Boxing News: Mayweather vs.Pacquiao?

Most Marketable Fighters in Boxing History
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Floyd, Pac-Man Exchange Twitter Jabs
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Mayweather's Act Getting Old?
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Hottest Boxing Storylines for This Week
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 Keith Thurman Wants to Face Maidana in 2015
BoxingScene.com

Pacquiao: Mayweather Should Fear God
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 David Tua Hints at 2015 Ring Return
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The Opinion

The biggest news of the week is Canelo Alvarez leaving Showtime for HBO. It was reported by the Bleacher Report that Alvarez wants to fight Miguel Cotto on Floyd's May fight date. If this is true it is HBO and Canelo taking a shot at Floyd. He could have the last laugh if he signs to fight Manny Pacquiao on that date. Nobody watching boxing would be tuned into HBO. 

Keith Thurman wants to fight Maidana in 2015. I think that would be a good choice for him, but he needs to do it early in 2015. Somewhere around February would be the right time. Thurman's injury has had him inactive, and now that he's healed he needs to get back in the ring. He's one of the best young prospects out there right now. He needs to be seen. 

In the end I hope Floyd gives Thurman a shot. The only fights I really want to see Mayweather fight are Thurman and Pacquiao. If he can beat the two of them then he'd have cleaned out the division. I don't think there is anyone else who could beat him. If he fight's Khan next I doubt I'll buy that fight.    

Legendary Fights: Ali vs. Frazier 1

Fight of the Century

   

On March 8th 1971 Muhammad Ali would meet Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship of the world. This was back when everyone recognized who the champion was. Only most people felt that Joe Frazier wasn't the real champion. Muhammad Ali had not only been champion, but he'd been a charismatic champion that really captivated boxing fans. He was quick with his feet and hands, but it may have been his mouth that made him the most entertaining fighter of all time. It was also his mouth that made Joe Frazier want to kill him. 

Muhammad Ali had won two fights in a row in his comeback. He looked good against Jerry Quarry, but he hadn't looked as good in the second fight against Oscar Bonavina. Joe wanted to fight Ali, but he wanted Muhammad Ali to prove he could still fight after the layoff. Frazier was pissed at Ali for calling him names like "Uncle Tom". The fight was growing and by the time it took place it was huge. The two men would fight two more times, but this was the fight of the century. The first fight was to see who was the real champion. 

The Fight

 Ali entered the fight with a 31-0 record, and Frazier entered the fight with a 26-0 record. Both men had already proved they were champions. Joe didn't feel he was respected as the champ. Ali had left three years prior as champ and felt like he still was. They both felt as if there was something to prove. Joe was angry and was looking to kill Ali. Muhammad had pride and America had turned on the great champion, and he wanted to prove to them all that he was the greatest. 

The three year layoff started the second half of Muhammad Ali. In the first and second rounds Ali was moving well and really boxing Frazier. It was better than he'd looked in the two bouts prior, but that wasn't Cassius Clay anymore.  

Joe Frazier was finally getting the chance to pay Ali back for all the hurtful things he'd said. Although Frazier lost the first two round he kept moving in for the kill. At on point he'd been rocked by Ali, but he didn't go down and he didn't retreat. 

In the third round both fighters got off some big shots. It was Joe Frazier who landed the hardest punches. Ali hit him with some clean shots, as Joe continued to move forward. He took more shots than Ali, but when he went to the body his were more effective. Frazier landed the best punch of the fight up to that point, and he won round three. 

Ali punched Joe with everything he had. If you were scoring punches Ali had easily out scored him in the fourth round. However, Frazier hit him with some shots in the later part of the round that would have dropped most any other fighter. I think he had Ali stunned real good during the last minute of the round. I gave the round to Joe for the more damaging punches. 

The round started with Ali working Frazier with some clean damaging shots, and Frazier walked into quite a few of them. Early in the round Ali had bounce in his movement, but Joe hit him with some hooks that took the bounce out of him. In the later part of the round Ali was fighting flat footed and arm punching just to keep Frazier off of him. I thought Ali outpointed him and took the round.

Both fighters looked tired in the sixth round. Frazier still moving forward and Ali still hitting him on the way in and the way out. The round was tough to call Frazier was the aggressor, but Ali landed more punches. They were not all hard punches and were meant to keep Joe on the outside. Frazier got in on him but never landed anything of real significance. Ali won round six.

In the seventh round Joe Frazier hit Ali with some good shots, and I felt Ali lost the round in the second minute and a half as he'd done several times. It seemed that Ali was trying to rest toward the end of those rounds, yet Frazier remained steady and strong. He managed to land a couple of solid left hooks that probably won him the round. 

