Detroit's Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage back in action versus Cory Spinks tonight

After toiling under the radar for years, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage (31-4-0-1, 18 KO) proved the old adage, "every dog has his day" when he seized the IBF light middleweight diadem via fifth round TKO of erstwhile champion Cory Spinks (39-6, 11 KO) on August 7, 2010 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO.

With the belt in hand, Bundrage was hoping to become a factor in the light middleweight division, which would then lead into a fight with the big boxing names out there and the corresponding big purses that go with them for the Detroit native.

But alas, for whatever reasons and circumstances beyond his control, the unthinkable happened. Instead of unleashing the beast, the dog was eventually caged and Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage's career was put in the freezer. If you ask me, this is no way to treat a champion who earned his belt the hard and honest way.

For months, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage barked and barked but it seemed nobody was listening among the so-called marquee names around and within his weight class. They avoided Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage like a plague. In the minds of these so-called marquee fighters and their handlers, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage is a high-risk, low-reward opponent. Thus, the champion from Detroit was left with no other choice but to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to show his wares inside the ring.

Last year and just like the year before, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage went and emerged victorious in St. Louis, MO. He fought and battled his old nemesis Sechew Powell (26-5, 15 KO) via a 12- round unanimous decision win, thus ending Powell's title aspirations as well as finally settling the score with the fighter who dealt Bundrage an embarassing first round TKO loss in his second professional fight in 2005, in what many boxing observers dubbed as the "double-knockdown in Connecticut."

Tonight's IBF light middleweight championship fight on ShoBox marks only the second time that the champion, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage, will enter the ring since winning the title on August 7, 2010. It is really sad and unthinkable that a champion eager to fight and stake his claim on the crown is hardpressed to find any willing opponent who will try to test his mettle.

Was it really that hard to find an opponent for Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage or were his handlers and promoters just remiss on their job and failed to sell his brand to the powers that be? But it is what it is, and the harsh reality of what the state of boxing has become through the years when a fighter's career is left at the mercy of a few people .

It will be full circle for Cornelius "K9" Bundrage when he climbs into the ring tonight at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA in a rematch with Cory Spinks, the erstwhile champion he dethroned in St. Louis more than a year ago.

The championship fight will give Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage another chance to show the boxing world what he is really made of. The championship fight will also give him another chance to prove that his mastery of Cory Spinks was no fluke. And the championship fight will also give Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage another chance to prove that his bite is more lethal than his bark.

ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast)

*This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner
*photo credit: Tom Casino/ SHOWTIME

The Perfect Storm: Manny Pacquiao or Timothy Bradley?

In just a few hours, the boxing world will know what kind of stuff the muscular and cocky Timothy Bradley is made of -- is he a tough and worthy opponent for Manny Pacquiao, or just a B-plus attraction pushed up there by Top Rank, aided by some paid hacks in the media to make it appear that this fight is a compelling one even if it is not?

Timothy Bradley, on paper, is a quality and dangerous foe. He is fast, slick and undefeated. Aside from having youth on his side, he also wields an extra weapon in the form of his head, a weapon so lethal that his fight history is riddled with fighters that were victimized by his sweet old noggin. By these attributes alone he surely deserves a shot at Manny Pacquiao. Or does he?

In Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley will face the toughest test of his boxing career as well as square off with one of the most devastating punchers in the history of the sport -- a tall order for anybody in the boxing world.

But because of Pacquiao's inability to deliver destruction in his recent fights that was attributed to turmoil in his personal life, Timothy Bradley, according to some 'well-respected' boxing analysts who will not be named, is a 'live dog' and therefore has a fighting chance and will score the biggest prize of his life -- the scalp of the Pacman and every bounty that goes with it.

And tonight, Manny Pacquiao is the one who is under heavier pressure to perform well. In many observers' eyes, Pacquiao needs to reclaim his stature in the eyes of both his fans and critics alike as the best fighter in the world today. He needs to get back to his old devastating self, of being the most fearsome and exciting fighter that he is, the whirlwind from the Pacific who electrifies the crowds everytime he fights.

