Israel Vazquez vs Rafael Marquez IV

Video Courtesy of ESPN

Photos by Tom Casino/Showtime

Courtesy of Fightnews.com

Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vasquez III - postfight

Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vasquez III

By Randy De La O

Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez have already made boxing history with what may end up being the greatest boxing trilogy of all time and they certainly rank with the best of them, including Tony Zale vs. Rocky Graziano, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales and Arturo Gotti vs. Micky Ward. As is their nature, both fighters will be pushing the envelope this Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with a fourth and hopefully final fight between them. The fight will be broadcast by Showtime Boxing.

Personally, I would rather  see these two phenomenal fighters skip the fourth fight. They’ve already done enough damage to each other. However, I’m not going to miss this one. Both guys have fought only once since their last meeting at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on March 1, 2008. Marquez scored a 3rd round KO of Jose Francisco Mendoza of Columbia at the Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Vazquez, for his part stopped Angel Antonio Priolo of Columbia at the Nokia Center in Downtown Los Angeles on October 10, 2009 .

Marquez and Vazquez might not get the attention that Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr get, or any number of elite fighters but to those that know boxing these two are the cream of the crop. No over blown entrances, no bullshit surrounding the fight, no embarrassment to the sport, just pure fighting in the ring. The way it was meant to be.

I was at their last fight. If the fourth fight is half as good as the last three fights it will be twice as good as the crap we have been fed lately. That being said, like the rest of you, I fear for their safety. A fourth fight just can't be good for their health! Speaking of Manny and Floyd, they should, take a look at Rafael and Israel this weekend and take notes. This is what real championship boxing is all about. This is the ultimate in risk taking,. Come to think about it, this is real Ultimate Fighting!

Two Fights I Won’t Soon Forget

I've seen plenty of good fights in my life, inside the ring and outside the ring. Here are two that have stayed with me.

Two Fights I Won’t Soon Forget

Kerry Riley

When I was in the seventh grade at Mary Meller Junior High School in Pico Rivera I had a friend by the name of Kerry Riley. In appearance, mannerism and almost every other way, he was the living incarnation of Opie Taylor of Mayberry. There wasn’t a friendlier or more innocent guy to be found. He was from either Kentucky or Tennessee , I don’t remember which. He was a red haired, freckled face kid. He couldn’t fight worth a lick but he a had a champions heart and I will never forget him.

Kerry moved away at the end of the seventh grade. He was gone and I never really expected to see him again. Time moved on and so did I. Sometime after ninth grade began Kerry came back to California and to Meller Jr High. I had other friends by this time and he no longer fit in with the crowd that I hung with. We remained friends but we no longer hung out together. We were both okay with it and we would talk from time to time.

One day at lunch time one of my friends came up to me and said “Hey Randy, your friend Kerry is fighting Ribachi after school!”. Ribachi was Richard Ribachi. Now Ribachi was almost twice Kerry’s size, both in height and in width. He was a known fighter and Kerry was no match for him. I had to find him. There was just no way that I could let Kerry fight Ribachi. Ribachi had that high pompadour that was popular in the fifties and sixties and a walk to match, sort of like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was an acquired walk and one he perfected. You had to be a good fighter to walk the way he did and get away with it.

I caught up with Kerry after school was out. They were going to fight in the alley behind the old McDonald’s on Rosemead and Mines. I saw him walking by himself and walked with him. He didn’t really have any friends at school. I said to him “Kerry. Don’t do it man, Ribachi is a good fighter, he’ll kick your ass. Just go home and forget about it” I figured he would listen to me, but no, he was determined not to back down. All he said to me was “I have to”. I never saw a braver or more determined guy than Kerry. I was suddenly filled with admiration for him, and a little ashamed of myself for not being a better friend to him when he came back to school. I just followed him and said nothing. I thought to myself, the least I can do is be there in case anyone jumps in.

When we got to the alley it was jam packed. Every kid in school came out to see Kerry get his ass kicked. You just knew it wouldn’t end any other way. To Ribachi’s credit, he kept it clean. As Kerry walked into the alley he took off his shirt. He had a white tee shirt on underneath. He didn’t have anything remotely resembling a muscle. I was beginning to panic for him. With courage that I never knew he had, and with out so much as the slightest hesitation, he walked straight up to Ribachi and put his hands up in the best boxing form that he was capable of mustering up.

Ribachi threw a right hand that immediately bloodied Riley’s mouth and sent him straight to the ground. He got back up, tried to throw a punch but missed. Ribachi just moved in a threw several punches. Every one of them landed. Again Riley was on the ground. He got up again. This time he had a bloody nose and his face was scuffed up from all the punches. There was no quit in Kerry Riley, not an ounce. All I could do was stare in disbelief. He got up over and over. It wouldn’t end. By this time, it was quiet. No one wanted to see this guy get hurt. They were screaming at him to stop but he just kept getting up. He braced himself for what was coming but he never took a backward step. It never occurred to him to duck.