The crowd was chanting Ali as the eighth round started. This might be the round that Ali created the rope-a-dope. The announcers said at the end of the round that Ali looked tired, and that may have been the case, but he was letting Frazier swing away. Ali defended himself fairly well, but Joe Frazier beat him that round. 

Muhammad Ali seemed to catch his second wind. Joe Frazier continued to go to the body and seemed to be hurting him. Ali had his best round since the first round of the fight. It appeared that Ali hurt Frazier in the last minute of the ninth round. Ali had landed more punches and did more damage: Ali wins round nine. 

The tenth round was an Ali round. Frazier threw some more powerful hooks to the body, but Ali was the more effective fighter. He kept Joe on the outside and outpointed him throughout the round. It wasn't the most active round of the fight. Ali just won the round by punching more and maintaining a solid attack. 

The eleventh round looked a lot like the one before it, but in the last minute of the round Joe caught Ali and rocked him good. As you watch the fight it's clear Ali is hurt. He starts playing at the same time to make it seem that's what he'd been doing. Frazier didn't know if he was really hurt. It was clear to anyone watching that he was badly hurt. Joe Frazier won round 11. 

Joe Frazier came out aggressively in round twelve. He landed the harder and more effective punches. Ali landed some punches too, but none were power punches and they did no damage to Frazier. The round was all Joe Frazier. 

Round thirteen started with Ali outpointing Joe. Around the middle of the round Joe had landed some hard body shots, and then it turned into a brawl. Both men were just throwing punches. Ali outpointed Joe. The thirteenth round went to Muhammad Ali. 

It was clear in the fourteenth round that both fighters were very tired. Frazier was forcing his way in. The bobbing and weaving was gone. As he shoved his way in Ali punished him. Frazier landed some real g6ood shots, but Ali took the round. 

Round 15 - The Final Round. 

Frazier came out after Ali. It seemed he knew that Ali was exhausted, because he pressured Ali and when Ali punched to keep him off it happened. Joe Frazier knocked Muhammad Ali to the canvas. It was the kind of punch that could kill a man. Ali immediately jumped up but still had to take the eight count. 

Frazier wanted the knock out. He'd put his opponent on the floor and wanted to do it again. His attack was relentless, and he once again hit Ali with another powerful hook to the face. Ali took a beating but did not hit the floor again. There was no doubt in my mind that Joe Frazier won the fight, but Ali proved that he could take just as much as he could give. I think he took the fight too soon after coming back, but he had fought two fights prior. If he'd been able to maintain the footwork he might have won. Muhammad Ali wasn't Cassius Clay anymore. 

Muhammad Ali was not done. The footwork he once had was never again what it had been, but he still had faster hands and more ring intelligence than anyone he faced. Ali always came into fights in the best physical condition possible. Ali could easily fight for fifteen rounds. He would fight Joe Frazier two more times in his career and he won both fights. He would even shock the world again by beating George Foreman. 

Joe Frazier beat Ali to retain his title. He would defend it two more times before losing it. He'd run into Big George Foreman. Foreman had later said that he was afraid of Joe going into the fight. That's not as uncommon as it sounds. Most fighters enter the ring with some level of fear, but Joe Frazier would have scared anyone. He only lost to two fighters during his professional boxing career. Joe lost two fights to Foreman and two fights to Muhammad Ali.

The Fight of the Century

  

The Aftermath 

 Joe Frazier never forgot what Muhammad Ali said about him. Ali called him an Uncle Tom and I think that is what hurt him the most. White men did invest in Frazier's career, but he didn't have white people in his corner. However, Ali's head trainer Angelo Dundee was white. It appeared to me that Ali saw a man who was more black than him when he looked at Frazier. That was a fact based purely on where the two men were raised and came from. The things he said about Joe were very hurtful, and Joe wasn't a trash talker and instead of firing back he simply held a lifelong grudge. 

Ali had always said he was just promoting the fight. The fact that the two men were guaranteed two and a half million dollars meant the fight didn't need to be promoted. The two of them were recognizable champions, and neither had ever been defeated. This thing would sell itself. Muhammad went at him with mental warfare because he knew how tough Joe was physically. He wanted to create an advantage for himself, and he just might have succeeded in doing so. 

