Catching Up
Well, I've been an absentee blogger lately, and for the few people who actually read boxingfan regularly, I apologize. Sometimes life just gets in the way of our more passionate pursuits, especially when those pursuits happen to be the kind we don't get paid for.
That said, I did watch several very good fights in recent weeks, and have a few comments about them. First, I actually enjoyed the little I got to see of Scott Harrison. Since the fight ended by TKO in the fourth round, there wasn't too much time to really see him work. Still, Harrison has a lot of heart; he can take a punch, and he can hit hard. Michael Brodie was weakened by a flurry of body punches at the end of round three; he then crumpled like a sack of potatos 46 seconds into round four after yet another brutal shot to the gut from Harrison. Harrison looks to be ready for a serious fight in the USA, maybe Marquez or Barrera. We'll see.
The Casamayor/Raiymkulov fight was ok. I wasn't particularly impressed by either guy, really. Casamayor isn't anywhere near the fighter he was. He had Raiymkulov in trouble in the first round, but never really went in for the kill. "Kid Diamond" needs some serious polish to be a real contender, including an actual defensive strategy. I'm not overly disappointed that the fight was called a draw, even though I had Raiymkulov winning the fight, 114-113.
The Cotta/Abdullaev fight was much more entertaining. Miguel Cotto, besides being just damned pretty, is indeed the new up and coming Jr. Welterweight. With Kostya Tszyu gone, the fight for this division's champ is going to be fun to watch. I had Cotto way ahead on my card when the fight was stopped in the eighth; Abdullaev had a nasty hematoma on his forehead, and his right eye was completely swollen shut. Cotto's technique is impressive for a 24 year old kid. I'd love to see him fight Ricky Hatton, or the winner of Gatti/Mayweather.
Speaking of Gatti/Mayweather, I'm bummed I'm not going to be able to PPV that one, but at least I'll see the replay the following week. I'll probably have to do the same with Hopkins/Taylor. Again, I'm glad they're on HBO, and that HBO will replay fights the following week. Other PPV events don't do that. Like Tyson/McBride - but to be honest, even if I did have the money for that one, I would have skipped it. Which brings me to one more topic I'd like to address before signing off for the evening.
WHY did every major newspaper and television network (the ones that even bother to cover boxing, that is) send their sportswriters to the Tyson fight, and not to the Cotto fight? That, my friends, is what's wrong with the mainstream media's entire attitude towards boxing. Tyson is washed up, and has been for years. McBride is a nobody. In the grand scheme of things in the boxing world, that fight was meaningless. It wasn't about boxing, it was a damned three ring circus. All it did was cater to some people's perverse fascination with a mentally disturbed man who has a habit of periodically self-destructing on a national stage and in a big way. For their money, they got no dirty fighting, no blood, no body parts bitten off. Just a tired man who didn't feel like going back into the ring after six rounds.
The Cotto/Abdullaev fight was for the WBO Jr. Welterweight Championship belt. Say what you will about the WBO, the fact is, even without the belt at stake, for anyone who knows or cares about boxing, THAT fight was the fight that meant something to the sport of boxing.
After this weekend, Tyson will go home and try to think of some other way to pay off his creditors. Maybe he'll go into Pride fighting or WWF wrestling. McBride will go back to wherever it is they found him. Abdullaev will have to fight his way back up the Jr. Welterweight ranks again for another title shot. Miguel Cotto will remain a legit contender for the Ring Magazine Jr. Welterweight belt, along with half a dozen other incredibly talented fighters in an incredibly talent-packed division. And maybe, just maybe, the mainstream sports media will sniff out a clue and write about that, because that's what really matters. But I wouldn't bet on it.
That said, I did watch several very good fights in recent weeks, and have a few comments about them. First, I actually enjoyed the little I got to see of Scott Harrison. Since the fight ended by TKO in the fourth round, there wasn't too much time to really see him work. Still, Harrison has a lot of heart; he can take a punch, and he can hit hard. Michael Brodie was weakened by a flurry of body punches at the end of round three; he then crumpled like a sack of potatos 46 seconds into round four after yet another brutal shot to the gut from Harrison. Harrison looks to be ready for a serious fight in the USA, maybe Marquez or Barrera. We'll see.
The Casamayor/Raiymkulov fight was ok. I wasn't particularly impressed by either guy, really. Casamayor isn't anywhere near the fighter he was. He had Raiymkulov in trouble in the first round, but never really went in for the kill. "Kid Diamond" needs some serious polish to be a real contender, including an actual defensive strategy. I'm not overly disappointed that the fight was called a draw, even though I had Raiymkulov winning the fight, 114-113.
The Cotta/Abdullaev fight was much more entertaining. Miguel Cotto, besides being just damned pretty, is indeed the new up and coming Jr. Welterweight. With Kostya Tszyu gone, the fight for this division's champ is going to be fun to watch. I had Cotto way ahead on my card when the fight was stopped in the eighth; Abdullaev had a nasty hematoma on his forehead, and his right eye was completely swollen shut. Cotto's technique is impressive for a 24 year old kid. I'd love to see him fight Ricky Hatton, or the winner of Gatti/Mayweather.
Speaking of Gatti/Mayweather, I'm bummed I'm not going to be able to PPV that one, but at least I'll see the replay the following week. I'll probably have to do the same with Hopkins/Taylor. Again, I'm glad they're on HBO, and that HBO will replay fights the following week. Other PPV events don't do that. Like Tyson/McBride - but to be honest, even if I did have the money for that one, I would have skipped it. Which brings me to one more topic I'd like to address before signing off for the evening.
WHY did every major newspaper and television network (the ones that even bother to cover boxing, that is) send their sportswriters to the Tyson fight, and not to the Cotto fight? That, my friends, is what's wrong with the mainstream media's entire attitude towards boxing. Tyson is washed up, and has been for years. McBride is a nobody. In the grand scheme of things in the boxing world, that fight was meaningless. It wasn't about boxing, it was a damned three ring circus. All it did was cater to some people's perverse fascination with a mentally disturbed man who has a habit of periodically self-destructing on a national stage and in a big way. For their money, they got no dirty fighting, no blood, no body parts bitten off. Just a tired man who didn't feel like going back into the ring after six rounds.
The Cotto/Abdullaev fight was for the WBO Jr. Welterweight Championship belt. Say what you will about the WBO, the fact is, even without the belt at stake, for anyone who knows or cares about boxing, THAT fight was the fight that meant something to the sport of boxing.
After this weekend, Tyson will go home and try to think of some other way to pay off his creditors. Maybe he'll go into Pride fighting or WWF wrestling. McBride will go back to wherever it is they found him. Abdullaev will have to fight his way back up the Jr. Welterweight ranks again for another title shot. Miguel Cotto will remain a legit contender for the Ring Magazine Jr. Welterweight belt, along with half a dozen other incredibly talented fighters in an incredibly talent-packed division. And maybe, just maybe, the mainstream sports media will sniff out a clue and write about that, because that's what really matters. But I wouldn't bet on it.
posted by curlygc at 9:31 PM
1 Comments:
Good to see you on the air again. Good observations. It is clear to me that the jr. welterweight division is full of riches. So many good combinations of matches could take years to play out.
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