March 15, 2008

 

9:30am: GoldenBoy Promotions will hold a press conference at 11:30am to announce three division world champion Sugar Shane Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs) vs. two division champion, Zab Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) to be held at The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Saturday, May 31. The undercard features Jorge Barrios (47-3-1, 34 KOs) vs. Rocky Juarez 27-4, 19KOs).

 

The card is promoted by GoldenBoy Promotions and will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay per View.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Nate Campbell put an end to the HBO written quasi-legend of Juan Diaz by beating the 24-year-old Houston, Texas fighter at his own game. When the first bell sounded, Campbell stepped inside and ripped body shots to the Diaz’s terminally soft middle and by the end of the fight had pounded Diaz’s face into a grotesque mask of flesh. Two of the three officials at ringside saw the fight for Campbell with scores of 116-111 and 115-112, with the third judge giving the fight to Diaz, 114-113.

 

 

This latest case of HBO building up a fighter only to see him brought crashing back to earth (see Jermain Taylor and Paul Williams) should give the HBO boxing brass pause as they think about how they market fighters in the future. Stellar production value is no longer enough.

 

 

Campbell is a very fresh 36 (he didn’t start boxing until he was 24), and has the emotional maturity of a man entering middle age that should keep him fighting at the highest levels for at least a couple more years. Certainly long enough to get the big payday or two that he has earned.

 

 

A rematch with Diaz is possible, but for Diaz, probably not a good idea. Diaz simply isn’t strong enough to keep a physical and emotional force like Campbell off of him as he has with fighters in the past. Now that it’s been proven that he can be broken, others will be less likely to let up and allow the “Baby Bull” trample them the way fighters have in the past.

 

Diaz, who is due to earn his BA in the fall, would do well to think about going back to school, and staying there.

 

 

March 9 from The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, David Haye overwhelmed Enzo Macaranelli in the second round of their cruiserweight title fight. After a cautious first round, Haye stepped up the pace in round two with his quick right hand checking Macaranelli’s chin, though the first time it landed in earnest Macaranelli took it well. Macarenelli made a point of countering Haye’s right with a quick left hook and managed to land enough to give the impression of a competitive fight.

 

That impression turned into a mirage when a right from Haye in the corner buckled Macaranelli and a slow to respond referee allowed Haye to reload and land another right that dropped the Welshman. Macaranelli rose and staggered about the ring, trying to indicate that he was okay, but the referee wisely had seen enough and waived the fight at2:04 of round two.

 

The 27-year-old Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) plans on testing his right hand at heavyweight, while Macaranelli (28-2, 21 KOs) also 27, has plenty left to say about the future of the cruiserweight division.

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.

March 1, 2008, results from press row:

 

At the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, the WBC Super Bantamweight Champion, Israel Vazquez, knew he needed a big final round if he wanted to keep his title, and that’s exactly what he delivered by battering Rafael Marquez around the ring until the former champion fell into the corner, desperately grasping at the ropes to keep himself up. Since a fighter cannot use the ropes to prevent a knockdown, referee Pat Russell correctly scored it as such, giving Vazquez a two point round and, ultimately, the fight.

 

 

Two of the three judges at ringside scored the bout 114-111 and 113-112, respectively, for Vazquez, while the third had it 114-111 for Marquez. FightTube scored the bout 114-111 for Vazquez. The bout was televised by Showtime.

 

 

Though Marquez (37-5, 33 KOs) made a concerted effort to box from the opening bell, the brawl began in earnest when he knocked Vazquez down with a straight right in round four. Vazquez (43-4, 32 KOs) rose, apparently clear-headed, and fired volley after volley on Marquez, who answered in kind.

 

 

The fight slowly turned in Vazquez’s favor as the rounds ticked off. Marquez managed to take away the Vazquez hook that had wobbled him a couple times earlier in the fight, but Vazquez adjusted and focused on delivering straight rights with increasing success, evidenced by Marquez’s rapidly swelling left eye.

 

 

Warned by Russell for low blows several times during the fight, Marquez finally had a point taken in the 10th, which proved costly, though warranted.