There were several factors that I believe went into creating two more fights. Ali realized how easy Joe was to hit. Not all fighters could catch Joe like Ali could. Frazier's defensive moves are real good. Ali just had lighting fast hands, and he could catch Frazier like no other fighter. Joe would have fought Ali a hundred times. He did not like him and would have faced him anywhere any time. It's not a joke to say that Joe wanted to kill him in the ring. In Manilla he almost did. These two men will be remembered for their trilogy in the ring, but it's the things that happened outside the ring that created three wars.  




  

Mayweather Dominates Maidana in Rematch

Floyd Mayweather is Not the Fighter He Once Was.

It was clear from the opening bell that Maidana wasn't beating Mayweather. He didn't attack Floyd the way he had before. Maidana tried to outbox a fighter with more hand speed and accuracy. His best chance to win was by mugging the better boxer and beating the hell out of him when he was cornered. When Mayweather felt his back against the ropes he quickly moved out of there. That is when he really threw his hands knowing Maidana was coming in on him. Floyd did what he needed to do in order to win, but as I watched him beat Maidana I could tell Floyd's skills were diminishing. It was clear that Mayweather is not the fighter he once was. He dominated the fight, but a B-level fighter like Maidana made Floyd look beatable.

Showtime's Brian Kenny was interviewing two fighters who hope to get the next shot at Mayweather. Keith Thurman and Amir Khan want to fight Floyd next. After the fight there was mention of the Pacquiao fight. We all know Floyd doesn't want to fight Pac-Man, but he owes one of these three men a shot in May. If he doesn't fight Thurman or Pacquiao I probably won't be purchasing the fight. I do believe that Khan could put up a good fight, but I think the other two could realistically beat Floyd Mayweather.



Mayweather Dominates Rematch vs. Maidana

I thought Floyd dominated the hard hitting brawler, but why Maidana tried to box with Mayweather is beyond me. Instead of doing more of what made the first fight interesting, Maidana chose to box with a better boxer. Floyd made all the right adjustments. Maidana wasn't able to box with him and couldn't get him cornered like he did in the first fight. If the first fight had gone this way nobody would have been calling for a rematch.


Mayweather Claims Maidana Bit Him

I'm not really sure if he bit him or not, but Floyd kept holding him and putting him in headlocks. After the fight Floyd was favoring the hand and showing it to anyone who'd look at it. He said Maidana had bit the tip of his finger. If Maidana bit the fat part of the boxing glove with a mouthpiece in, well I really don't care. In all honesty it made Floyd look bad carrying on the way he did.


Full Round-by-Round Analysis 

There wasn't that much to analyze. In my opinion Floyd won 10 of 12 rounds. There were only four rounds that were even close. I split those four rounds between them.


Floyd: 'We'll See What Future Holds' for Pacquiao Fight

In other words, he doesn't want to fight Pacquiao. At this point I've given up on a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight. Floyd doesn't want to fight him. It's really that simple, because Pacquiao allegedly needs the money, and we all know about the two losses he's taken, so why would he not want it? Floyd says he has two fights left, and those two fights should be Pacquiao and Thurman. If he beats those two on his way out he would have to be considered top 5 all time. Without those two fights he won't be remember favorably. He'll be remembered for being a money maker who never fought the best fighters out there.


Amir Calls Out Floyd: 'Is He Afraid of the Speed?'

Amir Khan does have hand speed. However he has nothing after that. He would be a different challenge than Maidana, but no tougher to overcome. Khan is a grade B fighter with hand speed. This is probably the next fight Mayweather makes, because he doesn't want to have to face Thurman or Pacquiao.

 
Floyd: 'I Give Myself a C or C-, I'm Better Than That'

At one point in time he was better than that, but even in a dominating win I could see his skills diminishing. His legs carried him to victory over Marcos Maidana, but what would have happened with a better fighter? His defense didn't look as good as normal and he wasn't able to fire off a shot every time he needed to. He said he was going for a knockout, but he never got close to that. Maidana would have been better off to fight him the way he did the first time. It was more effective than trying to box with Floyd.

 
What Is Floyd's Legacy Now After 47-0?

Floyd Mayweather won't be remembered as highly as he thinks of himself. He never really fought the best fighters when they were at their best. According to Mayweather he'll fight twice in 2015 and then retire. If he can win the next two fights he'd tie Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record. It's impressive to remain unbeaten for an entire career, but it's also impressive to have battled the best regardless of the outcome. The heavyweight division was not loaded during Marciano's time, and even though he retired undefeated he isn't remembered as the best heavyweight ever. Mayweather fought in a loaded lightweight division and also in a loaded junior and welterweight division. He's taken guys on at 154, but not the best fighters at that weight. The best thing he could do is fight Thurman and Pacquiao as he retires. He would be remembered differently by just taking those two fights.


Is the Money Show No Longer Fun?

I enjoy watching talented boxers fight. I enjoy watching Mayweather fight. There are three fights out there for Mayweather, and if he doesn't fight Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao, or Amir Khan next, well I won't be purchasing the fight with whoever he chooses. I'm not 100% sure I'd buy a fight with Khan. If he wants to be remembered as the best ever he needs Thurman and Pacquiao next.

Mayweather has said he's carried boxing through rough times and he has to a degree. Boxing is pricing itself out of relevance. ABC's Wild World of Sports made boxing popular during the late sixties into the early eighties. In the era of Mike Tyson pay-per-view was created and that started the slow death of boxing. Mayweather has captivated Boxing fans with his speed and skill, and he's used the sport and the pay-per-view format to become rich. I'm not so sure Mayweather has helped boxing overcome the problems that are killing it, but he's made billions off of what's there.

Boxing is headed for tough times after Mayweather. They will be forced to make changes to the current product. The best rarely fight the best and they charge on pay-per-view to see it. The current format is not sustainable and has only survived this long because of Mayweather.

Mayweather vs. Maidana 2

 

The last fight was hard to call because Maidana was always busy. It appeared to be closer than it was because Mayweather took  more abuse than usual. Through it all he still landed more clean punches than Maidana. If this fight picks up where the first one left off then we're in for a battle. Mayweather saw something in Maidana that he feels like he can exploit this time around. I have a feeling it's Maidana's long looping punches. Maidana knows he pressured Floyd and made him uncomfortable. He also knows if he can turn it up a notch or two Mayweather won't be able to handle it. 

If either fighter had more to give than they did last time, I'd say that's Mayweather. With that being said I thought Mayweather would make adjustments the first time around, but he was unable to or just never did. Everyone thinks Mayweather figured Maidana out and that he'll beat him more easily. What was there to figure out? Maidana came at him with relentless aggression. He's faced fighters like Maidana before, so why was it different with Chino? Mayweather doesn't have to prove he can take shots. He's said many times before that it's about hitting and not getting hit. It's hard for me to believe that he intentionally let one of the hardest punchers pound on him. 

Maidana appeared to fight his fight, but with a much higher punch output. I don't really think there is much he can do differently this time around. He is a hard hitting brawler. Maybe he worked on his stamina and his hand speed. His punches were wild at times and he needs to be more accurate this time around. Floyd could beat him the same way he did before. Floyd has faster hands and he could counter Maidana all night long. He's a well conditioned fighter and easily goes twelve rounds. I think Floyd will have better footwork this time. He doesn't have to take the punishment he did in the first fight. With better ring movement he could keep Maidana right where he wants him. Floyd knows he going to come at him aggressively, and he knows that will give him enough countering opportunities to win the fight. If he keeps Maidana outside, and uses good angles to outbox him, he won't lose. 

Mayweather said he isn't going to make any adjustments. I think he's lying, but if he fights Maidana the same way he did before he could lose. Maidana said Mayweather didn't punch hard. Maidana is going to come after Mayweather with relentless aggression. It will not be a good idea to sit back and try to pick him off. That was the fight he fought before. I don't think Floyd will fight him that way again. His footwork is too good, but lately he hasn't taken on guys who made him use it. Floyd knew after the first fight was over that he should have moved more. He should have moved Maidana where he wanted him. Mayweather took more abuse than he had to.

Maidana wants Floyd to fight the same fight. That isn't going to be the fight that Floyd fights. He will move and try to open him up. Maidana throws the long looping power shots, and Floyd saw that he could get inside of them. I don't think he saw during the fight, but I know he watched the fight again regardless of what he says, and he knows he should have had better movement and angles. Maybe the ring movement isn't what it once was. Muhammad Ali didn't move around so much in the second half of his career, and he won entertaining fights. I think Floyd still has the footwork to move Maidana around. I think he'll need to if he expects to win.

Prediction

I can either assume that Floyd is going to fight Maidana the way he did before, or move a little more and not take the abuse he did in the first fight. He couldn't possibly enjoy being hit that much, so I expect him to move around and set up clean hard punches. Mayweather wants to knock him out. I don't think he can, but he's proved that he can outpoint him while taking punishment. Mayweather might go defensive early, but when Maidana runs out of steam Mayweather will open up on him. He might fight him exactly the way he did before. I don't guess it really matters, because Maidana will have to knock him out to win. 

Mayweather by unanimous decision.

