KO's Ringside Boxing Notes & Quotes III

Krusher Kovalev gets the last laugh in Atlantic City

By Jeffrey Freeman, KO Digest 

Boxing fans are being sold a bill of goods but the goods they're buying aren't all that good, in fact lately they've been little more than predictably uncompetitive mismatches. Some recent examples of this trend include: Sergey Kovalev 120-106 Bernard Hopkins, Manny Pacquiao 120-102 Chris Algieri, Wladimir Klitschko KO5 Kubrat Pulev, Gennady Golovkin KO2 Marco Antonio Rubio, Terence Crawford 120-108 Ray Beltran, Keith Thurman 120-107 Leonard Bundu, Amir Khan 120-108 Devon Alexander, and Adonis "Superman" Stevenson KO5 Dmitry Sukhotskiy. Boxing should be better than glorified sparring sessions. Who's to blame for these shutouts and wipeouts? Is it matchmakers, promoters, and "advisers" or the fans who willingly sop it all up with a biscuit? Not every match-up has to be a war for legacy like Marvin Hagler KO3 Thomas Hearns or Juan Manuel Marquez KTFO6 Manny Pacquiao IV but the fight game under Al Haymon's direction is getting stale and stagnant.

Judging The Judges — In order to comprehend the subtle complexities that go into the scoring of big-time professional boxing matches by judges who get paid to do their jobs, one should think in terms of the fine-tuned calibration of casino slot machine payouts and the "social game" aspects of how players are voted off the long-running CBS TV-reality show Survivor. Understand how these two elements work together to produce "favorable" results and you can almost always tell who the judges will favor in a close fight or who they will be inclined to favor to balance the scales of "justice" for boxing's powerful paymasters and well paid power brokers.

Is Mayweather looking for Pacquiao at ringside?

The Defense Rests — Boxing's artful dance is the skilful science of hit and don't get hit. More than anything besides punching the other guy's lights out if you can, pugilism is defined by defense. The avoidance of contact. Protect yourself at all times. The true craft of the Sweet Science is the manly art of self-defense. Willie "Will o' the Wisp" Pep, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, and "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom. These are the frustrating names conjured when considering the defensive masters of prizefighting. Floyd Mayweather is today's wonderful wizard of withstanding. It's his defining characteristic in fights and in choosing opponents. If there was a way to quantify how little impact Floyd has endured from boxing compared to the all-time greats who ducked and dodged damage before him, surely "Pretty Boy" would rate with the best of boxing's avoiders.

Will Mayweather fight Manny for the money? 

KO's Boxing INBOX — "Do you believe that one of Floyd's overlooked strengths is his ability to recognize pure talent and ability, and how he might deal with it? You and I both know that boxing often comes down to more than talent, ability, conditioning and athleticism. The intangible can trump all other aspects under the right circumstances. It's not something that can be put into clear terms or on paper. Might Floyd perceive this in a way most others cannot, and if so, might there be something he sees in Pacquiao that makes him hesitant to step to it for 80 million dollars? I cannot help but wonder about a guy who claims to have had "no problem" bettering Pernell Whitaker, time and again, in the gym, as an amateur (among a host of other celebrated names) yet won't clear up this outstanding business. In the purest sense, Pac is Frazier to Floyd's Ali. Can you imagine Ray Leonard opting to hand Larry Bonds a rematch rather than facing Thomas Hearns in 1981? Floyd essentially did that last September when he should have been challenging Pac or Cotto." — Mike P.

Regarding Floyd, I do believe that his timing and defensive style inside the ring are a perfect metaphor for these same traits that he exhibits outside the ring managing his career. More than just winning fights and cashing big checks, Money Mayweather sets his own schedule and so accordingly, he is not subject to the brutal whims and unavoidable cruelties that boxing can more easily inflict on lesser influential fighters. It's still a dangerous dance and Floyd does in fact risk it all every time he steps in with men like Cotto and Maidana but he's got all the "champion's advantages" consolidated and amplified in a way that make it slighter safer for him to shake his groove thing. As for Manny, I really think Mayweather "fears" him in the same way Sugar Ray "feared" the dangerous Aaron Pryor but not because he feels inferior as a fighter but rather because he is worried that Manny (like Pryor) would do anything (or put anything in his body) to win, and so that (health) risk for $80 million is avoided when there are ways to make the same purse fighting opponents who can be more easily manipulated and controlled. Coming up from flyweight to welterweight as Pacquiao did while carrying his power and riding a wave of brutal beatdowns is not only suspicious to Mayweather, it should raise eyebrows to anyone who has ever believed in so-called sports heroes like Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez. — Thanks for writing, KO.

Garcia likes good media and bad media

Light Welterweight Champion Danny "Swift" Garcia talks to KO Digest before facing Rod Salka last August: "Ratings, rankings and what people think doesn't matter. Good media is good media and bad media is still good media. As long as people are paying attention, it makes me relevant. My fans back me up no matter what. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be a world champion, face tough fighters and beat them. If you don't like it you still have to respect it."

KO's Boxing INBOX II — "Wladimir Klitschko. I am formulating him into my perception of the top all-time heavyweight kings, and he fits right in there. Head to head is always a different matter that few seem able to comprehend (versus historical significance). How do you see Klitschko (the Wlad of last month versus Kubrat Pulev) doing with prime Ali (1967), Holmes (1979) Tyson (1988) Lewis (2000) Bowe (1992) Frazier (1971) Louis (1938-1941-ish) and Marciano (title reign version) and Holyfield (1996)?" — Mike P.

Klitschko entertains with a KO of Pulev

The Wlad who destroyed Pulev in 5 is a problem for any of those heavyweights and his size has a lot to do with that but also because he has mastered the art of protecting himself, of not losing fights, and of defending the heavyweight title. Klitschko, 38, turns the idea of a "prime" on its ear. He shows that boxing is about evolving (past your novice defeats) to the point of "unbeatable" greatness if you can achieve it. Those great champions you listed all liked to fight. Wlad is a different animal. He likes to defend himself and his title. He is a chess player. Avoidance of checkmate is primary.

If Wlad defeats a few more top heavyweights and retires as champion, he's demonstrably top ten, maybe even top five, hell maybe even #1—but try telling that to biased American boxing fans (and media) who can't accept we lost the Cold War, that Rocky 4 was BS (but only because Rocky won in Russia), and that heavyweight boxing is "alive and well" and doing much better globally than it was ever doing in just America during the 70's, 80's, and 90's we all cling to as the gold standard. When Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium in New York City, know what they had there? Empty seats. They don't have those when Wladimir fights "bums" in Europe. Wlad K is indeed an all-time great, heavyweight boxing is doing better than ever, and it's America that's in decline and slipping in relevance, not the heavyweight championship of the world, that's for sure. — Thanks for writing, KO.

Chavez was vicious

Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs Fires on KO Digest Interview — "I'm active, pumped up, and fired up now more than ever. Everything happens for a reason, and you know what? I’m the Black Cinderella Man. I’m going to shock the world and get a fight with this bum Klitschko and knock his face off."

Comebacking Victor Ortiz appears to have lost his mind, declaring to the boxing media — "I want to be the pound for pound king. I know what it takes to get there. I will be one of the greats like Mayweather or Julio Cesar Chavez, I just don’t know when. I have been told by a lot of people to hang it up, but I make my own decisions and I am going to keep boxing. It's what I love to do. I never lost any confidence in myself."

Believe it when you see it

Money Mayweather Talks — "I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao. The fans and the people have been fooled. Bob Arum is the one stopping the fight. We want the fight. Let's make it happen. May 2nd. Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao, let's do it. He's not on my level. I wanna go out with a bang. Pacquiao, Arum, you guys have been ducking us for years. We're tired of you fooling the public and critics. Cinco de Mayweather!"

Undefeated American heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder addresses the notion on media conference call that his entire boxing career (32-0, 32 KO's) has been carefully choreographed — "The things I do, it makes the eyes don't believe and the mind definitely plays tricks on you. On the outside of the ring, you see one thing but on the inside of the ring it's a whole different thing, it's almost like a magic trick. It's unbelievable that how in the world does it happen like that? On January 17th, we'll see what's choreographed for sure."

WBC heavyweight champ Bermane Stiverne warns Deontay Wilder to beware of B. Ware — "I'm not an entertainer or a promoter like my opponent. It's going to be a short painful night."

KO's Ringside Boxing Notes & Quotes II

It's actually a lot harder than it looks

By Jeffrey Freeman, KO Digest

Los Manos De Las Bombas — Worcester, Massachusetts' own Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez has been cast to play the role of Roberto "The Hands of Stone" Duran in the upcoming Hollywood film "Bleed For This" about the life and boxing career of Rhode Island's Vinny "The Pazmanian Devil" Pazienza. Rodriguez recently stopped Derrick "Superman" Findley in the first round, and he made headlines last year by challenging Andre "Son of God" Ward as well as for his intimate connection to the Boston Marathon Bombing. Rodriguez broke the boxing bomber's rib in sparring before Tamerlan Tsarnaev went on to become a child murdering Islamic terrorist in 2013. Edwin's second son (of God) was born April 15, the day of the attack which killed four and maimed many more. KO Digest salutes Rodriguez for his role in the film and for his role in making Tsarnaev suffer before he died.

Heavyweight Championship Checkmate — The 2014 version of Wladimir Klitschko is the most unbeatable heavyweight champion in boxing history. American fans and their biased media don't want to hear it and it makes them upset to read it but search your feelings, you know it to be true. Dr. Steelhammer has mastered the art of defending himself and the world heavyweight title for all times.

Got Any Excuses Tonight Doctor Steelhammer? — Now that 46 year old "Malted Milk Dud of Malice" Antonio Tarver has handily defeated Johnathon Banks (TKO7) the head trainer of World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, it makes many dollars and perfect sense that the champ would now add Tarver to his American title defense schedule which tentatively includes the possibility of Bryant Jennings and Shannon Briggs. Forget all that bullshit now because "By-By" is too small, "The Cannon" is all talk, and neither one of them has beaten Klitschko's trainer into submission like Mason Dixon did last week on ESPN2. The time for Klitschko vs Tarver is upon us. Can "The Line" become boxing's oldest heavyweight champion? Will Wladimir get revenge for Mr. Banks?

KO Digest ringside photography, circa 1980

KO's Throwback Thursday: I snapped this classic picture of hometown hero Marvin Hagler in July 1980 at Brockton High School where Hagler was doing a training exhibition in the gymnasium that included some sparring with his half-brother Robbie Sims. Also in the photo (on the right) is the late Goody Petronelli. Several years later I got it autographed by the Marvelous One.

Bernard Hopkins' Alien Language — "I want the best. Hagler fought the best. Ray Leonard fought the best. The Ali's of the world, they fought the best. I'm from the era where I fought the best. That's important to me. I didn't bloom by the timing of the experts. The sweet science is not based on only one thing you can do particularly well. I don't want to be on the pound for pound list because that would make me human. You guys are all humans. I understand you but you don't understand me. I'm walking on a tightrope hundreds of feet in the air. I don't know what type of evidence I need to show I'm an alien."

"The Alien" explains to the media why he's not more popular or well loved in America for his accomplishments in boxing at age 49 — "It's because I'm black. What do you think if my name was Stern or Marciano? Don't you understand the conflict of interest?"

The face of boxing

Floyd "Money" Mayweather speaks to the international boxing media in 2012 on mandatory, random drug testing in boxing: "I'm the face of boxing. I have totally changed the sport of boxing and I'm the reason why people don't talk about heavyweights anymore. I'm doing record breaking numbers. Since I'm the face of the sport, I should always be trying to change the sport and make the sport a lot better. The best thing is to always put every man on an even playing field. Manny Pacquiao should be standing behind me and saying we should clean up the sport and that he's a clean athlete. I'm letting the world know that Floyd Mayweather is a clean athlete. Eventually random blood and urine testing will be a part of boxing, I truly believe that, and everyone will say Mayweather was the first one. I'll be a part of history and a part of cleaning up the sport."

KO's Boxing Rant — Lately, boxing looks transparently fixed. 2014 saw witness to the most obvious "dive" I've seen in 30+ years of following the sport (Wilder KO1 Scott, pure farce between good friends) and in my 4+ years covering it as a journalist. Robberies are becoming the norm not the exception. But understand one thing: bad decisions aren't "ruining" boxing. They're a key part of it, and always have been. The perpetrators are simply growing bolder in the face of diminished resistance to their shenanigans. These "results" are clear evidence of the direction the fight game is being taken by men like Al Haymon, Oscar De La Hoya, and Bob Arum. The boxing "cold war" feels hotter than ever when promotional affiliation all too often assures an unfair advantage in judge's scoring. 

