Sunday, September 18, 2011
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz: Character Inside the Ring and a Fight Town's Legacy
By Randy De La O
There is an age old adage in boxing that goes something like this, "You are never so naked as when you are standing in the ring". It's not the physical nakedness they are referring to, it's the character of a man (or a women) that's exposed. Your courage and heart and sense of fair play, and your ability or inability to handle pressure, or the propensity to cheat when frustrated, or a lack of character when it's time to face your actions when caught. You are never so naked a when you are standing in the ring. Ask Victor Ortiz, he got caught completely naked last night.
I'm no fan of Floyd Mayweather Jr, never have been and most likely, never will be. What I am is a fan of the sport of boxing. As difficult as that can be at times, especially when someone like Mayweather is involved, I do try my absolute best to put aside my own personal bias and dislikes and focus just on the fighter and the fights. It's not always easy. Saturday night's fight between Mayweather and Victor Ortiz is a good example. Coming into this fight I wanted Ortiz to put the trash talking Mayweather in his place. I wasn't 100% sure he could but I was rooting for him to pull it off. The other reason I was rooting for Ortiz was that I wanted to see the guy redeem himself. I was hoping he would prove once and for all, that his blatant quitting in the Marcos Maidana fight was an anomaly, just something that happened, a one time quirky act. I thought that Ortiz understood what true character was, and that he was going to work like hell to prove himself. Maybe position himself along side some of the great fighters of the past.
Us guys from the West Coast and the L.A. fight scene are a proud bunch. We love our fighters and their exploits passionately. We have as rich a history in the sport as any town in the country, or the world too for that matter. We cherish and defend that history. The fighters that were either born here or came here to live and fight, range from the completely mediocre to the legendary. They trained at the Main Street Gym, the Teamsters Gym, the Hoover Street Gym and Canto Robledo's backyard gym. The names of these fighters stand with the best from anywhere in the world when it comes to courage, heart and fair play and they include fighters such as Manny Ortiz, Gil Cadilli, Kenny Teran, Art Aragon, Enrique Bolanos,Lauro Salas, Denny Moyer, Mando Ramos, Hedgeman Lewis, Randy Shields, Mando Muniz, Bobby Chacon, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Rick Farris, , the Fighting Irish Brothers Jerry and Mike Quarry, Frankie Baltazar, Tony Baltazar, and more recently, Sugar Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya. I couldn't begin to list them all.
Guys like Ruben Olivares, Chucho Castillo, Jesus Pimental came north from Mexico to lay it on the line at the Olympic Auditorium and the Forum because they knew L.A. was a fight town like no other and appreciated a fighter worth his salt. Art Hafey headed south from Canada to Southern California, to jump into the midst of what has come to be known as the "West Coast Featherweight Wars". The West Coast has been a hot bed of boxing for decades and L.A. has been the epicenter of it all. We don't care what nationality you are, what color you are or what your religion is. If you can fight and are willing, and can take it as good as you can give, than you are our kind of fighter. it's as simple as that. We'll be with you all the way.
Then along comes Victor Ortiz, wanting to stand tall with all the rest. Quit against Maidana and was given a second chance at a career. Positioned himself with one of the two pound for pound best fighters in the world, and was making a fight of it. Mayweather began picking up some steam and the fighter who has ironically come to be known as "Vicious" began to crumble. Ortiz had Mayweather against the ropes and was actually landing some good shots, when for reasons known only to him, he decided to take the low road with a headbutt so obviously intentionally a blind man would have had no trouble seeing it. Anomaly? No, lack of character, lack of true courage, a complete lack of fair play.
Am I being too harsh here? I don't think so. Given that Ortiz had a shot at redemption and spit in our eyes in the process, I think he's getting off easy. The crowd at the Staples Center, judging by the boos for Mayweather seem to be excusing Ortiz' behavior. Mayweather did what any sane fighter would and should do when facing a man who has already shown himself to be a cheater. I would lay some pretty good money that many of the same people that think Floyd sucker punched Ortiz, were jumping for joy a few years back when, Marco Antonio Barrera, like Mayweather, took matters into his own hands and grabbed Nassem Hamed in a half nelson and rammed him face first into the ring post. I don't recall ever hearing of one fan that thought Barrera was in the wrong. Neither was Floyd Mayweather in the wrong. But for the headbutt there would have been no controversy or knockout, at least not that particular knockout.
To borrow quote from Dorothy and "The Wizard of Oz", "Victor, you're not in Kansas anymore!"
There is an age old adage in boxing that goes something like this, "You are never so naked as when you are standing in the ring". It's not the physical nakedness they are referring to, it's the character of a man (or a women) that's exposed. Your courage and heart and sense of fair play, and your ability or inability to handle pressure, or the propensity to cheat when frustrated, or a lack of character when it's time to face your actions when caught. You are never so naked a when you are standing in the ring. Ask Victor Ortiz, he got caught completely naked last night.