  

Adrien Broner vs. Emmanuel Taylor

Adrien Broner is going to take on up and coming Emmanuel Taylor. Most boxing fans want to know why? He's already had a tune up fight against Carlos Molina. There really is no reason he should be fighting Emmanuel Taylor. In the biggest fight of his career Taylor lost a unanimous decision to Chris Algieri on ESPN Friday Night Fights. He lost the fight in Algieri's hometown, and now he's fighting Broner in his hometown.

Taylor rebounded from the loss to Algieri with a win over Karim Mayfield. In my opinion Taylor hasn't beaten anyone to earn a fight with Adrien Broner. He's 18-2 and clearly a fighter trying to work his way up the ranks. Broner should be fighting other big name fighters. I don't understand why he hasn't gone after Danny Garcia. I know for a fact that Keith Thurman wanted/wants to fight him. Broner says he wants a rematch with Maidana, but I seriously doubt that he does.


Prediction

 I don't know much about Emmanuel Taylor. The only fight I've seen him in was against Algieri. I'm not sure that Broner is better than Algieri, but I do think he's better than Taylor. He thinks he's better than Taylor too, or he wouldn't be picking him out of obscurity to fight him in his hometown. Broner says he wants to give his hometown fans a knockout, but...I have him winning a unanimous decision. 

Legendary Fights: Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas

February 11, 1990

Buster was a 42-1 underdog. There was no reason he shouldn't have been. His heart had been questioned as he'd seemingly given up in several fights. Everyone had said he recommitted himself and he'd won six fights in a row going into his bout with Tyson.

Nobody seriously thought Buster could win the fight. It wasn't just because he'd given up in previous fights, or because he'd never looked like an elite fighter. Nobody thought he could win because he was fighting Iron Mike Tyson. In the fight poster above you can not only tell that is Mike Tyson, but it's a nice piece of artwork of him. The opponent doesn't even look like Buster Douglas. It didn't really matter because Douglas was just another victim.

Tyson's camp had admitted that he hadn't been training. I thought he looked to be in pretty good shape, but there were comments from the experts saying he didn't appear to be. Tyson had replaced the corner that had gotten him to the top. Don King replaced the crew from Catskill with an unproven and unknown corner. They didn't even have the tools to work on Tyson. Late in the fight when Mike's eye was swelling they had nothing to work with. They were so sure of victory that they didn't bring the proper equipment.

Buster's mother had died just 23 days before the fight. If Buster had quit and taken the out in this fight nobody would have blamed him or even cared, but he didn't want out of the fight and used it for motivation. "This one was for my Mother." Buster said. It was clear from the opening bell that Douglas intended on winning. He was not just trying to just hang around or put up a good fight. He wanted to be the first person to beat Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson didn't look good and Buster looked as good as he'd ever looked. Buster was moving and had good spring in his step.Tyson looked slow and he was trying to land the one big punch. As Buster poured straight shots right down the middle, Tyson had a high guard but the head movement was not there. The sharp quick movements of the Peek-a-Boo were gone. He moved lethargically around the ring trying to hit Buster with the single knockout blow. Buster kept the right distance and wrapped Tyson up on the inside.

When Tyson dropped the first two rounds the ringside commentators were shocked, but there was still the feeling that Tyson could turn it around. As the fight moved on Buster was becoming more relaxed and confident. He seemed to be getting stronger as the fight went on. Tyson seemed to be getting slower and had lost all upper body movement. He was a target and Buster was picking him off from the right distance. In the eighth round Tyson dropped Douglas at the end of the round. Buster beat the count. The referee quit counting several times to look around for Tyson. He was down for a count of thirteen or fourteen. The round ended as Buster got up from the canvas.

In the ninth round Tyson came out throwing some hard shots. He was hoping to catch Douglas while he might still be trying to collect himself. Buster would show that his head was clear when he started throwing hard combinations of his own. He took control of the round and had Tyson in trouble and against the ropes. with 0: 48 left in the round it wasn't clear that Mike Tyson would get out of there on his feet. He managed to stay upright for the rest of the ninth round, but the tenth round was something different all together.

In the tenth round Buster came out swinging. He hit Tyson with some shots that could have knocked his head off his shoulders. Then he landed an uppercut that ripped his head upward violently. That was the beginning of the end. Mike Tyson was out on his feet. Buster poured it on left after right until Tyson was on the floor. I think Buster knew he wasn't getting up. Tyson was out but managed to get on his hands and knees. He fumbled around for his mouthpiece and stuck it partially in his mouth. As he stood up the ref called the fight. Mike Tyson had tasted defeat for the first time in his career.  





The Fight: Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas