Posts Tagged ‘Floyd Mayweather’
Is Floyd Mayweather coming back?
Posted: May 2, 2016 in BoxingTags: Floyd Mayweather, The Money Team
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Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)
Posted: June 2, 2015 in Boxing, Browns, Buckeyes, Cavaliers, College football, Football, IndiansTags: All Star Game, BBQ, Boxing, Breds, Browns, Cavaliers, college football, Cory Kluber, Ezekiel Elliot, Floyd Mayweather, Indians, Jason Kipnis, Johnny Utah, Jordans, JR Smith, Michael Brantley, Miguel Cotto, Milford Jerome, MLB, nba, NFL, Notre Dame, Phil Steele, Point Break, St Louis Style ribs
1. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals for the second time in team history and I’ve got one piece of advice for everyone out there. Enjoy it! No matter the outcome. Enjoy it! Sure I want to see them bring a championship to my city, but in the process of doing so, I’m going to soak in the entire atmosphere that being in the Finals bring. Most of you aren’t going to pay the steep price for playoff tickets (myself included) so do what I’m going to do. Buy a $5 ticket and go watch one of the road games at the Q with 20,000 other fans. While you won’t actually ‘be’ at the game, it’ll create a memory that you won’t forget. And it’s much more affordable!
2. Speaking of the Cavaliers, you know it’s a good thing when President Lincoln is also #AllinCle
3. I shared a video about Cavalier’s center Timofey Mozgov in an earlier blog and now here is a video about JR Smith. Grab a cigar and some cognac.
4. The MLB All-Star game is six weeks away and there are two Cleveland Indian position players that are worthy of All-Star consideration.
Second Baseman Jason Kipnis is coming off one of the greatest months in not just team history, but also MLB history and his .340 batting average is second best in the entire American League. He is in the top 10 in the AL in the following categories: Hits (2nd), runs (4th), doubles (3rd), triples (2nd), total bases (4th), on base % (4th), slugging % (9th) and OPS (6th). When it comes to the All-Star voting, however, Kipnis ranks a distant 4th, over 1.5 million votes behind the leader, Jose Altuve, of the Houston Astros.
Left fielder Michael Brantley, who finished third in last years MVP voting, is hitting .302, fifth best among AL outfielders. He is in the top 10 among outfielders in the following categories: Hits (5th), doubles (1st), RBI (4th), walks (4th), on base % (4th), slugging % (7th), and OPS (5th). Brantley is currently 7th in the All-Star voting among outfielders, over 1 million votes behind 3rd place Alex Gordon of the Royals.
Do what I did and vote for these two as they both deserve to be on the team.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2015/ballot.jsp?tcid=ASG15_mlb_leftrailpromo
5. Speaking of the Tribe, remember when I said that reigning Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber would be just fine? Over his last four starts, Kluber is 3-0 with 50 strikeouts and miniscule 1.41 ERA. He’s looking every bit like the Cy Young winner that we saw last season.
6. I recently heard there is a remake of one of my all time favorite movies, ‘Point Break.’ No, I’m not joking. Patrick Swayze has to be turning in his grave over this one. Why redo a movie that was already a classic and featured an ex Ohio State quarterback turned FBI agent chasing a group of bank robbing surfers? Like the Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis says in this scene, “That would be a waste of time.”
7. The latest addition to my guilty pleasure.
8. I’m still a beginning smoker but I’m really enjoying it. The latest thing I smoked was St. Louis style ribs. The difference between these and baby backs are the St Louis style has more fat, which provides more flavor. I used apple wood to smoke and they turned out pretty good. I went 5 hours at 250 degrees, which was just a little too long, so I’m going to shorten them up next time.
9. Okay, back to sports. The College football season is less than 100 days away and the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season according to the Vegas odds is Ohio State Buckeye running back Ezekiel Elliot. He’s even got his own hype video. Check it out.
10. Speaking of college football, we recently wrapped up the 2015 Phil Steele College Football Preview magazine, AKA the college football bible. That also means we’ve released our pre-season All-American teams. Notre Dame led the way with three 1st team All-Americans. To see the entire four team list click the link below.
http://philsteele.com/All_Conference/2015/2015%20Preseason/All-American.html
11. Floyd Mayweather is expected to return to the ring in September and many are wondering who his next opponent or vitctim will be. There has been plenty of talk about England’s Amir Khan getting the next shot at the pound for pound king but after his lackluster performance last week against Chris Algieri, he’ll likely be removed from the discussion. Why not give Miguel Cotto, who fights this weekend on HBO, a rematch? He gave Mayweather a good fight when the two shared the ring in 2012. Here’s his greatest hits for those that aren’t aware of what he brings to the table.
12. I haven’t written since the NFL draft took place and heading into the draft I was worried about the incompetence that the Cleveland Browns were likely going to show. Well I was relieved during the first round as I turned to my cousin and brother-in-law, who were with me at the Cleveland Convention Center for the draft party, and told them that this draft proves the team is trying to win games and not sell jersey’s like last season. I think the Browns hit a home run with this draft and will start seeing immediate dividends on the field.
13. Speaking of the Browns, the odds in Vegas have the Browns over/under at 6 1/2 wins. The Browns will win more than six games this season. Those that know me know first hand that I am not a homer in any way, shape, or form so for me to come out and write this is a change in the way that I’ve thought about my hometown team for some time. They won seven games last season, have improved every position group on the roster, and competed with every team in their division last year. Yes, I know the schedule is tougher, but splitting with our division isn’t out of the question and the Browns should be able to beat teams qb’d by the Geno Smith (Jets) and Marcus Mariota/Zach Mettenberger (Titans) while also getting past the 49ers at home in December. That’s seven wins right there.
Baker’s Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)
Posted: April 30, 2015 in Boxing, Browns, Cavaliers, College football, Football, Indians, SoccerTags: Boxing, Boxing shoes, Cavs, Cleveland Browns, cleveland cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, college football, Columbus Crew, Corey Kluber, Danny Shelton, Floyd Mayweather, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Kei Kamara, Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Love, Manny Pacquiao, Marcus Marriota, Phil Steele, Shane Ray, smoking, Summer of Brisket, Todd Gurley
1. In last week’s column I wrote that the Cavaliers would bring the city Cleveland its first championship in 50 years. I should of prefaced that by adding, ‘barring injury.’ Now that Kevin Love is done for what appears to be the remainder of the season, the Cavs will more than likely get beaten by the Chicago Bulls in the next round (Yes, the Bulls will get by the Bucks). Fans and media alike have ‘loved’ to pile on Love this season unnecessarily, as those that truly understand the game of basketball were aware of his importance and what his role was with this team. In his absence, the Cavaliers won’t be able to space the floor as they had been doing, and the open lanes that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had been accustomed to will be gone. Tristan Thompson was valuable in his role coming off the bench, but his flaws will become much more glaring now that he will be forced to play more minutes. To use a phrase that my former colleague Kenny Roda coined long ago, OIC (only in Cleveland).
2. It’s truly a shame that Kevin Love was taken out by a dude that cannot even grow facial hair, instead opting for the peach fuzz look. In hockey there’s a term for mediocre players that are just put on the ice to get physical with the opposition. They’re called a goon. That’s exactly what Kelly Olynyk is. There’s a difference between setting a hard screen with a push like what Kendrick Perkins did to Jae Crowder and putting a guy in an arm bar and pulling his shoulder out of its socket. Truly a bush league play.
3. For those that are worried about reigning American League Cy Young award winner, Corey Kluber, don’t be. Kluber AKA Klubot will be just fine. Here is a look at his numbers from last April compared to this April.
