Cotto stops a defiant Mayorga in 12 rounds

The result of last Saturday's clash between Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga was expected by many but the way it went down was not. What was expected to be a short entertaining firefight between a skilled but vulnerable champion and an unskilled, faded loud mouth turned out to be a true battle for the WBA junior middleweight belt. Although Cotto won the majority of the rounds make no mistake about it, the belt was in jeopardy and Mayorga's powerpunches kept Cotto in harm's way in every round. It was a rejuvenated Mayorga, who looked better than he has in years that showed up in Las Vegas bringing along his usual bravado and array of power punches thrown from every angle. It was said that he trained very hard during camp and his trainer worked on getting him to shorten his punches and it showed during the fight as he looked to be in fighting shape and there was a bit more sharpness to his usual wild swings. Mayorga actually launched some nifty combinations and bodywork in an honest attempt to rip the belt away from the champion.

It took nothing less than Cotto's A game to repel this challenge and that was exactly what the champion was able to offer in this fight. Cotto brilliantly executed his game plan of sticking and moving, piling up points with his precise jabs, left hooks, and body punches all the while resisting to engage in the brawl that Mayorga desperately sought to have a chance to land his home run punch. Mayorga displayed his iron chin during the fight as he soaked up a lot left hooks and some solid rights thrown with Cotto's newly surgically reconstructed right shoulder.

The first three rounds were tight with Cotto having gained the lead on the judges cards on the basis of landing more punches with Mayorga close behind. Each round was laced with danger as both men attempted to knock each other's blocks off, each punch thrown with bad intentions despite the opinion of one 'Iron' Mike Tyson who was not impressed when asked by SHOWTIME's roaming reporter Jim Gray. The fourth round was won by Mayorga as he stepped up the pressure and forced Cotto to retreat after landing some attention grabbing uppercuts. The challenger was beginning to cement his challenge as a serious bid for victory in this round and Cotto was put on notice to stick to his game plan and put pressure of his own in the following rounds.

The middle rounds saw a decrease in the output of Mayorga has he began to fight in spurts as his body began to let him know that he know longer was the wildman of his youth, meanwhile the younger champion maintained his steady offerings of jabs, hooks, and body blows that would continue to win him rounds. Mayorga came back to life in the seventh round and had his best chance in the tenth round when he stunned Cotto with a chopping right that had the champion reeling and looking to escape danger. The champ survived Mayorga's onslaught and reasserted himself in the eleventh.

Going into the last round Mayorga's corner told him that he needed a knockout in order to win the fight and Mayorga came out determined to make his final stand. Cotto was equal to the task and to his credit was willing to engage Mayorga in the brawl that he so craved like the fighting champion that he is. With both men unloading their guns, Cotto landed a left hook flush to the jaw of Mayorga as he threw a shot of his own that sent him to one knee holding on to his left hand in pain. The referee, Robert Byrd, correctly ruled it a knockdown and began the count. Mayorga beat the count and attempted to fire back but moments later retreated to a corner and with body language indicated to the ref that he could not continue and the official ruled it so giving the champion the victory by stoppage.

Cotto improved to 36-2 with 29 knockouts while Mayorga fell to 29-8-1. After the fight Mayorga explained that he fell to his knees not from the hook that crashed on his jaw but because of an injury suffered to his left hand, which was later revealed to be a dislocated thumb; "I hate the way this fight ended. I tried to finish the final round but the pain in my hand was too much." He then gave credit to Cotto calling him a great champion and thanked him for the opportunity at his belt and asking his forgiveness for all the pre-fight taunting which he explained that he did to promote the fight. He also announced his retirement from boxing.

Cotto commented; "The game plan was to not get caught up in any of his antics. He was very heavy handed, I felt his punches the whole fight.It was a good fight with an amazing finish."

The Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Mayorga fight will be rebroadcast this Saturday night on SHOWTIME before the Lucian Bute-Brian Maghee main event.

With the win Cotto's next opponent appears to be Antonio Margarito in a rematch of their fight in which Margarito stopped Cotto, a result that became clouded in doubt the moment Margarito was caught with loaded fists before his fight with Shane Mosley. Cotto has said in the past that he was opposed to having Margarito make any money off of a rematch with him due to his suspicions of having been hit with loaded gloves himself. He has since backed off those comments and appears open to the possibility for a rematch. His disdain for the man remains apparent as he refused to shake hands with the Mexican who was called onto the podium during the post fight press conference. If looks could kill Margarito would have been slain over and over again by the glare given to him by Cotto while he addressed the press.

A quick assessment of Cotto's second fight at junior middleweight shows a fighter that is becoming more comfortable with the weight and his trainer Emanuel Steward. In Cotto's first fight at the weight he fought a taller, rangier fighter in Yuri Foreman who had the ability to use his reach and mobility to rack up a points win but lacked the power to test his punch resistance at that weight. He was able to follow his new trainer's game plan to take away the taller man's reach by working his jab in effectively and allowing his won power punches to get in there and do the rest. In his second fight he showed a good chin by withstanding some blistering blows from a bigger man and the ability to wriggle out of danger when in trouble. He also showed his complete faith in the Steward game plan by remaining disciplined enough to follow it in the face of the storm. It paid off in the form of a knockout win. I initially had my doubts about Cotto at junior middleweight but I now see him as a formidable force at that weight class with the ability to rule their as long as he avoids Sergio Martinez. That fight would probably be his undoing at that weight class although I wouldn't count out this brave champion completely.

Speaking of Sergio Martinez......

Sergio Martinez dominates Sergiy Dzinziruk

Last Saturday was one of those nights in which boxing shoots itself in the foot by putting on competing boxing cards. On the night that two of the more popular fighters in the sport are set to fight (Cotto/Mayorga), HBO decides its a good time to showcase the undisputed middleweight champion of the world Sergio Martinez. This is not good for boxing as Martinez is one of the hidden gems in the game and needs to be discovered by the masses and you don't do that by pitting his fight against a pay per view that features two already known commodities that are known to draw fans. And on top of it all, HBO sets up Martinez in a good match up against an undefeated legit menace from Europe in Dzinziruk who happens to be the WBO junior middleweight champ (that belt was not on the line). This is a fight that begged to be seen but forced boxing fans to choose sides. With the constant wait between solid fights there are plenty of dates that could have been chosen for these fights, HBO and SHOWTIME there is no need for this!

Back to the fight itself. Martinez's handlers were very vocal about their opposition to facing Dzinziruk whom was forced on them by HBO. They were wary about everything from the man being a champ, to his southpaw style, to his unbeaten record and his status as an unknown commodity. But being the cool level headed customer that he is, the middleweight champ calmed his managers and accepted the assignment, looking at it as a puzzle to solve.

It was a joy to watch Martinez go to work on figuring out Dzinziruk, bouncing in and out potshotting his man. You could see the challenger trying to keep up and the difficulty in figuring out the moving target in front of him. Martinez finally got to his man in the fourth forcing the challenger from the Ukraine to a knee after connecting with what appeared to be the lightest of punches to the top of his head. Dzinziruk argued vehemently that it was a slip but the ref ruled it a knockdown and the Ukrainian proceeded to follow downward spiral for the rest of the fight.

At the end of the fifth round the challenger was downed by a left hand seconds before the bell and got up smiling but shaken. The man from Argentina would knock down his foe for the third time in the eight round prompting the referee to call a halt to the bout at 1:43 of the eight round.

Dzinziruk suffered his first loss in 38 fights while Martinez improved to 47-2-2 with 26 KOs. The 2010 Fighter of the Year would then call out everyone from Mayweather to Pacquiao after the fight. At this rate Martinez who is firmly entrenched among the top three best pound for pound fighters in the world is poised to take over the top spot if he keeps taking on and defeating top quality opposition.

The Undercards

Two noteworthy fights on the undercards of both of the above mentioned cards that I would like to talk about. First on the Cotto-Mayorga undercard, Yuri Foreman staged his comeback fight against Pawel Wolak a brawler from Chicago with one loss on his record. Foreman was attempting to get back on the winning track following his loss to Cotto last year in which he suffered a knee injury but instead would suffer a devastating loss in which his corner had to intervene to stop the fight in which he suffered a sustained beating for six rounds. Although medically cleared to fight, it was obvious that his old movement may have left him following his leg injury as he was unable to use his legs to great effect and was forced to fight in the danger zone.

Wolak (29-1) who suffered major swelling and bruising to the face as testament that Foreman did fight back, was able to put constant pressure on Foreman which forced to him to stand and trade. This worked perfectly into Wolak's hands and he was able to impose his type of fight which ultimately put him the winner's circle. When asked after the fight about his future in boxing, Foreman (28-2) responded that he would rest before deciding his future in the sport.

There was a fire fight on the HBO undercard dubbed 'the Celtic War' pitting Ireland's once beaten Andy Lee against Scotland's undefeated Craig McEwan. The fight was scheduled for ten rounds and was an entertaining battle throughout. Andy Lee was one of these fighters that I had heard stories about early in his career. He was touted as the future of the middleweight division, the next knockout machine out of the famed Kronk gym that produced Thomas Hearns and the first left handed heavyweight champ Michael Moorer. But each time I saw him in action he simply failed to impress as he was knocked out on a fight on ESPN and would win in less than scintillating fashion in another televised bout. The only impression he seemed to make on me is that the longer his fights go, the more he starts to resemble actor and former New Kid On the Block member Donnie Wahlberg.

So it didn't surprise me any to see him lose control of this fight early on as McEwan put it on him with a mix of hooks and solid rights thrown fast and heavy. Lee appeared for the most part content to set traps for McEwan to walk into and had a few of those traps succeed but never enough to win him rounds. He also had an annoying tendency to keep his guard down all but inviting punches which McEwan had no problems delivering. McEwan dominated the first half of this fight until Lee began to wake up by the sixth round and finally decided to start throwing back with greater frequency.

Down in the fight Lee broke through in the ninth round, clearly hurting McEwan who had to hold on to survive the round. Seemingly needing a knockout to win the fight, Lee who at this point resembled the freakishly ragged version of Donnie Wahlberg from the movie 'The Sixth Sense', did not appear to have the energy to get the coveted come from behind knock out he needed but plugged on until......it happened. As if to justify past praises heaped on the man, the Gods of boxing bestowed upon Lee the hammer of Thor in the form of his left hand that came booming down on McEwan forcing him to a knee and then onto his back at which point the ref stopped the fight. Lee had won the 'Celtic War' in dramatic fashion proving himself worthy of the attention of the boxing public. The man may never become champion, but he is not without skill, not without heart, and definitely not without the power to change his destiny. I love these exhilarating endings.

Filipino rising

In covering the Sergio Martinez fight in the earlier segment, I mentioned the top three pound for pound fighters in the world. Martinez is one of them, he is number three. Then there is one and two being Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. respectively. But there is another Filipino fighter creeping up and threatening to overtake the spot of any of these three fighters, and that fighter is 'The Filipino Flash' Nonito Donaire.

This unassuming, lanky, school boy looking kid is actually very lethal. He is an undefeated bantamweight who has the height, skill, and power to rise up the weight classes like his idol Manny Pacquiao who he has publicly sworn never to fight. The boxing world first took notice of this dynamo when he was scheduled to fight the dangerous 'Raging Bull' Vic Darchinyan in 2007 who was rampaging thru the smaller weights. Darchinyan had previously savaged Nonito's older brother Glenn Donaire and the younger brother promised to avenge that loss. At the time no one took his vow of vengeance seriously because Darchinyan was such a little wrecking ball that nothing seemed to stop him. Until he ran into the Filipino Flash that is. Donaire took five rounds to figure out Darchinyan's crab like fighting stance and set him up to run into a left hook that he did not see coming and sent the Armenian superman crashing back down to earth.

That spectacular knockout win over Darchinyan started a run of quality knockout wins over quality opponents that made everyone take notice of the mix of speed, skill and power displayed by Donaire that saw him rise up the rankings of the top fighters of the world as he collected wins, scalps, and title belts. It has been 11 years since he has tasted defeat and along the way he has faced and beaten every fighting style imaginable, facing off against prospects, veterans, speedsters, powerpunchers, champions and former champions.

This all led up to his first super fight this February against WBC & WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico who was on an amazing run of his own. Montiel was a solid champion who faced off against the best boxers of the lower weight classes. This was called an even fight by the odds makers going in and had the air of mystery attached to it as you honestly did not know what would happen once the bell rang. It was the immovable object versus the irresistable force.

When the bell rang the height and reach advantages for Donaire were plain to see, but what was alarming was the speed which the Filipino enjoyed over his Mexican rival. He was literally operating like a Flash of light going in, out and around Montiel without necesarrilly landing much but landing hard when he did. From the onset it looked like it would be a tough assignment for the champ.

In the second round Montiel appeared to close the gap, getting his left hook close enough to land a few shots to the body and to the head of the challenger. Donaire began to back up and look for more space to operate as Montiel closed in. It started to happen, the veteran champ was making the adjustments that an experience pro makes when faced with adversity, he was applying the pressure, he was taking it to the challenger....it was an illusion. Donaire set up an exchange with Montiel in which he fired a left hook that exploded on the jaw of the soon to be ex champion and produced a highlight reel knockdown that saw Montiel flopping on the floor desperately trying to regain his senses looking like a fish out of water.

To his credit Montiel beat the count at nine but had to be saved from Donaire's follow up barrage as 'The Filipino Flash' recorded a 2nd round TKO to become the undisputed champion of the bantamweights. One thing that will definitely help Donaire gain fans in the states is that he is a Filipino-American, he speaks english perfectly having been raised in the USA and he is a very clever guy who comes off likeable in his interviews. Plus he is quoteable as proven by his in-ring interview after the fight with HBO commentator Max Kellerman who asked him how he was able to knock out Montiel just as the Mexican had gotten into his rythmn. Donaire's reply was priceless; "The rythmn was given to him. I had to study him to see where his head was going to be for the knockout." When asked by Kellerman if he was operating in the Matrix like the similairly titled movie, Donaire responded; "Yes I'm in the Matrix. Guys think I'm crazy when I say this, but things slow down for me in the ring and I can see everything in slow motion."

Awesome.

This guy is going to be a star. His combination of speed, skill, power with a frame that can support a climb up in weights point to a bright future. The boxing fanatic's mind drools at the prospect of fights that might be made on his path to greatness. There is the winner of SHOWTIME'S Bantamweight tournament (Abner Mares or Joseph Agbeko), a few pounds away you have the dynamic duo of Yuorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez, veteran featherweight champ Chris John, a raid of the lightweights before entering the junior welterweights where he will find Amir Khan, Tim Bradley, and Marcus Maidana and then dare we dream Floyd Mayweather Jr. who might find Donaire too small to resist?

The Blackeyed View's TV Recommendation

This mention is way overdue but better late than never. From the FX Channel which has produced a steady stream of awesome dramatic television from such as The Shield, Damages, Sons of Anarchy and Justified to name a few, comes a new series which spotlights boxing called Lights Out. Its the story about retired heavyweight champion Patrick 'Lights' Leary who five years into his retirement is faced with the prospect of having to make a come back when his family is threatened by the loss of his career earnings thru the mismanagement of his well meaning but irresponsible younger brother Johnny.

This show refuses to pigeon hole itself in previously explored boxing territory and instead focuses on telling a story using fully developed characters that you will care about as any good drama would. As a boxing fan you will enjoy seeing what goes into building or in this case rebuilding a championship fighter, you will rage at getting a glimpse of the back door dealings between managers and promoters, and be surprised at the complex relationships between rivals. One of the most interesting aspects of the show is the interactions between the Leary and his nemesis Death Row Reynolds who won the last fight of Leary's career. Its an angle that is seldom explored in boxing movies or tv shows.

Fans of past HBO tv shows the Wire and Oz will recognize some actors on this show. The cast is solid headed by its leading man Holt McCallany who has committed himself body and soul into the role of Lights Leary getting himself in tremendous shape and using all the experience of a 20 year career in film to flesh out a character we can all get behind. Veteran actor Stacy Keach plays Leary's trainer and father with great depth as he potrays a veteran fighter/trainer who has his rough edges but is at the same time a tender father and grandfather when situation is required or brought out of him. Catherin McCormack plays Light's wife which is his rock and Pablo Schrieber as Johnny the brother that is both the bane of his existence and the part of his life he can't live without.

The best way to describe this show is to take Rocky, add three parts Sopranos, mix in some of The Wire and a touch of The Sheild and you get Lights Out. Just when you know where its going the show throws you a new twist. Here is a sample of some of its plotlines; the comeback of a 40 year old athlete, the underworld boss who takes an interest in Leary's comeback and makes himself necessarry and what will be the eventual consequences of this, the crazy boxing guru trainer, the as of yet unexplained reason that caused Leary to lose to Death Row Reynolds when he had him ready for the KO in the last seconds of the fight, sex, drugs, pugilistic dementia corruption and redemption. Its just to much to name in one segment about this show.

It is beyond worth watching if you are a boxing fan and a must see if you are a fan of dramatic, gritty television. It airs Tuesday nights at ten on FX. To catch up on all the episodes go to fxnetworks.com where you can see all their episodes.

FIGHTS THIS WEEKEND

This Saturday March 19th live on SHOWTIME Super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute fights against Brian MaGee. The replay of Cotto-Mayorga will be replayed before this fight.

Vitaly Klitschko defense of the WBC heavyweight belt against Cuban Odalnier Solis will be broadcast by EPIX and will be shown live on the huge teleprompter on Times Square at 6PM.

"Say hello to the bad guy..."

The title of this latest post is a line in the classic Al Pacino anti-hero movie Scarface and when I've heard it mentioned on TV over the the past few years it has made me think of Nicaraguan bad ass Ricardo 'El Matador" Mayorga. The former welter weight champion of the world and conqueror of Fernando Vargas and the late Vernon Forrest is involved in a major pay per view fight against WBA junior middleweight ruler Miguel Cotto, which at age 38 with 7 losses on his ledger is a major victory of and in itself. But as usual Mayorga wants more, he dares to dream big always and aspires to capture the WBA belt by spectacular KO no less and ascend to bigger fights against the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., all the while proudly wearing the black hat of the villain to promote this fight, attacking Cotto at every press stop as is his modus operandi.

Many in the media, along with fans and the usual gaggle of boxing 'experts' deride this fight as being nothing more than a hyped up mismatch between a skilled champion who although is fighting the label of damaged goods due to the violent nature of his two defeats, is still a level above the non-skilled faded blowhard that is being offered up as a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. I personally don't get this logic and am not buying into the thinking that there is no method to the madness of Mayorga. El Matador who fights more like a raging bull, is a former world champion that earned that title by blasting out two highly skilled boxers in Andrew 'Six Heads' Lewis and Vernon Forrest, his only losses have come against the cream of the crop (Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley) in fights in which he gave each man hell, a debatable points deduction loss against Cory Spinks and a few learning experience losses early in his career. The man always comes to fight if not always comes in shape, brings the action at all times and never quits. His swing for the fences style more often than not leads to the knockouts that all boxing fans crave and that the sport needs to lure in new fans.

So why the knock on this man by fans and media alike? By most accounts it is the trash talking that gets Mayorga on people's bad side. Many, including Miguel Cotto, have slighted Mayorga for talking the talk but not being able to back it up with winning results. Some media members in particular have ripped the man for his rants and antics during the promotions of his fights. This is the height of hypocrisy. Most reporters who cover boxing pray for a man like this, without him what you normally get in a boxing press conference is something like the recent Manny Pacuiao vs Shane Mosley love fest in New York (on Valentine's Day no less!) promoting their fight in which Mosley could not get Manny to admit that he wanted to knock him out. Not even their stare down was full of any indication that sparks will fly on fight night as the two good guys could not stare at each other without laughing.

This is where a guy like Mayorga sparks things up. His verbal attacks on his rival boxers, trainers, and promoters are becoming stuff of legend. He routinely keeps the audience in attendance (same fans and media that go against him) in stitches and effectively riles up his foes. Here are a few of his classic verbage:

Against Vernon Forrest: "Tell Forrest whether he runs, stops or bends over, whatever he does, I will knock him out in two rounds." --- "Not even Forrest's dog is going to recognize him when he goes home." --- (In the rematch) "I am upset because he (Forrest) did not call me for Father's Day. I am going to give him a whipping because I did not get my present."

Against Fernando Vargas: "Your as fat as my 11 year old son's ass." --- "After I kill Vargas, I will volunteer to be the step-dad to Vargas' kids after his death." --- "I had a dream last night that I threw a rotten orange at Fernando Vargas and hit him in the chin and he went down and he didn't get back up. That's what is going to happen on September 8th."

Against Oscar De La Hoya: "You remind me of an old lady that's past her prime that should be sitting home in a rocking chair doing nothing." --- "When we were doing the HBO shoot, I remember him (Oscar) saying that he was going to take this belt away from me,...I go, 'The only way your going to take this belt away from me is if you let me have your wife for a night and I'll let you have the belt for an hour." --- and last but not least "After I knock you out Oscar, I look forward to drinking the warm milk from your wife's breast."

Sure these comments are crass, lack class, and some are not intended for kids but you have to admit they are eye catching and a heck of a lot more interesting for a reporter to write about and reader to read about then a discussion on cutting off the ring and using the jab. And I don't want anyone to confuse Mayorga's trash talking with that of Floyd Mayweather or Roy Jones Jr., both of which bragged about destroying opponents yet consistently have refused to close out their foes with the resounding KO or refuse to fight the best available opposition. Mayorga talks about knocking everyone out and goes out and tries to do just that every time. And whatever you think about the man, he is a big game hunter and only targets the biggest and the baddest.

Of the three victims of Mayorga's insults (read above) only Oscar De La Hoya was able to gain a full measure of revenge overwhelming Mayorga with speed, skill, and power to knock out the Nicaraguan. The knock against Mayorga about not being able to deliver on his threats is misguided when you stop and think that when you challenge a murderous line up your not going to be able to strike out every single hitter. Cotto is not Oscar De La Hoya in terms of speed or power, but he does possess the discipline and fighting heart of the Golden Boy. There is no denying that Cotto is the more skilled fighter between the two. He has a better grip of the fundamentals, has Olympic pedigree and more amateur experience. But there are many signs that point to a possible upset that makes this a legitimate fight despite the naysayers.

Mayorga is 38 years old which in this sport can be considered over the hill but that is balanced out by the beatings that Cotto has taken in his career and the time off Mayorga has had between his last KO loss (to Mosley in 2008). Cotto has received many punches, cuts, and injuries in some of his biggest wins (against Ricardo Torres, Joshua Clottey, Zab Judah, and Shane Mosley) and has received depleting beatings in his losses against Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. In the Margarito fight in particular the concern is that we will never know if the Mexican won that fight with the use of loaded gloves to deliver that beating as he tried to do (whether he admits it or not) against Mosley. That is a lot for a fighter to recover from and fighting Yuri Foreman who is not known for his power is not a true test of punch resistance. Mayorga will be that test.

Another positive sign for this fight is the reunion of Mayorga and his original trainer Al Bonnani who trained Ricardo for his signature wins against 'Six Heads' Lewis and Vernon Forrest. Bonnani has gotten Mayorga in the best fighting shape possible and has set realistic goals for conditioning and shortening his man's punches. As a result Mayorga appears fit and much more motivated for this fight than he has in his last camp in which he was training to take on a mixed martial artist. In that camp he appeared fat and way too loose. Not the case for this fight.

Then there is the old adage of styles make fights. I have seen Cotto's entire professional career, I've seen him fight southpaws, brawlers, speedsters, technicians, veterans, and boxer punchers. I can't vouch for his amateur career but in the pros I have never seen him face off against someone as unpredictable and wild as Mayorga who throws punches from weird angles with power. Think of Naseem Hamed, pound for pound I believe 'The Prince' had a bit more power than Mayorga in his division but both were similar in that they threw hard from all angles. Hamed dispatched many more polished technicians this way (Tom 'Boom Boom' Johnson, Wilfrido Vasquez) as has Mayorga. I don't know if Cotto has ever faced a guy like this and we won't really know how he will react to that style.

Lastly it appears that Mayorga has gotten under his skin. The usually stoic Miguel Cotto has responded to some Mayorga's constant insults in kind which is not his norm to do. In the last press conference in Vegas this week he refused to pose with Mayorga for the traditional stare down photo shoots, telling Mayorga to pose with his mother. Totally unlike Cotto is usually a complete gentleman but understandable because Mayorga is just the type of guy to bring out the worst in you. Exactly what 'El Matador' wants. Cotto has vowed to knock out Mayorga in a few rounds, promising a wipe out. This plays well for a 38 year old power puncher who does not want to chase down his opponent and would rather stand and trade to see who falls first. In a fight like that anything can happen.
All that being said I might be completely wrong about Mayorga's chances and Cotto certainly has the tools to produce a spectacular blow out win. If he does he will have deserved it because no one is ever in 'easy' with Ricardo Mayorga. And should Cotto win he will also deserve the glory for he has represented this sport with class, dignity, honor, and courage. But call me crazy, call me a rebel, call me what you will, I'm going with the bad guy on this one.

Miguel Cotto vs Ricardo Mayorga, March 12th on Showtime Pay Per View Boxing

First things first......We had a chock full of boxing this past weekend to get to and it was a classic case of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The Good; there was an excellent match up of junior welterweight champions in a unification bout featured on HBO this past Saturday that saw WBO champion Tim Bradley against WBC champion Devon Alexander. The Bad was that Alexander is a southpaw and Bradley is bald which for some reason always adds up to a fight chock full of headbutts. Add to that the old styles makes fights adage which prevented these two guys from creating an entertaining fight for the fans which was strange since Bradley is a scrappy boxer-puncher and Alexander a boxer with power, you would think their styles would add up to action but it didn't. One day in a separate column I will explore why is it that fights involving bald fighters seem to always loom with the threat of heads colliding. Head butting in fights involving southpaw fighters is almost always a given because of the awkward footwork that leads to the frequent head smashing but its a mystery to me why bald fighters seem to induce almost as much head collisions as the left handed boxers.

The fight was tactical from the start as Bradley assumed the role of the bull and Alexander the matador. The 'bull' was getting the better of the matador in this encounter as the shorter Bradley waded in with short hooks (and at times his head) to get in close to Alexander and negate his offense. Bradley landed the cleaner more eye popping shots and put constant pressure on Alexander who did manage to get in a few counterpunches but nothing big enough to sway the judges to his side. Eventually an accidental head butt would open a nasty cut over the right eye of Alexander that forced his corner to stop the fight on the advice of the ringside doctor who could not get Alexander to open his eye for him to check. The judges cards were added up giving Tim Bradley the win and pick of the litter in the junior welterweight division.

What was billed to be a classic in the making between these two undefeated fighters turned into a dud, which was unfortunate for those who wanted to turn people onto boxing expecting these two good, young undefeated boxers to showcase the sport. But Alexander is young enough to recover and learn from this defeat and Bradley should provide some good fights now with Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. who are all now on his radar based on this big win for him.

Now to the Ugly.... Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of the man considered to be the greatest boxer to have ever come out of Mexico fought this weekend against a journeyman named Billy Lyell with a record of 22-9 and won a unanimous ten round decision.......on pay per view!

Chavez with a record of 42-0 has only John Duddy as a name fighter on his resume and yet has been fighting on pay per view almost his entire career. Far be it from me to deny any boxer a pay day but I feel that this type of promoting devalues the whole system of pay per view and is a complete sham on those foolish enough to pay for the event which is basically an undercard fight. Chavez himself is being hurt with the matchmaking as he is not being tested as a boxer in the usual way. The usual way involves early match ups with fighters with varying degrees of skill, that in order would rank like this: fighters with losing records, fellow novices, veteran fighters past their primes, gate keepers, former world champs, contenders, then the champs. Chavez Jr has faced a steady diet of brawlers with losing records who have no power and even then one of them managed to pull out a draw against Chavez. This has stunted his growth as a fighter and has kept him at one level. There is talk of Chavez challenging Sebastian Zibik of Germany for the WBC middleweight belt or WBA junior middleweight champ Miguel Cotto. I don't believe he is ready for either man, here is hoping that he proves me wrong.

The Calm versus the Storm.....

I recently attended the New York press conference at BB King's in Times Square announcing the March 12th showdown between WBA junior middleweight king Miguel Cotto and former two time champ Nicaraguan wild man Ricardo Mayorga. For every negative thing you may read about Ricardo Mayorga and his promoter Don King you have to believe me when I tell you that the boxing media loves those two guys. This was a highly anticipated press conference on the boxing calendar and its not because of Cotto who is a true gentleman and champion but its Mayorga and King that make it a must see event. Mayorga is known for trying to do whatever it takes to rile up his opponents during the promotion of every fight and the things he says border between the tasteless and the outlandish. GOOD! Ask yourself what do you prefer, hearing Mayorga question his opponents manhood while threatening to knock them out or hearing how Alex Rodriguez respects every member of the Boston Red Sox?

It pains me to read or listen to folks who complain that guys like Mayorga shame the sport of boxing with their antics, those people miss the point of sports in my book, sports after all is a form of entertainment. Entertainment is the key word people and no one entertains better than Mayorga and King in the sport of boxing. Some gems offered by Mayorga; "As a human being I respect you but as a fighter I have never liked you. I will retire you. Even your fat friend will be happy" about Emmanuel Steward, Cotto's trainer who was laughing at Mayorga's barbs the whole time; " I see you have a new girlfriend. Your perfect together. Two losers." and then this; "Puerto Rico will be wearing black on March 12th because it will be your funeral".


Don King is simply a walking, breathing, always talking neon sign. Now in his 70s and with a little bit less hair he is still a dynamo who really did not need a microphone as his voice could be heard all over BB King's. He carried what seemed to be a flag for every country in the world so he could wave that flag at the right time. He spoke about the rivalry he's had with Cotto's promoter Bob Arum and how he loves it when his fighters beat an Arum fighter which Mayorga has vowed to do for him. King and Mayorga definitely added to this promotion that would otherwise come off as a public service announcement.

Mayorga's taunts even brought the usually stoic Cotto to life who, while maintaining his cool, stepped up to the podium and in a very animated way accused Mayorga of being a clown who has failed in every big fight. Cotto's best line referred to Mayorga being a one hit wonder by saying ; "After the upset of Vernon Forrest, Ricardo Mayorga was no more."

Now to assess the fight itself. Many boxing fans and members of the media have criticized this match up as a soft touch for Miguel Cotto suggesting that Sergio Martinez should be the one to fight the Puertorican champion. I am not among those detractors. Miguel Cotto has served boxing honorably and has been through some of the most hellacious wars in the past few years. You can trace it back to the pounding he got from Antonio Margarito in which we will never know if Margarito used loaded gloves or not. After an easy comeback fight against speedster Michael Jennings, Cotto was once again matched tough against Joshua Clottey. The African hurt Cotto but failed to put forth enough punches to win the decision on the judges cards in a fight that was supposed to be the set up for the Manny Pacquiao fight! Once Cotto faced the Filipino fighter he was no longer the same boxer who was running through the welterweight division and he was stopped in that fight. I see no problem with Cotto being matched up easier to rebuild his confidence.

That being said, Mayorga is no walk in the park for anyone. To suggest that he is a steppingstone will only fuel the usually volatile Mayorga's fire some more. The man still carries power to hurt his opponents and was able to push Shane Mosley to the limit a few years ago before being stopped in the last seconds of their fight. If Cotto wins, his promoter is looking at possible rematches with Margarito and Pacquiao. If Mayorga wins, his career will be rejuvenated and he will get himself back into the big fight mix. Emmanuel Steward will have Cotto ready for sure and Cotto is professional enough to not overlook Mayorga but nothing can prepare the body to absorb what it can no longer absorb. Mayorga believes Cotto is shot and will look to test his chin and his heart. I believe Cotto is up to the test and regardless of who wins, this fight has excitement written all over it. Its a winner in my book.

The Blackeyed View's movie review of THE FIGHTER

Its been my personal tradition for the past fifteen years to try to see all the Oscar nominated films each year which has since become a burden on the wallet due to their expansion from five films to seven to now ten films. So I was happy to see that THE FIGHTER was nominated because it suddenly bonded two of my favorite things; boxing and the movies. The film tells the true story of New England boxer Mickey Ward, he of the famed Gatti-Ward boxing trilogy, and his rise to prominence in the face of adversities which take shape in the form of his mother and brother who threaten his boxing career and love life thru mismanagement. I went into the film not expecting much in the way of accurate fight choreography (in my opinion there hasn't been a decently choreographed fight film since Rocky 1 & 2) but had high hopes for the acting due to the strong cast starting with Christian Bale in the role of Dicky Englund the drug addicted ex fighter brother of the main character Mickey Ward (played by Mark Whalberg). I ended up being surprised on both ends.

This film offered the most accurate fight sequences of any boxing film I have seen to date. Mark Wahlberg does not look like Mickey Ward but he obviously worked hard to perfect Ward's left hook to the body. I have seen all of Ward's big fights and its uncanny how on the money Wahlberg is with his version of that left hook. The fights in the movie had an added piece of authenticity as the original HBO commentary and digital effects where incorporated into the film. The fights themselves played out on film exactly as they did in real life. To prove this all you have to do is look on youtube. The climactic fight in the end between Ward and Shea O'Neary in England went down exactly on film as it did in that ring in England years ago and the actor they got to play O'Neary was his exact twin. The attention to boxing detail in this film gets the utmost high marks from me.

But the man who threatened to steal the movie was actor Christian Bale who portrayed the part of Dickey Englund, Ward's older brother a former boxer himself who was once the pride of New England turned trainer who also suffers from drug addiction. Dickey's drug problems lead to a series of bad business decisions that threaten Ward's growth as a fighter. Bale lost a lot of weight for this role, looking nothing like the Bruce Wayne he plays in the Batman movies, and he makes the Dickey Englund character a polarizing focal point for both the audience's sympathy and revulsion. His character's downfall and ultimate redemption is as much a major part of the plot of this movie as Ward's story. Bale's efforts have been recognized in the form of Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for best supporting actor and if he wins that prize it will be well deserved.

The movie is filled with enough family drama to fill a week's worth of Maury Povich and Jerry Springer shows. This along with an accurate look at the behind the scenes look at a boxer's existence from the training end to the business end makes it a thoroughly entertaining package.

I'm giving THE FIGHTER ......lets see what I will go with, can't go with thumbs up, can't go with apples, and I could only give two black eyes sooooo......I will give THE FIGHTER out of a possible 5 left hooks, 4 left hooks. Go see it!

Rebooting.......

They say the brain is really a complex computer that commands every muscle, every memory and every intention of a living human or animal. If this is true then we are all subject to the same freezing, loading, shut down, interruptions that afflict your every day PC, MAC, Laptop, or Blackberry. These interruptions of service may come in the form of strokes, daydreams, 'blonde' moments, blackouts, etc, brought about by any number of traumatic circumstances or chemical stimulants. I, your humble caretaker of the Blackeyed View, experience just such an occurrence following a car accident in June of 2010.

Luckily no one was hurt but strangely it was enough to practically wipe out all the plans I had before or after the incident. I honestly couldn't remember what I had planned to do that weekend or some of the projects I set for myself before and after the fender bender. It only started coming to me weeks later in the form of clues that came across my path (an ad for BBQ ribs, the date of the 26th, limes) and it took me months to get it all sorted out. One thing is for sure, the whole experience set me back on this blog by months but like all good boxers I'm attempting the comeback and I'm starting it the only logical way that I can, by summing up the rest of 2010.

Since we are still in January I think I can get away with a look back at the year that just ended before I begin reporting on the current stuff. My brain, the complex computer that scientists claim it to be is rebooting.

When last I blogged, Miguel Cotto had won the WBA junior middleweight strap from Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium on June 5th so I will pick up from there. So without further adieu to the loyal and patient readers of the Blackeyed View I give you......

THE BEST OF THE REST OF 2010

June: The World Boxing Classic Super Six tournament raged on in California as Oakland's native son Andre Ward defended his WBA super middleweight belt by bullying Allan Green, who entered the Super Six as a replacement for the retired Jermain Taylor, into a unanimous decision defeat. Andre looked very impressive and earned his status as the favorite to win the tourney...... Emerging Puerto Rican featherweight superstar Juan Manuel Lopez once again took fans in San Juan on an exciting roller coaster ride in his fight on that island against Bernardo Concepcion of the Philippines. After dominating the early moments of the first round and dropping the Filipino with a left hook Lopez is himself felled to the canvas by a counter hook by Concepcion. Lopez gets up to drop his foe twice more bringing an end to the fight in the first round and setting up a big fight with Rafael Marquez down the road. The heir to Manny Pacquiao's throne in the Philippines, Nonito Donaire fought on the undercard impressively stopping Mexico's Hernan Marquez in the eighth round..... In a battle of junior middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. rumbled his way to a unanimous but competitive win over popular Irish fighter John Duddy at the Alamodome in Texas. It would turn out to be Duddy's final fight as he announced his retirement in January of 2011.... IBF light heavyweight champ Tavoris Cloud survived a spirited challenge from rugged veteran Glen Johnson by decision after stunning Johnson in the early rounds and surviving a rally by the Jamaican contender in St. Louis. in the main event of that card Devon Alexander making the first defense of his IBF & WBC junior welterweight belts had a gut check fight against former belt holder Andreas Kotelnik from the Ukraine. Kotelnik pressured the champ from bell to bell and Alexander had problems solving the Ukrainian's style. In what could be construed as home cooking for St. Louis' native son all three judge's cards read 116 to 112 in favor of Alexander who proceeded to call out WBO champion Tim Bradley.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: Juan Manuel Lopez

July: This month saw a dry spell for the sport of boxing as no fights of significance took place during this time.

NO FIGHTER OF THE MONTH

August: Tomasz Adamek faced off against Michael Grant. Adamek a former light heavy and cruiserweight champion continued his foray into the heavyweight division and looked to test himself against an opponent he felt most resembled the giant Klitschko brothers. Enter former world title challenger Michael Grant who at 6'5 and 260 pounds represented the biggest fighter Adamek has faced. The Polish boxer won his match but paid a physical toll for the experiment as his face was a lumpy mess from absorbing some powerful blows.... Canada was the stage for a battle between the top two light heavyweights in the world Chad Dawson and Jean Pascal. Dawson was the undefeated favorite but paid the price for never going in for the kill as Pascal's aggressiveness and busier punch output won him the judge's nod and recognition as the number one man at the weight....UPSET! Long reigning undefeated technician Ivan Calderon lost his first fight and junior flyweight title to Mexican underdog Giovani Segura by eighth round knockout in an exciting brawl in front of his home crowd in Puerto Rico.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: Giovani Segura

September: Shane Mosley returned to the ring in what was expected to be a 'put him right back on track' fight against former junior middleweight champ Sergio Mora the winner of the first CONTENDER TV show on NBC. But Mora's slippery style proved too tough a nut to crack and Mosley had to settle for an unsatisfying draw in a fight that was as disappointing to the fans as it must have been for Mosley.... Rookie Saul Alvarez, who many are touting as the next big thing out of Mexico, impressively knocked out the iron chinned former welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir.... Even a rededicated and motivated Sam Peter could do nothing more than take punishment against the World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko who had an easier go at it in this rematch breaking down the Nigerian into a tenth round KO defeat in Germany.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: Wladimir Klitschko

October: Former light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver tried to rediscover his magic in the heavyweight division fighting in Miami against Dominican heavyweight Nagy Aquilera scoring a decision win in which he displayed little heavyweight power..... Canadian power puncher David Lemieux blew out Hector Camacho Jr. in the first round in Quebec to set himself up as a player in the middleweight division.....Lucian Bute continued to show why it was a mistake to leave him out of the Super Six by knocking out another tough opponent in Jesse Brinkley in defense of his IBF super middleweight title.... WBC heavyweight champ Vitaly Klitschko pounded on Shannon Briggs for 12 rounds to win a unanimous decision in a fight that most observers believe should have been stopped earlier.... Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. is proving to be every bit as solid as his father by taking out dangerous Ivan Hernandez in 11 rounds in defense of his WBO super bantamweight belt.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

November: Now we're talking! November was the hottest month of the year for boxing as there was no shortage of big fights lined up which kicked off with a huge bang in Las Vegas as Juan Manuel Lopez tested himself against Mexican warrior Rafael Marquez who came up in weight for this fight. Lopez enjoyed advantages in youth, speed, and size over his veteran foe but was stunned several times during the fight. Lopez survived some rough spots to overtake Marquez and force a stoppage in the eighth round after Marquez claimed a shoulder injury..... Glen Johnson entered into the Super Six tournament to replace the injured Mikkel Kessler and impressively knocked out Allan Green in 8 rounds eliminating him from the World Boxing Classic.... a recommitted Zab Judah survived a late knockdown to eke out a controversial decision win over Argentinean banger Lucas Mathysse.... British heavyweight David Haye stopped over matched Audley Harrison in three..... Boxing's pound for pound best Manny Pacquiao packed Dallas Cowboys stadium once more to defeat the much bigger Antonio Margarito and pick up the vacant WBC junior middleweight belt to win his eight championship in eight weight classes. Pac-man used his superior speed and boxing skills to dart in and out of danger and bust up Margarito who despite losing enjoyed some success against Pacquiao particularly to the body before losing by lopsided decision....The rematch for the Blackeyed View's 2009 fight of the year yielded a shocking result as World middleweight champion Sergio Martinez suddenly knocked out Paul Williams in the second round just as the action was heating up in Atlantic City......In a white wash, Carl Froch of England outboxed Arthur Abraham to win a decision in dominant fashion and recapture the vacated WBC super middleweight belt.....In a non-Super Six fight, Andre Ward defended his WBA belt in a tough fight against veteran Sakio Bika who gave Ward all he could handle in a decision win. Ward will next fight Abraham as Froch meets Glen Johnson in the next stage of the tournament.....Andre Berto blasted welterweight Freddy Hernandez in one round.....Jason Litzau sprung an upset decision victory over the favored Celestino Caballero in a battle of junior lightweights.... It took every bit of experience of a 17 year career for Juan Manuel Marquez to weather the storm of an inspired Michael Katsidis who dropped the the lightweight champion in the third round and gave him hell for the duration of the fight. The fight would last nine rounds as Marquez, ever the master boxer, made adjustments in the middle of some fierce exchanges to find the winning combination to subdue his challenger. In the case of Katsidis it was body work that set up vicious uppercuts that snapped the head of the challenger back in violent ways that eventually prompted the referee to stop the fight and give Marquez one of his most memorable wins to date.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: 3 way tie between Sergio Martinez/ Juanma Lopez/ Juan Manuel Marquez

