Fight Shop's Boxing Blog

May’s Predictions

fightshopmi — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:52:57 +0000

Saturday, May 1st – Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley (HBO PPV)- Welterweights- It’s a shame that this fight didn’t happen years ago, but I guess it’s better late than never. The biggest knock on ‘Money’ is that he hasn’t faced any elite welterweights, well that streak will now end. Granted Mosley is in the twilight of his career, but he’s still dangerous nonetheless. Coming off a spectacular TKO victory over Antonio Margarito, Mosley may be just what the doctor ordered to beat Floyd. He’s still lightning fast, and it’s possible he will be the hardest puncher Mayweather had ever faced. But as per usual, that power means nothing if it doesn’t land. And nobody makes punches miss better than Mayweather. I think the outcome of this one depends entirely on what Mosley decides to do. If he chooses to punch from range and outbox Floyd I don’t think he has much of a chance. If he uses pressure (albeit intelligent pressure), and gets Floyd on the ropes or in the corners I give him a very good shot at handing Floyd his first loss. I’m going strictly with my gut on this one. My Pick- Shane Mosley UD 12.

April’s Predictions

fightshopmi — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:51:54 +0000

Saturday, April 3rd – Roy Jones, Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins (Golden Boy/Square Ring PPV)- Light Heavyweights- My first reaction to this fight getting signed was ‘who cares’. But at this point in both of their careers it actually makes sense. Neither guy has shown any recent intentions of fighting any of the relevant light heavies, and it should turn out to be decent payday for both. This fight should’ve come off 15 years ago, but due to whatever myriad of excuses it never happened. It would seem as if Hopkins could be able to stop Roy, but considering Bernard has only stopped 2 fighters in the last 7 years, even with Roy Jones shaky chin we should see round 12 in this one. Whatever Roy may have left isn’t much, and hopefully this is last time we see him in the ring after a hall of fame career. My Pick: Hopkins by UD.

Saturday, April 10th – Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana (HBO)- Welterweights- After taking time off to cope with the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, Berto returns for a match up with tough Carlos Quintana. Quintana’s only two losses coming from Cotto and fluke stoppage against Paul Williams in their rematch, Quintana is a tough, solid southpaw opponent for Berto. Berto has blazing hand speed, great foot work and very good power, and should overwhelm Carlos but I don’t see him knocking Quintana out. A win should set him up against the winner of either Pacquiao/Clottey or Mayweather/Mosley. My Pick: Berto by UD.

Saturday, April 27th – Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez (HBO) – Middleweights- I had a real hard time getting my mind wrapped around this one, and it’s by far the hardest one for me to pick. Pavlik should be able to wear the smaller Martinez down and use his work rate and power to get him out in the later rounds, but Martinez is a very good counter puncher who uses angles which has been known to give Kelly fits. The other big bonus for Kelly is Sergio is very hittable (as shown in the Williams fight), and doesn’t adjust well. Originally I picked Martinez to win a decision using quickness and counter-punching but I just don’t see him keeping that up the whole fight. Look for Pavlik to wear Martinez out, and walk through most of what Sergio has to offer and take him out late. My Pick: Pavlik by TKO between rounds 10-11.
Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (HBO) – Super Middleweights- With Bute’s HBO contract keeping him out of the Super Six tournament, this is almost a tune up fight of sorts. Miranda is always a dangerous puncher, but Bute’s superior boxing ability should keep him out of danger in this one. My Pick: Bute by TKO between rounds 8-10.

Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch (SHO)- Super Middleweights- The second fight of the Super Six double header is a pretty interesting matchup. There seems to be a general consensus that Kessler may be shot, but I think he has enough left in the tank to take this one. Carl Froch will use his normal come forward pressure style which I think will suit Kessler perfectly. Kessler should be able to outbox Froch, but don’t be surprised to see Kessler hurt at some point during te fight. My Pick- Kessler by UD.

Tomasz Adamek vs. Chris Arreola (HBO)- Heavyweights- It’s pretty incredible that Adamek, who was the former light heavy weight champion, is now contending with full fledged heavy weights. It was be easy to say that with Arreolas punching power, Adamek may have bitten off more than he can chew, but Adamek has proved over and over than his chin is made of pure concrete. This is a pure pick ‘em type fight. If Arreola lands big he could knock the Pole out and be back on his way to another title shot. If Adamek uses foot speed, hand speed, and accuracy he should be able to outbox Arreola. Look for the latter to happen, as I don’t think Adamek has the power to stop Arreola. My Pick- Adamek by UD.

Upcoming Fight Schedule with Breakdown and Predictions

fightshopmi — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:07:12 +0000

There are 2 months of great fights heading our way, and it’s a perfect way to start out the spring season.

Saturday, March 6th – Devon Alexander vs. Juan Urango (HBO)- Jnr. Welterweights- Devon Alexander is on a collision course with 140 lb. kingpin Tim Bradley, but he must get past a tough test in Juan Urango first. Devon is very slick and has some good power, but the tale of this fight may be that both men are southpaws. A win here could set Alexander up for a showdown with Bradley, a stoppage would make an even bigger statement. My Pick: Alexander by UD.
Vic Darchinyan vs. Rodrigo Guerrero (SHO)- Jnr. Bantamweight- Love him or hate him, Vic Darchinyan always brings fireworks when he steps in the ring. Guerrero has a good record but has never fought outside of Mexico and hasn’t faced anywhere near the level of competition that Darchinyan has. My Pick: Darchinyan by KO, somewhere between rounds 4-6.

Saturday, March 13th – Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey (HBO PPV)- Welterweights- This fight is a product of the falling out of Mayweather/Pacquiao, but should still provide a pretty exciting match up. I think the story in this fight in Clotteys known lack of work rate which should play right into Pacquiaos high work rate. Clottey has a very tight defense so it may be hard for Manny to land early, but I see him wearing Clottey down late. My Pick: Pacquiao by UD.

Saturday, March 20th – Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers (Internet PPV)- Heavyweights-The fact that a heavyweight championship fight has no US TV outlet is an embarrassment to that division. This truly shows how weak the heavyweight drawing power is. Nonetheless, US heavyweight hopeful ‘Fast’ Eddie Chambers will take a shot at dethroning one half of the Klitschko brotherhood. Though Eddie is very quick, and a good, slick fighter, I don’t think he has enough power to really do any damage against the much bigger, and more experienced Wladimir. That being said, I don’t see Klit getting a stoppage here, but to use his machine like jab to keep Chambers at bay, while mixing a right hand here and there to keep Eddie honest. My Pick: Klitschko by UD.

Saturday, March 27th – Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham (SHO)- Super Middleweights- In the kickoff to stage 2 of the Super Six tournament, local super middleweight Andre Dirrell tries to pick up some much needed points after losing a disputed decision to Carl Froch in Stage one. Abraham will be that test, and he will give everything Dirrell can handle. Abraham is tough, with a good defense and has plenty of power. Dirrell needs to stay on his toes (which he seems to have no problem with) and safely outbox Abraham from a distance. If Dirrell ends up too close to Abraham, or in a fire fight he could meet the same fate as Jermain Taylor. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in L.A., but was recently moved to the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. This is a nice treat for Detroit fight fans as there hasn’t been a world title fight in the city in almost 10 years. This fight could go either way, it really all depends on who executes their style of fight more effectively. Dirrell has always been a ‘safety first’ type of fighter, so Abraham may find himself chasing a moving target all night. My Pick: Dirrell by SD.

Upcoming Fight Schedule with Breakdowns and Predictions

fightshopmi — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:34:00 +0000

Upcoming Fight Schedule with Breakdown and Predictions

There are 2 months of great fights heading our way, and it’s a perfect way to start out the spring season.

Saturday, April 10th – Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana (HBO)- Welterweights- After taking time off to cope with the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, Berto returns for a match up with tough Carlos Quintana. Quintana’s only two losses coming from Cotto and fluke stoppage against Paul Williams in their rematch, Quintana is a tough, solid southpaw opponent for Berto. Berto has blazing hand speed, great foot work and very good power, and should overwhelm Carlos but I don’t see him knocking Quintana out. A win should set him up against the winner of either Pacquiao/Clottey or Mayweather/Mosley. My Pick: Berto by UD.

Saturday, April 27th – Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez (HBO) – Middleweights- I had a real hard time getting my mind wrapped around this one, and it’s by far the hardest one for me to pick. Pavlik should be able to wear the smaller Martinez down and use his work rate and power to get him out in the later rounds, but Martinez is a very good counter puncher who uses angles which has been known to give Kelly fits. The other big bonus for Kelly is Sergio is very hittable (as shown in the Williams fight), and doesn’t adjust well. Originally I picked Martinez to win a decision using quickness and counter-punching but I just don’t see him keeping that up the whole fight. Look for Pavlik to wear Martinez out, and walk through most of what Sergio has to offer and take him out late. My Pick: Pavlik by TKO between rounds 10-11.
Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (HBO) – Super Middleweights- With Bute’s HBO contract keeping him out of the Super Six tournament, this is almost a tune up fight of sorts. Miranda is always a dangerous puncher, but Bute’s superior boxing ability should keep him out of danger in this one. My Pick: Bute by TKO between rounds 8-10.

Saturday, April 24th – Andre Ward vs. Allan Green (SHO)- Super Middleweights- Continuing stage two of the Super Six tourney, Andre Ward faces Jermain Taylors replacement Allan Green. Green is a very good fighter, with world class power, but Ward should prove too quick and accurate. My Pick: Ward by UD.
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch (SHO)- Super Middleweights- The second fight of the Super Six double header is a pretty interesting matchup. There seems to be a general consensus that Kessler may be shot, but I think he has enough left in the tank to take this one. Carl Froch will use his normal come forward pressure style which I think will suit Kessler perfectly. Kessler should be able to outbox Froch, but don’t be surprised to see Kessler hurt at some point during the fight. My Pick- Kessler by UD.
Tomasz Adamek vs. Chris Arreola (HBO)- Heavyweights- It’s pretty incredible that Adamek, who was the former light heavy weight champion, is now contending with full fledged heavy weights. It was be easy to say that with Arreolas punching power, Adamek may have bitten off more than he can chew, but Adamek has proved over and over than his chin is made of pure concrete. This is a pure pick ‘em type fight. If Arreola lands big he could knock the Pole out and be back on his way to another title shot. If Adamek uses foot speed, hand speed, and accuracy he should be able to outbox Arreola. Look for the latter to happen, as I don’t think Adamek has the power to stop Arreola. My Pick- Adamek by UD.

