By Mac Arnold
Black Eye Editor
Earlier this week I watched a replay of the Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos "El Chino" Maidana fight that unified the WBA-WBC welterweight titles on May 5.
I noted there was some moderate disbelief among the Showtime announcers, a co-worker in the sports department at a Midwest newspaper for which is my day job and other pundits at the decision for Mayweather.
Sorry, but for this long-time boxing aficionado, there wasn't any debate. I scored it 117-111, the same as one of the judges who saw it the same that night. The other two judges' tallies were 114-114 and 116-112.
This was after watching it for the second time on a nice HD screen. The first viewing came at work (oops) while squinting at a grainy bootleg site.
However, I saw enough that I determined Mayweather was dominant in the middle rounds. I would say from maybe the fifth round on until the 12th, which I scored for El Chino, the Money man countered well off the ropes against the Argentine boxer.
Yes, for sure, Maidana's thudding overhand rights to side and back of Mayweather's noggin looked like they were effective and most likely they were taking a toll but I think the cleaner punches were being registered by the pride of Grand Rapids.
As far as a rematch goes, eh. Not sure there is enough appeal in it, and there are many other deserving welters out there ... Shawn Porter comes to mind. Keith Thurman is another.
Of course, there's always Manny Pacquiao. But guess we shouldn't go there, or should we?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Gustavo was guessing
By Mac Arnold
Black Eye Editor
Speaking of black eyes or just plain no eyes, the Filipino judge who scored the Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov Light Heavyweight unification title bout 114-113 for Shumenov was out of his mind on Saturday night, April 19.
With the split decision victory, Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) claimed the WBA and IBF portions of the championship and at 49 years old became the oldest fighter to ever claim two belts at the same time in a division.
"How did you do it?" asked Showtime reporter Jim Gray.
"Because I'm special ... there's no definition of special," the pride of Philadelphia told him, "it just is."
He even put an exclamation mark on it with a 11th-round knockdown from a crunching overhand right.
The Alien one now has put himself in position to be the oldest ever to unify the championship -- in what is his goal is to do it by the time he is 50. For the next part of the conquest, he must dislodge Adonis Stevenson's WBC portion of the Light Heavyweight division crown. But before that happens, Stevenson must beat Andrzej Fonfara on May 24, when he attempts to defend the title.
Of course, then there's the hard-hitting Sergey Kovalev's portion of the 175-pound title in the WBO, but that seems like an improbability with the infighting among the various factions.
I've looked past BHop quite a few times over the years or second-guessed him but he got hit frequently against Shumenov (14-2, 9 KOs), a former Olympian from Kazakhstan. And whereas Shumenov has a pretty good punch, it would be nothing like how "Superman" devastates opponents.
Stevenson left former WBC belt holder Chad Dawson out cold and twitching on the canvas, and Dawson previously beat Hopkins.
I will say that BHop is a sly defensive fighter, but I don't see him staying away from Stevenson.
Then again, Gustavo Padilla didn't see Hopkins beating Shumenov.
Black Eye Editor
Speaking of black eyes or just plain no eyes, the Filipino judge who scored the Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov Light Heavyweight unification title bout 114-113 for Shumenov was out of his mind on Saturday night, April 19.
With the split decision victory, Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) claimed the WBA and IBF portions of the championship and at 49 years old became the oldest fighter to ever claim two belts at the same time in a division.
"How did you do it?" asked Showtime reporter Jim Gray.
"Because I'm special ... there's no definition of special," the pride of Philadelphia told him, "it just is."
He even put an exclamation mark on it with a 11th-round knockdown from a crunching overhand right.
The Alien one now has put himself in position to be the oldest ever to unify the championship -- in what is his goal is to do it by the time he is 50. For the next part of the conquest, he must dislodge Adonis Stevenson's WBC portion of the Light Heavyweight division crown. But before that happens, Stevenson must beat Andrzej Fonfara on May 24, when he attempts to defend the title.
Of course, then there's the hard-hitting Sergey Kovalev's portion of the 175-pound title in the WBO, but that seems like an improbability with the infighting among the various factions.
I've looked past BHop quite a few times over the years or second-guessed him but he got hit frequently against Shumenov (14-2, 9 KOs), a former Olympian from Kazakhstan. And whereas Shumenov has a pretty good punch, it would be nothing like how "Superman" devastates opponents.
Stevenson left former WBC belt holder Chad Dawson out cold and twitching on the canvas, and Dawson previously beat Hopkins.
I will say that BHop is a sly defensive fighter, but I don't see him staying away from Stevenson.
Then again, Gustavo Padilla didn't see Hopkins beating Shumenov.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Have to give Pacman credit this time
By Mac Arnold
Black Eye Editor
I know the former site -- "The Fighting Side of Life" -- had been vacant for some time and when it did have new boxing information it was either related to Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. or Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao or both.
Welcome to "The Black Eye Boxing Blog."
This posting will follow along the usual and take a jab at the recent Pacquiao victory over Tim "Desert Storm" Bradley for the latter's WBO welterweight title.
But it will stray from my past disdain in posts for the Pacman and actually praise him and instead chastise the now former undefeated champion Bradley.