2014: 2 W, 3 L, 37 IP, 35 K, 10 BB, 2 HR allowed, 4.14 ERA, 1.51 WHIP
2015: 0 W, 3 L, 34 IP, 36 K, 7 BB, 2 HR allowed, 4.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
Nearly an identical start from last season, look for Kluber to start dominating hitters in the near future and hopefully the Tribe will start giving him some run support.
4. One player who could help the Indians with their hitting woes is their top prospect, Francisco Lindor. Current starting shortstop Jose Ramirez is hitting a paltry .186 and the Indians as a team are hitting just .234 which is third worst in the American League. Lindor recently went on a 10-16 stretch and appears to have come out of his own early season slump. He’s hit safely in 10 of his last 14 games. The time is right for Lindor to get promoted to the ‘Big Show.’
5. The NFL draft is here which means it’s the time of year that the Cleveland Browns usually waste their picks on garbage players. There’s a report that the Browns are attempting to move up in the draft to take Oregon quarterback Marcus Marriota. That would be a mistake. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was a great college quarterback, but his talents favor that game, not of the NFL variety. Marriota ran an up-tempo, no huddle, spread option offense taking snaps from the shotgun in college. In the NFL he will be huddling every play, taking snaps from under center, and won’t be able to leave the pocket as frequently as he did at Oregon. He was also injury prone, and while he was never hurt in a major way, that’s sure to change when he’s hit game in and game out by NFL players. This guy has bust written all over him.
6. A lot of Browns fans want to take a wide receiver in the first round. This is another foolish option. The rules in the NFL so highly favor receivers now that an average receiver can be a good receiver while a good receiver can become a great receiver. This was proven just last year when two of the Browns undersized receivers (Andrew Hawkins & Taylor Gabriel) both had successful seasons and proved that they could make plays despite their physical appearance. There are an abundance of receivers in the college game nowadays that enter the NFL much more ready than previously due to the spread offenses that are being run. The Browns shouldn’t take a receiver in the first or second round when they can still find value in that position later in the draft. It would be a waste of a pick to do so early. Besides, take a look at this years Super Bowl combatants. Neither the Patriots nor the Seahawks have what you would call a playmaking wide receiver. The fact is, you don’t need one to succeed in this day’s NFL. If the Browns are smart (a HUGE if there) and stay where they’re currently sloted to pick in the first round (numbers 12 and 19) they should get NT Danny Shelton, who should be there for them at twelve and if DE Shane Ray falls to them at 19, they should run to the podium and take him.
7. Speaking of Shane Ray, yeah I know he just got pulled over and the officer found weed on him. So what? Marijuana is now legal in over 30 states and will soon be legal in all 50. The majority of NFL players smoke it and it’s really not a big deal. Hell, I’m sure more than half the people reading this column are doing so while puffing on a joint right now. If Ray were a QB, that would be different. You don’t want your quarterback smoking out. But a defensive player that partakes is fine by me. There have been plenty of NFL players that were busted for weed that were among the games elite. Ray has the talent to be among the best DE’s in the league and if other GM’s are afraid to draft him, hopefully Browns GM Ray Farmer won’t be.
8. Another name being thrown out there for the Browns is running back Todd Gurley. That is an absolute joke. If the Browns would draft him, or any other RB in the first or second round, I would seriously consider jumping off the 480 bridge. The NFL is a passing league. The rules are set up for the quarterbacks and receivers to succeed. Running backs are a dime a dozen. There are no ‘featured’ backs anymore with the exception of maybe a few guys. Nearly every team has a RB by committee approach and the Browns should be no different. Why should the browns take a RB that may carry the ball 10-15 times a game in the first or second round? That makes absolutely no sense! And I didn’t even get into the fact that Gurley was hurt twice getting hit by pimple faced college kids. What’s going to happen when he gets hit by grown men? I’ll pass on that option. Besides, the Browns already have two young running backs that complement each other very well.
9. It’s fight week for one of the most anticipated boxing matches in years. Floyd Mayweather is taking on Manny Pacquiao in a fight that is five years in the making. Some people are discouraged that the fight took so long to take place but the fact of the matter is that the fight will be much more competitive and entertaining now then it would have been had they fought five years ago. Mayweather is a defensive wizard, and he’s spent the majority of his career as a ‘hit and not get hit’ defensive minded fighter. Many of his fights have been lackluster due to the fact that he has simply outboxed his foes with tremendous hand speed and perfect foot work to escape without taking any real damage. Mayweather would have taken Pacquiao to school five years ago. Now though, Mayweather isn’t as fleet a foot as he once was and has taken more and more punches in the ring over the last two years. Pacquiao still has that blazing hand speed and with his non stop aggression and constant punches coming from a variety of angles, has a chance to land some shots on Mayweather. I don’t anticipate an upset here (Mayweather is a heavy betting favorite in Vegas) but I do think these two will offer an entertaining fight that will give the fans their money’s worth ($99 on PPV).
10. My dude Casey Kulas has made it official. It’s the ‘Summer of Brisket!’
https://twitter.com/CaseyKulas/status/592474880030986240
I’m up for the challenge. If you start to smell the smoke in South Lorain, just follow your nose to La Casa De Castro. I’ll probably have enough to share.
11. There are just 126 days until the college football season begins! Pre-order the Phil Steele College Football Preview aka the College football Bible here:
https://www.philsteele.com/store/
12. Shoe pick of the week. I don’t have these but word on the street is these are the shoes that Manny Pacquiao will be wearing during the Mayweather fight.
13. I know most of you reading this don’t like soccer but so what. This is my column and I do. The Columbus Crew are on fire as they’ve outscored their last two opponents by a 7-1 margin! That’s like 118-3 if you were watching football lol. Oh and Kei Kamara is tied for the lead with the most goals in the MLS this season!
Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)
Posted: April 21, 2015 in Boxing, Cavaliers, College football, FootballTags: Adidas Superstar, Chicago Bulls, cleveland cavaliers, De La Soul, Derrick Rose, Drive in, Dukes of Hazzard, Floyd Mayweather, Ivan Drago, Joakim Noah, Kyrie Irving, Manny Pacquiao, Mark Wahlberg, Pitbull, Price is Right, The Gambler, Timofey Mozgov
1. Now that the NBA playoffs have started I’ll make my prediction. Those that know me personally can vouch I’ve said this well before the playoffs even started but now I’ll put it down on my column. The Cleveland Cavaliers will win the NBA Finals, ending the city’s 50 years Championship drought, and Kyrie Irving will be named the Finals MVP.
2. Speaking of the NBA playoffs, assuming the Chicago Bulls get by the Milwaukee Bucks, they’ll be next for the Cavaliers. Here’s to hoping D-Rose stays healthy. I, for one, believe the Bulls are a better team WITHOUT Rose. Give me more Rose and less Jimmy Butler. It Just makes the series that much easier for my Cavaliers.
3. Speaking of the Bulls, the series with the Cavs should be fun. We all know how Joakim Noah feels about the City of Cleveland, but do you know what he thinks of LeBron? Well, see for yourself.
4. The mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is less than two weeks away. Boxers usually walk to the ring with a hype song to get them fired up, however, Pacquiao is going to extreme measures with his ring entrance song. He actually recorded his own song to enter to. Chances are you’ve never heard of it, but lucky for you, I’ve got your back. Check it.
Not my idea of a hype song to say the least. If I was advising Pacquiao, I’d have him enter to something a bit more up-tempo. Something like this.
At least there’s an Ivan Drago reference in my pick.
5. Speaking of the fight, Mayweather is rumored to be making north of $100 million for this fight! ‘Money May’ is already the highest paid athlete in the world and when you have that much money and can have pretty much anything you want, you start purchasing silly things. Case in point. Mayweather has a $25,000 mouthpiece that has actual $100 bills sealed on the inside. Crazy, right? Here’s a look at a few of them.
6. Recently I was home during the week in the middle of the day and did what any normal American would do when at home during normal business hours. “What’s that, you ask?” Watch The Price is Right of course. Now I have immense pride in Cleveland, the city I was born in, but even I had to question this. Either Cleveland is truly blowing up, or The Price is Right is on the decline. Get this. One of the prizes on the ‘Showcase Showdown’ was a trip to Cleveland with tickets for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I’m not making this up just to get a laugh either, and yes, you read that correctly. I’ll repeat. One of the prizes on the ‘Showcase Showdown’ was a trip to Cleveland with tickets for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I’m not talking about one of the prizes that everyone bids on beforehand, now. I’m talking about one of the grand prizes at the end of the show! My jaw is still dropped from that moment lol. I love my city, but even I know that a trip to my hometown shouldn’t be a prize worthy enough for a ‘Showcase Showdown.’ Or am I missing the boat on this one? Cleveland family, feel free to share your thoughts.
7. Got a case of the Monday blues? I’ve got just the answer to wake you up and get you ready to accomplish damn near anything after a party filled weekend. Listen to ‘Pitbull.’ Here’s one such song that should fill your Monday with a little joy.
8. I love Spring, mostly because that means winter is over, but I also love spring because of what it brings. No, I’m not talking about the rain or the flowers that begin to bloom. I’m talking about the Aut-O-Rama drive-in movie theatre and the Dog n Suds drive-in restaurant. I’m a sucker for history and how simple things used to be.
9. One of my favorite shows growing up was the Dukes of Hazzard so I was saddened by the passing of Roscoe P. Coltrane. How can you not be entertained by this sheriff.
10. If you haven’t seen ‘The Gambler’ starring Mark Wahlberg, don’t even waste your time.
Yes, the trailer makes this movie look good, but just believe me. It’s not.
11. If you’re anything like me, you miss the sound of real Hip-Hop. Today’s version of the genre is horrid, so I was beyond excited to learn that De La Soul was coming out with a new album.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1519102394/de-la-souls-new-album/widget/video.html
12. The College football season is just 135 days away!
13. I picked up a new pair of shoes recently. Here is the latest addition to my addiction.
Cotto battles Trout in a matchup of top 10 contenders!
Posted: December 1, 2012 in BoxingTags: Austin Trout, Boxing, Erislandy Lara, Floyd Mayweather, Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto, New York City, Ring magazine, Robert Guerrero, Saul Alvarez, Showtime
Credit: Tom Casino, Showtime
Two of the top ten Jr Middleweights (154 lbs) in the world will square off at the Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight. Miguel “Junito” Cotto (37-3, 30 ko’s), ranked #2 by Ring Magazine, takes on undefeated Austin “No Doubt” Trout (25-0, 14 ko’s,) ranked #9 by Ring Magazine. The fight will be shown on Showtime and they will battle for a world title belt that shall remain nameless, as I don’t give credence to any of the corrupt sanctioning organizations.
Credit: Tom Casino, Showtime
While Trout is known in the boxing community, he is not well-known to the general public. The fact is he is an excellent boxer-puncher, a southpaw, and is a live dog tonight. Fighting in Cotto’s home away from home will not pose any kind of threat either. Trout has fought in hostile territory before, going on the road to Panama and Mexico and winning decisions. To win decisions in an opponents home country should tell you what kind of boxing lesson he had to display.
If Trout goes on to win the fight, it will be by decision yet again. Only once has “No Doubt” scored a knockout in his last eight fights, a span of over three years.
Cotto will bring the experience edge into this fight and has clearly fought much tougher opposition. Even though “Junito” has taken much more punishment over his career, he is still incredibly sharp, evidenced by his last fight when he gave Floyd Mayweather a much tougher fight than expected in a 12 round decision loss. While Cotto comes into the fight with three losses, his losses are to Pacquiao, Mayweather, and Margarito (most likey with loaded gloves). Trout is not in the same hemisphere as those guys. Not yet at least. Also Cotto has done well against southpaws. “Chop Chop” Corley, Carlos Quintana, and Zab Judah are a few of the notable names that he has not only defeated, but knocked out.
If Cotto wins tonight, it will most likely be by knockout. In his last 6 wins covering over 4 years, 5 have come inside the distance. Joshua Clottey, who has never been ko’d in 40 career fights was the only boxer to go the distance in that time frame.
The winner of this fight would be in prime condition to take on Floyd Mayweather for what would likely be the true Jr Middleweight Championship of the World. That likely won’t happen as Mayweather appears headed for a Welterweight showdown with Robert Guerrero however. Cotto meanwhile has been linked for a showdown with #3 rated Jr Middleweight contender Saul Alvarez. Another fighter that could emerge for the winner is #4 rated contender Erislandy Lara.
I feel Cotto is just too strong and experienced for Trout in this one. I do like that Trout will travel wherever he needs to get a fight, a characteristic that doesn’t go unnoticed. Trout has never faced the caliber of opponent that he’ll see in Cotto. The early rounds may be split, but Cotto’s power shots will eventually wear down Trout as I see Cotto getting another knockout. Cotto KO 9.
Just wanna remind everyone that despite Manny Pacquiao’s incredible achievments, Floyd is still the BEST.
Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know, that you should know too)
Posted: November 18, 2010 in Boxing, Browns, Buckeyes, Cavaliers, Indians, Soccer, VikingsTags: Boxing, Brandon Webb, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Daniel Gibson, Eric Mangini, Floyd Mayweather, Jared Sullinger, Joe Thomas, Lebron James, Manny Pacquiao, Norris Cole, Ohio State, Paul Williams, Peyton Hillis, Sergio Martinez, Terrell Pryor
1. Running back Peyton Hillis, left tackle Joe Thomas, and center Alex Mack will make the Pro Bowl this season. I don’t see anyone making it from the defensive side of the ball, as the Cleveland Browns defense tends to be more of a team defense playing together as one unit, rather than relying on a few playmakers on that side of the ball to control opposing offenses.
2. Cavaliers point guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson deserves props. Not only for his play on the basketball court, but for his charity in the Browns team shop during the team’s loss to the Jets on Sunday. Gibson tweeted during the game, which he was attending, “headed to the team shop..Free gear on me if you here!! He’s must follow status now!!
3. I’m much happier that Antonio Margacheato sustained a prolonged beating for 12 rounds against Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, rather than suffering an early knockout loss. Margacheato should of been banned from the sport forever after he attempted to enter the ring with loaded gloves when he took on Shane Mosley in 2009. He will suffer more long term damage from that beating, and he deserves whatever health issues he will be dealt with.
4. Terrell Pryor is going to have a big time game on Saturday in Iowa. Mark it down. Take my word for it. He’s too much of a competitor and the fact that people are counting him out right now will feed into his hunger.
5. Cleveland State’s Norris Cole is the most exciting basketball player in the city. He is the Horizon League Athlete of the week and his Vikings are 4-0, matching the best start in school history. Cole is a senior, and was a first team All-Horizon League selection last season. He is averaging 22.3 points/game this season.
6. It’s the offseason for the Indians and the GM winter meetings are underway. That means the Tribe is in the market for a pitcher that is coming off an injury. Brandon Webb anyone? My bet is he will be wearing a Cleveland uniform next year. Damn you Larry Dolan. Damn you.
7. The best basketball player in the state of Ohio is Jared Sullinger. He’s already convinced me that he can eat whatever he wants and it won’t matter. I was comparing his weight to that of “Tractor” Traylor last week, but the bottom line is he has accomplished more in two games than Traylor ever did in his entire college and professional basketball career.
8. Don’t text and drive. Please. Don’t text and drive.
9. I’m not saying that Eric Mangini had a good draft class in 2009, and the Massaquoi and Robiskie apparent busts really stick out, but what about the Alex Mack pick? I’d take a Pro Bowl player in any draft. Also, it was Mangini who brought up bringing Peyton Hillis to Cleveland, after watching him as a member of the Broncos.
10. I, like everyone else, want to see Pacquiao and Mayweather square off in the ring. I do, however, find it astonishing that despite adding over 50 pounds since turning pro, Pacquiao is as fast and as powerful as ever. The whispers about steroids have been out there, and if Mayweather is going to go through the Olympic style drug testing to prove he is clean, then Pacquiao should as well.
11. I was going to call out my kids for not letting me get the proper amount of sleep I need to be a productive member of society, but I was afraid my words would get taken out of context. I feel you Leboob. I understand. SMDH.
12. There are already too many weight classes in boxing, and now we are getting more with all the catch weight fights. The Pacquiao/Margacheato fight was at a catch weight, and this week’s big fight is also at a catch weight. Martinez is the middleweight champion of the World. If Williams wants the title, the fight should be at the 160 pound middleweight limit. When will the madness end?
13. Ohio is the Soccer capital of the World!! No, just kidding, but Ohio just may be the soccer capital of the USA. Cleveland St. Ignatius was named the National Champions after their perfect 23-0 season, and Akron has a chance to become back to back national champions as they are currently participating in the College Cup.
Ring Ratings Update: Pacquiao moves to No. 1 in welterweight rankings
Posted: November 16, 2010 in BoxingTags: Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Ring magazine
Poll: Pacquiao or Mayweather
Posted: November 14, 2010 in BoxingTags: Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao
Featured Fight of the Week
Posted: November 13, 2010 in BoxingTags: Antonio Margarito, Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao, Ring magazine, Shane Mosley
Ring Magazine #1 Pound for Pound boxer Manny Pacquiao will battle as Antonio Margarito at a catch weight in the Jr. middleweight division
Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito
51-3-2, 38 KO’s VS. 38-6, 27 KO’s
5’6 ½, 144 ½ pounds, 31 yrs. old 5’11, 150 pounds, 32 yrs. old
General Santos City, Philippines Tijuana, Mexico
Strengths: Strengths:
Southpaw Style Aggressive style
Speed Chin
Two handed power Hunger/Desire
Weaknesses: Weaknesses:
Can be outboxed Defense
Outside distractions Inactivity
- Pacquiao is coming off a 12 round unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey in March. He has won 12 fights in a row, dating back to 2005.
- Margarito is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in May. Before that he was knocked out by Shane Mosley in which it was discovered before the fight that his gloves had been inserted with illegal knuckle pads.
This fight came together after the biggest fight in boxing, Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather fell through for a second time. Antonio Margarito, who is promoted by the same promoter as Pacquiao, Top Rank, was an easy choice as a replacement for the company.
Margarito was known as one of the most feared men in boxing until his unforgettable night against Mosley. He was in everyone’s pound for pound list, and was coming off a huge knockout win over previous unbeaten Miguel Cotto. The hand wrap scandal has put a huge question on Margarito’s past. How long has he been fighting with illegal hand wraps? That question will probably never be known, but Margarito can silence his critics with a win against Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is known as the “Mexican killer,” due to his tendency for knocking off Mexican fighters such as Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, and Marco Antonio Barrera. Margarito will be the biggest Mexican that the Filipino has entered the ring against.
Despite the size advantage for Margarito, who weighed in six pounds heavier, and could be fifteen pounds heavier on fight night, I don’t see Pacquiao having much trouble with him. Margarito is an aggressive, come forward fighter, which plays right into the hands of Pacquiao. Add to that the propensity to get hit and the speed at which Pacquiao’s shots will come, I see Margarito folding as he did against Mosley. Margarito simply hasn’t been active enough, and hasn’t seen the speed of someone like Pacquiao. This is going to give him fits. I see Pacquiao stopping Margarito in the tenth round. After which, he and trainer Freddie Roach will again call out Floyd Mayweather, and hopefully, for boxing’s sake, that mega fight will happen.
Castro's Kingdom 