December: The month started out with a scorcher that was featured on the undercard but easily surpassed the main even in terms of action as Humberto Soto defended his WBC lightweight title against tough man Urbano Antillon who let it all hang out in an all out effort to capture the belt. Antillon elevated his game to levels he had never shown before to match the skills of Soto and produce a fight of the year candidate worthy of a Rocky movie only to lose by decision...... Young junior middleweight Saul Alvarez continued his development by taking on the durable Lovemore Ndou who extended the youngster for 12 rounds in a tough fight which was won by Alvarez....The heavyweight experiment of Tomasz Adamek continued as he chose a fighter much closer to his size in brawler Vinny Maddalone after his rough experience with the giant Michael Grant to fight with and it paid off in the form of an exciting 5th round KO victory for the Polish hope..... Amir Khan stepped up to the plate putting up his WBA junior welterweight title against murderous puncher Marcus Maidana. After hitting the deck in the first round from an Amir Khan body shot and later being deducted a point for throwing an errant elbow, Maidana rallied his way back into the fight by the middle rounds and Khan started to wilt under the intense pressure. In the tenth round Maidana had the champ out on his feet but Khan did all he could to survive to here the next bell. he kept up with Maidana in the next two rounds and managed to get the points win in a gutsy effort..... Looking to improve on their boxing tournament concepts, SHOWTIME launched its bantamweight tournament opting for an elimination round robin style as opposed to the points system of the Super Six using four of the best in that division. In the first round we had Abner Mares overcoming a knockdown and cuts to outpoint Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko regaining the IBF title he previously lost to Yohnny Perez in a rematch by decision.....The month's action ended in Quebec, Canada as the light heavyweight champion of the world Jean Pascal took on the challenge of the wily former champ Bernard Hopkins who at the age of 45 was looking to become the oldest fighter to ever win a major title. After scoring knockdowns in the first two rounds, Pascal had to weather the storm that back at him as Hopkins used his experience to adjust and take over the fight by the fourth round with an aggressive attack that hasn't been seen from him in years. Unfortunately for the challenger he could not overcome the early knockdowns on the judges cards and the bout was declared a draw after 12 rounds with the champion retaining his title.

FIGHTER OF THE MONTH: Bernard Hopkins

And now the Blackeyed View selects the best of 2010

2010 Prospect of the year

It's hard to call a fighter with over 30 fights under his belt a rookie so we will agree that young Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez the prized prospect of Golden Boy Promotions had a breakout year in 2010. Alvarez engaged in five fights this year, four of which he won by stoppage. his last two fights where significant wins as they both tested him and built him up as a fighter on the rise with a grueling decision win over durable opponent Lovemore Ndou and a chilling 6th round knockout of the highlight reel kind of iron jawed Carlos Baldomir that has gotten everyone high on the potential of 'Canelo'.

2010 Round of the year

When Juan Manuel Marquez and Michael Katsidis tangled for the first two rounds of their lightweight championship bout they set a pace for a classic brawler versus boxer matchup. But in the third round when Katisidis landed a left hook that put Marquez on his back that set the pace for World War 3 in the form of nine hellish rounds that was won by Marquez and won their firestarting third round the round of the year honors.

2010 Knockout of the year

In this category there was no competition, there was no doubt from the moment Paul Williams hit the canvas face first in the second round of his rematch with Sergio Martinez that this was the knockout of the year.

2010 Fight of the year

There was so many fight candidates in this category particularly towards the end of the year that its almost forgivable to overlook some of the gems that took place earlier in the year like the clash of Europeans Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler in March won by Kessler who pulled it out with everything on the line in the dramatic last round. Other contenders included Juanma Lopez's savage coming of age win against Rafael Marquez, Manny Pacquiao's exciting domination over the larger Antonio Margarito that was rife with danger, Amir Khan's life and death struggle against Marcus Maidana and Juan Manuel Marquez's masterful performance against the younger Katsidis.

But it was a fight between boxers who are known mostly to the hardcore boxing fans that was featured on the undercard of a canceled Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. card that took top prize in this category. WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto, a long time avoided threat in the lighter weights who has hovered around the top 20 pound for pound fighters in the sport for years defended his belt against perennial contender Urbano Antillon who was facing perhaps his last title opportunity after previous failed attempts. Soto was looking to showcase himself as a future opponent for the bigger names in and around his weight class but Antillon was looking to fight for his very existence as a pro boxer and put up a fight he'd never before exhibit against a fighter that was a level or two above him. Soto retained his title by close decision but Antillon gained a rematch and a second life as a fighter in glorious defeat.

2010 Fighter of the year

Without a doubt Manny Pacquiao has been the face of boxing for the past three years and although he could not make the biggest possible fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., he still carried the sport on his shoulders by shining the spotlight of the sports world on boxing. He made an event of fighting at Dallas Cowboys stadium twice this year dominating his two opponents and in the process made history by winning his eighth title in as many weight classes.

His rival Juan Manuel Marquez had a tougher assignment as he looked to restore his image after being shut out by Mayweather in a welterweight bout in 2009. He succeeded in glorious fashion by returning to the lightweights where he is king to successfully defend his throne against two young lions in Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis in exciting fashion to prove his worth and retain his position as Pacquiao's number one threat.

Juan Manuel Lopez had a breakout performance against Rafael Marquez along with two thrilling wins this year. Givoani Segura upset the previously unbeaten Ivan Calderon and Fernando Montiel won and defended championships to emerge at the top of his division.

But the boxer who accomplished the most in 2010 was the marvel from Argentina, the current middleweight champion of the world Sergio Martinez who went up in weight from the junior middleweights (where he is still a beltholder) to unseat Kelly Pavlik for the crown and thenavenged his previous loss to Paul Williams by 2nd round knockout to retain his middleweight title. While Pacquiao faced boxers who were physically bigger than him, his superior speed and skills made mismatches of those fights as Joshua Clottey was reduced to a trigger shy target and Margarito a lumbering punching bag. Juan Manuel Marquez was favored to win both of his fights this year and in Juanma's biggest win over Rafael Marquez he was faced with an opponent who was coming up in weight and thought to be shot after many wars. Meanwhile the 35 year old Martinez faced off against younger and bigger foes at their primes or close to it. The powerful Pavlik had only one loss coming into the fight and managed to drop Martinez before the Argentinean stepped on the gas to outbox Pavlik. Willaims also came into his fight with Martinez with one loss and many expected him to respond in the same way he did with the last boxer who gave him problems; a quick knockout. But it was Williams who was rubbed out early in a stunner that boosted Martinez into the top three pound for pound fighters in the world and secured his position as the fighter of the year.

Whew! That was a lot of catching up. That's all for now. The next post will be on Thursday where I will offer my thoughts on the upcoming Miguel Cotto vs Ricardo Mayorga match up in March, offer my review of the film THE FIGHTER, and pick my winner of this Saturday's unification clash between junior welterweight champions Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley.