The Moment: Mayweather-Maidana folly

On Saturday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will return to the ring against Marcos Maidana in an event dubbed as ‘The Moment’ as part of his six-fight, 30-month pay-per-view deal that the Grand Rapids native inked with Showtime Networks a year ago, which was described by the boxing world as the “richest individual athlete deal in all of sports” and will make him $200 million plus richer when he is done with the contract.

At present, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. commands the biggest purse in boxing and owns, or is part of, the biggest pay-per-view returns in boxing history. And there is no doubt that Mayweather is a major draw, not only because of his talent and skills inside the ring, but also because of his colorful personality outside of it, and at first glance, the investment by Showtime seems to be justifiable.

But if we dig deeper into Mayweather’s recent fights, most boxing fans will agree that with the exception of Canelo Alvarez, who posed the possibility of ‘danger’ (yes, danger here is in parenthesis because some people in boxing have come up with allegations that the fight was rigged, so as not to squander the huge investments by the network) to Mayweather’s myth of ring invincibility, there is no other fighter out there (aside from a few that include Manny Pacquiao, who he won’t dare fight even in his sleep) that can touch him.

In an ideal world, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., being crowned as the world’s no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and proclaimed as the best in the business by many boxing organizations and media outlets, should have been tangling with a fighter that is equal or near his caliber on Saturday night. And Marcos Maidana should have been fighting Adrien Broner in a rematch of their highly-competitive fight. But this is the world of boxing nowadays, wherein the legitimacy of many major events is questionable and most of the time, the paying boxing fans are left with nothing but disappointments at the end of every major pay-per-view fight.

And if only the fight fans will realize who really holds the ‘power of the purse’ in this business and begin to show their disdain for inconsequential fights that insult their intelligence, then this Mayweather-Maidana charade should have never been considered nor made in the first place.

So, the buying public is left with no other recourse but to accept what the powers that be at Showtime, aided by their rah-rah boys in the boxing media, put on their plate and swallow hook, line and sinker that Marcos Maidana deserved the shot to be Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s next dancing partner?

Forking over $70 of hard-earned money for a fight that both the die-hard observers and casual fans alike at this day and age consider to be a sparring session is insane. And no disrespect to Marcos Maidana and his never-say-die attitude, but he is not in Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s class, and Maidana is not who the boxing world really wants to see squaring with Mayweather inside the ring on Saturday night.

Picture this: Marcos Maidana, a natural light welterweight and the smaller guy, will climb into the ring against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who is considered to be the most talented and the best fighter in the world, and is a natural welterweight/junior middleweight. What else would we expect the result will be?

Picture this: Marcos Maidana, a slow and plodding boxer (his power punches notwithstanding) trying to hit Floyd Mayweather, Jr., one of the most elusive fighters in the world blessed with fast hands, very good footwork, and superior boxing IQ to boot, and we think that Maidana has a chance of pulling an upset?

Just two scenarios point out that it doesn’t take a genius or a rocket scientist to realize that this so-called championship fight is a mismatch and a sham. That is why whatever contempt and derision held by the fight fans towards The Moment is just right and justified.

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

Pacquiao-Bradley II: "Manny Knows"

In a few hours, the boxing world will know whether Manny Pacquiao’s vaunted killer instinct is history or if the Filipino superstar at 35 is still at the top of his game. And Timothy Bradley will be the catalyst that will prove or disprove Manny Pacquiao’s relevance to stay in the game.

Much has been said about Manny Pacquiao’s demise and a lot of people have written him off ever since his ignominious defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez: that he is shop worn, battle-weary, and old -- that his heart and mind are no longer into boxing anymore, replaced by his venture into the world of politics, and his time consumed and occupied by his newfound faith.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao, in the eyes of his critics and supporters, has changed, and many are claiming that despite his pronouncements, he is only fighting for the money, milking everything and squeezing the last penny out of his gloves before he finally calls it quits.

That’s why for this fight, many people are putting their money and casting their lot on the reigning WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, the same muscular boxer who stole Manny Pacquiao’s thunder in their first fight in Sin City -- albeit in a fight that was described by fans and pundits alike to be the biggest robbery in boxing history, which led to Manny Pacquiao unceremoniously tumbling down from the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound list and the beginning of his career turmoil.

We all know what followed next right after that lackluster fight: his shocking defeat to his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez via a single punch knockout, so brutal that many opined that he will never recover and would not be the same fighter again.

