Don King is gangster, Marquez-Vazquez rivalry, the role of friends.....

The Blackeyed View took a two week hiatus to gather itself from the many lumps it took in that time span, but like Rocky Balboa once said, 'Its not how many times you get knocked down, its about how many times you get up...", I'm back and attempting to catch you all up with this wonderful sport that I always fall back to for comfort. Lots to talk about since my last post.......

Don King is gangster.....

My last post was an exclusive interview with former world champion Ricardo Mayorga on his excursion into the world of mixed martial arts which was slated to take place on May 15th in Fayetteville against veteran MMA fighter Din Thomas in the main event of a card promoted by Shine Fight promotions. Things quickly came apart once Don King entered the picture.

Don King has promoted Mayorga's biggest fights and went before a judge in a Florida courtroom to prove that he had a three year contract with Ricardo Mayorga and therefore could not allow Mayorga to participate in the MMA fight. Mayorga contends that King had not fulfilled his commitment of three fights a year for him and the often times bombastic promoter countered by securing Mayorga a title fight against WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm in Germany this coming September. King argued that any result coming from the participation of Mayorga in the MMA fight may hinder his ability to promote Mayorga's fight with Sturm in the fall. The judge decided to uphold King's position with the provision that King cover a 1 million bond within the next 2 hours. This being a Saturday afternoon and the banks closing in two hours it seemed an impossibility but only in America is there a Don King. King returned within the hour with two duffel bags filled with exactly 1 million dollars! The judge enforced the injunction and threatened the promoters with serious legal ramifications if they would go through with the main event. Things got worse for the folks at Shine Fight Promotions as they were in Florida facing off with King they did not file the necessary paperwork in time with the North Carolina athletic commission to show that they would have medical staff on hand and the commission shut down the entire card. The promoters were forced to cancel the card and pay their athletes without making a profit. The lesson here is, even at his advanced age, don't mess with Don King.

The worse case scenario for the MMA folks but a gain of sorts for boxing as we get our Nicaraguan wild man back in the ring where he belongs. Although Mayorga would have tried his best, its doubtful that he took the time to learn the grappling aspect of MMA and his opponent had been quoted as saying he was intent on taking Mayorga down for a submission hold. As wild as Mayorga is he is best suited for boxing as he can still surprise many, he took Shane Mosley to the limit before succumbing and he has the style to rattle a conventional fighter like Sturm. Felix Sturm is a stand up European style fighter who works behind the jab and carries little pop in his punches, he is best known for losing a controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya that almost ruined his mega fight with Bernard Hopkins in his first fight at middleweight.

Marquez-Vazquez rivalry ends tied at 2-2

It is fitting that one of the most intense and violent rivalries in all of sports ended up tied with neither man able to claim complete dominance over the other. Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) and Israel Vazquez (44-5, 33 KOs) engaged in four of the most brutal fights that most certainly has shortened the careers of both men especially Vazquez. What should absolutely be their final fight took place on May 22nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA and was won by Marquez when referee Raul Caiz, Jr. stopped the fight in the third round after ruling that Vazquez could no longer defend himself after suffering two nasty cuts that impaired his vision.

The Marquez-Vazquez rivalry featured three stoppage wins, two fights of the year, a dramatic come from behind decision win brought on by a last round knockdown, buckets of blood spilled by both combatants, knockdowns suffered by both men in every fight, momentum changes, and a well deserved place in the boxing hall of fame for both men when they retire.

The following video serves to catch every one up on the first three historic fights.

Their final fight that came two years after their last encounter was evidence enough for Vazquez's manager to declare that his man had fought his last fight. Marquez moved behind a sharp jab and used hooks and uppercuts to bust open a cut over Vazquez's left eye in the first round. In the second round an accidental headbutt worsened Vazquez's wound and they another cut was opened on the right eye by the end of the round by Marquez's precise punching. Although injured, Vazquez's left hook broke through to stagger his rival a few times in the second round enough to win it on the judge's card. Undeterred and inspired by the cuts on his opponent's face, Marquez came out guns a blazing in the third firing combinations that would bring Vazquez to his knees. The gutsy Vazquez could no longer see where the punches where coming from and could do nothing but cover his face as Marquez rained fists on his head. The referee had no choice but to stop the slaughter in the third round.

In his past five fights, Vazquez has been prone to cuts and even underwent eye surgery to repair a detached retina. In this fight he was cut almost upon contact and will probably suffer more cut stoppages if he continues to fight. His manager declared after the fight that his man would retire, but Vazquez himself was non committal after the fight. But in the name of common sense and for the good of the sport and both men, this rivalry should end tied. The sport and the fans can ask no more of these two warriors.

Observations

• On May 15th Amir Khan made his US debut on the big stage of Madison Square Garden on HBO defending his WBC Junior welterweight title against Brooklyn's own Paulie Malignaggi and won by TKO in the 11th round. The eleventh round has been unlucky for Malignaggi when facing British fighters as that was also the round in which he was downed by Ricky Hatton. The plucky fighter who looks like he could walk onto the set of MTV's Jersey Shore, was outboxed by his younger foe and may now have to settle for serving as the gate keeper of the junior welterweight division. As for Khan, during his post fight interview he called out for an elimination tournament in his weight class involving some of the top fighters including Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, and Marcus Maidana. An excellent idea.

• On Tuesday May 25th, WBA junior middleweight champ Yuri Foreman held a public workout at world famous Gleason's gym in Brooklyn to promote his upcoming title defense against Puertorican idol Miguel Cotto. Going through his boxing routine, Foreman looked sturdy and technically solid. But I think I am suffering from advanced dementia of some kind because as I watched him workout I was deluding myself into thinking the following thoughts...."he's not that fast, I can catch him." I think I need to step in the ring soon and get a reality check.
• Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum was on hand at the public workout to promote the upcoming fight and all things Manny Pacquiao. He seemed to gleam most when speaking of Pacquiao or the prospect of a Foreman win and what it could do for Foreman as an attraction. After seeing his other would be white hope fighter Kelly Pavlik lose big fights, Arum would love to see Foreman succeed where Pavlik may have failed. Here is hoping that both Pavlik and Foreman have successful careers as boxing needs folks of all strokes to bring in the masses at large.

• This Saturday May 29th, Vitaly Klitschko (41-2, 37 KOs) will defend his WBC heavyweight crown against former European champion Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs) from Poland. The fight will take place in Germany and will be available on PPV. Once again a major heavyweight fight by a Klitschko is being boycotted by the major boxing networks. When will they continue to act like these guys don't exist? Its a heavyweight shame.
  
  

Friends...........

This blog's main focus is on boxing but from time to time I like to use it to expound my views on any number of topics. I'd like to do that right now. Events of the past couple of months have forced me to reevaluate my relationship with some people that I have called 'friends'. I've gone back and forth on the issue, shuttling between distancing myself from people, ex communicating them, forgiving them, accepting them, sending them to hell, or accepting them for who they are. After consulting with some people who's opinions I do respect I have come to a working theory that choose to apply.

I have always believed that in this lifetime you will meet a small core group of people that you can truly call your friends. That core group can be as small as two people or as large as maybe four or five if your lucky. These are the people who you can count on 100% of the time. The ones that will truly have your back. The rest fall under categories. There are the acquaintances, the fair weather friends, the flakes, the party people, and the hook ups. The acquaintances are well meaning people who are usually pleasant to be around but should not be counted on and don't have time to take from their schedules to deal with you. The fair weather friends and the party people tend to show up in the same scenes, usually you see them at get togethers, parties, sporting events and when they see you they will drunkenly declare themselves your best friends and brothers or sisters. But when the party is over, you don't see them till the next event. The hook ups are useful in that you call them because they are a source of something, you usually don't reach out to them unless you need something that only they can provide, whatever that may be. You don't want to be a hook up. Lastly there are the flakes, the most maddening of people, the ones that you mistake as true friends and find out the hard way that they cannot be counted on. The flakes will drive you mad if you let them and at all times MUST be put in perspective.

It helps me to look at things this way, my life is a movie, there are principal characters in that movie and the flakes, hook ups, acquaintances, fair weather friends, and party people are all bit players that have cameo roles in the movie of my life. Calling yourself a friend on my facebook page does not automatically get you a starring role in my film. Not everyone has a big role but every role is important to make up the movie of my life. This is how I have had to deal in order to not break communications with some of my 'friends'. Some of my true friends will read this and some may not. Anyone else who reads this I ask you to think about what role you play in my movie and what role your friends play in the movie of your life.

El Matador looks for new worlds to conquer

The Black Eyed View exclusive interview with the Nicaraguan strong man as he looks to invade the world of mixed martial arts
'El Matador' Ricardo Mayorga has long been one of boxing's most colorful and exciting personalities in the sport of boxing, winning as many fans as critics along the way for the way he taunts his way into his opponent's skin, his wild punching style, and his penchant for beer drinking and smoking after fights which was famously displayed on one of his HBO fights before a national TV audience. Mayorga has won championships in multiple weight classes and faced off with some of the most famous names between the middleweight and welterweight divisions such as Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, and the late Vernon Forrest.

Now Mayorga looks to test his mettle in the world of mixed martial arts as he faces off against veteran MMA fighter Din Thomas (25-8) on Saturday May 15th at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina under the flag of Shine Fight promotions. In typical Mayorga fashion he has declared that it is appropriate for him to be fighting at the Crown Coliseum as he has already been crowned a king in boxing and he will be crowned a king this Saturday night after taking out Din Thomas. 'El Matador' from Nicaragua with a record of 28 wins 7 losses and 1 draw has accomplished much in boxing and fans want to know if his participation in MMA signals the end of his involvement in boxing. The Blackeyed View recently caught up with the former champ by phone after a workout to interview him for IMPACTO Latin News. The interview was conducted in Mayorga's native tongue Spanish and the following is the English translation.

The BlackEyed View: Let's start with the one question your fans want to know. Will you return to boxing?

Ricardo Mayorga: Of course I will. Definitely.

TBEV: How did the idea to get involved in MMA come about?

RM: Well I've always loved to fight. As they say, those who are raised up in a poor neighborhood must know how to fight. I loved to fight and I fought often in the street before I became a boxer. I've always fought in boxing. I was given the opportunity [to fight in MMA] and I like it.

TBEV: Have you studied well the different disciplines involved in this sport [MMA] which uses lots of wrestling and judo holds?

RM: Of course, definitely, I have trained a lot.

TBEV: So you have cut out the smoking and the beer drinking?

RM: [Laughing] Yes of course, at once, absolutely.

TBEV: Your opponent Din Thomas is a veteran with lots of experience, how will you combat that experience and what do you think of him?

RM: Well I'm not going to take his experience lightly but I know that he will not be able to take me down and I will knock him out quickly.

TBEV: Many think that the greatest triumph of your career was when you defeated Vernon Forrest when he was at the prime of his powers. Last year Vernon was tragically killed in an attempted robbery. What can you tell us about Vernon Forrest the person and the fighter?

RM: Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to share moments with Forrest as a person outside of the ring but as a fighter I feel that Vernon was really strong and a great fighter.

TBEV: Nicaragua also lost a great idol of the sport last year when Alexis Arguello lost his life in what authorities have ruled a suicide. There has been reports mixed with rumors on the internet and other forms of media of a rift between the two of you. We'd like to get your thoughts on the ex champ and his loss.

RM: Well I don't like to speak on politics and rumors and regrettably he passed away. The fact is with Alexis Arguello I don't know what his problem with me was, I had nothing to do with him back then. The last word on Arguello that I can say is that he was a great fighter.

TBEV: One of your rivals, Shane Mosley recently lost to Floyd Mayweather two weeks ago. He appeared apprehensive and did not throw enough punches. Throwing punches has never been a problem for you, if offered a fight with Mayweather would you accept ......

RM: I've been actively looking for that fight with Mayweather.

TBEV: ....and what would you do differently than the others who have faced Mayweather?

RM: Throw more punches, you have to hit him with more punches. He [Mosley] had his chance to win against Mayweather, Floyd wasn't running but what happened was that he[Mosley] stopped punching and so he lost.

TBEV: How much longer will you keep fighting and what are your plans once your done?

RM: Two more years. The truth is I would like to retire from fighting altogether. The truth is I wouldn't want to be a promoter or a trainer at all. I would like to put up two good business and that's it.

TBEV: Thank you Ricardo for your time and we wish you the best of luck in your fight and hope to see you back in the sport of boxing very soon.

RM: I appreciate everything but as for luck, wish Din Thomas luck, I don't look for luck let others look for it.

Ricardo Mayorga vs Din Thomas will be seen live at 9 PM eastern on pay per view distributed by MultiVision Media this Saturday May 15th from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 800-736-1420. Contact your local cable company or satellite provider to order.

Miracle knockout punch at "the Hassle in the Castle"

Good intentions mix with bad ones at boxing benefit event

Huntington, NY: As a boxing reporter you don't show up to a boxing card with the intentions of writing abut an undercard boxer with a losing record facing a vicious punching fighter on the undercard of a benefit event. But when that fighter does what Bryan Abraham (2-3-1, 1 KO) did Saturday night to James Hope (6-5, 4 KOs) he becomes the lead story. The Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY was host to a boxing card that was put together to benefit the Shea Megale Trust to combat Spinal Muscular Atrophy and had former super middleweight titlist Byron 'Gator' Mitchell facing Otis Griffin in the main event but what everyone was talking about when all was said and done was the once in a lifetime money shot delivered by Bryan Abraham on the undercard. This was a night of boxing that saw five fights out of six end by knockout and the one fight that went the distance turned out to be an exciting upset decision win, so to be able to steal the show you had to have done something big and that is exactly what Abraham did.

Abraham entered the fight with one win in four fights going in against James Hope who had the better record and who bore a physical resemblance to Pernell Whitaker who was seated at ringside. Hope was the more aggressive fighter and had Abraham busted up in the first round by landing vicious hooks to the face and the body. By the second round it appeared that Abraham had sustained a broken nose as Hope continued to pour on the pressure, effectively cutting off the ring on Abraham offering no respite from the beating he was administering. By the third round many at ringside began to wonder if the fight should continue as Abraham was clearly out of the fight and taking ungodly amounts of punishment from his tormentor. luckily for him this junior welterweight bout was scheduled for only four rounds and being desperately behind Abraham was within his rights to suspect that perhaps his opponent would let up in the final round as the fight was clearly in the bag for him at this juncture but Hope's killer instinct demanded that he go for the knockout win. As the signal alerting the fighters that ten seconds remained in the round sounded off Hope could have backed off but instead he turned on the juice even more, swinging for the fences and then it happened....Abraham nailed him with a right simultaneously as the bell sounded to end the fight. Hope pitched forward and then fell flat on his back!

The crowd went wild, Abraham looked on bewildered by what just happened as the ref seemed confused for a second then began to count to ten. James Hope valiantly tried to get to his feet to beat the count but fell down a second time as the count reached ten. The unlikely underdog leaped in the air and the crowd basked in the one in a million movie script ending hail Mary shot that they had just witnessed.

In the main event, Otis Griffin (22-6-2, 9 KOs) scored an upset eight round TKO win over Byron 'Gator' Mitchell (28-6-1, 21 KOs) for the USBA light heavyweight title when Griffin caught Mitchell up against the ropes and connected with several unanswered right hands until the ref intervened. Also on the card former heavyweight contender Michael Grant (46-3, 34 KOs) scored a first round knockout over Kevin Burnett (13-4-1, 8 KOs).

There was a benefit auction of sports memorabilia and the sports stars came out to lend their support for the Shea Magale Trust for the awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Among them were members of the 1984 Olympic boxing team former world heavyweight champion Evander 'the Real Deal' Holyfield, former world champions Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker, Mark Breland and Olympic medalist former heavyweight contender Tyrell Biggs. Also on hand was former heavyweight contender 'Gentlemen' Gerry Cooney, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and the legendary boxing trainer Lou Duva was honored on the occasion of his 88th birthday.

Observations

• The Paul Williams vs Kermit Cintron fight that was aired this Saturday on HBO had such an unsatisfactory ending that there isn't much to say about it so I will sum it up quickly. Cintron seemed to have the edge barely on Williams in the first two rounds simply by worrying Williams enough to slow down the pace of the fight to Cintron's pace. Williams started to warm to the task a bit in the the third enough to possibly shade that round. But in the fourth just as things began to heat up, the fighters got their feet tangled and proceeded to fall down. Williams hit the canvas while Cintron flew out of the ring and hit the TV announce table and was ruled unfit to continue by ringside medics despite his protestations. Under California rules after three completed rounds in the event of an odd stoppage the scorecards are used to determine the winner. In this case the decision went to Paul Williams who could not have been too happy about how the whole thing went down. A rematch between the two is now a possibility.


• The come from behind knockout win produced by Bryan Abraham is unlike anything I have ever heard about. The closest thing I can think of is when Julio Cesar Chavez fought Meldrick Taylor in 1990 and losing every round managed to drop a badly hurt Taylor with 2 seconds left in the fight. But even in that case there were 2 seconds left and the ref stopped the fight, in the Abraham-Hope fight there was no time, the punch landed exactly as the bell rang. In New York you cannot be saved by the bell and it took a second for the ref to remember but in all honesty I think his reaction was shared by everyone at the Oheka Castle, a sense of total disbelief. This was a hail Mary game winning touchdown, hole in one(yes Golf!), walk off home run, last second three pointer, Pele back flip kick goal all rolled in one. And here is some highlights of the closest thing I can think of to this, although the Abraham-Hope ending tops even this legendary result.


• About eight or it even could have been ten years ago I met former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney on the subway station in New York City, I approached him and we had a pleasant conversation until he got off at the next stop. This past Saturday as I entered Oheka Castle and admittedly marveled at the opulent surroundings and the star studded crowd I spotted Gerry sitting with all these big wig types. What happened next was a pleasant surprise as Gerry called me out from across the hall and asked me to come over. He stood up and greeted me like an old friend. So many years had passed and the guy remembered my name and conversation from a chance meeting in a New York city subway. He truly lives up to his boxing nickname 'Gentleman' Gerry Cooney.



• A fight broke out after the main event that saw Otis griffin stop Byron Mitchell between the fighter's significant others. Mitchell's wife argued that some of the right hands that Griffin threw were illegal rabbit punches and Griffin's girlfriend took offense to the accusation that her man was fouling. The two women approached each other and assumed fighting positions at ringside and had to be separated by ringside officials. Griffin's girlfriend grabbed hold of a chair and was getting ready to launch it before officials intervened. If the promoter's of this event convince these two to get in the ring for 'the Hassle in the Castle Part 2' I will be so there!
  

Hot Tub Time Machine Moment: This is the part of our segment in which the Blackeyed View likes to imagine getting into that hot tub time machine of the recent film and traveling back in time to a select sports moment to either appreciate or alter the result. For this HTTM moment I would like to go no further than last Saturday night at the Oheka Castle for 'the Hassle in the Castle' boxing event to right two major wrongs that were committed I am sad to say by me. You see I'm new to all this and prone to some amateur mistakes that hopefully will not repeat themselves again. One of the mistakes I cannot correct without the use of a time machine while the other blunder I hope to make amends for right now.

The co-featured attraction saw Michael Grant defeat Kevin Burnett via what some ringsiders felt was a premature first round stoppage. Moments before the beginning of the main event I decided to visit the desert tray, as I walked myself to the other end of the hall I passed by a tall bearded heavyweight wearing a hat that I mistook for Grant and I congratulated him for doing a job well done. As I continued on I saw Michael Grant standing near the other side of the desert tray and that is when I realized...I just congratulated Grant's opponent Kevin Burnett for losing by KO! I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say, I wanted to apologize but felt like a complete fool and could not look at Burnett in the eyes again. If by chance he reads this I want to apologize profusely for the error. I would never sarcastically belittle the efforts of any fighter who gets in that ring. I feel terrible about it and I hope he can accept my heartfelt apologies.

My next blunder requires the use of the time machine. I charged my camera all night in preparation for this event and I expected to take many pictures. The moment I took out my camera on Saturday it would not turn on. I took out the battery and put it back in but no deal. I was livid, so many boxing legends on hand and me without the use of a digital camera. So I had to resort to a camera phone to take some pictures. Mr. Ray Bailey who was the ringside photographer was kind enough to email me two pictures of the main event so that I could have something to use. I was able to take some photos that only serve as a reminder of how cool those shots would have been had I taken them with the digital camera. The picture I have up of Bryan Abraham is of a previous fight as no one took pictures of his fight because no one expected the surprise ending to that fight. I thought that my camera was damaged but imagine my surprise when upon further inspection the next morning it turns out that I put in the camera battery backwards!!! So my stupidity becomes this week's Hot Tub Time Machine moment as I wish that I could go back in time and put that camera battery in the correct way. And so to entertain you and punish myself I will let you take a look at the best of the bad pictures that could have been awesome pictures if I hadn't been so careless........

Ring card girls

Your humble narrator vs Holyfield and Gerry Cooney

Round 2

Finally......
Two things to mention first for more information on the Shea
Magale Trust or to send donations to this worthy cause to raise funds for the
research of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) you can write to:
The Shea Megale Fund Corporation
c/o 6302 Rockbridge Place
Centerville, VA 20120

There is also a website for more information at http://www.walkforshea.com/ but this
website will be taken down soon.


Stay tuned for the next Blackeyed View as we
interview wildman Ricardo Mayorga as he looks to represent boxing in the world
of mixed martial arts this weekend taking on veteran Din Thomas!

TOP TEN FILMS ABOUT BOXING

The official top ten boxing movie list of the Blackeyed View

I have been wanting to expand on other topics with just the right touch of boxing added to stay true to the core of this blog but I have to admit that lately boxing has been coming at me from all sides. From the recent mega fight involving Mayweather and Mosley, to my recent interview (to be posted at a later date) with Nicaraguan wild man Ricardo Mayorga, not to mention that I have returned to my boxing gym last week and have been getting some rounds in. And so it was that once again on the treadmill (where a lot of my best ideas are given genesis) I was thinking about the movie Raging Bull a modern masterpiece directed by the great Martin Scorsese, in particular the opening scene in which the star Robert Deniro was jumping in place in slow motion while this cool musical score was playing. I like to use imagery like that to push myself during my workouts you see and it made me remember what a great film it was. Was it the best movie about boxing that I ever saw was my next question and that forced me to comprise a list. I love lists about best this or best that, any list entertains me, top ten best soups, best movies, best dressed, etc. So I thought it would be fun to come up with the Blackeyed View's top ten best boxing films of all times. I will start in descending order.

10. Don King: Only in America (1997) : This film was made for TV by HBO where it was aired and was not shown in theaters. It focused on the rise of famous boxing promoter Don King played by Ving Rhaimes. In this film Rhaimes shows his full range as an actor as he tackles a character that can go from pompous huckster, to preacher, to saint and quickly to devil in the time that a flipped coin takes to land. Many boxing greats are covered in this film including the likes of Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

9. Million Dollar Baby (2004) : Directing and starring the legendary Clint Eastwood along with the Hillary Swank who took the Oscar for best actress for this movie. This movie vividly showed the bond that can form between fighter and trainer when they work closely together, in this case Swank the fighter and Eastwood the cantankerous old trainer who has been burned before by other fighters. Its a tear jerker and definitely not to be viewed by those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. But an excellent, excellent film none the less.

8. Fat City (1972) : This little known movie directed by John Huston adapted from the novel Fat City by Leonard Gardner starred a young Stacy Keach as a past his prime fighter struggling to make ends meet during one of the many rough patches in the history of this country. He comes to grips with the one sided nature of his relationship with his former manager played by Nicholas Colasanto (the Coach for all you CHEERS fans) and encounters a young boxer played by Jeff Bridges (forever to be known to me as the Dude from the Big Lebowski) who is a reflection to him of his own lost promise. Its a gritty film that will suck you in, enjoy the music of this clip...

7. Diggstown (1992) : This film has been described as Rocky meets the Sting as con man James Woods enlists the aid of a former boxer "Honey Boy" Roy Palmer played by Louis Gossett Jr. to take down local big shot Bruce Dern, placing a huge bet that Palmer can defeat ten men in 24 hours. This movie has a little bit of everything from comedy to drama, action and for sure a stellar cast including former heavyweight boxers Randal "Tex' Cobb and Alex Garcia.

