Billy’s Boxing Blog

By William Trillo
Photo-Chop: Bret “The Threat”

When I got the email from Showtime that gave the bad news about Mikkel Kessler being forced to pull out of the Super Six tournament my kneejerk reaction was to hit the keyboard and pound out an “I Told You So” blog. But as I got to the end of the email the Showtime executive closed by saying if there were any questions to feel free to contact him, I calmed down. That invite to respond seemed sincere enough…so I did.

Well as I write this blog four full days have passed and I have heard not zippo from anyone at Showtime. Not a quick note asking me to please be patient, that more information would be coming shortly, nor did I get a quick blast telling me to stick my email were the sun does not shine…NOTHING!

Since no one at Showtime would respond, allow me to go over some of the highlights of my email and let’s see if we can come up with some conclusions of our own.

I told the exec that in theory I had nothing against finding the best fighter in every weight division and that unifying the titles and getting one conclusive Champion in each division was fantastic, a great idea!

It was then I had to remind him that although the Showtime venture was commendable, the six man Round Robin Tourney was at the very best a train derailment destined to happen…and it did.

Yeah, it was real hard to see that coming..?

Take 6 (now 7) fighters, multiple promoters and managers and spread them out over a multiple stage round robin tournament and the chances of coming to a definitive conclusion with any success was minimal at best, there are just too many ego’s and worst case scenarios (injuries, forced retirements, inconclusive endings) involved.

Next on my agenda was the status of the September 25^th bout featuring the Andre’s, Ward & Dirrell. There still is no venue for the fight and last I heard neither fighter was training. Worse yet was the rumor that because they are such close friends the Andre’s didn’t want to fight each other anyways. Whatever the case may be it’s the end of August and we have no set venue for this ill fated fight.

And although there doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Abraham vs. Froch October 2^nd fight, (yet), the venue in Monaco that is staging the event, Chapiteau de Fontvieille, has nothing on their website about the fight, no ticket information, nothing. Do with that information as you will.

I also inquired about rumored scenarios that dump Allan Green and have the tournament jump to the final stages with the 4 fighters left…ahem…standing.

Again…zilch!

In closing I wrote:

I applaud the idea of finding a true Champion in each division and I hope the idea continues. When Bernard Hopkins made his mark by standing over a fallen Felix Trinidad and capturing the WBC, WBA & IBF Middleweight Belts the boxing world was treated to an exciting tournament that took place in the same calendar year. The Super Six began in 2009 and now it appears it will not come to any kind of conclusion until 2011…?  That is way too long.

I am sorry, but in my opinion this tournament has done nothing but lock up a talent laden division and kept other worthy 168 pound fighters from getting their deserved shot at a title. In my opinion the end result will be forever second guessed.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your reply.

I am still awaiting that reply.

From day one I told you this Super Six idea was a complete disaster. I warned you Abraham would beat Jermain Taylor into retirement weeks before it happened. I told you fights would get postponed because of reported injuries, and again I was right. I told you that multiple promoters would never agree throughout the Tournament and you see that prediction coming to pass right now. Throughout this tourney fans argued with me and told me I knew nothing, but I held firm to my conviction.

So take a look at where we are now.

Even though my predictions have come to fruition I certainly don’t claim to be a genius, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see this coming.

In reality all it took to put this doomed Super Six Round Robin Tournament together was a few naive network executives and a handful of over zealous promoters.

Crumblin’ Down
by John Cougar Mellencamp

…Some people say I’m obnoxious and lazy
I’m uneducated–my opinion means nothin’…

Don’t need to look over my shoulder to see what I’m after
Everybody’s got their problems–ain’t no new news here
I’m the same old trouble you’ve been havin’ for years
Don’t confuse the problem with the issue
It’s perfectly clear….

When the walls come tumblin’ down
When the walls come crumblin’ crumblin’
When the walls come tumblin’ tumblin’ down

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing truth.