A lot of people blasted Manny Pacquiao for being 'un-Pacquiao-like' for performing below par in his recent fights, most notably in his 'touched-glove' diplomacy with Shane Mosley that ended in a unanimous decision win, as well as his controversial split-decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight that many observers still claim he lost (although this writer had it 7-to-5 rounds in favor of Pacquiao).

By virtue of Manny Pacquiao's recent so-so performances, some boxing observers have been emboldened and declared that the Filipino fighter is on the decline as a prizefighter. His age and hectic lifestyle have finally caught up with him and he is now ripe for the picking. The same observers opined that they will not be surprised if a catastrophic upset of the once invincible Pacman is in store tonight.

But let us consider some hard facts: Timothy Bradley may be fast, but Manny Pacquiao is faster. Timothy Bradley may have some pop in his punches, but Manny Pacquiao packs a wallop in his hands. Timothy Bradley takes pride in his durability, but Kendall Holt shows us that his chin is vulnerable from a big punch, while Manny Pacquiao's chin has withstood bombs from the likes of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, two fighters who possess power in their fists. Timothy Bradley may be a blue collar worker inside the ring, but Manny Pacquiao's stamina and work rate are legendary. Timothy Bradley may be a brave soul, but we all know that Manny Pacquiao is a warrior.

And lastly, Timothy Bradley may have been nicknamed as the "Desert Storm," but lest we forget Manny Pacquiao used to be called the "Pacific Storm" as he dismantled, with stunning ferocity, every fighter that stood in his way.

 *This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Timothy Bradley has 'no fear' of Manny Pacquiao

“I’m in the best shape that I could possibly be in. There’s nothing that I fear. No one that I fear. I don’t fear Manny Pacquiao... I’m ready for anybody.”

Undefeated WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has the physique of a fighter: young, ripped and muscular. Timothy Bradley has the proper frame of mind for a fighter going to war. Timothy Bradley has the talent to make it happen and battle plan to emerge victorious against any fighter out there.

But he is not fighting against any ordinary fighter. He is fighting against Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division wold champion, a fearsome fighter that if focused and properly motivated is a human dynamo who can whip a firestorm in the blink of an eye. Manny Pacquiao is the kind of fighter who can blow you out to smithereens if he catches you with his powerful blinding fists.

Yes, Timothy Bradley is aware of his opponent’s formidable weapons in his arsenal that has smoked many great warriors before him on the wayside. But Bradley insists that he is made of a different stuff and that he and his team have devised their own mode of action to counteract whatever weapon Pacquiao can unleash at him: "I know that I've got to stay tight, I've got to stay behind a good jab and I've got to keep moving. I've got to have great defense and I've got to counterpunch the hell out of this guy with combinations.”

Timothy Bradley, being the challenger and a 4:1 betting underdog, is doing everything in his power to believe and motivate himself to counter whatever lingering doubts that are left in his mind on whether he will be able to withstand Manny Pacquiao’s fire power when the time of reckoning comes.

“I don’t even think about that. I never go into a fight thinking of somebody’s power, thinking about being hurt or thinking about ‘What if he touches me.’ I just go in there and live in the moment. If he hits me like they said ‘Casamayor. Oh watch out for his left.’ He hit me with that left and I was like ‘That’s it? ‘That’s it?’ I was like ‘Oh let me just walk this dude down. I’m going to get in there and if (Pacquiao) doesn’t hit like they say, he going to get walked down, too. I’ll be able to make my adjustments. In the first round I’ll know about his power and see if I need to get my hands tighter, keep my chin tucked. And we’ll go from there.”

“Everyone is human. I don’t see him as a god. I don’t feel threatened by his ability. Every fighter is dangerous, but every fighter is human, too. If you cut him, he’ll bleed. If you hit him right, he’ll go down. I know what the fight will come down to. It will come down to what it always comes down to. It comes down to his will vs. my will and his skill vs. my skill.”

