Billy’s Boxing Blog

It was no sooner than my Margarito article hit the Internet that the emails started coming in. It’s amazing what a little levity will do to spice up an article, although I don’t think “everyone” was amused, some may just fail to see the humor. And speaking of the chuckling deprived, did you see the headline written by one of the bopsy twins the day after “Tony” vs. Shane was signed? Well after days on end of chiding Margarito for not fighting Mosley our friend writes,  Antonio Margarito ducks Paul Williams rematch, signs Shane Mosley fight.
Unbelievable! This is more than an unhealthy disliking and I suggest the guy gets a little therapy before Margarito KO’s Mosley and the man has a coronary right in the middle media row. 

Oh yeah…on to the mail:

William,
 
I agree with this article Margarito Lays Rumors To Rest! I also feel like Tony is way past his due for big money fights, and I hate the fact that as GBP seems to get bigger they’re trying to lowball very talented fighter/performers.. I dont like how money May(weather) gets so much for so little. I was there when Margarito dismantled Cotto, and I’ll be there for the rematch, but I’m planning on going out there for this fight ( Tony vs Shane) any idea what the ticket prices may be? Since I know GBP is involved I’m wondering if despite the economic issues the prices for the fight are just out of here… One more questions? Cotto/Mosley was PPV, Cotto/Margarito was PPV, why are they talking about Margarito/Mosley being on regular HBO? I feel like this fight is going to be better than Cotto/Mosley, and Pac-man/DLH… last but not least, who wins? I feel like Mosley does not have the youth to bang, even though he’s a banger, with Margarito… but I also feel that he doesn’t have the balls to fight, so on pure work rate I see Margarito in a UD.. what you think?

                                                                                      Boxingfan

Thanks BF. Margarito has been due big $$ for quite some time now and hopefully for him the big checks will start rolling in. You my friend are not the only one who expresses concern about GBP’s motives. The writing is clearly on the wall, only time will tell if it’s in indelible ink or not. I have no clue what ticket prices will be for Tony vs. Shane but if the fact that it’s on regular HBO has any bearing on it, there may be some very nicely priced seats for this one. As to who wins, I give the edge to Tony based on youth and strength, but don’t be fooled my friend, Shane has proved time and time again he has “Cajones” of his own. Shane is going to be there and this fight is by no means a gimmee for either guy.

Will,

Great Article! I especially like Chubby and Tubby(aka Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dumber). 

Hey Thanks!

Enough said!

Column

William,

I HOPE YOU WIPED YOUR BAT CLEAN OF ALL THE BLOOD YOU MADE WHILE CLUBBING CHUBBY AND FATTY.

                                                                      Frank Boff

Thanks Boff…but why the CAPS? You must take that clubbing stuff pretty seriously. Really, I wasn’t trying to club these guys into liquid…was I a little over the top?  Ooops.

And it’s Chubby & Tubby, Not Chubby & Fatty.

Bill,
Why in the world would anyone want to pay to see Hasim Rahman fight again?  Time after time he’s been given a shot.  Hell, he hasn’t even looked good in his last few fights.  Now he gets another title shot.  How about making it mandatory for him to beat all the new up-n-comers….like Aereola for instance.  There are guys out there who have worked they’re way up the ladder.  Give them a chance to make some money.  Not the same old guys over and over.  It’s embarrassing trying to explain to others about the sport that I love and how crooked it appears.  Who actually likes Rahman anyway?  He can’t have any fans out there.  He blows.  He had his shot.  Give a new guy a shot.
 
Up and coming David Haye.  How about making Rahman fight him?  And what happened to Ibragimov?  I still think he can whip a lot of guys out there.  How about fighting some of these guys first and then, if successful, get another shot?  I don’t understand how the rankings are working here.  How in the world is he ranked fifth?  Who has he fought?  And beat?  It’s not only Rahman.  Same thing goes for guys like Golota and Toney and John Ruiz and Evander.  I’m a big Evander and Ruiz fan, but they can’t do it anymore.  They’ve already made lots of money……lots.  And a lot of it came from guys like me buying pay-per-view fights.  Another scam.  So move over and let some new blood in.  Let some new guys make a buck. 
 
Oh well.  Thanks for listening.  What does an old tomato can like me know anyway?  Take it easy.
 
Rob T

Hey Rob,

Thanks for the questions on the heavyweights, I was looking for a way to avoid talking about this weekends fights…thanks.

Well at least the Klitschko vs. Rahman affair is not on PPV, that’s a start. And in all honesty, the fans in Germany are rabid and they will be chomping at the bit to see Wladimir KO Rahman. And so will I.

When Alexander Povetkin fell out due to injury it opened the door for Rahman to get this shot that is somehow deemed a mandatory.

I like you Rob am very befuddled. How did quitting on his stool after 3 rounds in his last fight equate to a shot at the title? 

I think if Chris “The Nightmare” does well this weekend he should be getting a crack at the title very soon.

Who actually likes Rahman anyway?  He can’t have any fans out there.  He blows. 

