Manny Pacquiao at the crossroads

Credits: 

Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao can't seem to find his head these days. Even prior to his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao's focus regarding his boxing career was already being questioned by many observers. As if his duties and responsibilities as an elected representative in the Philippine Congress were not enough, his newly-found religious fervor now also has to compete with the time that he has to spend in the ring.

As of this writing, Top Rank and Manny Pacquiao cannot seem to agree on the timeframe of his return to the ring as well as on his preferred opponent if ever he decides to fight again this year. This uncertainty coupled with his actions and behaviors in the past is another obvious sign that shows his heart is no longer 100% into his boxing career.

But one thing is certain, whether Manny Pacquiao decides to fight on November 10 or on a later date in December, the list of familiar opponents being touted does not excite even his die-hard fans more so the casual ones.

Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, and Juan Manuel Marquez are all good fighters in their own right, but to many fans they are not the fights that they want to see, especially at this stage of Manny Pacquiao's career. But we also cannot deny the reality that Manny Pacquiao has very little options left except against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is enjoying an extended sabbatical from boxing after his stint in prison and trying his darndest best to evade the Pacquiao question, the boxing powers that be have given us just three choices to pick on who will be Manny Pacquiao's next dancing partner if and when he decides to fight.

In this writer's opinion, Miguel Cotto should not even be in the equation, especially after the brutal beating that the Pacman inflicted on him. There is no drama nor the element of surprise here as the fight was conclusive and one-sided. The loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., even though the Boricua fighter gave a good account of himself, further disqualifies him in many boxing observers' minds.

Timothy Bradley, despite all his pronouncements lately, just does not cut it out. The boxing world knows who won the fight that night in Las Vegas, except the boxing judges who robbed Manny Pacquiao of his belt and gave it to Bradley, despite Bradley doing almost nothing to improve his stock in the fight. The dole-out was just inconceivable even to the eyes of the casual boxing fans who probably don't know the difference between a right hook and a bare-handed slap. No boxing fan in his right mind would want to undergo the experience of watching a snoozefest the second time around.

That leaves us with Manny Pacquiao's perennial nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. The Mexican is probably the only fighter who was able to solve the Pacquiao puzzle and was not intimidated by the Filipino's mystique in the ring. Their trilogy was very competitive albeit controversial as both camps and their supporters believed in their hearts that their own fighter was the rightful winner regardless of the result of the fight.

Juan Manuel Marquez provides danger and a challenge to Manny Pacquiao. The Mexican fighter is like a bad nightmare that never goes away. Manny Pacquiao needs to put a stop to Juan Manuel Marquez's emphatic claims regarding their past fights.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao should choose Juan Manuel Marquez from the list in order for him to put an end to the lingering doubts of the skeptics regarding his close victories over the Mexican legend. Manny Pacquiao needs to stamp his class and put Marquez away decisively and for good.

But before he puts his name on the dotted line, Manny Pacquiao should try to look inside himself and find out whether he still has the fire and desire to continue fighting. Otherwise, it is time to walk away from the fight game.

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

The Truth: Errol Spence Jr.'s quest for Olympic glory

Errol "The Truth" Spence Jr.'s nickname was the result of the American boxer's winning a lot of fights in and out of the ring. Errol Spence Jr. started boxing at the age of 15 after figuring in brawls in his home state of Texas. Errol Spence, Jr. has won three straight U.S. amateur welterweight championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

And Errol Spence Jr. has a dream of being an Olympic champion. He wants that gold medal around his neck when the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, England are over. In a recent Fox News interview, Errol Spence Jr. candidly admitted that "one of my dreams is getting the gold medal."

But Errol Spence Jr. also knows that the road to the podium is not easy. If experience is the best teacher, then his painful loss to bemedalled veteran Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan in the 2011 World Championships quarterfinals in Azerbaijan is a grim reminder of the hard work and sacrifices that he has to make if he wants to realize his golden dream.

That is why Errol Spence Jr. has trained and prepared hard for his chance of a lifetime in London. That is why prior to his trip to the Olympics he underwent an unorthodox regimen in his training that includes running the hot and humid streets of Texas at night, that usually led to him staying up as late or early as 1 a.m. just to get his workout.

Surely, at this stage of his career, the 22-year old Errol Spence Jr. is still a work in progress and whether he belongs in the elite circle of world amateur welterweights remains to be seen.

Errol Spence Jr.'s 16-10 victory over Ribeiro De Carvalho of Brazil in Day 2 of Olympic competition is nothing to what awaits him as he goes deeper into the competition wherein the likes of world champion Taras Shelestyuk of Ukraine, Egidijus Kavaliauskas of Lithuania and his erstwhile tormentor Serik Sapiyev are lurking.

Yes, whether Errol Spence Jr.'s preparation and determination for the biggest stage of his life is enough will be first put to the test in the round of 16 wherein his competition will be a lot tougher and meaner. And this time around the next roadblock to an Olympic gold is 2011 World Amateur bronze medalist Krishan Vikas of India.

And if he gets by the Indian fighter, it's still a mystery who he will meet in the next round. The road may be hard but if Errol Spence Jr. wants to have a shot at achieving his dream he needs to tough it up and fight the way that he is capable of fighting -- like a fearless gladiator in the lion's den.


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

Olympic Boxing: Damien Hooper bombs and sinks Marcus Browne

Light heavyweight hopeful Marcus Browne was billed as one of the most talented and explosive fighters on the U.S. Olympic boxing team. Even celebrated boxing trainer Teddy Atlas, who works as a color commentator and analyst with NBC in the London Games, has high regard and is sold in Marcus Browne's skills and talent. Teddy Atlas knows Marcus Browne first-hand, as the young fighter is a constant fixture in one of the gyms that his foundation runs in Brooklyn, NY.

photo credit: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Teddy Atlas, however, pointed out that Marcus Browne's inexperience and ambivalence inside the ring can become a hindrance in a close fight as he cautioned that the American boxer will need to be mentally prepared and focused if he wants to get by Damien Hooper of Australia, a veteran campaigner.

In his young boxing career, Marcus Browne has been exposed to have a Jekyll and Hyde personality inside the ring. Marcus Browne has shown that he can be very explosive at one moment, but disappear like a puff of smoke in the next. Marcus Browne has shown that he can be very aggressive like a bull but be passive later on. And for his first fight, Teddy Atlas wants the aggressive and explosive Marcus Browne to show up if he wants to advance to the next round.

Going into his fight with controversial Australian Damien Hooper, who has Aborigine roots (and caused a stir in London and at home after he entered the arena wearing a T-shirt bearing the colors of the Aboriginal flag which some people pointed out to be a 'political statement' that is a no-no since the Olympics is supposed to be apolitical), Marcus Browne was beaming with confidence.

The first round, which Marcus Browne won 3-2, was slow and lacking in action. Both fighters spent the round sizing up and feeling out each other's strengths and weaknesses. Both fighters threw more misses than hits.

The action in the second round picked up a little, with both fighters having their moments. Marcus Browne began using his footwork, circling and moving away from the action while Damien Hooper commenced to roughhouse the young American.

In the course of the fight, both fighters slipped and fell to the canvas as a result of trying to wrestle and outpower each other. But Damien Hooper's right hand was beginning to find its mark, while Marcus Browne was tentative and contented in trying to time and counter his opponent. The round ended in 3-3 score.

Marcus Damien was ahead a point 6-5, going into the fateful third and final round. However, Damien Hooper drew first blood by landing a huge right, but Marcus Browne countered with his own shots. The American began to dig into his opponent's body but the Australian took them well and started to use his experience and began to bully the young American that eventually took its toll.

Damien Hooper imposed his will on Marcus Browne as he bombed his way into the young American's porous defense. Hooper's attacks were so successful that Browne was given a mandatory 8 count by the referee at one point in the fight. Damien Hooper's dominance of the final canto gave him an 8-5 edge and won the match 13-11.

The story of the fight: Damien Hooper brought the highly-regarded, talented and 'unsinkable' Marcus Browne to deep waters and sank him with his tenacity. Thus, Damien Hooper will live on to fight another day while Marcus Hooper will go home and ponder his future while having the ignominious distinction as the first U.S. boxer to fall on the wayside in the XXX Olympiad.

In an interview after the fight, Marcus Browne has this to say about his downfall: "I didn't listen to my corner in the last round and I paid for it" while at the same time reiterating the lesson that he learned in the bout, which is to always "finish strong."

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

ShoBox: Art Hovhannisyan edges Miguel Acosta via split decision to remain undefeated

Highly-regarded prospect Art Hovhannisyan (15-0-2, 8 KO) won via split decision (95-93, 95-93, 92-96) over former WBA lightweight titleholder Miguel Acosta (29-6-2, 23 KO) in ShoBox's lightweight bout held Friday night at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CA.

The fight started with Art Hovhannisyan taking the fight to Miguel Acosta. The Armenian began unleashing his dreaded bombs but kept missing, while Miguel Acosta was circling and throwing counters but hitting nothing but air. Then with just less than 10 seconds left in the round, Hovhannisyan caught Acosta with a thunderous overhand right and dropped him like a log. Miguel Acosta, visibly dazed and on wobbly knees, managed to survive to fight another round and beyond.

The first round knockdown looked to be so devastating that many in the audience thought it would be a short night for Miguel Acosta, but the Venezuelan embarked on an escape and evasion mission and spent the entire three minutes of the second round trying to clear the cobwebs in his head, refusing to engage Art Hovhannisyan in a fight, but the Armenian fighter let him be.

In the next round or two, the audience saw Art Hovhannisyan's confident but ineffective swagger along with Miguel Acosta employing the pedal, as the former champion, wary of his opponent's power, began riding the bike, while the Armenian with the right hand at cocked and loaded, tried to unload the one haymaker that would matter, but to no avail.

The fight then went on into a lot of movements, albeit lacking in action: Miguel Acosta bobbing and weaving, throwing feints but not landing shots on Art Hovhannisyan, who seemed to be confused by the circling and head movements of his opponent, and eventually forgetting to take his own shots. There were a lot of posturings but no hard contacts.

But in the fifth round, Miguel Acosta snuck a right hand that buckled Art Hovhannisyan's knees, causing his right glove to touch the canvas. It was a flush knockdown with Hovhannisyan more embarrassed than hurt, as the referee gave him the mandatory count. The result was the rejuvenation of Miguel Acosta as he became more active and threw his jabs more frequently from then on.

The next round was the story of the right hands, with both fighters causing damage to each other, but Miguel Acosta had the edge, landing a chopping right hand on Art Hovhannisyan in one of the exchanges.
By the seventh round, Miguel Acosta was getting more confident with his ability to penetrate Art Hovhannisyan's defenses. The Venezuelan was quicker and landing punches, while Hovhannisyan was getting frustrated and one-dimensional, relying mostly on his right hand.

The 8th and 9th rounds showed Miguel Acosta evading Art Hovhannisyan's bombs while potshotting him with jabs and counters. His smarts frustrated Art Hovhannisyan as he brought the fight to the center of the ring, began to dart in and out, sniping him then getting out of range, and making himself an elusive target of his opponent's counters, visibly frustrating Art Hovhannisyan.

The 10th and final round saw both fighters engaging each other in a tit-for-tat, see-saw battle trying to make the last impressions on the judges' scorecards. The fight was good while it lasted and showed how Miguel Acosta was able to withstand his opponent's power and perform under constant pressure, while Art Hovhannisyan was ushered into a rude awakening that if he wanted to be a force to reckon with in the division, he needs to work and improve more on his skill set.

Miguel Acosta had the edge in jabs (60 of 401, 15% vs. 28 of 204, 14%) and total punches landed (124 of 594, 21% against 104 of 407, 26%) but lost in the power punches department. Art Hovhannisyan landed 76 of 203 (37%) power punches compared to Miguel Acosta's 64 out of 193 (33%), which in the eyes of the judges proved to be the difference in the fight.

The story behind the crossroads fight between a 30-year-old Armenian prospect and a former champion from Venezuela showed a battle between a one-dimensional fighter with tremendous power in his right hand and a wily and skillful veteran with average firepower in his fists.

The two fighters fought an intriguing but entertaining fight that could have made a case for either fighter winning the fight. In the end though, two of the three judges gave more weight on punching power than the pitty-pats to help Art Hovhannisyan keep his undefeated run in his quest for a world championship belt.

Miguel Acosta: "I was very sure I won. Although he caught me in the first round I landed more punches throughout the fight. I knew my conditioning was good and it would carry me though the fight. I felt I was robbed.''

Art Hovhannisyan: "I knew it was a little close, but I definitely thought I won. After I dropped him, I kept trying for the spectacular knockout. My corner was telling me between rounds to calm down, but I thought I had him for sure. He was lucky the bell rang when it did."

"I'm very happy to get the win. Acosta can still fight. I think my conditioning played a great role in my performance, but at this level you need to be good in all facets. This fight was definitely a great learning experience for me.''

Note: This article was previously published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner
photo credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

ShoBox: Gary Russel, Jr. destroys Christopher Perez in three rounds, remains undefeated

Christopher Perez, in his first fight outside of his native Mexico, succumbed to the speed and power of Gary Russell, Jr. in a 10 round featherweight bout in Saturday night's ShoBox: The New Generation at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA.

The Mexican has the heart and determination but lacks the talent and skills to match up with the American fighter who, after a feel-out first round, simply stepped on the gas and annihilated Perez in three rounds.

The carnage started with less than a minute left in the second round when Garry Russell, Jr. dropped Christopher Perez with a right counter to the chin. Perez, despite being dazed, beat the count. Russell then moved in for the kill but Perez survived the round.

But Gary Russell, Jr. would not be denied as he immediately jumped on Christopher Perez's right after the bell in round three. The American unleashed several power shots in succession: a straight left followed by a left-right combination to the kisser, then another left to the chin that sent Perez to the ropes.

Christopher Perez showed his will and determination as he was able to get up and tried to hold his own against Gary Russell, Jr. but to no avail, as he was on the receiving end of more lightning and powerful combinations and found himself on the seat of his pants once again with time down to 2:14 in the round.

Still, Christopher Perez was able to beat the count. The Mexican is surely a brave fighter but he is not in Gary Russell, Jr's class, and with 1:19 remaining, Perez was caught with another vicious right that dropped him to the canvas as the referee waived the fight off.

Christopher Perez (23-3, 14 KOs) has a big heart but he was simply outclassed by a technically superior fighter. Gary Russell, Jr's record improves and stays undefeated in 20 professional fights with 12 knockouts.

The short fight statistics showed that Gary Russell, Jr. dominated his opponent by landing 38 of 60 power shots for a 55% clip, while Christopher Perez just managed to land 16 of his 45 shots for a mediocre 36% rate.

Another short night and an impressive performance from the promising American fighter. So, we asked ourselves: What's next for Gary Russell, Jr.?

How about a step up in competition like a championship bout with IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib of Australia perhaps?


*photo credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME