Add One More To The List!

Not only did Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KO) make his latest opponent Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20KO) look like a punching bag with arms -which were hardly used- last Saturday night but he also defended his WBO welterweight title for the first time. Along with the successful defense, Pacquiao’s popularity along with Top Rank’s Bob Arum’s promotional know-how stuffed over 50,000 fans into Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, for the first bout to be waged inside the what is soon to be declared as one of the eight wonders of the world.

But Pacquiao did much more than that. He set unofficial records for the largest entourage seen since the G.O.A.T. Muhammad Ali last fought, reportedly at 140 followers strong and his dog, “Pacman”. Pacquiao’s entourage was so large that he had to charter his own private yet to fly them from Los Angeles.

Should We Be Excited Over Pacquiao-Clottey?

With the super fight between Filipino comet Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38KO) and Ghana tough guy Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20KO) looming on the horizon on March 13th, why aren’t I more excited? Surely Clottey, who has only been defeated twice and disqualified once, is a more than a formidable foe. Besides his disqulification in ‘99 for a low blow in bout versus former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir, Clottey has only lost very close decisions to two other former champions, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

Is my lack of enthusiasm a symptom of thinking the winner of the bout is a foregone conclusion?

I don’t think so. If anything, I think Clottey is a very tough opponent who has not really displayed a sure strategy to beat him. A strong natural welterweight with a concrete chin, I have often said when asked that he might be a more difficult out for Pacquiao that Cotto was.

Monterrey Dreamin’!

A little over a week ago, I had the pleasure in to traveling to Monterrey, MX, to sit ringside for Tijuana’s Antonio DeMarco’s challenge of WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero at the Arena Monterrey. Unfortunately, DeMarco’s bid to become a full-fledged champion was not to be and he was stopped after the ninth round when his trainer, Romulo Quirarte, prevented him from answering the bell for the tenth.

Despite DeMarco coming up short, my stay in the “City of Mountains” was enjoyable. Following is my diary for my time in Monterrey:

Thursday, February 4th

9:30am-Left my house. Had to walk a couple of blocks to get a taxi. Seemed like a good idea when I thought of it but now with my carry-on bag and my computer satchel filled to the brim, not so much.

The “Real Deal!”

It is always a pleasure to watch a prize fight with fans that enjoy the sweet science as much as you do. Most of the time, when somebody is as crazy as I am and devote so much time to the sport where two grown men in satin shorts fight for a purse, you end up being the in-house “expert” of the bunch and are relegated to question after question about the random idiosyncracies of the fighters, corners, judges and referee. When you watch the fight with people who are as insane as you, then you discuss footwork, combination and the random idiosyncracies of the fighters, corners, judges and referee.

Do We Need to See Margarito-Cotto II?

This past Sunday, it was exactly one year since Tijuana’s Antonio Margarito was caught with illegal hand wraps prior to his WBA championship bout against veteran “Sugar” Shane Mosley at Los Angeles, CA’s Staple Center.

That night was to be the official coming out party of Mexico’s newest star but instead it dealt Margarito a one year suspension of his boxing license weeks later when he faced the California State Athletic Comission along with his trainer Javier Capetillo. Since then, Margarito has laid low, not making any appearances which he was known for in southern California or in his hometown of Tijuana.

Now Bob Arum, President of Top Rank and Margarito’s promoter, has announced that the “Tijuana Tornado” will be touching down in the semi-main event of the Pacquiao-Clottey mega fight at Cowbody Stadium in Dallas, TX, on March 13th. His opponent will be the unheralded Carson Jones (24-7-1, 15KO) who has vowed to punish Margarito (37-6, 27KO) for his past transgressions.

My Two Cents!

After Thomas Hauser posted his great piece on steroids, their place in boxing and the collapse of Mayweather-Pacquiao on MaxBoxing.com, it isn’t a surprise that there really isn’t much more to say about the botched fight between both claimants for the pound for pound king title. (To read Hauser’s piece, please click HERE).

Despite Hauser’s thorough piece, I feel compelled to throw in my two cents. If I didn’t, then I would be a boxing writer, would I?

I, like many, began clamoring for the proposed bout between “Money” an “Pacman” as soon as Cotto touched the canvas for the first time in his losing effort against the Filipino Firestorm. The fact that negotiating talks began so soon after actually left me shocked. What really boggled my mind was the ease in which both sides, Bob Arum of Top Rank soliciting for Pacquiao while Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions did for Mayweather, reached agreements in the purse split, the billing and even the penalty for going over the contracted weight (Ten million dollars per pound or fraction there of).

“Terrible’s” Perfect Night!

Since Manny Pacquiao’s near perfect destruction Miguel Cotto last month to capture his seventh world title in as many weight division, a considerable amount of attention has been given in Mexico to the last man to beat the Filipino sensation almost five years ago, Tijuana’s own Erik “Terrible” Morales. Just last Saturday, the second largest television network in Mexico, Azteca, broadcast the first of the three encounters between the two warriors which was held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV, on March 19th, 2005.
 
After twelve hard rounds, Morales (48-6, 34KO) was awarded a unanimous decision with scores of 115-113 three times.
 