Thanks Rob, I could not have said it better myself.

Look for Haye to be fighting one more easy fight and then he will get his shot too, possibly with Vitali. As far as Bam Bam Ibragimov…good question. But he is a good fighter, he just should have never fought Wladimir.

As far as Evander goes…I keep having this vision of David and Goliath and in this vision Holyfield slays the mighty giant.

                                                                      Thanks for chiming in!

                                                                        William Trillo

Living in Southern California is usually a breeze and outside of the hustle bustle of all the energy that gives us our nickname of “La La Land”, things are normally pretty laid back and I personally would not want to live anywhere else. But we do have our season’s and unfortunately for many right now is fire season. When I woke up Saturday morning and saw a gigantic plume of smoke billowing from my neighboring town of Yorba Linda, and saw an unrelenting dry gusty wind, I took a deep breath as I knew this one was going to be bad…and it was. By Sunday morning the ground and every car that was left out was covered with the soot and ashes of what probably used to be someone’s home. It’s a fact of life here, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Hundreds and hundreds of family’s lost their homes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those family’s as well as the Firemen who will be braving this firestorm for days, if not weeks to come.

Last Friday Freddie Roach welcomed both Bret Newton and I to come down to his Wildcard gym to check out Manny Pacquiao as he made his preparations for his December 6th bout with Oscar De La Hoya. It was serious business in Hollywood and outside of Sports Illustrated who was also doing a shoot for their magazine, the normally packed gym was free from onlookers as Manny went through his daily routine. Looking sharp and quick Pacquiao didn’t look like the extra weight was a hindrance at all, he looked as fast as ever, and possibly stronger than ever. I know I have been one of the few who has picked Paq to upset Oscar and after getting a first hand look at the Filipino warrior I have no reason to change my mind. 

I am not one of those “MMA is taking over Boxing Conspiracy Theorists” but after this weekend of shooting itself directly in the foot, boxing had better wake up or it will be replaced due to lack of interest.

It was a dreadful weekend from sea to shining sea.

In Germany Raul Marquez quit on his stool after offering up nothing while battling for a World Title against Arthur Abraham. In the USA Roy Jones Jr. may not have quit but his fight not to get KO’d performance against Joe Calzaghe in another World Title fight was pathetic. Factor in that this one was a PPV event with a bombastic under card and it will be hard to blame fans if they don’t ante up for the next PPV show anytime soon.

Over the past few weeks the story has been the same and at every turn there was one more bad match up or bad card. With the bad economy hovering over the situation it’s time for someone to step up and give the fight fans much more value for their buck.

Catch weight fights are meaningless and useless, please stop shoving them down our throats.

Bernards victory over Pavlik was indeed inspiring but at the end of the day it really didn’t amount to a hill of beans. With his victory Hopkins did not earn another belt and with his loss Pavlik kept his 160 pound title and now can try to save face by defending it against an opponent most people have never heard of. 

Oscar vs. Manny has been dubbed “The Dream Match” but again, with no title on the line it’s a meaningless battle that will prove little at the end of the day.

Fans want Championships, they want to see trophies and sparkling hardware. The NFL plays for The Super Bowl and Lombardi Trophy, in Baseball it’s all about The World Series and the fans pack the stadiums to see these events.

Boxing can do it, they have the talent to put on good meaningful Championship Title fights that will keep the fans coming back for more. Pavlik vs. Abraham, Calzaghe vs. Dawson, Pacquiao vs. Juan Diaz, Paul Williams vs. Mayweather Jr. (he’s coming back) and yes even Oscar vs. Margarito…all these fights would have huge fan appeal and when the fight was over someone would hold a legitimate belt over their head in victory.

The suits in boxing have been making money hand over fist for the past few years, it’s time for the powers that be to realize it’s time to give back to the fans. Promoters have been shoving worthless PPV’s down our throats for too long now and even if the fans want to they don’t have the money to be purchasing fights week in and week out. Especially after weekends like this with fighters quitting on their stools and others just fighting not to get KO’d.

Not to steal anyone’s thunder but…It’s Time For Change!

Yeah, I know, it’s about time I check back in, but as I have said before, it just doesn’t occur to me that anyone wants to hear me blather on about my comings and goings, but in light of the situation last week in Canada and the fact that I got a few emails in regard to my report I figured I should address this ill fated night…and a little more….

For the record I made my trip back east beginning with the Hopkins vs. Pavlik affair in Atlantic City. My venture to the “Bored”-walk was to support my good friend Enrique Ornelas who was taking on Marco Antonio Rubio. As we know Ornelas lost a razor close Split Decision. As for the main event, what more can be said? Well, I guess I can say that Pound4Pound has always been Pro-Bernard so we don’t have to back pedal on this one, nor do we have to remove our foots from our pie holes. Unlike the majority of my so called peers who look pretty foolish sucking up to Bernard after years of ripping him every chance they get.

On to The Great White North & Bute vs. Andrade. Before I even start to get into this let me just jump right into the mail pouch, I am sure I will have plenty to say in response.

Hey Bill,

How’s everything going?  I was just wondering how Librado and Enrique are doing after their tough losses.  AIthough Librado lost the fight if it went to the cards, but he should have been credited with the KO.  Oh well, that’s what happens in the other guy’s hometown.  I thought Enrique won his fight, I thought at worst for him it was a draw.  Then again several of the rounds were so close that it was easy to change the scoring on a round here and a round there and get a different verdict.  I was disappointed for Enrique when the news came that Pavlik will be fighting his mandatory because that would have easily have been him.  I hope they can move past this and succeed, even though I’ve never met them, from what you have told me they are good guys and just the type of guys you want to cheer for.

Anyway, I hope you’re happy to be back home.  I was a little surprised to see your face on the broadcast, good that you are going a little more out of the area though.

Take care,
Charles

Thanks Charles,

My face on the broadcast? …eeegads!!

Yeah the Ornelas fight was close but the one scorecard that had it 116-112 for Rubio was a bit crazy. This guy thinks Enrique only won 4 rounds….please!!

As to Bute & Andrade, like David Iscowitz said, “We knew we couldn’t come to Canada and get the decision but we didn’t know we could come up here and knock this guy out and still have the fight taken away from us!”  That pretty much says it all. Whether or not referee Marlon B. Wright was on the take or not, his performance was so obviously biased towards Bute that he should be suspended just for that alone.

How many times did Wright break up the fighters when Bute was hurt? How about every time…and there were more than a few moments Bute was on queer street that night.

I am sure Bute and his trainerStephan Larouche are happy they won but when their heads hit the pillow at night they know what happened and they know everyone else knows as well.

Sweet dreams Guys!

Great report

I’m glad you wrote about the truth, we the readers need to read and know the behind the scenes, good or bad.
I enjoyed your report.
Thanks, GC

Thanks GC.

From the case of the disappearing gloves to the less than mature treatment from the Canadian press, the 24 hours surrounding the fight was…umm..enlightening to say the last. (The rest of my week in Canada was superb by the way). Now I understand it was there boy in the ring that night and I even can go as far as to say I know they all were terrified, and rightly so. But that doesn’t excuse the less than honest situation with the gloves and as to my experience at ringside that night…I have never seen anyone act as childish in all my years covering boxing. I especially liked when the “Homer” ripped my sticker off the mat and wadded it up and threw it on the ground…reminded me of something that happens in Grammar school…..I’m still waiting to see any of his work.

Great article

I was in the dressing room when Marlon Wright recited the rules (that you can’t be saved by the bell even in the last round, as per the IBF rules) which he then failed to enforce. Had Marlon done his job and stopped Bute from holding Librado, I also believe like you do that the fight would have ended sooner. Not only Did Bute hold all night long, but three times during the fight Wright stepped in and forced Librado to step back and give Bute a room to recoup after being wobbled. A mistake was made here thinking that a local official can be neutral enough not to be biased, and unless I missed it you forgot to mention that Wright stopped counting to walk over at 6 seconds to ask Librado to go to the neutral corner because he had came forward. When the opposing fighter is far enough from the count it shouldn’t have any relevance when you are counting and a referee must count uninterrupted. At no time did Andrade pose a threat to Bute while Wright was counting, so why turn around and provide time to Bute to recover? Maybe you can tell us more on how the neutral corner is used, and at what point during a knock down does the referee have to stop counting to ensure the safety of the two fighters?

In my opinion Bute should have done the honorable thing and given over the belt to Librado that night (wishful thinking on my part) and asked for a rematch instead, this would have given him great respect by all the fans of boxing. The world saw the fight and Bute only won by having a referee save him, who in my belief was motivated by keeping his name in good standing with the local promoter, especially since the last five Bute fights in a row where officiated by none other than Marlon B. Wright.

Hopefully Andrade’s promoter Golden Boy will have enough teeth to pursue a protest that actually reverses the judgment.

Best regards

Nick P. Karabineris

Thanks Nick,

Between Golden Boy and Librado’s manager Al Haymon, you can rest assured that this will somehow be rectified, there is no way this will get swept under the rug.

I am glad you point out the obvious in that fight, because many peole did not see it, and/or they looked the other way. Wright acted like a guy in fear of his next job during this fight and his only security was to protect Bute at all costs.

He did a darn good job of that.

Nick, that ring was huge, I am sure it was to benefit Bute’s style. When he was down in one corner and Andrade was across the ring in the other corner there was no chance he was going to be anywhere near the fallen and KO’d Bute. Why Marlon the Magician decided to turn around after he hit the count of six is beyond me. And since when is a fighter deemed okay to go on when he is leaning on the ropes, using them as his only means of support.

And as to Bute or anyone in his team doing the honorable thing..Nick…these are the guys who only hours before balked on the gloves they chose to wear for the fight and when the gloves turned up missing you didn’t hear a peep out of them, don’t count on them doing the honorable thing anytime soon.

Lastly, how is it you were in Bute’s dressing room?

Thanks for all your letters!