The card has started in Vegas and I still haven’t made a prediction. Probably because it’s pick’em fight and I’m still a little gun shy after picking Alfonso Gomez to beat Miguel Cotto last weekend. (Yeah, I know).

 

 

On to the main event. I expect Hopkins to do what he does and let Calzaghe win the first few rounds on shear punch volume then once he gets inside the Welshman’s rhythm, he’ll play his usual punch-and-grab games and end up with a seven rounds to five victory.

 

 

Bernard’s style dictates a close fight since he uses the early rounds to go to school on his opponents. I don’t think Calzaghe has enough pop to intimidate Hopkins either, which he’ll need if he intends to beat the tough 43-year-old.

 

 

 

 

 

Zab Judah sat directly across from me at a round table interview with several members of the press. The interview, conducted the morning of the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, was immediately after Judah and “Sugar” Shane Mosley gave a press conference announcing their upcoming fight at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

During the press conference, Judah claimed that his previous losses, poor behavior, and general under-achievement were due to either his willingness to fight on short notice or to “circumstances that happened at the time.” According to Judah, he has, at 30-years-old, “grown up” and dedicated himself to boxing and mature behavior.

 

After several boxing writers reeled off their questions, with several of Judah’s bejeweled entourage forming a half circle behind him, I took my turn.

 

“Zab, at the press conference you said that your past losses and various difficulties in and out of the ring were due to either taking fights on short notice or other “circumstances.” In this fight (with Mosley), are you saying that no matter what happens, win or lose, there will be no excuses?”

 

“You know I have never made excuses,” Judah said with a squinty glare, while his glittering minions whooped in praise of him.

 

Contradictory? Sure. One can’t expect too much too soon. But starting May 31^st in the Mandalay Bay ring, Zab Judah has forfeited the right to blame anything or anyone other than himself for what happens in, or out, of the ring.  

 

I’ll have more to say about this April 12 welterweight match up later, but for now, I caution the reader not to take Alfonso Gomez too lightly. As Teddy Atlas often reminds us, boxing is primarily a mental sport, and Gomez is the poster boy for mental focus and preparation. Beyond that, Miguel Cotto’s supposed strength advantage probably won’t even show itself in the ring since Gomez fought as a middleweight on the Contender series and handed legit middleweight Peter Manfredo his first loss.

 

 

Am I picking Gomez to win? No. (I’ve since changed my mind. See Alfonso Gomez link above. April 08, 2008) But it’s going to be a good, even scrap, no matter the outcome.

I’m flying out to St Louis, MO tomorrow morning for the Cory Spinks vs. Verno Phillips fight on Thursday at the Scottrade Center. This junior middleweight title fight isn’t televised, but can be seen on the web at www.donkingtv.com. Love him or hate him, old Don is always trying something new.

 

After the fight I’ll head down the 55 to visit family in Ste. Genevieve for a couple weeks before heading back home to Southern California. Thanks to the internet, and a broadband card for the laptop, work won’t be put on hold, it just won’t be a priority.

 

Once back in SoCal, I’ll treat you, dear reader, to a profile of a an 18-year-old amateur welterweight named Travis Samuels. Travis has his first amateur bout coming up in May. There will be periodic assessments of his progress (or setbacks; such is life, after all) and he”l be my photo/video model for technical points in the How To Box series of articles.

 

Samuels’ trainer is Alex Suarez, brother of welterweight contender, Mark “Poison” Suarez. Alex will be an immense help to the boxing pages here at FightTube in the future.

 

Since boxing is also a business, I’m putting together some articles on helping young fighters understand their roles as entrepreneurs. You’ll be reading some interviews with high profile people in and around the sport, each of whom are worth taking the time to see what they have to say. Here’s the bottom line: if you are a fighter, especially if you have talent, you are a marketable entity, essentially a product, and it’s worth marketing yourself–and handling your finances–wisely.

 

The first interview will be one I conducted with Cerveza Tecate Brand Director, Carlos Boughton, the day of the Marquez vs. Pacquiao rematch in Las Vegas on March 15. While not fighter specific, the interview with Mr. Boughton provides insight to marketing product that works on every level. Look forward to this in the coming days.

I’ll be in Las Vegas this weekend to cover the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez rematch (yeah, I know you’re jealous) but before the fight card starts I’ll be interviewing Carlos Boughton, Brand Director for Tecate, one of the fight sponsors. They have a relationship with Oscar De La Hoya’s GoldenBoy Promotions and are making the most of the Hispanic community’s love affair with boxing–and beer.

 

I’m more of a dark stout guy myself. I wonder if Carlos knows anyone over at Guinness…?

 

 

We all need heroes. Heroes are, in essence, those we wish to emulate. Boxers need heroes too and, fortunately, the sport abounds with athletes worthy of hero status. The purpose of this article is to point out several fighters who, in whole or in part, are worth taking the time to watch and emulate. First up, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

 

 

Boxing writers love to hate Mayweather, while boxers almost universally admire his talent. He is accused of being a defense-first dullard by some, but that’s precisely why he should be studied. What some perceive as boring is really economy. Where most fighters are happy to have two punches blocked if they will create a shot that lands, Mayweather often lands the first shot, making two missed punches unnecessary. The resulting low punch output is often seen as hyper- defensiveness, when what it is, is smart.

 

 

Remember being told when you were growing up about the older fellow who works smart and not hard? Why shouldn’t the same praise be placed on a boxer who does the same thing?

 

 

Pay close attention to Mayweather’s right hand. from his guard, it will block incoming jabs (per usual) right hands and left hooks, all without his glove moving more than six inches. This impressive defense means that he is always in a position to fire a counter shot. Which brings the reader to the main point–Mayweather’s defense compliments his offense. He is always balanced, thinking ahead of his opponent instead of just reacting to him, and executing a definite plan, which couldn’t be done by flailing away at his opponents. Though that might seem more exciting to the layperson, or the occasional writer, it isn’t effective boxing.

 

Watch the video and learn.

 

 

 

 

It’s often said that boxing is the art of “Hit and Not Get Hit.” True enough. Besides being impossible to land on your opponent with your butt on the canvas, not getting hit will extend your ring career. While there are myriad ways to employ defense, the first is to keep your chin tucked. This rudimentary skill, hopefully learned as part of a correct boxing stance, allows a fighter to be aggressive while minimizing his/her opponent’s target.

 

If your head tends to pop up like a Pez Dispenser when you throw punches, try this drill. Before shadowboxing, put on a pair of cheap sunglasses (anyone else hearing ZZ Top in their head right now?). This will force you to peer over the top of the lenses in order to see clearly. To help things along, cover the lenses with masking tape. The same can be done for heavy bag work, though you will need to add one of those nerdy elastic straps to prevent the glasses from flying off.

 

This should go without saying, but it shall be said anyway; don’t try this while sparring.

I just read an excellent book on Ali by Jack Cashill called Sucker Punch: The Hard left Hook That Dazed Ali and Killed King’s Dream (2006, Nelson Current)

 

In the book, Cashill reflects on his own Newark, NJ childhood in the sixties, his neighborhood’s rapid implosion, and the influence of Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali on his contemporaries. A thoroughly investigated account of Ali’s association with Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad and The Nation of Islam, the book tells of the deceit in Ali’s “conscientious objector” stance, his “Oh Well” attitude concerning the murder of his friend Malcolm X, and the cruelty this supposed civil rights hero showed the black fighters he faced, especially Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson, and Ernie Terrell.

 

Yet, Cashill sees in Ali a morally pliable man with basically decent instincts. Ali’s pliability, likely due to his illiteracy, rendered him vulnerable to Muhammad’s influence, though after Muhammad’s death in 1975, his more reasonable, and genuinely religious son, Herbert, began Ali’s journey back to the decent principles that lived closer to his heart. A journey that is completed by his humbling physical infirmities.

 

At once scathing and sympathetic, Cashill zeroes in on the truth of Ali. That is, as the highest profile athlete of his time, with the potential to build racial bridges, he built walls instead. His was “an opportunity lost.”