The brawl began in typical Pacquiao fashion as the southpaw darted in and out of the reach of the taller Morales. The difference this night from his fight with both Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, is that Morales was not afraid to go after the Filipino after Pacquiao was able to score three, four and even five punch combinations.  In the true Morales style, “Terrible” went after Pacquaio throwing at times wild but successful punches until he was satisfied that the assault that Pacquiao had just landed on him was forgotten by the packed house of the Grand Arena and hopefully by the three ringside judges.
 
Much has been said about the cut that Pacquiao suffered over his right eye in the middle rounds from an unintentional head butt which as the fight went into the later rounds, only got worse.  Freddie Roach states at the time that he believed that the outcome would have been much different if the “Pacman” had not suffered the cut.  These two men were in a prize fight not a tea party so intentional and unintentional head butts and their effects, cuts, happen in boxing so Roach’s argument only attempts to take something away from the Morales victory.
 
It is true that Pacquiao began to fight differently because of the cut and Morales began to take more control of the bout and took his aggressiveness up a notch but that can be attributed to the ebb and flow of the match and very easily the cut could have been on Morales’ brow instead of Pacquiao’s. 
 
By the twelfth and final round, Morales was in such control of the action that he switched over to southpaw and decided to exchange with the tough Filipino and nearly got knocked out when Pacquiao landed a series of flush hard shots to the head of Morales.  When questioned by HBO’s Larry Merchant why he decided to risk his perfect fight in the last round he answered: “Did you enjoy it? That’s why.”
 
Although Morales had great nights in his illustrious career in which he captured four titles in three weight divisions and beat fifteen world champions, it would be hard pressed to find a greater night than this one when seen in hindsight.
 
Since that March night, the current pound for pound #1 fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao, has not tasted defeat again and has gone to become quite possible the most popular fighter of the new millennium and hands down the greatest Asian fighter of all time while Morales never won another bout, dropping the rematch to Pacquiao via TKO in ten rounds ten months later and in the rubber match, he also was stopped in four rounds near the end of 2006.  Before Morales-Pacquiao II, Morales moved up to lightweight and lost to unheralded Zahir Raheem and in his last bout, also at lightweight, Morales fought valiantly in his challenge for the WBC belt but was beaten by David Diaz in 2007. 
 
It is needless to say what this win over the “Mexecutioner” as Pacquaio is known means to Mexican boxing fans.  As Don Antonio, a co-worker and life long boxing fan who lives not far from Tijuana’s Zona Norte, the very neighborhood where Morales grew up and learned how to fight, stated after catching the replay on Azteca Mexico:”I know how the fight ends but I can’t help to get excited when Morales starts throwing trancazos…”
 
Morales has mentioned that he would fight again this year (2009) if not the next (2010).  It is hard to believe that the man I occasionally see at Tijuana boxing events is the same man who handed Pacquiao his last defeat.  It is harder to believe that he will fight again…

Manny Vs. “Money”!

This. Fight. Needs. To. Happen!

After Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico to earn his astonishing seventh title in as many divisions last Saturday night in Las Vegas, NV, making him the first fighter in history to reach that feat, the over 17,000 fight fans in attendance at the MGM Grand instantaneously began to chant “We want Floyd!” over and over in hopes that the phrase will reach the heavens and and in turn, the boxing gods.

No explanation of which “Floyd” the rabid pack of boxing aficionados were calling for.  The former recognized pound for pound champion, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr (40-0, 25KO) is coming off a lopsided twelve round decision over three time world champion Juan Manuel Marquez last September.  Just four days after the mega fight between Pacquiao and Cotto, hundreds of opinions and comments have been posted through out the internet.  As expected, Mayweather is stating his case of what the fight means to him and his well protected legacy.

Tijuana is a Fight Town! Part 3

In the last two editions of In the Squared Circle, we explored the career beginnings of Gaspar “Indio” Ortega as well as his trip to New York City which made him a star. In this third and final installment, Ortega shares his memories of his greatest fights…

In 1956, Ortega fought in his first of many wars with who many consider one of the best fighters of his era, Tony DeMarco (no relation to the current interim WBC lightweight champion). in November, Ortega defeated the DeMarco with a split decision in ten rounds. A month later, Ortega repeated the win with another split decision after dropping DeMarco in the first. Surprisingly, in February of the following year, they fought a third time but this time in DeMarco’s hometown of Boston where Ortega, not as surprising, was on the losing end of a unanimous decision.

Tijuana is a Fight Town Part 2

Before Tijuana boasted of the stars Raul “JIbaro” Perez, Erik “Terrible” Morales and Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito among its boxing galaxy, the border town was the home for Gaspar “Indio” Ortega, who in his prime in the late 50’s and early 60’s, fought numerous times in the cathedral of boxing, Madison Square Garden.

In the last installment of ”In the Squared Circle:Tijuana is a Fight Town!”, we visited the story of Ortega’s beginnings in the sport.  Now, we dwelve into his journey accross the border and into boxing immortality.

Ortega was discovered by southern California scout Nick Corby who put out the word that promoters in the United States and especially in New York City where searching for rugged, tough Mexican fighters to send up north.  By that time, Ortega had been retired for about four months after securing a job at a cobbler’s shop.

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