Finally and to everyone’s relief, Ribachi had a look of compassion on his face. He didn’t want to hit him anymore. He walked up to him, took his hand and helped him up, smiled at him and left. Riley was a mess. His face was bloodied and bruised, his clothes filled with dirt and oil from the alley. but he had the respect of everyone there that day. He moved again before ninth grade was out. I never saw him again. It’s been forty years, and I have never forgotten him, or that fight.

The Last Hurrah

It was the night Javier Muniz and Rudy Hernandez fought their first fight at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on June 10, 1976. It wasn’t exactly on the undercard but it literally stole the show that night. It was one of those unexpected events that just make a life long impression on you.

I had a fight scheduled that night with an opponent whose name I can no longer recall, if I ever knew it at all. Just minutes before I was scheduled to fight it was called off. I don’t remember the reason. I got dressed and Mel Epstein and I went upstairs to get a seat and watch the fight. There was a section set up for managers, trainers and boxers and those that were involved closely with boxing. Not to far from that was a gambler’s area. This is where the unplanned co-main event took place.

Mel and I found a seat. To be perfectly honest I can’t remember if it was during the main event or if it was on the undercard. I’m thinking the undercard because if I remember correctly we hung around for a bit. At any rate while watching the fight, we couldn’t help but notice some commotion breaking out where all the gambler’s were seated. There were two men arguing over money. One man was older and he appeared to be in his sixties. He was wearing a hat and one of those cheap suits that seemed prevalent with the downtown crowd back in those days. It was dark and made from cheap fabric. The suit appeared to be old and worn. The man was either Mexican or Filipino, I couldn’t tell and neither could Mel. Mel said he recognized the man but could not place him.

The other man was much younger, probably in his late twenties and he was about to learn a valuable lesson that night, much to the delight of the crowd. The younger man was seated directly behind the older man. He was also seated a little higher due to the amphitheater style seating at the Olympic. They were making enough of a fuss so that the lighting man put the spot light on them. The whole arena was watching the argument unfold.

The older man wanted the money he had won, and the younger guy either felt like teasing him or had no intention of paying off the bet. In the end it didn’t really matter. The young guy was standing up and holding the money with his right hand, just out of reach of the old timer. When he jumped up to get the money the younger man would pull it back and laugh. So did his friends. This happened several times when without any warning or provocation, the younger man threw a sloppy left hand. Instantly and so unexpectedly the old timer countered with a quick, hard right hand to the jaw followed by a left hook. He knocked the guy out. He reached down, took the money, counted it and put it in his coat pocket. With the spotlight still on both of them the whole arena was going crazy. Not knowing what was going on in the crowd I’m sure the fighters in the ring thought the crowd was cheering their fight.

The old man looked out at the crowd and let out a big grin, then, probably figuring he better get the hell out of there, he walked over to the tunnel. Just before he walked down the stairs he looked at the crowd and let go of a few punches in the air, enjoying the moment. The crowd roared as if he had just won a title. He disappeared down the stairs. Whoever he was, he was the talk of the night. He was the main event of the evening.

Louie Burke: Abie Han, Dallas Update

By Louie Burke


Thursday, 5/6/10
Hilton Anatole
Fight Night/ Real Estate Council fund raiser.
The Dallas real estate industry dressed in tuxedos and classy evening gowns witnessed Abie Han dismantle a tough Jose Gonzalez. The main event scheduled for 8 rounds, started off with both fighters meeting in the center of the ring and fighting in close quarters for most of the round, with a slight edge going to Abie. Abie’s quickness proved to be the defining factor as he caught Gonzalez with numerous left hooks in the second round gaining a decisive edge. In what became the final round, had Abie starting to connect more frequently with body shots and uppercuts, creating an opening for the left hook, which dropped Gonzalez. Gonzalez was barely able to make the 10 count and tried to weather the storm, but as the round went on, Abie was landing hard shots, forcing referee Lawrence Cole, to stop the Match.

This was a good test for Abie. Gonzalez is no slouch and is notorious for his ability to take a punch, weather a storm and come back throwing a ton of punches. Whoever might of seen the battle between Gonzalez and Joaquin Zamora, knows what kind of warrior this kid is. Last month Gonzales fought USBA junior middleweight champ Derek Ennis to a 10 round majority decision loss, in Ennis’ backyard! Not only is Gonzalez tough, but a classy man as well. We wish him the best of luck in the future.

Thank’s for the support you’ve shown

MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY POST FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE

"Well, you know, I tried, but it was a good fight and I was that close; that close to getting him, but he's a hell of a fighter."..Sugar Shane Mosley

Floyd "Money" Mayweather Beats Sugar Shane Mosley

By Randy De La O

It’s an God awful thing to see a great fighter age in the ring, especially if it’s a fighter whose career has been based on speed, boxing ability, power and a huge heart. That was the case Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as Sugar Shane Mosley was reduced to a mere sparring partner by the faster, quicker thinking and (surprise-surprise) much more aggressive and perhaps, most importantly, a younger Floyd Mayweather Jr. You first began to get a hint of what was to come when Mosley’s trainer, Nazim Richardson began to wrap Mosley’s hand just minutes before he was to enter the ring. Mosley entered the ring dry. Not a good way to begin a fight.