I gobbled up all his talk in the "24/7s" and on Max Kellerman's "Face Off" on HBO leading up to the big rematch of their disputed title fight on June 9, 2012.
After Pacquiao's devastating knockout loss two years ago to his arch enemy Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez and then a dull decision win over Brandon Rios in November, I was believing Bradley when he said, "Manny, you don't have it anymore."
Finally I would get vindication for all of the glowing talk about Pacman, someone I think is made up more than what he really is as a fighter -- although admittedly his Marquez KO defeat in December 2012 where he was left stone-cold was rather satisfying.
I can't really say why Pacman disturbs me. Personally, he seems like a good dude, loves Jesus and does great things as a benefactor and legislator for his home country of the Philippines.
What I think is the main reason is his big-mouthed trainer Freddie Roach, who still carries bravado from his days as a ranking junior lightweight and lightweight challenger himself.
The problem I have is Roach tends to do more fighting for his fighters with his mouth than they actually do in the ring. Rubs me the wrong way.
Especially when he rants about how Pacman would easily beat the "Money" man Mayweather Jr.
The biggest difference between what happened to Bradley on Saturday, April 11, and if Mayweather fought him, is where Bradley was awkwardly flailing away and missing Pacquiao, Floyd would not. He would connect, probably frequently.
It would be a fight of the same style: mostly a technical and calculated boxing match with few notable haymakers scoring by either boxer.
What I found remarkable was the irony of how Bradley was challenging Pacquiao's lack of fire to throw him off and yet it was the Indio, Calif., pugilist who was off his game. At 31-0-1 (12 KOs) in both the welterweight and junior welterweight divisions prior to the bout, Bradley was the last fighter that should challenge Pacquiao's lack of power even if he hasn't KO'd anyone since Miguel Cotto in 2009.
Yet on Saturday, the rather light-hitting Bradley was going for the 10-count over Pacquiao, and it cost him. He was off-balance and missing with reckless abandon throughout the fight except for a good shot he tagged Pacquiao in the fifth round and in an inspired 12th round, which I scored for Bradley.
Nope, on that night in Las Vegas, I have to give praise where praise is due: the 35-year-old Filipino brawler reclaimed greatness and easily scored a rout of 118-110 on one judge's scorecard and 116-112 on the other two judges' cards.
Then the 30-year-old Bradley started to go into talking about a calf injury at the post-fight interview ... give me a break already, would you?
Black Eye Editor
I know the former site -- "The Fighting Side of Life" -- had been vacant for some time and when it did have new boxing information it was either related to Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. or Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao or both.
Welcome to "The Black Eye Boxing Blog."
This posting will follow along the usual and take a jab at the recent Pacquiao victory over Tim "Desert Storm" Bradley for the latter's WBO welterweight title.
But it will stray from my past disdain in posts for the Pacman and actually praise him and instead chastise the now former undefeated champion Bradley.
I gobbled up all his talk in the "24/7s" and on Max Kellerman's "Face Off" on HBO leading up to the big rematch of their disputed title fight on June 9, 2012.
After Pacquiao's devastating knockout loss two years ago to his arch enemy Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez and then a dull decision win over Brandon Rios in November, I was believing Bradley when he said, "Manny, you don't have it anymore."
Finally I would get vindication for all of the glowing talk about Pacman, someone I think is made up more than what he really is as a fighter -- although admittedly his Marquez KO defeat in December 2012 where he was left stone-cold was rather satisfying.
I can't really say why Pacman disturbs me. Personally, he seems like a good dude, loves Jesus and does great things as a benefactor and legislator for his home country of the Philippines.
What I think is the main reason is his big-mouthed trainer Freddie Roach, who still carries bravado from his days as a ranking junior lightweight and lightweight challenger himself.
The problem I have is Roach tends to do more fighting for his fighters with his mouth than they actually do in the ring. Rubs me the wrong way.
Especially when he rants about how Pacman would easily beat the "Money" man Mayweather Jr.
The biggest difference between what happened to Bradley on Saturday, April 11, and if Mayweather fought him, is where Bradley was awkwardly flailing away and missing Pacquiao, Floyd would not. He would connect, probably frequently.
It would be a fight of the same style: mostly a technical and calculated boxing match with few notable haymakers scoring by either boxer.
What I found remarkable was the irony of how Bradley was challenging Pacquiao's lack of fire to throw him off and yet it was the Indio, Calif., pugilist who was off his game. At 31-0-1 (12 KOs) in both the welterweight and junior welterweight divisions prior to the bout, Bradley was the last fighter that should challenge Pacquiao's lack of power even if he hasn't KO'd anyone since Miguel Cotto in 2009.
Yet on Saturday, the rather light-hitting Bradley was going for the 10-count over Pacquiao, and it cost him. He was off-balance and missing with reckless abandon throughout the fight except for a good shot he tagged Pacquiao in the fifth round and in an inspired 12th round, which I scored for Bradley.
Nope, on that night in Las Vegas, I have to give praise where praise is due: the 35-year-old Filipino brawler reclaimed greatness and easily scored a rout of 118-110 on one judge's scorecard and 116-112 on the other two judges' cards.
Then the 30-year-old Bradley started to go into talking about a calf injury at the post-fight interview ... give me a break already, would you?
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