 

 

The only blemish on the night came in the post-fight press conference, when Marquez’s promoter, Gary Shaw, and the Marquez camp, made rumblings about what they saw as the referee’s poor judgement during the fight. Virtually all of press row agreed that Russell did an excellent job.

 

 

 

Simple observation is one of the more valuable facets of training. It requires no sweat, strain, nor physical exertion of any kind, yet it produces results on par with the most rigorous workout. Like all things related to the craft of boxing, it does take practice to perfect. Listed below are a few things to get you started. Make critical observation a habit in the gym and at the fights you watch, both live and on TV.

 

Be Humble

 

Let’s get the lecture out of the way. One cannot talk and observe at the same time. The key to learning is humility–the belief that you lack knowledge and you desire to gain more of it. When you are in observation mode, keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open.

 

Eavesdrop

 

Listen to what trainers are telling their fighters in the gym. Do the fighters do as they’re told? How would you apply what you heard?

 

Think Like a Boxing Writer

 

When watching sparring or organized competition, try to come away from it with a clear idea of each fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. One of the keys to being a good boxing writer is the ability to break down a fight–the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters, and the factors that contributed to the outcome–then write the article so that it’s clear to the reader before deadline, which is sometimes a matter of a 20-30 minutes. Try to develop that same skill. How would you describe what you saw, in simple language, to someone who wasn’t there? If you can do that, you know you have learned something.

 

Make Old Boxing Videos New Again

 

Videos of even the most mundane fights are a gold mine if you break the fights down to their most simple elements:

 

Focus on one fighter for head movement. Watch his jab. Watch his defense of the jab. Does he slip it? Parry it? Slip and counter it? Or does the poor fellow just take them on the snoot? Watch for other punches and how they are defended, but focus on a single punch for extended periods, or even an entire fight.

 

Watch the feet. You could observe only the feet of the fighters and have a clear idea of who is winning. You can even tell which punches are being thrown. Is the left foot taking a shorts step straight forward? A jab. Does the left foot and knee turn sharply to the right? Left hook. Right foot pivots to the left? Straight right.

 

Use Your Imagination

 

Use you imagination and learn to pick fights apart. Those old boxing tapes you haven’t looked at in a while will gain new life, and so will your skills as you begin to apply your newfound knowledge.

 

 

 

 

Working the heavy bag is either the most useful time a boxer spends in the gym (other than sparring), or the greatest waste of time. It is meant to simulate one’s opponent in the ring and, like any other tool, is most effective when used properly.

 

Don’t Wear Yourself Out

 

Many beginning boxers make the mistake of wearing themselves out in the first round or two of bag work. This accomplishes nothing. More punching power and stamina will come in time, but it is imperative that the beginner keep proper technique in mind so that when he/she has developed that power and stamina, they can be applied when it counts–in the ring.

 

Emphasize Technique

 

The heavy bag won’t scream, cry, bleed, or beg for mercy when you punch it, so there’s no point trying to kill it. That’s not to say that you should never punch hard, quite the contrary, but technique must take precedence.

 

Respect Your Neighbors

 

Maybe you’ve been impressed by watching other guys/gals make the bag swing around like a drunk on a mechanical bull, but that doesn’t translate to success in the ring. Besides, all that bag swinging usually means that they are pushing their punches through the bag instead of snapping them, and that they aren’t punching when the bag is in its return arc, which is proper. Having your heavy bag swinging wildly into your neighbor’s spot in a crowded gym is irritating to them, not to mention rude.

 

Think of the Heavy Bag as an Opponent

 

As a beginning boxer, one must think of the heavy bag as they would a live body. Imagine that it is your opponent in front of you, an not an inanimate object. This means that you keep punches short, straight (for jabs and straight rights), and snapping. Throw hooks with precise technique (article upcoming). And, most of all, keep your mind on defense.

 

Because there are no punches coming back, it’s easy to forget about defense, but be disciplined. Keep your guard up. Use proper head movement. Make sure there are no lapses in your footwork; remain balanced at all times and use quick feet to step in and out of your “opponents” range.

 

In truth, only 20-40% of the punches thrown in a boxing match actually land; most are blocked by gloves, arms, and shoulders, and many miss altogether. Missing punches causes fatigue faster than landing them. Much faster. Spending round after round landing solid punches on a bag can be misleading, even terrifying the first time you enter a serious sparring session and it seems impossible to land a solid punch, except for the ones your sparring partner is landing on you. Here’s a trick to help get used to that feeling.

 

A (Heavy) Bag of Tricks

 

Take two or three old pairs of gloves and evenly attach the laces (or Velcro closures) to the chain around the top of the bag, so that the gloves hang at chin level. Now, when you hit the bag, the gloves will bounce around quite a bit, forcing you to pinpoint your punches more, and when in close, keep your gloves high to avoid getting smacked in the face. The added benefit is that you will often hit gloves, not the heavy bag. The gloves offer much less resistance to punches, thereby simulating blocked punches. It’s a feeling you might as well get used to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask any trainer worth the spit bucket he carries what the most important punch in boxing is, he’ll tell you that it’s the jab. Boxing’s great appeal is that it evens the playing field. Proper technique can nullify physical advantages like height, reach, speed, and punching power. Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and Pernell Whitaker routinely beat fighters that were stronger, or faster, or in some cases, both. The common denominator? Each of these Hall of Fame boxers had an excellent jab, and used it.

 

  FightTube was at Freddie Roach’s famous Wild Card gym a few months back, and Freddie where Roach discussed Rey Bautista’s upcoming bout against Daniel Ponce De Leon (a fight that Bautista ultimately lost). Roach said that Bautista looked strong and sharp, but wished that he would use his jab more. “Isn’t that every trainer’s favorite line,” this writer asked.

 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Roach replied, laughing. A few days later De Leon knocked Bautista stiff. The laughing stopped.

 

While the jab isn’t glamorous and it doesn’t make highlight reels, it is the perfect punch because it sets up a fighter’s offense and, simultaneously, provides an effective defense. There are numerous approaches to throwing a jab, but the basic punch is most useful.

 

Assuming that a fighter has already learned proper foot placement and a relaxed but effective “on guard” stance, the jab is ready to be thrown from the lead hand. Before going any further, it is critical to keep in mind that wasted motion should be avoided. Developing “triggers” such as cocking one’s hand before throwing, feinting before every jab, lifting the lead shoulder before jabbing, or any other form of “telegraphing” must be avoided. If a fighter allows himself to develop such habits, a more experienced boxer will exploit them, with often devastating results. (See above).

 

For a right-handed boxer, the left jab begins from where it rests in the guard position. It moves in a straight line toward its target, with the lead foot simultaneously stepping forward and the lead shoulder driving the punch. Just before making contact, the boxer’s fist rotates clockwise so that the heel of the hand faces down. This is what’s known as the “snap” at the end of the punch. Once completed, the jab hand returns to the guard position in the same path as it was thrown. Although theories abound as to why the “snap” is necessary, it’s simple physiology, really.

 

Make a fist and hold your arm straight out with the thumb side of the fist pointing straight up. Now concentrate your thoughts on your biceps. Keeping your arm extended, slowly roll your fist clockwise. You should feel the release of tension as your biceps fully extend and all tension is released. That’s the snap.

 

One can practice the jabbing motion most effectively outside the gym. Find a shelf that is chin high somewhere in the house. It could be in the kitchen, bathroom, closet, or garage. It doesn’t really matter where, as long as there is room for you to take a proper stance and move comfortably. Now take a small towel, a hand towel is perfect, and roll it up using a rubber band or tape to keep it rolled, then lay it horizontally on the near edge of the shelf.

 

Take your stance and, without really thinking about it, reach out and grasp the towel and bring it straight back to you. What you should gain from this exercise is that you’ve spent a lifetime grabbing objects off shelves and that you’ve always done it without wasted motion. The reason for that is purely psychological. At home, one doesn’t worry about getting punched in the mouth when he grabs a towel or a loaf of bread off the shelf. In the gym, even in front of an innocuous heavy bag, psychological tension causes the fighter to telegraph his jab, as well as other punches.

 

 

 

Continue to practice this “shelf technique,” which this writer first heard in it’s basic form from legendary trainer Gil Clancy, at home for a few minutes every day. Before long you should see a jab that’s more relaxed, cleaner, and more difficult to counter, in the gym.