Pacquiao refuses to face his rightful challenger in Juan Manuel Marquez, he has had an admirable career.
Personally, I think too much is being made of the size difference between the two. Boxing has never been about the height, it has been about the weight.The size issue has been brought up ad nauseam but it is not unprecedented. Carlos Monzon enjoyed a height advantage over Jose Napoles. Tommy Hearns at 6' 1" towered over a 5' 7 1/2" Roberto Duran. Hearns had not only the height advantage but the youth advantage as well. Duran began his career as a 118 pounder and was a natural lightweight. He fought Hearns as a Jr Middleweight. Duran was no Jr. middleweight. Hearns ended his career as a cruiserweight. He was a big man. My point is, is that it is not unprecedented.
Tonight I will be pulling for De la Hoya to win, hopefully by knockout. Pacquiao and his fans can take solace in all the ready made, built in excuses that have been put in place by almost every boxing writer in the country. The same excuses that will ultimately, at least in perception, make De La Hoya's victory appear hollow.
To writers like Doug Krikorian of the Long Beach Press Telegram and others of his ilk, I leave you with this:
.....It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.......
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