For his part, amid all the circus surrounding the fight, Manny Pacquiao ever the gentleman can only offer an enigmatic smile, and like in his previous fights, refused to be drawn into a word war with Timothy Bradley. With a very good training camp behind him, the WBO welterweight champion exudes an aura of peace and quiet confidence. Whether this is the proverbial calm before the storm, we will find out about that tonight.

And when HBO color commentator Max Kellerman asked the Filipino fighter during the weigh-in about his game plan, Pacquiao just offered his usual stock answers and cliches: “We will see tomorrow. I’ll give you an idea tomorrow,” and ended the interview with a laugh while thanking the fans for coming to the event.

As for Timothy Bradley when asked with the same question, he responded with the conviction of a very determined and confident fighter,  “I am ready. I am ready to shock the world. I am ready to do anything that takes in there to win this fight. It’s going to be a great fight. I thank Pacquiao and his team for giving me this shot. Let’s get it on baby. It’s going to be war. I am ready. I am ready!”

He better be.

 *This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner


*photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The gospel according to Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao once shared a story that one night: after his life and death experience inside the ring with his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in November 2011, he was awakened from a nightmare in which God had talked to him about him straying away from His teachings. He promised Him that he will do everything in his power to change and lead a better life.

Manny Pacquiao now avers that he is a completely different person from his old self.

"The old has passed, the new has come."

Manny Pacquiao, as a result of that 'conversation' with God, has transformed himself into what he is now: a man who is at peace with himself and with God, which in his opinion is a turn for the better.

"It's better for me. I know if I die today where I'm going. I'm not worried about what fits in this world. I'm worried about what happens to me in my eternal life."

But we may ask ourselves, how can a man who makes a living through violence, by hurting other people inside the ring, at the same time preach about peace among his fellow men without affecting his job and the manner on which he does it?

The contradiction is obviously not lost to his critics who called his sudden transformation from a man who openly wallowed deep in sin into a Bible-quoting preacher just plain hypocrisy. The same people also quickly jumped to the conclusion that Manny Pacquiao's so-called awakening is nothing but for show. Yes, the transformation has elicited both negative and positive responses from every man on the streets, to everyone who wants to have his two cents heard on the matter.

But Manny Pacquiao's transformation will not come as a surprise to many who religiously followed the Filipino fighter's career. Despite his frailties as a human being and the trappings of being a celebrity in his chosen profession, deep inside Manny Pacquiao is a very religious person and has a huge heart for the downtrodden.

Even when it comes to his rival Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s baseless accusations of PEDs use and constant tirades (that on many occassions border to the absurd) against him, Manny Pacquiao elected to be the better man and never uttered a single bad word against the American (although he opted to charge him for defamation but still, Pacquiao is giving Mayweather a legal forum to defend himself and a chance to prove his allegations).

And with Mayweather's latest predicament that landed him in a Las Vegas jail for domestic battery charges against the mother of his children, Pacquiao has only this to say-

"I don't judge people, I don't condemn people. I'm praying for him that everything will be fine and he will realize the truth."

Manny Pacquiao admits to having erred in his life by indulging in many sinful activities in the past, including indulging in alcohol, womanizing (which almost cost him his marriage), cockfighting (search YouTube for videos showing him betting millions of pesos on a single fight) and other forms of gambling. But now Manny Pacquiao proclaims that since following the teachings in the scriptures and giving up all his vices, he is now a happy and contented man.

"I don't like anymore gambling, drinking, girls, stuff like that, because I was reading the word of God. The sins we committed over and over, I stopped doing that. I found it in my manual for life, the Bible"

Because of Manny Pacquiao's recent pronouncements, a lot of people are wondering whether he still has the desire to fight and inflict harm on his opponents. Yes, a lot of people are now questioning whether Manny Pacquiao still has the heart and the fire to demolish his opponents the way that he used to throughout his storied career. The answer to those questions will eventually be answered on fight night, but here was the answer coming from the man himself-

"This fight?" Pacquiao referrring to his advertised battle royale against Timothy Bradley this coming Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, "this is my job. I have a job to make people happy. . . Yes, I'm happy doing this. This is what God made me to do."

So there.

Manny Pacquiao's claims of finding solace in the word of God is nothing to sneer about. The man is serious regarding his newfound calling. We can just view this as another phase, a stage of man's never-ending search for answers to his questions about Life and Faith.

So instead of casting the first stone, we should just respect his beliefs and be happy for the man as long as he does not renege on his promise to deliver his usual mayhem on fight night.

 *This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Photo Credit: David Becker/Getty Images

Timothy Bradley vows to beat Manny Pacquiao and shock the world

Timothy Bradley, the undefeated American WBO light welterweight champion, who will move up in weight to challenge Manny Pacquiao for the latter's welterweight belt, is 'talking the talk.' Timothy Bradley is saying all the 'right' things prior to his championship fight with the Filipino superstar this coming Saturday in Las Vegas.

In Timothy Bradley's mind, he has Manny Pacquiao all figured out. He opined that he has the answers to whatever Manny Pacquiao will bring on the table come fight night.

Oozing with self-confidence, Timothy Bradley has been on the warpath for some time now and has been employing his own blitzkrieg to anybody who cares to listen on why Manny Pacquiao cannot beat him as he proclaimed that "I'm going to wear this dude out."

Although Manny Pacquiao is known for his speed and unconventional fighting style, Bradley's team believes that Pacquiao is just a 'one-dimensional' fighter and that once Bradley is "able to adjust to his speed, and settle down" Bradley will "start picking his a** apart."

Timothy Bradley is of the belief that he can neutralize Manny Pacquiao's vaunted left straight and stated that he has no problems in handling southpaws, having fought and won over Devon Alexander and Joel Casamayor, both southpaws like the Filipino champion.

"I'm more comfortable with southpaws than ever. This is my third one in a row. I'm 10 times better than in the Casamayor fight. I've had eight different sparring partners for this event, because these guys get into the ring, and they can't hang,"

Timothy Bradley does not believe himself to be the underdog in this fight, despite the betting odds not in his favor. He believes that he is ready to 'shock the world' by taking out Manny Pacquiao in their fight. In fact, he is now so sure of victory that he proclaims during the fight's final conference that he is willing to give Manny Pacquiao a rematch and has produced an over-sized ticket with the date November 10, 2012 that he gave to his wife onstage to complete the stunt.

Such confidence in one's own ability and talent is commendable. And by saying the right words in his latest pronouncements, Timothy Bradley is a promoter's dream to stir up interests from the casual boxing fans who have no idea of his existence. By pressing the right buttons, Timothy Bradley has now transformed himself into a media darling by never running out of quotable quotes to spice up every scribe's works.

But words are nothing but empty rhetorics if one cannot back them up when the time of reckoning comes. And if Bradley wants to tame the 'animal' in Manny Pacquiao, he will have to let his hands do the talking come Saturday night. If he can do that, then we will be treated to a good fight.



*This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

The Bourne Identity: Aaron Cross meets Pacman

Jeremy Renner (The Town), who plays 'Aaron Cross' in the upcoming movie The Bourne Legacy, part of which was shot in the Philippines a while back, visits Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, CA.

Mr. Mayweather Goes to Jail

Today, boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather, Jr. appeared before the sala of Judge Melissa Saragosa inside the Clark County Justice Center wherein he was turned over to the proper authorities and was then brought to the Clark County Detention Center in downtown Las Vegas to begin what remains of his 90-day sentence after pleading guilty to domestic violence against Josie Harris, the mother of his three children, that occured in 2010.

Today is the day, after using his influence as a huge draw in cash-strapped Las Vegas to convince Saragosa to postpone his jail time in order to fight Miguel Cotto last May 5 and contribute some much needed revenue to the city, Mayweather was handcuffed and escorted to his cell, in which he will spend at least 23 hours a day for the remainder of his sentence. The 6-foot-by-10 foot jail cell is a far cry to the spacious and plush mansion that he calls home.

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