Cotto vs. Pacquiao- The Breakdown and Prediction

fightshopmi — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:14:00 +0000

We’re less than 10 days away from one of the biggest fights of the year between WBO Welterweight World Champion Miguel Cotto 34-1 (27 KO’s) and challenger Manny Pacquiao 48-3-2 (37 KO’s). In a highly anticipated match-up, here’s my take on the fight and my prediction of the outcome.
Let’s start with the champ, Cotto. He’s very obviously the bigger man in the fight, spending most of his career between 140-147 lbs. Cotto brings a lot to the table offensively. He has very respectable hand speed, big power, and a debilitating body attack. His defense is not his strong suit, but I wouldn’t call him overly hittable. Cotto is an intelligent fighter who adapts well, and he proved in his wins over Shane Mosley and Zab Judah he can negate hand speed very well. I give Cotto the advantage in almost every category against Pacquiao except hand speed and foot speed, but I think only one of these will actually be a factor. Cotto should have no problem negating Manny’s hand speed, but I think Pacquiao’s lateral movement could be the difference maker in the fight. The same lateral movement that may also negate Cotto’s brutal body attack. If Manny darts in and out like he did against Hatton and De La Hoya, it will prove extremely difficult for Cotto to put some body work in the bank for the later rounds. Cotto has proved toughness, and though he has been shaken a few times in fights, his only loss came as a stoppage against now suspended Antonio Margarito. Whether or not Margarito had tampered hands during this fight will never be known, but this is one fan who would love to see the rematch.
As for Pacquiao, he’s somewhat of a freak of a fighter. For a man who turned pro at 16 years old weighing 106 lbs. to have a fight against a legitimate welter weight is unreal. To be fighting for his 7th world title in as many weight classes has guaranteed a place in Canastota. The surprising thing about him is how well he’s brought his power up, and how well his body has handled the many wars he’s been through with Barrera, Morales, Marquez, etc. He should defiantly be showing more ring wear than he does. He possesses blazing hand speed, one punch KO power, and feet speed/lateral movement that are second to none. His offense is his defense, and that defense itself is leaky. I think Manny’s best chance in this fight is to dart in and out and use that lateral movement to make Cotto continually change angles. If he tries to go toe-to-toe this fight could end very early. Even coming off the spectacular knockout of Ricky Hatton, it’s very hard to tell if he can bring that power up yet another weight class. And Cotto’s chin is much better than Ricky’s. Manny also has never been in with someone who hits as hard or is as strong as Cotto is. Now for the prediction.
I give Manny two ways to win this fight. One, as stated before, is to use angles and movement to keep Cotto changing foot position and chase Manny around the ring. This will keep Cotto from starting a steady body attack, and may frustrate him into making a mistake. The second way will be the combo he used against Hatton (right hand, roll under). While Cotto has good defense, I don’t think his reaction time will be fast enough to prevent it. I can’t see Manny getting a stoppage, I think for him to win he has to stay moving for all 12 rounds and get a decision. That being said I think Cotto is just too big of a man. You can’t judge him on the Clottey fight because A) He was cut early and had to deal with that, and B) nobody looks good against Clottey. I don’t think Cotto’s body attack will play a role in this fight, but his ability to take away opponents hand speed, as well as walk an opponent down with constant pressure will be more than Manny can handle. I see Pacquiao starting strong but Cotto coming on late. I predict a 12 UD for Cotto, and possibly a late round stoppage. Either way I think we’re in for one unforgettable fight.
By: Ray Vipond
Have questions or want to comment on this blog? Email me @ thefightshoponline@yahoo.com

Protecting The "0"

fightshopmi — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:19:00 +0000

Why does it seem that being undefeated is the most important aspect of a fighter’s career these days? Through careful matchmaking and protection a fighter can go from pro debut, almost to world title shot, without ever really being tested or proven as a fighter. It seems after only a generation or so the importance of being undefeated has become king. There was a belief with old time trainers and fighters that your career didn’t really start until you lost. Then you really began to learn as a fighter. You learn more from losing than you do from winning. So why does it happen so often? Easy answer. Money. Promoters being, well…promoters. It’s much easier to market and sell a fighter when he’s undefeated. But we as fight fans are usually the ones who lose in the deal. You normally end up with marquee name fighters, taking on less than competitive competition, and it’s usually shoved down our throats as a “must watch” event. But at the same time, it’s our fault as fans at how quickly we turn on someone once they do lose. The most recent example I could think of is Kelly Pavlik. After beating Miranda and twice beating Jermain Taylor (which surprised many people), Pavlik had gained a lot of esteem as a dominant middleweight champion, and had earned a lot of respect from boxing fans. He entered the fight with Bernard Hopkins at 33-0, and few had Hopkins as a favorite to win. After Hopkins dominated him over a 12 round decision, Kelly all of a sudden became a bum. How? Because he lost to an all time great? If that’s the case then everyone’s a bum if they’ve lost. To give another example, there are certain fighters who are considered all time greats without argument. There is no debating their place in history or in the hall of fame. Muhammad Ali= 5 losses, Sugar Ray Robinson (by some considered the greatest fighter who ever lived) =19 losses, Sugar Ray Leonard= 3 losses, Willie Pep= 11 losses, Oscar De La Hoya= 6 losses, and the list goes on and on. What if people had given up on them after their first loss? Was their greatness tarnished by having losses on their record? The irony is that some of these losses came because they were fighting against the best, rather than avoiding fighting the best to stay undefeated. Greatness is determined by who you fought, and who you beat. Let’s not let losing get in the way of that.

THE RETURN OF FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR.

fightshopmi — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:12:00 +0000

It defines the word inevitable. You could easily see this coming. It’s like the surprise birthday party you already knew about. The wait is finally over and on May 1st, 2009 Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. announced his return the ring. First I’d like to say welcome back. Secondly… what took you so long? Or better yet, why’d you even leave in the first place?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Just the mere mentioning of his name conjures up wildly mixed emotions. Whether its love, hate, respect, or admiration, the feelings are always strong. You either love him or you hate him. But I take the high road. I ride the fence on this one. I try to look at Floyd from a rational, logical viewpoint. I try to not be clouded by his over-the-top bravado and flashiness (although he definitely makes that hard sometimes). When the announcement of his unretirement came, we learned his opponent would be Mexico’s Juan Manual Marquez. A legend in his own right, Marquez owns marquee victories over Marco Antonio Barrera, Rocky Juarez, Joel Casamayor, and Juan Diaz. He also has a SD loss and a draw to current pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao and a UD loss to Chris John. So how do you go from being ranked as the #2 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet to being called a tune-up opponent? You jump a couple weight classes and fight Floyd Mayweather. This is actually where my rational/logical assessment of Mayweather begins.

Although Mayweather’s 39-0 record is without a doubt impressive, it can almost be viewed as two separate careers. Junior welterweight and below, versus junior welterweight and above. He won his first world title as a super featherweight against Genaro Hernandez in 1998, and made successful defenses against Angel Manfredy, Carlos Rios, Justin Juuko, Carlos Gerena, Gregorio Vargas, Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, and Jesus Chavez with a non-title win over Emanuel Augustus. He then moved up to lightweight beating Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Victoriano Sosa, and Phillip N’Dou. Moving up to his third weight class as a junior welterweight, he won title fights against DeMarcus Corley, Henry Bruseles, and Arturo Gatti, with a non-title win over Sharmba Mitchell. Taking titles in yet another jump in weight class from Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir and Ricky Hatton. And of course his Junior Middleweight title win over Oscar De La Hoya. With that being said, his career as Super Lightweight and Lightweight aren’t in question, it’s his career 140 lbs. and north that I think are less than stellar.

His first fight at 140 lbs. was against DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley, which was a title eliminator and a very tough opponent. Next came another eliminator (for the WBC title) against Henry Bruseles which was barely competitive. Then his first light welterweight title against the overmatched Arturo Gatti. And then…nothing. He had one non-title fight at welterweight and never fought at 140 lbs. again. At the time the title holders of the other 3 major belts were Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Carlos Maussa. Highly ranked at the time were Kostya Tszyu, Junior Witter, and Vivian Harris. But Floyd chose to fight Corley, Bruseles, and won his only Junior Welterweight title against Arturo Gatti. It seems to indicate he took the easiest route to a world title and left the division. This is where the cherry-picking accusations begin.

As a Welterweight, he took his first title from Zab Judah (IBF), which is beyond respectable. All of his problems-in and out of the ring-considered, Zab is always a dangerous fighter, and it looked like he was really giving Floyd some problems early in the fight. Then he chose to fight Carlos Baldomir for the WBC and IBO titles. He then jumped to 154 lbs. to fight Oscar De La Hoya. Only problem with this one…from the time he fought Zab to when he fought Carlos, there were champions with other belts in Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, and Kermit Cintron. The only tough test he faced as a welterweight at that time was Judah.

For a fighter who debuted at 130 lbs. to move to 154 lbs. and beat an all-time great in Oscar De La Hoya is truly a great feat. There are many detractors who claim De La Hoya was well past his prime (and he may have been), but that doesn’t take away from this win in any way.

For his final fight before retirement Floyd fought Ricky Hatton back down at welterweight. Hatton had only fought as a welterweight previously time; a WBA title win over Luis Collazo. Two glaring problems here. One, Ricky Hatton isn’t a welterweight. Two, you still had titleholders in Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto, and Kermit Cintron; who are legit welterweights.

The term cherry-picking itself is overused but look at the roster as a whole and decide for yourself. At 140 and 147 lbs. Floyd fought DeMarcus Corley, Henry Bruseles, Arturo Gatti, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Zab Judah, and Ricky Hatton. The fighters who were either champions, or became champions during that period of time were Kostya Tszyu, Junior Witter, Carlos Maussa, Ricky Hatton (Junior Welterweight), Vivian Harris, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, and Kermit Cintron. And as he entered each division it seems he took the easiest opponent with a world title, and never intended to unify. Regardless of how people assume he would fare against these fighters isn’t relevant. You can’t tell people you would beat an opponent so it’s a waste of your time to fight them (as was done with Margarito when Floyd left $8 million on the table). You have to fight them, and you have to beat them. And hindsight is always 20/20 when an opponent you chose not to fight loses (i.e. Margarito losing to Paul Williams). It’s very easy to play I-Told-You-So. But as any educated boxing fan knows just because Fighter A beats Fighter B, and Fighter B beats Fighter C; doesn’t mean Fighter A will beat Fighter C. Paul Williams beat Margarito, Floyd didn’t. Cotto beat Mosley, Floyd didn’t. Floyd can’t TELL me he can beat Mosley, I want to SEE him do it.

Hopefully his unretirement will provide him a chance to fill these voids. Facing Juan Manuel Marquez is a really good comeback fight, and hopefully will lead to a much-anticipated showdown with Manny Pacquiao. But don’t forget that Cotto is still here. So is Williams. So is Mosley. We’ll just have to wait and see. There is no doubt that Floyd’s talent in the ring is arguably one of the pound-for-pound greatest of all time. It’s who he’s chosen to stand across from in that ring that may prevent him from being one.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

fightshopmi — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:45:00 +0000

Boxing fans are a different breed, cut from a different cloth. When all is said and done, it’s legalized violence. It requires us to enjoy something most people strive to avoid, hand-to-hand combat. Boxing challenges us to face the natural instinct of fight or flight. There was a great dialogue in the movie ‘Million Dollar Baby’ from Morgan Freeman where he said (and I paraphrase) that everything in boxing is backwards. To go left you have to go right; when most people try to get away from the pain, you have to go towards it. But as all boxing fans know, it’s more than just savagery. It’s more than just two gladiators pummeling one another into submission. Boxing is an art, The Sweet Science. It’s a thinking man’s game, where how well you can read or adapt to an opponent means just as much as how hard you hit or how fast you are. It’s the combination of muscular strength, testicular fortitude, and sheer will power.

But why do we love it so much? I for one love the individuality. You have no teammates to turn to, no timeouts, no one coming off the bench. It’s you versus him. Who’s better? Who trained harder? Who wants it more? I like that one punch can change an entire fight. Where a man can be out-boxed for 12 rounds and at the very end, land that one home-run punch. I like watching the greats when they are truly at the top of their game, adjusting to their opponent, using his strengths against him, and showing how a fight can be more like a chess match then a display of violence. I like the art of the knockout. Watching true KO artists break their opponent down, and create their own opportunities to land that one blow to turn the lights out. I like the inspirational stories of a fighter who brought himself up from nothing, and through hard work and determination made himself world champion. In the end I think it’s different for everybody. I became a boxing fan many years ago from watching Roy Jones Jr. It didn’t take long for me to become a hardcore fan, rarely missing a televised or local live fight. Whatever got you into boxing, we all come together for the same reason. It’s the sport we’ve grown to love so much. And in the end…it’s for the love of the game. - Raymond Vipond