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| 125486843 LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 17: Victor Ortiz reaches his head out as Floyd Mayweather Jr. is against the rope in the fourth round during their WBC welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 17, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Referee Joe Cortez called Ortiz for an illegal headbutt. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) 2011 Getty Images |
Us guys from the West Coast and the L.A. fight scene are a proud bunch. We love our fighters and their exploits passionately. We have as rich a history in the sport as any town in the country, or the world too for that matter. We cherish and defend that history. The fighters that were either born here or came here to live and fight, range from the completely mediocre to the legendary. They trained at the Main Street Gym, the Teamsters Gym, the Hoover Street Gym and Canto Robledo's backyard gym. The names of these fighters stand with the best from anywhere in the world when it comes to courage, heart and fair play and they include fighters such as Manny Ortiz, Gil Cadilli, Kenny Teran, Art Aragon, Enrique Bolanos,Lauro Salas, Denny Moyer, Mando Ramos, Hedgeman Lewis, Randy Shields, Mando Muniz, Bobby Chacon, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Rick Farris, , the Fighting Irish Brothers Jerry and Mike Quarry, Frankie Baltazar, Tony Baltazar, and more recently, Sugar Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya. I couldn't begin to list them all.
Guys like Ruben Olivares, Chucho Castillo, Jesus Pimental came north from Mexico to lay it on the line at the Olympic Auditorium and the Forum because they knew L.A. was a fight town like no other and appreciated a fighter worth his salt. Art Hafey headed south from Canada to Southern California, to jump into the midst of what has come to be known as the "West Coast Featherweight Wars". The West Coast has been a hot bed of boxing for decades and L.A. has been the epicenter of it all. We don't care what nationality you are, what color you are or what your religion is. If you can fight and are willing, and can take it as good as you can give, than you are our kind of fighter. it's as simple as that. We'll be with you all the way.
Then along comes Victor Ortiz, wanting to stand tall with all the rest. Quit against Maidana and was given a second chance at a career. Positioned himself with one of the two pound for pound best fighters in the world, and was making a fight of it. Mayweather began picking up some steam and the fighter who has ironically come to be known as "Vicious" began to crumble. Ortiz had Mayweather against the ropes and was actually landing some good shots, when for reasons known only to him, he decided to take the low road with a headbutt so obviously intentionally a blind man would have had no trouble seeing it. Anomaly? No, lack of character, lack of true courage, a complete lack of fair play.
Am I being too harsh here? I don't think so. Given that Ortiz had a shot at redemption and spit in our eyes in the process, I think he's getting off easy. The crowd at the Staples Center, judging by the boos for Mayweather seem to be excusing Ortiz' behavior. Mayweather did what any sane fighter would and should do when facing a man who has already shown himself to be a cheater. I would lay some pretty good money that many of the same people that think Floyd sucker punched Ortiz, were jumping for joy a few years back when, Marco Antonio Barrera, like Mayweather, took matters into his own hands and grabbed Nassem Hamed in a half nelson and rammed him face first into the ring post. I don't recall ever hearing of one fan that thought Barrera was in the wrong. Neither was Floyd Mayweather in the wrong. But for the headbutt there would have been no controversy or knockout, at least not that particular knockout.
To borrow quote from Dorothy and "The Wizard of Oz", "Victor, you're not in Kansas anymore!"
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs Alfonso Gomez
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| Photos by Gene Blevins/Hoganphotos |
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez will be fighting on the undercard (sort of) tonight. Alvarez vs Gomez will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Their fight is the main event at that sight but on the HBO PPV their fight will be on the undercard, so to speak. I think it will be a good fight.
I happen to like both of these guys, though I do think at this point in his career, regardless of his age, "Canelo" is a bit overrated and over protected, but that's not his fault (yet). He still needs a lot of work, especially on defense but that should come with time.
Gomez is a guy you just can't help but like. I mean, how can you not root for Gomez? Now here is a guy that, more than anyone else, has made the most of his appearance on NBC's boxing reality show, "The Contender", a few years back, and here is a guy that could have griped to Kingdom Come when, after beating Peter Manfredo Jr on the fair and square, he was forced to fight him a second time after another contestant left the show and Manfredo was called back. Manfredo won the second fight. If they ended their fights with one and one, why was Manfredo allowed to fight Sergio Mora for the Contender title? The fair and honest thing to do would have been to make it two out of three. Gomez got screwed. I'm not saying Gomez would have beaten Mora but I do think he's the one that should have been given the chance. I'm digressing, I know, but I had to get that off my chest.
Gomez to be fair, is a limited fighter and most likely would have languished in obscurity if not for the "Contender", but it's his huge heart that has made me and just about everyone else a fan. He's my kind of fighter. He's always plugging away, always trying, always giving a 100%. I'm hoping that somewhere along the line, maybe tonight, he'll have a "Rocky" like moment in his career. He's fought and beat a few good guys, like the late Arturo Gotti, though to be fair to Gotti, he was at the end of a great career. He never fought again. He's stepped into the ring with Miguel Cotto, Jesus Soto Karass and Jose Luis Castillo. Castillo, like Gotti, was caught at the end of his career. Gomez is a deserving guy.
That's not to say that Canelo isn't a deserving guy. Like Gomez, I think he has his limitations but with the backing this guy has, he might as well have won a gold medal. His career is moving along like a juggernaut against mediocre opponents and he is not quite 100% deserving of his place in the upper echelon of boxing, someday maybe, just not yet. Still, his future looks bright.
Tonight, I'm throwing common sense, logic and conventional wisdom out the window and I'm going with my heart. It seems like the right thing to do! I'll be rooting for Gomez.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz
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| Photo courtesy of HBO Boxing and Will Hart |
Victor Ortiz. will be defending his WBC Welterweight title this Saturday, September 17, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Floyd Mayweather Jr..The fight will be shown on HBO PPV.
I would like to see Ortiz win this one but I'm not entirely sure he can. He looked good against Andre Berto in his last fight, and while Berto is a decent enough fighter and was/is considered one of the up and coming stars of this generation, he is not Floyd Mayweather Jr, not by a long shot. Logic and Common sense says that if he couldn't handle Marcos Maidana he won't be able to handle Mayweather. Still, there has to be a part of Ortiz that has vowed to himself, regardless of circumstances or opponent, that he will never again quit. That's just speculation on my part but it's one that makes sense. However he did it, Ortiz has positioned himself for a fight with one of the two best pound for pound fighters in the world. He has a huge mountain to climb. The time for talk is over.
Mayweather on the other hand, regardless of what you or I might think of him, has yet to be beaten and has yet to show signs of aging. I don't think Ortiz will have anything new to show him. Mayweather has seen it all before. However, he has not been without some close calls. His first win against Jose Luis Castillo was considered somewhat of a robbery but he did removed all doubt in the second fight. He earned a split decision in his 2007 fight against a tired and aging Ocar De La Hoya. During that fight Oscar had some great moments but just could not sustain it. When Oscar used his jab he had his way with Mayweather. That may just be the blueprint for beating him, that and a truckload of intestinal fortitude.
My hope for tomorrow night? That Victor Ortiz reaches deep inside of himself and finds it within himself, win, lose or draw, to produce the fight of his life. I'd like to see the kid redeem himself.
Louie Burke: Abie Han Update
By Louie Burke
After a number of opponents pulled out of fighting Abie Han tonight, Eloy Suarez accepted the challenge, but he was told by the Texas Athletic Commission that his boxing license had expired.
Despite trying to convince the commission that he had a current license he was denied the opportunity. After being told he would not fight, he was not heard of from his trainers again. The commission then found out that he was licensed but had filled out the paper work, using his full legal name, throwing off the system that lists the licensees. But Suarez was gone, no where to be found and the Abie Hans fight was canceled.
Hopefully Top Rank will be able to find another spot for him in the near future.
After a number of opponents pulled out of fighting Abie Han tonight, Eloy Suarez accepted the challenge, but he was told by the Texas Athletic Commission that his boxing license had expired.
Despite trying to convince the commission that he had a current license he was denied the opportunity. After being told he would not fight, he was not heard of from his trainers again. The commission then found out that he was licensed but had filled out the paper work, using his full legal name, throwing off the system that lists the licensees. But Suarez was gone, no where to be found and the Abie Hans fight was canceled.
Hopefully Top Rank will be able to find another spot for him in the near future.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Louie Burke: Abie Han Update
By Louie Burke
Opponent after opponent had pulled out of fighting Abie Han for next weeks, Top Rank show on Sept 16th . Rugged Eloy Suarez 11-12-1 is the fighter that finally stepped up to the plate and excepted the bout. This happened after his scheduled San Antonio showdown with Hector “Macho” Camacho Jr. was cancelled.
Abie has been training diligently but was starting to wonder if the fight was going to happen, with so many change of opponents. In preparation for this fight he was able to spar with tough, talented fighters outa the Pound-for-Pound Gym in El Paso, Tx., owned by Louis Aguilar. He also got in rounds with WBA Champ Austin Trout and highly regarded amateur Zach Prieto.
Abie says he’s feeling better than his two previous fights in which he was plagued by nagging injuries to his knuckles, ear drum and elbow. He also knows he’s in a rugged fight with Suarez, whose fight with “Macho” jr. was canceled a couple of weeks ago, freeing him up for this fight with Abie. Abie says “He expects a very physical fight from Suarez, who’s fought a ton of top rated talent. Suarez will be a good yardstick to measure where I’m at career wise. I look forward to fighting Eloy Suarez, so I know where I stand with some of the top guys in the division”.
The fight will be an outdoor event at the QuikTrip Baseball Park in Grand Prairiie, Tx. September 16th.
Abie wants to thank everyone for the support they give him and his family and wishes his sister Jennifer, who'll be fighing the day before, the best of luck!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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