By William Trillo

The boxing weekend could not have got off to a worse start. Before the weekend of fights could even begin we were told that Rafael Marquez slammed his hand in a truck door and his thumb was injured so badly that the scheduled September 18^th fight with Juan Manuel Lopez was postponed indefinitely. With any luck the fight will take place in 4-5 weeks, but that leaves fight fans little choice but to get their boxing fix on The Mexican Holiday weekend by watching the September 18^th PPV card from Los Angeles.

Truthfully I was hoping that Yuriorkis Gamboa, who is fighting on September 11^th in Las Vegas would have been moved up to fill the Marquez void, but no such luck.

Instead of watching a world title fight on free Showtime fight fans are now left to purchase the PPV feed offered up by HBO that features Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora in a non title bout.

Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down?

As for the fights that did take place, Heavyweight Tomasz Adamek took on Michael Grant on a nominally priced PPV card from New Jersey on Saturday night. This was without a doubt going to be a testing ground for Adamek. If successful, the Polish fighter with a strong USA fan base would have proven he is ready to take on either Klitschko.

Adamek won, but mixed reviews are coming in from a variety of sources.

Personally I think Adamek showed he is an exciting fighter who can take a punch and move around with the big boys successfully. He also showed a crack in his defense that leaves him open for retaliation. The cuts over both his eyes speak to that. My take is that in a world full of boring and sloppy heavyweights Adamek will be a breath of fresh air and I look forward to whatever his next challenge will be. The trouble is, many think Tomasz laid an egg on Saturday night and although he won all he proved is he will not fare well when he takes the next step forward.

Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down?

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the lates boxing news.

By William Trillo

…Pascal is not Bute’s boss. Am I trying to take away from Pascal’s victory over Dawson? Absolutely not! Pascal stepped up to the plate on Saturday night and basically hit one out of the park. The problem was there wasn’t anyone on base.

Allow me to explain.

The announced paid attendance for The Bell Center fight on Saturday night was a paltry 8,122. The entire upper deck was blocked off and the loudest roar of the night came when Lucian Bute’s image was flashed across the Videotron Big Screen above the ring.

To put those numbers into perspective, when Lucian Bute fought an optional defense against Edison Miranda in April the Bell Center was 13,682 strong. Factor in the fact that the first round of The Stanley Cup Playoffs were in full effect and Montreal’s beloved Canadiens were playing at exactly the same time on national TV and it makes that near 14,000 paid mark pretty remarkable.

When Bute fought Librado Andrade in their first battle The Bell Center was packed to the rafters. There were 16,300 paid customers that night. That’s literally twice that of Pascal’s paid attendance vs. Dawson.

Jump to Quebec City for Bute vs. Andrade 2 and the number of ticket holders at the Pepsi Coliseum was 16,473. What makes that number even more astonishing is the fact that the Pepsi Coliseum’s seating capacity is a reported 15,176. I don’t know where they put the extra 1,297 patrons, but I was in the house that night and it was packed like sardines, hot, sweaty and LOUD. I guess the rumor I heard about them selling tickets at the door even though there were not really any seats left is true. It wasn’t until promoters pulled the plug on ticket sales for fear of getting shut down by the Fire Marshall did the box office close.

They didn’t have that problem this past Saturday night for Pascal.

Staying in Quebec City, Eric Lucas and Librado Andrade recently drew 8,138 on a Friday night for a 10 round Non-Title fight. That too beat out the ticket buyers at The Pascal/Dawson title fight.

After adding all those numbers up I have come to this conclusion, there is not a new Sherriff in Town in Montreal. Lucian Bute is still the man running the show and the record speaks for itself.