The KO Digest 2014 Prediction of the Year on RingTV Ask The Experts: 

THE CALL:

Originally published on RingTV.com: "This match-up looks like a tale of two fighters going in opposite directions. The up-and-comer is David Lemieux and the prospect of him tangling with Gennady Golovkin is enticing. Gabe Rosado is a tough guy with a great chin and we all know this. But he loses the big ones, is out of his element at middleweight and the losses are piling up. Look for a competitive, high-contact, action fight. Look also for Rosado to gradually wear the effects of it on his face in the form of cuts and swelling. When it all gets too grotesque and the traffic too one-way, the referee will stop the fight in the tenth round."

King Rosado couldn't see it coming but KO did

THE RESULT:

David Lemieux TKO10 Gabe Rosado — The King was outclassing the Canadian for the first two rounds and then the brick-fisted power of Lemieux found its way home in the third. Rosado was knocked down hard from a power punch left hook to the eye and he took a long 8-count. A badly swollen Gabe Rosado came back strong in the fourth to energize the Barclays. Referee Willis took Rosado to see the doctor before the seventh began, he looked like Arturo Gatti. As it went on, Rosado boxed, Lemieux pressed. The doctor made Rosado count fingers to begin the eighth, and he actually did BETTER (more accurate) than Gatti vs Wilson Rodriguez. Sensational finish to the ninth with Rosado clipped by a left hook. More eye tests with a flashlight. One-way traffic in the tenth and that's that. The loser looked like Gatti, the winner sounded like him.

Ageless Archie battles The Rock

Age Before Beauty: Boxing's 10 Best "Old" Fighters:

Archie Moore (Oldest WORLD champion into his 40's)
Bernard Hopkins (Oldest unified ABC titlist ever, age 49)
George Foreman (Oldest World Heavyweight Champion, 45) 
Juan Manuel Marquez (Still top rated P4P today at age 41)
Roberto Duran (Beat The Blade Barkley when he was 37)  
Vitali Klitschko (Unbeatable heavyweight at 41)
Evander Holyfield (Didn't retire until he was 51) 
Joe Louis (137 years old when he fought Rocky) 
Muhammad Ali (Pulled off "miracles" in his 30's) 
Bob Fitzsimmons (Won a fight past 50 years old)    

The KO Digest Scoring & Analysis of Mauricio Herrera vs Jose Benavidez

Did Herrera get robbed again?

By Jeffrey Freeman — Hard luck junior welterweight Mauricio Herrera can't seem to catch a break or win an important fight in 2014.  Last March in Puerto Rico, Herrera (21-5, 7 KOs) was victimized by hometown scoring against Danny Garcia in a bid for Garcia's unified 140 lb championship. Herrera lost a controversial majority decision to Golden Boy's "Swift" Garcia that most ringside observers felt he deserved to win. Following that debacle, Herrera won a majority decision over Johan Perez in July. Incredibly, one of the judges, Max DeLuca, scored the Perez bout a draw when by all accounts it looked as though Herrera, 34, was a clear winner. Then last night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Herrera came up short in another key match-up, this time against Jose Benavidez, an undefeated 22-year-old prospect (22-0, 15 KOs) signed with Bob Arum's Top Rank promotions. Boxing's promotional cold war continues to thaw but in the peace process, politics still plays a big part in who gets what and when. KO Digest takes a closer look at the controversial fight, round-by-round, to determine who really won and what the fuss was all about. Was Herrera robbed again? It sure looked that way.

Round 1: Benavidez is taller and fitter than Herrera but looks can sometimes be deceiving. It's a battle of the jabs early in a feeling out round fought with a pace to set the distance between the two boxers in the ring. A snappy one-two from Herrera connects well on the dangling chin of Benavidez. Jabs to the body from Herrera land square in the breadbasket of Benavidez while the younger fighter struggled to find the target with his rangy long punches. (Herrera wins the opening round 10-9)

Round 2: Benavidez starts off the round with slap happy punches at a distance but isn't so happy when Herrera pressures him into the ropes and rakes his body. Benavidez holds on under attack and then resets the distance but can't maintain it or take advantage of it. Herrera's timing with the jab is superior and he has Benavidez covering up on the ropes from punches. Benavidez answered with a strong left hand to the body in the middle of the ring but it wasn't enough to win the round. (Herrera round 10-9)

The jab to the body was a good weapon for Herrera

Round 3: Herrera continued to press the action in the third, disrupting the ability of Benavidez to keep the fight on the outside where he wants it. A close round to call but it was Herrera who was able to do more of what he wanted to do which included a consistent attack to the body. (Herrera round 10-9)  

Round 4: The pattern of the first three rounds kept up in the fourth with Benavidez trying to control the fight on the outside with his jab and reach but Herrera simply refused to stand there and get beat. Herrera is winning the exchanges on the inside and forcing Benavidez to cover up and look uncomfortable while backing up away from a fight. (Herrera round 10-9)   

Round 5: Benavidez was having a good start to the round standing his ground and landing well but a left hook from Herrera put him right back on his bicycle or with his back on the ropes. Herrera's jab to the body was better than Benadvidez's jab to the head, a clear sign of just how well Herrera is timing his opponent and setting him up for rough stuff inside. (Herrera round 10-9)

Benavidez rallied in the sixth and seventh

Round 6: It looked like Herrera was taking the round off but Benavidez still couldn't control the action decisively from his preferred distance and it didn't take Herrera much effort at all to put Benavidez right back on the ropes where he pounded away to the body. In the last minute of the round, Benavidez started landing some solid jabs to the face that opened up Herrera for some effective follow-up flurries. (Benavidez round 10-9)

Round 7: Strong start to the round from Benavidez as he ripped Herrera with combinations in the middle of the ring before going back to the ropes where Herrera's effectiveness was apparently diminishing until late in the round when he roughed up Benavidez well. Close round to call but that's two in a row now for Benavidez. (Benavidez round 10-9)

Herrera was more effective on the inside

Round 8: Familiar pattern with Benavidez trying to box and keep the distance while Herrera puts him on the ropes to work him over.  This dynamic is clearly what Herrera would prefer to have happen and he is winning the battle of wills for position in the ring.  A looping lead right hand from Herrera landed flush to the chin and if there was any question about who won the round, that punch answered it. (Herrera round 10-9)

Round 9: Benavidez controlled the early part of the round with his jab and he ripped a left to the body. That didn't keep Herrera off him or Benavidez off the ropes. From this position, Herrera outworked Benavidez in the trenches to win another round via his dogged persistence. (Herrera round 10-9)

Round 10: Good start for Benavidez who flips the script on Herrera by punishing him along the ropes. This didn't last long and the script was flipped again back in favor of Herrera who did his best work downstairs while Benavidez languished on the ropes only throwing one punch at a time, or just a jab or two when he got off the ropes. Herrera is fighting harder, better, and more effectively. (Herrera round 10-9)

The politics of pugilism at play

Round 11: The championship rounds were deep waters for Benavidez, a prospect who had never previously gone past eight rounds. Even from the outside, Herrera was beginning to out-land Benavidez and on the inside it was no contest, all Herrera. At this point, Herrera has the Benavidez puzzle solved and he's having fun proving it. (Herrera round 10-9)

Round 12: Last stand for Benavidez who was told in the corner by his father that he needed a knockout to win. Entertaining toe-to-toe exchanges and more of the same on the ropes favor Benavidez but to an impartial observer, it looked like a case of too little, too late. (Benavidez round 10-9)

KO Digest scored the fight 117-111 (9-3) for Mauricio Herrera.

Official Scores: 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112 for Jose Benavidez.

KO's Ringside Boxing Notes & Quotes

Tim Bradley says it's a perfect time for Money vs Manny

By Jeffrey Freeman — Timothy 'Desert Storm' Bradley talks to KO Digest about the possibility of a Manny vs Money match in 2015: "I think the fight should happen. I don't know if it will. Now is the perfect time for it because Pacquiao, after suffering the loss to Marquez, the fight with Mayweather went down the drain but Manny has revamped himself with three big wins, myself included. He's still a big threat in the sport, still a top dog, and I honestly think he'll be tough for Mayweather. It's a 50-50 fight. It's the fight everybody wants to see. I think it will do over three million [PPV] buys. We gotta wait and see. It's great for boxing."

Devon Alexander Hits Close To Home — "All of St. Louis is going to be looking at me from the Ferguson situation. They're looking for something positive to come along with all of the rioting. This win is going to make them feel like they won too. You get scrutinized when you come out and say something or it's like you get punished for saying what you feel nowadays or just saying the truth. A lot of people are scared to say anything. You have to be real. You have to tell the truth. You work out the consequences later. If it's the truth and it's real, how can anybody argue with it?"

Color Blind — For me, boxing is, and always has been, a safe haven from the ugliness of racism. It's not about black or white or any other crayon in the box but even when it is about that stuff like in the promotional trash talk of a grudge match, it's OK. Nobody should get their feelings hurt. Just enjoy the show because we have thick skin and the color of it doesn't matter. We all bleed red. Look, I'm from Brockton, Massachusetts. I grew up there in the 1970's during historical periods of social integration. Growing up in a two-toned fight town, I fell in love with Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I'm better off because of the variety I experienced. It exposed me to the other side of life. Sometimes I liked it more than my side. Soon I realized there was only one side.

Thank God It's Black Friday — It's very trendy and safe right now to paint Floyd Mayweather Jr. as some kind of fighting fraud. Everybody is getting in on the act like opportunistic, bandwagon-riding lemmings. The internet is now literally awash in opinionated exposés thrown up about boxing's dirty little money maker. Distinguishing between fact and fiction is of only minor importance in the mad rush to throw Mayweather under the bus before the big fire sale ends. Whether it's having to do with his attacks on women outside of the ring, his avoidance of Manny Pacquiao inside of it, or even his status as an all-time great in the sport of pugilism, Pretty Boy's P4P & TBE reputation is under siege. There's never been a better, more opportune time to call Floyd a "coward" or worse.

Boom Boom, Big Daddy, and the Prince called to the hall

The Biggest Little City in the World — Youngstown, Ohio's Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini fought four of his last five fights in Reno, Nevada against Bobby Chacon, Livingstone Bramble, Hector "Macho" Camacho, and Greg Haugen. Mancini was recently elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York where in June 2015 he will be officially enshrined. There isn't nearly as much boxing in Reno today as there was in the glorious 1980's. They don't make em' like the "Good Son" anymore either. Mancini is a worthy inductee - one of the classiest sportsmen in boxing history. World War II Combat Vet father Lenny would be very proud of his good son.

What a Yahoo — If fight writer Kevin Iole would refuse to vote Floyd Mayweather into the IBHOF (or encourage others to do the same) based off Mayweather's perceived refusal to fight Manny Pacquiao, maybe somebody should consider taking away Iole's voting privilege because Floyd is a first ballot inductee (so is Manny) TODAY even if he never wins another boxing match and gets knocked out by Victor Ortiz in that rematch Floyd said Victor can get if he wants it. The boxing media should report on the story and not try to make themselves into one. It's understood that passions run deep and that we ALL just want to finally see the damn fight but this latest jab from Iole blurs the line between journalism and partisan fanboyism.

Are Manny and Money getting any closer?

Undisputed Truth — The two top fighters in the sport of boxing are boring. There I said it. Mayweather and Pacquiao are a collective snore. They don't knock anyone out anymore. They refuse to fight each other. They're both past their primes. The sport is full of young stars who deserve the attention forever being wasted on these fat cash cows. I'll name a few: Terence Crawford, Keith Thurman, and Gennady Golovkin. Mayweather can't even make himself all that exciting when he claims to try. The best part of his fights is when he gets hit. He doesn't grit his teeth when he fights, he doesn't challenge himself beyond our imagination, and he's certainly no Sugar Ray Leonard. TBE is still Sugar Ray Robinson. The Pac-Man is more of a fighter and history will be kinder to him but that doesn't change the fact that his fights no longer matter.

The Charlo brothers fight to stay relevant

Twin Troubles — Both Charlo brothers, Jermell and Jermall have seen high profile world title fights fall apart before their eyes. Last March, Jermall was scheduled to challenge Carlos Molina for the IBF junior middleweight title on the Canelo-Angulo PPV undercard. When Molina was arrested and jailed during fight week, the match-up was scrapped. Jermall did not get his shot and his progress has sputtered since. He now faces Lenny Bottai (who?) on the Khan-Alexander undercard, December 13. Then just recently, Jermell was scheduled to face Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade for the WBO version of the 154 lb. championship on that upcoming (ill-fated) Showtime triple-header. Andrade pulled out. Instead of getting his shot, Jermell is now stuck fighting Mario Lozano on the MGM Grand Vegas card alongside his brother.

The Master of Disaster is Dead — For the record, KO scored Manny Pacquiao vs Chris "Rocky" Algieri 119-105 in favor of "The Count of Manny Fisto" who if asked afterwards by the loser, "Hey yo Pac Man, did you give me your best," the truthful answer would have to be no. Boxing's Christ loving, compassionate cash cow strikes again but not nearly as often and as hard as he could have or should have. Did Manny "carry" Chris in China? Maybe, and so too might have Sergey Kovalev "carried" Bernard Hopkins in Atlantic City. Hurting grossly overmatched foes is bad for business and it kills future bottom lines. Anyway, Algieri won the fifth and "only" 4 of the 6 official knockdowns were worth an extra point on my card.

Algieri takes a count while Pacquiao waits

I like "The Ring" magazine and their website RingTV. That much I can confess. What I don't much like is their new "RING 100" listing of the best fighters in the world of boxing today. Creeping in at #43 is none other than Chris Algieri. The brave Long Islander is now considered to be one of the fifty best boxers in the world? That's for somebody else to judge but let's take a look at some of the names that somehow rate lower than Algieri according to the Golden Boy's Bible of Boxing: Ruslan Provodnikov (44), Demetrius Andrade (48), Vasyl Lomachenko (52), Amir Khan (53), Keith Thurman (55), Anselmo Moreno (58), Alexander Povetkin (70), Mauricio Herrera (76), Austin Trout (80), James DeGale (89), and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (98).

Respectful boxing warriors

Though overrated by the "Bible of Boxing" the New Yorker Algieri knows how to open a media conference call on Veterans Day with: "Before we get started I'd like to take a moment to pay tribute to the real warriors that are out there on this Veterans Day and give them the honor and tribute they deserve for going above and beyond in fighting for our country and our freedom." (§) KO Digest salutes Algieri's respectful patriotism.

Examining the Experts — What does it say about the expertise of today's boxing writers and media insiders when ZERO out of 21 polled by The Ring Magazine (including yours truly) picked "The Special One" Kell Brook to upset "Showtime" Shawn Porter last August? From where I write, it could mean we saw the 2014 Upset of the Year or that Uncle Roger Mayweather might be right in calling it boxing and swearing you don't know shit about it.

The Correct Spelling Be — You might not have heard of him or you might not even think he deserves a title shot against World Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis Stevenson on Dec. 19 but you and everybody else are willfully misspelling the Russian's name. It's "Dmitry Sukhotskiy" and not "Sukhotsky" without the "i" at the end as reported. Thanks to perfectionist publicist Bob Trieger for clearing it up with the challenger's promoter via passport.

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't

KO Digest Interview Flashbacks — Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko (April 2014) - "If you look at the scale of the markets, it goes up and down. In boxing it's the same. You have some times that are exciting, and some times that are less exciting. It’s always been like that. It's always been in the history of boxing that suddenly some guy just pops up and conquers."

Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs talks to KO in the November 2014 edition of "KO Digest Interview" and wait until you read what he calls Deontay Wilder — "I know people are like, “man, Shannon Briggs is nuts.” But, that’s right! That’s what it takes to become heavyweight champion of the world. Don’t think Wladimir Klitschko ain’t nuts. Don’t think Jack Johnson wasn’t nuts. Don’t think Muhammad Ali wasn’t nuts. We’re a different breed of man. Say what you want, but know one thing: I’m 42 years old, back on my feet and pursuing."

Darnell "Deezol" Boone talks to KO in the Dec. 2013 KO Digest Interview about who would win a Superman Stevenson vs Krusher Kovalev title fight at light heavyweight: "Kovalev, because he’s the more sound boxer. Both of them are strong. It’s going to be whoever lands the shot first, but I would go with Kovalev on that. They both have what it takes to knock each other out. Both of them are strong, but the thing with Adonis is he does the same thing in each fight. Paw with the jab, left. He never really mixes it up. With Kovalev, he’s throwing combinations, he’s moving, punching off angles."

Will the Son of God return in 2015?

The Great 8 — Busiest To Slowest
Linear World Champion's Activity Level

1. Roman Gonzalez (flyweight)
2. Adonis Stevenson (light heavyweight)
3. Wladimir Klitschko (heavyweight)
4. Danny Garcia (light welterweight)
5. Floyd Mayweather (welterweight)
6. Guillermo Rigondeaux (super bantamweight)
7. Miguel Cotto (middleweight)
8. Andre Ward (super middleweight)

Desert Storm: Tim Bradley knows why he lost the Manny Pacquiao rematch

Pac-Man Gets Rematch Revenge

By Jeffrey Freeman — On-again-off-again, Vegan American Timothy Bradley didn't really win the first time he faced off against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas two years ago or during their sin city rematch last April but he's moving on from that traumatic 24-round experience. "I'm glad it's over. I can't take anything away from Pacquiao," Bradley told KO Digest in promotion for his return from the defeat. Bradley is now charging head-first into a bout of dirty boxing against Argentine mauler Diego Chaves, 23-2, 19 KO's, on Dec. 13 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It's an HBO televised comeback for "Desert Storm" and he is in the right frame of mind and body for Chaves. That again includes eating meat and fish in training. "I learned a lot in the Pacquiao fights, you learn more from losing battles than from winning. I learned not to beat myself in the ring and not to be someone that I'm not. I'm going back to the drawing board, to my boxing and my speed."

Watch out for Diego's dirty tactics Tim

Bradley has also studied the videotapes and he knows that Chaves is a "very dirty fighter" who he believes, "hates getting hit to the body." Known for using his head as more than just a hat-rack, Bradley's "thinking cap" is firmly where it belongs. "I've got some dirty tricks of my own," warned Bradley, a talented technician who can brawl or box as he showed against Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez respectively. Chaves is "no slouch" according to Bradley but he's clearly a notch or two below the pound-for-pound star's recent competition. A well-prepared and well-focused Bradley should probably be able to tear Chaves apart like a hungry black bear devours a wild salmon.

But then what? Hibernation while he waits for boxing's cold war to thaw?

The California native's future options are not so clear yet but Team Bradley did float the possibility of challenging "Special One" Kell Brook for the IBF 147 lb. crown while also staying focused on the task at hand. "For this Chaves fight, I gotta do me, be me, do what got me to the top. I have to fight the best I possibly can and win the fight."

Last time out, Bradley officially lost to Pacquiao by way of a more unanimous decision and the pair went their separate ways with an air of mutual respect and understanding with regard to what actually transpired between them in two title fights. "Pacquiao is one of the true fighters, one of the greats and he'll be remembered for a long time when he retires. He's a living legend, a fantastic person in and out of the ring, much respect to him." In hindsight, Bradley, 31, makes no illusions about their controversial 2012 fight which he won by stunningly awful split decision. Unless the entire boxing world was under a collective state of mass-hypnosis, we all saw the same thing no matter the scores—Pacquiao was too much Pacquiao for Bradley to handle, and just too good for him to beat. 

"I can't worry about judges and I can't worry about decisions," Bradley wisely concluded moving forward. 

Bradley's early attack backfired against Pacquiao

And so Bradley, 31-1, 12 KO's, now looks ahead to the future while he still looks back on the past in order to learn from it. We asked the now former WBO welterweight champion to break down how and why he believes he lost the April 2014 rematch to Pacquiao. Here's what Bradley told KO Digest:   

"I went in with the mindset that I had to knock him out in order to win. That threw me off my game. The plan was to outbox Pacquiao and everybody knew it, even Pacquiao. I didn't do that. I went straight at him. I attacked him. I did have some success on attack but I could have been a lot better in the late rounds if I had taken my time and just tried to outbox him. I should have stayed true to myself and true to my abilities and I should have been all right in that ring. It should have been OK man. I got a little out of my context."