Yet Manny Pacquiao took and dismantled the rugged but slow Brandon Rios in his comeback fight in Macau. This time, with the knockout loss still fresh on his mind, he elected not to take too many risks and decided to cruise by showing his under-appreciated boxing skills (which were actually impressive) in carving out a unanimous decision victory, but failed to satisfy the blood lust from some sectors since they were so accustomed to seeing him destroy his foes to oblivion. The fact that Miguel Cotto was his last stoppage victim added more to the fuel regarding his diminishing punching power and the heart to finish off his opponents unlike in the old days.

Tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Timothy Bradley, who went to hell and back with Ruslan Provodnikov and beat Juan Manuel Marquez at his own game, will be the litmus test for Manny Pacquiao. This is Manny Pacquiao’s chance to gain the doubters back to his corner again.

In Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao will face an accomplished, never-say-die fighter. A brave and very determined boxer, a pugilist who knows how to adjust and come back from adversity and win in the end. Timothy Bradley is a livewire and an undefeated fighter in his prime.

And Timothy Bradley is also very vocal about his desire to knock Manny Pacquiao out this time around to ensure that his controversial win against the Filipino in 2012 was not a fluke. In his mind, Manny Pacquiao is ripe for the taking, and Bradley has gone overdrive in the mind games department, taunting and daring his opponent to show him what’s left of him tonight. But whether Manny Pacquiao is affected or taking Bradley’s shots out of the ring seriously remains to be seen.

That’s why the grudge match is more critical for Manny Pacquiao’s career than Timothy Bradley’s. Manny Pacquiao cannot afford to lose because a loss at this stage of his career would be simply devastating. It will surely be the end of the road for one of the greatest fighters of all time.

That’s why the pressure is on Manny Pacquiao to win. And not only to simply win, but win in convincing and devastating fashion. A lackluster win will not only diminish Manny Pacquiao’s crowd-drawing capability but will also kiss his pay-per-view stock goodbye. More so, his dream of fighting Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for all the marbles will just remain an elusive dream.

That’s why this scribe is joining the minority in the boxing writers' circle who believe that Manny Pacquiao will rise to the occasion this time and stop Timothy Bradley inside the distance.

And judging by Manny Pacquiao’s positive demeanor amid Team Bradley’s pronouncements that Timothy Bradley will end his career in the ring tonight, we can only deduce that all the questions about Manny Pacquiao’s heart, mind and skills will be answered tonight.

Because “Manny Knows.”

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

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ShoBox: Do not hate on J'Leon Love

In the main event of Friday night’s ShoBox: The New Generation at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, Inkster’s J’Leon Love (17-0-1, 10 KOs) stopped the overmatched but pesky Vladine Biosse (16-2-2, 7 KOs) in the final round of the 10-round super middleweight bout.

Vladine Biosse, who played football for the University of Rhode Island in college, was never in the fight, as the talented and skillful J’Leon Love kept him at bay with his stiff jabs, good footwork and well-timed combinations for most of the night.

The only significant thing that Biosse did to Love was when he was able to inflict a cut above the latter’s left eye courtesy of a headbutt in the fourth round. Otherwise, it was a one-sided affair in which the outcome was never in doubt. Another win, another successful outing for the young fighter being groomed for bigger things by The Money Team.

Love cut, bloodied and punished his opponent all night with shots coming from all angles, and the game Biosse took them all. It was a picture of contradiction as Love had all the talent and skill but Biosse had all the heart and determination. Biosse ate all the leather that Love could give, but still did not quit. Biosse withstood Love’s onslaught for 9 full rounds and even up to those fateful last minutes of the 10th, or so we thought.

That is why when the referee Benjy Esteves finally decided to end the fight with more or less a minute and a half remaining in the 10th and final round to give J’Leon Love the TKO victory, many fans were dismayed, since although Vladine Biosse was cowering and cornered on the ropes and J’Leon Love was teeing-off, the shots were not landing solidly and were in fact deflected by Vladine Biosse’s glove and movements.

As one of my friends put it, “C’mon, give the man a break. He lasted this long; let him finish the fight on his feet.”

“They just want to put a TKO on his record,” added another. Sometimes this writer found it amusing when people would throw in the ‘conspiracy angle’ on things that did not suit their tastes or beliefs.

The ShoStats showed J’Leon Love’s overwhelming dominance over the hapless Vladine Biosse by outlanding him 263 to 99 in total punches, with a 224 to 85 edge in power punches.

In pummeling Vladine Biosse in lopsided fashion, J’Leon Love showed us why he is considered to be a future world champion and highly regarded by no less than the great Floyd Mayweather, Jr., as shown by the pre-fight brotherly hug and whispers that the pound-for-pound king gave his fellow Michigander.

Still, to some boxing observers, J’Leon Love’s victory left something to be desired. Yes, he was dominant and showed a lot of weapons in his arsenal, yet people were left wondering that there was something missing in his performance. Yes, all the essential things were there -- movement, accuracy, hand speed and good defense -- but

people want to see in J’Leon Love the spark, the fire and the ability to destroy an opponent, especially if that opponent is a fighter like Vladine Biosse who is not in his league.

Vladine Biosse, in their eyes, had no business to trade gloves with J’Leon Love in the first place, and him lasting that long in the ring was an indictment on Love’s ability as a fighter rather than his opponent’s durability.

As for me, J’Leon Love’s inability to finish off Vladine Biosse early was the only element that was missing in a rather impressive performance in my book. And this writer can live with that small bump at this point of J’Leon Love’s career.

But if J’Leon Love wants to be a bankable star in the future, he needs to elevate his game more. He needs to start fighting and destroying more credible opponents rather than feasting on journeymen and patsies.

How about a rematch with Gabriel Rosado for a start?

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Rey Loreto shocks Nkosinathi Joyi, grabs IBO light flyweight belt

In the undercard match of the Gennady Golovkin-Osumanu Adama WBA middleweight championship fight in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Filipino journeyman Rey Loreto (18-13, 10 KOs) sent former IBF minimumweight champion Nkosinathi Joyi (24-2-0-1, 17 knockouts) into slumberland in round three of the scheduled 12-round title fight to win the vacant IBO light flyweight belt

In the second round, Loreto, the supposed cannon fodder for Nkosinathi Joyi's comeback to contention, unleashed a hard right uppercut and a bad left hook to stun Joyi to start his onslaught on the former champion, who, until then, had established control of the fight. The Filipino pugilist pinned his opponent to the ropes and battered him with several hard unanswered shots before the South African was saved by the bell.

But it was only a matter of time,as the highly-regarded (WBC #7, WBA #10, IBF #6) Nkosinathi Joyi found himself at the receiving end of Rey Loreto's hammer fists in the third round. The Filipino fighter showed his killer instinct as he came out of the corner firing and did not let up until his opponent was on the ground. Nkosinathi Joyi was finally down and out at 0:46 from Rey Loreto's brutal left bomb.

Pacquiao out to prove that he is still an elite fighter against Rios

Tonight, at The Venetian in Macao, China, when Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring against Brandon 'Bam-Bam' Rios after almost a year-long lay-off following his humiliating loss to nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, the eyes of the boxing world will be on him.

At 34, Manny Pacquiao is at an age when a lot of ring observers, fighters and boxing scholars alike believe that it will be hard for any fighter to recover after a knockout as devastating as what Juan Manuel Marquez inflicted on him in Last Vegas last year.

But Manny Pacquiao has been unperturbed in recent interviews and has been philosophical about the December 2012 debacle. His pronouncements gave observers insight on his frame of mind, that he has accepted his fate and has already moved on from that particular chapter of his ring life and is raring to carve a new path back to the top.

"Everybody wants to talk to me about the knockout (loss to Juan Manuel Marquez). Everybody. But that's part of boxing. If you think you're going to box as long as I have and think you are not going to get caught, you're kidding yourself. It happens. Knockouts are a part of boxing."

It's only natural that people will count you out and doubt your ability to come back when you get knocked out cold in a manner as brutal as what Manny Pacquiao suffered at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012. There are only a few fighters in recent memory (see: Roberto Duran, Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis) who were able to rebound following a disastrous outing, and history is not on Manny Pacquiao's side.

But if there's one fighter who can defy the odds and bounce back, it would be Manny Pacquiao. The Filipino boxing superstar has defied the odds in the past en route to becoming an unprecedented 8-division world champion and pound-for-pound king on the side.

In Brandon Rios, Manny Pacquiao has an opponent that will not only test his mettle but his frame of mind. Brandon Rios is an in-your-face fighter that many say is tailor-made for Manny Pacquiao's style, a nightmare who can punch and who will keep on coming until you stop him in his tracks.

If Manny Pacquiao can back up his promise to put on a show and still has what it takes to be an elite fighter, he will have no problem in disposing Brandon Rios inside the distance and in spectacular fashion. If Manny Pacquiao fails to do just that, maybe it is best to hang it all up.

Note: This article was first published at Detroit Fight Spots Examiner