But this grey Jean Pascal cloud does have silver lining. If he and Bute do business and step into the ring in Montreal you can expect every ticket to be sold for this event, maybe more. But it will be Lucian’s show that night and Jean will be playing second fiddle. Pascal can change all that with another upset victory, but until then proclaiming himself as the “Boss” in Montreal at the present time is wishful thinking at best.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo

I have been looking for a way to segue from boxing to The Beatles and with the grand re-opening of the 5th Street Gym I have found what I have been looking for. You remember the 5th Street Gym located in Miami Beach, the gym that was opened by Chris Dundee in the 1950′s. His brother Angelo became the trainer of note at the gym and from that point on it became the hot spot for all the celebrities in the 60′s. Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jackie Gleason, Malcolm X, Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra and Sylvester Stallone all made their way through the legendary doors, and so did The Beatles.   http://5thstgym.com/

The Beatles met with Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) at The 5th Street Gym on Miami Beach in 1964. The Beatles feigned and stumbled over Ali punches for the cameras that day. Unbelievably The Beatles originally didn’t want to take the photos but obviously agreed to some shots that are now classics. Can you imagine the regret many would have felt if the 60’s poster children for Anti-war & Peace did not pose for these once in a lifetime shots? I can’t.

The Beatles’ first live American performance after their televised appearance on the CBS Ed Sullivan Show was February 11th, 1964 at the Washington Coliseum.  Because of the set up in the Coliseum, the Beatles were performing on a boxing ring stage and had to move their equipment around on stage a few times in order to give everyone in the audience a chance to see them.  Ringo was seen moving his own drum set around on stage between sets. I guess the boy’s didn’t have roadies yet. I doubt Ringo moved his drums on his own after that.

Next on my little Beatles meets Boxing Magical Mystery Tour is the wax statue of Sonny Liston in his boxing robe, borrowed from Madame Tussauds’ Wax Museum. Liston stands next to The Beatles wax figures on the cover of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. One of the albums famous cover designers Peter Blake remembered, “And then we went to Madame Tussaud’s where I heard Sonny Liston would probably be melted down soon. He was no longer world champion, and so I got him and I still have him.”

I am not a huge memorabilia guy, but how sweet would it be to have that statue?

Fast forward to 1973, The Beatles had broken up and the Fab Four were now solo acts. That is when Paul McCartney released the classic Band on the Run album. For those of you old enough to remember the album artwork was “The Band” attempting to make a prison break when they are caught against the wall by the guards powerful spotlight. “The Band” is caught and frozen in time on the epic album cover photo. Among those in “The Band” are McCartney and wife Linda along with an eclectic cast of characters that included Brit actor Christoper Lee who made a run as Dracula in the 70’s, James Coburn who although as American as Apple Pie, he was one of the most visible members in the shot. And then there was John Conteh, the former World Light Heavyweight Champ who hailed from where else…Liverpool.

At the time McCartney frequented the fights on a regular basis so it was only natural to put one of his hometown blokes on the cover.

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I have 2 passions, Boxing & The Beatles. Come into my office and usually some Beatles tune is playing in the background. Hanging on my walls are old boxing credentials, Beatles posters and McCartney tickets.

It’s no wonder that my daughter Christina who is an aspiring singer has become quite fond of covering Beatle tunes. She did it last year at The Beatlefest West in San Francisco and will be performing again in San Francisco this year at Beatlefest West 2010.

The Fest will be over John Lennon’s 70th birthday celebration on October 8-10 and is a must see for any Beatles Fan. From a bevy of Beatles Tribute acts to a marketplace full of Beatles goodies this is the place to be.

You can log on to http://www.beatlesfestwest.com/ to purchase tickets for the fantastic weekend. If you purchase tickets before the end of the month you will get $50 off the entire weekend by using the code Beatlesradio in the promo box.

Yeah, I know…kind of a shameless plug but what else would you expect a Father to do?

By William Trillo

Over the past weekend we saw two fighters enter the ring with a chance to prove themselves in front of nationally televised audiences and in both cases we saw the fighters in question, Cris Arreola and Chad Dawson fall victim to their bad habits that have plagued them in the past.

For Arreola, who was victorious in a unanimous decision over Manuel Quezada, we saw that he once again did not prepare properly. At 256 pounds Arreola huffed and puffed while gritting his way to the win. Yes, fighting with 2 bad hands is commendable but it’s this reporter’s opinion that with a little dedication and some major fine tuning he would have dispatched of Quezada in quick fashion.