The first round saw both fighters circling tentatively but Mayweather seemed much calmer much more relaxed. Mosley, on the other hand was fighting in an uncharacteristic manner; jerky, moving his hands needlessly, and with absolutely no fluidity . I had a bad feeling. When the second round came it looked like Mosley was going to take charge of the fight, he landed several crisp, hard right hands that seemed to hurt Mayweather. That second round proved to be his “Last Hurrah” at least as far as this fight was concerned. From the 3rd round on it was "Money" Mayweather taking the fight to Mosley. Each round became a carbon copy of the last , with Mayweather doing pretty much as he pleased with mosley.

At times Mosley appeared completely clueless, vague and befuddled, stopping at one point after a break, with his hands down and talking to either referee Kenny Bayless or Mayweather, just asking to be hit. That’s exactly what Mayweather did. It’s what he was supposed to do. Mosley never did get into the fight, physically he seemed weak and his punches lacked any real conviction. Mosley never committed his punches. Mentally,, as the fight wore on Mosley began to break down and round by round he went further into survival mode, something I thought I would never see. Mayweather had an answer and then some for everything Mosley did. It was tough for me to watch.

Maybe Frank Sinatra said it best in his song “That’s Life”

“You’re riding high in April
and Shot down in May”

Truer words were never sung.

While I’m not quite ready to agree with Mayweather that he is the best fighter of all time; better than Ali, better than Robinson, better than Duran or better than Leonard I will concede that he is one of two of the best fighters of his generation and I’m swallowing awful hard just saying that. Still, I have to give credit to Mayweather, I didn’t think he had it in him to stand up to Mosley but he did what he said he was to do. He out boxed and out fought Mosley and he made it look easy. I give him credit for his behavior outside of the ring. It would have been easy for Mayweather to continue to torment Mosley with well placed words but he chose not to. He showed some class last night. He also showed that he has more going on inside of him than I previously gave him credit for.

After Mayweather’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, Mosley jumped into the ring to challenge Mayweather and Max Kellerman, more or less, never really allowed Mayweather to enjoy his victory. It didn’t bother me so much then, in fact for that fight, and for that moment it seemed almost appropriate but last night it did bother me. Larry Merchant hammered him incessantly on the drug testing and Manny Pacquiao. Merchant should have just let Floyd revel in his victory. He deserved that much. Sometimes the Larry Merchants of the world need to know when to shut up.

The fight didn’t turn out the way I had hoped. My reasons for picking Mosley over Mayweather were sound and valid but as the afore mentioned Larry Merchant has said ad nauseam “Boxing is the theater of the unexpected” and last night proved just that.

So now we sit back and wait for Manny and Floyd to hammer out their agreement and make their fight happen. Hopefully before the end of the year. I’m figuring that after Saturday the odds may just favor Mayweather. I don’t expect Mosley to relent on the Olympic style drug testing or anything else for that matter. Like Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya before him, he is a shrewd and tough negotiator. Let’s see how this plays out.

When Champions Meet….

By Randy De La O

There is something about two great fighters, at any weight, stepping into the ring to face each other that no other sport can capture. The weeks leading up to fight with two greats are filled with rumors and controversy but most fighters will just shrug it off and keep on training. The anticipation to a real fight fan becomes almost unbearable. You have your favorite, maybe you’ll place a bet or two, you’re convinced that your guy will win. Yet in your heart of heart, you really don’t know, at best you can only hope. You can’t step in the ring and fight their fight for them. It’s something a fighter must do on his own.

Sitting ringside or in front of your television, watching the fighters enter the ring, the excitement starts to build to a crescendo . The crowd begins to roar and as the fighters meet in the middle of the ring for the instructions from the referee electricity fills the air. If you’re sitting next to someone, you look at each other, hopefully, rubbing your fist together nervously in anticipation. It’s only a few seconds now and the bell sounds and the fighters leave their corner and meet in the ring. Those few seconds before they reach each other are what fight fans live for. Two great fighters meeting, two worthy champions squaring off and suddenly the fight begins.

This is the way it was when Alexis Arguello faced Aaron Pryor or when Muhammad Ali faced Joe Frazier for their first fight, aptly called the Fight of the Century. I was in a room full of people watching the Duran-Leonard fight in 1980 with my father. At times there was screaming, at others, you could have heard a pin drop. Some fights actually live up to the hype.

Tonight Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in what has the potential to be a great fight. I have my favorite to be sure but above and beyond that I want to see a great fight. Maybe “Money” Mayweather will finally live up to all the hype and bravado and produce a great fight or maybe Sugar will, once and for all, prove to be as sweet as Robinson and Leonard. Is that too much to hope for?

Hagler vs Hearns Redux

Okay, I goofed. This is the video with the complete Hagler vs Hearns fight that I meant to post earlier. I was just going to remove and replace the video but since the other video has such great commentary I decided to leave it and put this video here. Besides, we can't have too much of Hagler vs Hearns.

Mosley Ready To Take On Mayweather