6. On the Waterfront (1954) : This movie won all kinds of awards and stars Hollywood royalty Marlon Brando as a faded mob controlled boxer asked to stand up against the mob and his own brother by a neighborhood priest played by Karl Mulden. This is where one of the most iconic lines in movie history is uttered by Brando's character; " I coulda been somebody, I coulda been a contender."

5. Somebody up there likes me (1956) : I saw a lot of black and white movies in my youth because back then the networks still aired them, for some reason they would rather air the same episode of Saved By the Bell then any classic black and white films or shows nowadays. This movie was the screen bio of the life of hall of fame boxer Rocky Graziano played by the great Paul Newman and gave the viewer a chance to experience the backdrop behind one of the greatest boxing rivalries of all time Graziano vs Tony Zale.




4. Rocky 2 (1979) : This is where Rocky wins! Starring Sylvester Stallone in the title character as forces beyond his control lead him back to the ring to face world heavyweight champ Apollo Creed in a fight for his future, his family, and his life. Who doesn't get behind Rocky in this one, who? Who doesn't get inspired to train when you hear the Rocky theme music? Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!



3. The Champ (1979) : Long before ET The Extra Terrestrial had the children of the 80's crying in their movie theater seats ("don't die ET!") this movie cracked open the waterworks on anyone who saw the ending scene of this film starring Jon Voight as a boxer during a time when believe it or not he was considered a sex symbol and little Ricky Schroeder, the cute little blond haired boy who would go on to star in his own TV show Silver Spoons, his son who he fights to keep custody of as hard as he fights in the ring. To my memory this film contains the saddest scene that I ever saw and you got to remember that I was a child when I saw it.




2. Raging Bull (1980) : The Goodfellas of boxing movies. You take Scorsese, Deniro, and Joe Pesci and you get gold every time. This portrayal of the life of hall of fame middleweight champ Jake Lamotta is a study of a man battling inner demons with the boxing world in the 50's and 60's as the setting. Lamotta himself was brought in as a consultant to the film. As said before a modern masterpiece. Here is the clip that was on my mind while I was on the treadmill today.




1. Rocky (1976) : What else would the Blackeyed View pick as its top boxing film of all time but Rocky. The ultimate underdog story. This film is a testament to the human spirit that carries so many lessons within such as making the best out of life's opportunities, never giving up, redemption, and second chances. It has the best musical score out of any of the boxing films on this list or any other and it was no fluke as it won Academy awards for best picture and best director and made an Oscar nominee out of Sylvester Stallone for best actor and best written screenplay. This movie stands the test of time and will do so for generations to come.




Honorable mentions:

TYSON (2009) the documentary of the former baddest man on the planet is a compelling view in which Mike Tyson bares his soul and forces some to reassess their original opinion of the man.

Girlfight (2000) is the movie debut of Michelle Rodriguez in the story of a young woman finding haven within the confines of the ring from her abusive father at home.

ALI (2001) had bad timing for me, as most of the material in this film was covered ad naseum in the many biopics, sports specials, and documentaries including the excellent When We Were Kings during the years leading up to this film. Despite strong performances by Will Smith and Jamie Fox this film did not offer anything new for boxing fans to get excited about.

Cinderella Man (2005)the story of James Braddock had a great cast in Russel Crow, Paul Giamatti, and Renee Zellwiger but Giamatti was not convincing enough for me, kind of forced his character. But where the film loses major points for me as a boxing fan is in its portrayal of former champ Max Baer as boxer who enjoyed the fact that he caused the in ring deaths of several boxers. Anybody who knows boxing will tell you that no boxer ever wants to kill another fighter. Its the furthest thing from their minds and no boxer who ever killed another would ever brag about it.

Well there you have it my pick for top ten best boxing films of all time. I welcome your comments, disagreements and for you to share your own top ten list of boxing films.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. dominates Shane Mosley

After a scare in the 2nd round it was smooth sailing for Mayweather

Two things happened Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that rarely occur, one was Floyd Mayweather Jr. being rocked by a clean right hand that caused his knees to buckle and the second rarity was to see Shane Mosley sapped of his fighting spirit.

As most fighters who have fought 'Money' before him, Shane Mosley grew progressively confused as the fight wore on but not before putting a scare into his opponent and his supporters in the second round. After an uneventful first round that HBO ringside judge Harold Ledermen gave to Mosley, the undefeated Mayweather was rocked by a Mosley right hand that made him weak at the knees and forced him to hold on to Mosley. Shane followed it up seconds later with another right hand that almost toppled his opponent bringing the MGM Grand Arena audience to their feet. Mosley pressed for the knockout but Mayweather used his defensive skills to weather the storm and was looking strong by the end of the fight having nailed Mosley with some good looking counter right hands. That was the last the world would see of the old Sugar Shane Mosley for the rest of the night.

Mayweather was back in the fight in a big way during the third round playing the part of the aggressor as Mosley began to fight in retreat. Mosley looked tentative and off his game throughout the bout. He appeared to be too concerned with out feigning his foe and fell into playing Mayweather's game which allowed Floyd to assume the role of the stalker as Mosley tried in vain to avoid his rival's punches. Mayweather was able to sweep the rest of the rounds based on both his offensive and counter punching connects.

This was the night that the 38 year old Shane Mosley grew old overnight as he appeared gassed by the fifth round and was in danger of being stopped in the later rounds. His trainer Nazim Richardson tried vehemently to revive his man in between rounds but Mosley was not responsive. Mayweather's speed was too much for Mosley as he was picked apart losing a unanimous decision. The judges rendered scores of 119-109, 119-109, and 118-110.

After the fight Mayweather was asked by HBO commentator Larry Merchant what it would take for him to fight Manny Pacquiao, the one man perceived to be the only challenge left out there, Mayweather responded, "If Manny takes the tests we can make the fight happen. If he doesn't we don't have a fight"

OBSERVATIONS

• Never thought I would see an offensive force like Mosley forced to go against his nature and fight in retreat for twelve rounds. Wasn't the fight supposed to be about Mosley chasing and Mayweather defending? I got to hand it to Mayweather for going on the attack but at the same time I have to say Mosley looked off all night. If Pacquiao saw this fight, I wonder if he will think that Mosley may have been affected by the constant drawing of blood to satisfy the Olympic anti doping requirements that were put in on the insistence of team Mayweather. Pacquiao blames his last defeat on feeling weak after having blood drawn the night before the fight and if he makes this connection and its somehow proven you almost can't blame him for being reluctant to submit to this type of testing.



• Many people have said it and last night's fight confirms it. Shane Mosley is too nice. Throughout the fight he was too willing to touch gloves, hug Mayweather, and talk to his foe during the fight. He was just altogether way too compliant. it was maddening to see Mosley accord Mayweather all sorts of pleasantries during the fight. Its not as if 'Money' is the most adorable guy in boxing, he had been trashing Mosley all thru the build up of this fight, Mosley had to know that if he lost Mayweather would eventually proceed to declare that he destroyed Shane Mosley. Where was the fire in Mosley? If he was going to grow old over night he was better served to grow into a grouchy old man.



• Every time Mayweather declares that Pacquiao must submit to drug testing and states that he wants an even playing field he throws dirt on Pacquiao's reputation. This without a shred of evidence, any prior incident, or so much as an accusation from a former Pacquiao opponent. This is simply heinous.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE MOMENT

I learned recently that I might be interviewing former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga. The Nicaraguan strong man will be participating in a MMA match for the first time in North Carolina on May 15th. He is more famous for his wild style, cigarette smoking training regimen and playing the part of the villain against some of the heroes of boxing like Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and Shane Mosley. The highest of his highs occurred when he knocked out the late Vernon Forrest to claim the welterweight title when Forrest had just defeated boxing's top dog at the time Shane Mosley. Mayorga has always been a favorite of mine and if I could get into my hot tub time machine I would go back to October 2, 2004 and tell Mayorga to for the love of God not ask Felix Trinidad to hit him in the face with this best shot. Before that Mayorga was doing well in the fight but after letting Trinidad hit him with his left hook point blank in the face, he was fighting at maybe 60%. But even at 60% Mayorga was keeping it close until Trinidad connected with some low blows that effectively sapped what remained of Mayorga's reserves and set him up for the finishing body blows.

Even though it was a crazy, stupid mistake, its part of what I and many others loved about Mayorga..the insolence! The nerve, the gall! Even so I would arrive in my hot tub time machine and tell him not to do it. And here is the reason why.....