The dedication is on Arreola.  In his last seven fights Arreola has been his own worst nightmare by tipping the scales closer to 300 pounds than 200. This is unacceptable. When he was coming in at 240 or less Cris was a one man wrecking machine and he normally kicked the tar out of whoever was put in front of him. At 250 plus he struggles, it’s hard to deny that fact.

Arreola has told us on more than one occasion that he is working harder now only to show up as heavy as before. Maybe being less than genuine with the media is another habit Arreola should reconsider.

The fine tuning is something that his corner has to accept a lot of the blame for. Seeing Joe Goossen in Arreola’s corner Friday night was a step in the right direction, but if I am the one directing Arreola’s career I tell him it’s time to clean house. Yes, I know Henry Ramirez has been with Arreola since back in the day, and I understand they are good friends, maybe too good. As his close friend I don’t know that Ramirez is capable of coming down on Cris and making him put in the work necessary to become a world champion. He hasn’t yet and I don’t see that scenario changing anytime soon.

As to Chad Dawson…well Chad once again appeared to be sleepwalking through most of his fight in Montreal against Jean Pascal and although the same habit got him by with and older Antonio Tarver it is gravely apparent he needs to stay awake when fighting young, talented and hungry opposition.

As for the claims of an intentional head butt by Pascal…no one is buying it! Yes, Dawson may have been on his way to possibly stopping Pascal late but the clash of heads was an unfortunate accident that bit Dawson on his rear. Had he stayed awake and fought harder earlier he may have put some rounds in the bank and when the doctor ordered the fight to come to a premature halt he may have had a better chance on the lopsided scorecards.

It’s as simple as that. Bad habits have no place in the world of professional boxing, especially if you want to get on top and stay there.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing truth.

By William Trillo

If reports floating around the internet are true, it may be that Alexander Povetkin and Bruce Seldon competed in a 4 round exhibition that saw the fighters “spar” with no head gear and 10 ounce gloves. Reports also state there was a ref on hand to officiate the unofficial scrap. To put it anther way the two faced off in a good old fashioned “Smoker.”

In case you have never heard the term, Boxrec defines a “smoker” bout –for all intents and purposes–a professional prize-fight conducted under the auspices of a private, charitable club in those jurisdictions which prohibited prize-fighting.  The authorities generally turned a blind eye to these bouts. When pressed, the promoters termed these bouts “amateur.”

The bout reprtedly took place July 29th in Philadelphia. Obviously prize fighting is not prohibited in the state of Pennsylvania, but one has to wonder what the commission thought of the reported sparring session.

According to Boxingscene, “calling it an exhibition would rule out the involvement of the local commission, who probably would not have approved the fight between Povetkin and Seldon. Seldon, 42-years-old, had been inactive for a year and was knocked out in his last ring appearance.”

Apparently the reported session was the brainchild of Povetkin’s trainer Teddy Atlas who as of late has been at odds with Povetkins management, who at the time has not commented on the reports.

Seldon soon afterward said Povetkin would become a Champion.

It’s hard to imagine that the knowledgeable Atlas would put his fighter in jeopardy by doing something in violation of the rules but if true this clearly put his fighter in a compromising position.

Apparently Povetkin came out unscathed but it seems like a haphazard move at best. No telling what the local commission will say or do about the reported matter.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news

By William Trillo

After over a week long love fest between Don King and Floyd Mayweather Jr., along with comments from Bob Arum claiming Don King could make the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight happen, Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer could take no more and let out with some pretty outlandish statement’s about King taking over as Mayweather’s promotional guru.

When questioned about Kings intentions Schaefer told Lem Satterfield, “It is embarrassing to see D-Rex and B-Rex — and you know who I’m referring to right?” said Schaefer. “Well, D-Rex is Don King. So you have Don King-Rex. And B-Rex is Bob Arum-Rex. So that’s B-Rex. Anyway, it’s embarrassing to see them acting the way that they are.”

An angry Arum has responded by calling Schaefer’s comments “ludicrous,” “uncalled for,” “disrespectful” and “obscene.”

In all honesty, to take aim at King’s and Arums age was a shot way below the belt.  Yes, both men have been around a long time but make no mistake about it, they have not remained on top of the promotional food chain by accident, they know what they are doing. And even though age brings wisdom Arum said he could out promote Schaefer no matter what, “I don’t care if we were each only 10 years older, we’d still promote a helluva lot better than this Swiss banker does.”

Quite frankly, both King and Arum are hungry right now and I would not want to be the target of their razor sharp promotional teeth. Maybe they are getting up in age but unlike the Tyranasaraus Rex they have been compared to they are far from extinct and are still surviving in a world that has seen most of their peers sink into the tar pits of jealousy and greed.

Check out Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo

As much as I love to go to live boxing events, sometimes I don’t mind sitting at home and putting my feet up and watching the fights from the comfort of my humble abode. This weekend proved to be a great weekend to analyze some fights as both Friday and Saturday nights TV offerings were full of lessons for all to learn.

Focusing on the Friday night fights televised on Showtime and the Saturday night fights televised by HBO let’s go over the lessons together:

Lesson # 1: When fighting a slick undefeated fighter it’s best not to overestimate your power and rely on winning by KO only. Chris Avalos made more than one mistake on Friday night but the biggest one was thinking he could walk through anything the unheralded Chris Martin had to offer. He didn’t and that’s why he lost.  Martin made mincemeat of Avalos and embarrassed Showtime’s sure fire star.

Lesson # 2: If you want to go home with the Champions belt make sure you can make weight. Martin’s victory was impressive but since he did not make the Bantamweight limit not only did he not get the belt, he was also fined 25% of his purse. Double ouch!

Lesson # 3: Don’t say you are going to be fighting for the cruiserweight title before the year is out and then put on a less than impressive opponent against a hand picked journeyman. Lateef Kayode’s trainer Freddie Roach told Showtime that his fighter would be ready for a title fight before the years end, but coming off his performance on Saturday night it’s clear Kayode is not so Wile E. and he has a lot of work to do before he faces the likes of Marco Huck or Steve Cunningham. Oh sure, Kayode disposed of Alfredo Escalera Jr. in 8 rounds but he struggled to do it and Escalera was there for the taking all night long. Kayode likes to call himself “Power” but Roach better help him get some polish as well.

Lesson # 4: Don’t play around with Glen Johnson! Tavoris Cloud thought that youth and strength was on his side but he failed to respect Johnson’s experience and ring savvy and it almost cost him the fight. Falling into Johnson’s traps Cloud found himself in a real fight and was taken the distance by “The Road Warrior”.  If Cloud pays attention he will have gained a lot of knowledge in this fight and it should serve him well in the future. If not Tavoris will not be keeping his belt for much longer.

Lesson # 5: Don’t let the night that was built around you go to your head and then lay an egg in front of your hometown fans. Devon Alexander was stretched to the limit by Andriy Kotelnik and barely eeked out a unanimous decision win. Many thought he lost to the Ukrainian fighter. With many huge fights in the Jr. Welterweight division it was Alexander’s night to prove he was the cream of the crop. Instead he showed many flaws and his place at 140 pounds is now less than secure. On the bright side his performance most likely opened some doors and fighters who were apprehensive to fight the “Great” one now may be willing to take him on.

Lesson # 6: 2 > 3. I am not sure if it’s by design or someone has been calling in sick, but as of late HBO has been going with 2 men in the announcers booth and I think it is going very well. Hopefully they are going to trash the idea of a 3 man booth from now on. Not having to hear 3 guys stumbling over each others egos is a breath of fresh air and I hope this is the status quo from now on. The only time a 3 man booth worked was on Monday Night Football when Howard, Frank and Dandy Don were entertaining us on a regular basis, after that every other attempt has been little more than a glorified circle jerk.

Bonus Lesson: Read between the Don King/Floyd Mayweather Jr. lines! I wondered all week what King and Floyd were up to but, seeing Mayweather ringside in St. Louis was a little more than a casual invite by King. I think Floyd was there on a scouting mission. That’s right, I am suggesting that King and Mayweather are planning to stage a fight with Mayweather taking on none other than Devon Alexander!  Considering Alexanders performance I think it is now very likely.

Just think about for a minute.

Alexander is an undefeated 5 foot 7 inch southpaw with blinding hand speed.  What better way is there to pass the time while waiting for Pacquiao to fight Antonio Margarito? Fighting a guy cut out of a similar mold seems logical to me.

And of course Devon is promoted by King so all the nonsense we have seen trying to get 2 promoters to see eye to eye on anything is thrown out the window.

Am I crazy or does this make perfect sense?

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo

It’s been widely reported that promoter extraordinaire Don King met with the disgruntled Floyd Mayweather Jr.  Of the meeting King said, “Floyd is here in Florida. He came to see me, I love Floyd. I think Floyd is the only marquee name out here now. We’ll see what happens….Floyd’s a great fighter. He beat Oscar De La Hoya, he beat Ricky Hatton. He beat them all. I don’t have him yet, but when he gets around to committing himself, we’ll shock the world. If it comes to pass, great. Right now, we just checkin’ out the landscape.”

What most reports skimmed over was the fact that King tipped his hand at who might be Maywethers next opponent.

Said King, “Floyd is the star. It ain’t Pacquiao that’s driving things,” he said. “I don’t care if Floyd fights Pinocchio or Betty Boop, he’s going to be the star and he’s going to make money.”

Pinocchio or Betty Boop?

Now there are the first names I have heard thrown into the Mayweather mix that finally makes sense. Not willing to fight Manny Pacquiao whether or not he goes ahead with Floyd’s drug testing demands, Boop and Pinocchio would seem to be able to pass Floyd’s litmus test with flying colors. Both are huge marquee names who would be willing to take a back seat to any Mayweather shenanigans.

You’d have to be Looney Tunes to think that King can’t find a way to put these Super Fights together.

P.S. Speaking of puppet’s on a string, is it just me or was Leonard Ellerbe conspicuous in his absence during the week long King and Mayweather meeting?

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo
Photo-Chop: Bret “The Threat”

If you have seen any old western movie then you are familiar with the character of The Snake Oil Peddler: a traveling “doctor” with dubious credentials, selling some medicine usually called Snake Oil, with boisterous marketing hype, often supported by pseudo-scientific evidence, typically bogus. To increase sales, an accomplice in the crowd (a shill) would often jump up to “attest” the value of the product in an effort to provoke buying enthusiasm.

Now fast forward to this weeks Golden Boy Los Angeles press conference to announce their September 18^th Staple Center fight card. As Oscar was introducing the card an elated Richard Schaefer jumped up to the podium to announce, “Breaking news! This event is now going to be fully supported by HBO Pay-Per-View including having their production and broadcast team. This reinforces the strength of this event!”

Say what you will, but if you are asking me that scene played out on Staples City View Terrace could have darn near been the exact script from some old “Gunsmoke” script. Now all this scene needs to be complete is a few suckers to buy some of what “The Good Doctor” is selling. If history tells us anything they will and that’s most likely why HBO was willing to put their “Seal of Approval” on this less than Championship night.

The card is headlined by an aging and beltless former Champ coming off the worst performance of his career vs. a fighter who has more in common with Jersey Shores “Snookie” than he does with the rest of the fighters on the card.

All one can really hope for is that the ticket prices of a mere $200 for a ringside seat and other seats as low as $20 will be indicative of what the price of this PPV card will be.

If that’s the case the PPV feed should be around $9.95 with Tecate paying you back twofold if you buy a case of their “Cerveza Con Carácter”.

For more boxing truth check out www.Pound4Pound.com