Has watching HBO 24/7 this past weekend already increased your desire to watch Mayweather vs. Marquez? Is Randall Bailey making a mistake by moving to welterweight? Did you enjoy the movie Tyson? Will instant replay be used at some point during the card at the MGM Grand on September 19th? 411’s Joe Roche and Ramon Aranda discuss these topics and more in the latest edition of 411 Boxing Fact or Fiction!
Alright we're all set for this week's edition of Fact or Fiction. In the red corner to state his case Joe Roche, who pumps out his weekly The Way I See It column. On the opposing end in the blue corner is: me. There will be no referee this week so let's lace 'em up and rumble!
Round 1: Watching HBO 24/7 this past weekend has already increased your desire to watch Mayweather vs. Marquez.
Joe Roche : FICTION - I thought the season premier of 24/7 was a great episode and I got a kick out of seeing Floyd Mayweather Jr. roller skating in his palace. I also thought it was funny when Mayweather told us all that his "shit is paid for, how bout yours?" as if I am supposed to believe that the IRS just puts $6 million dollar liens out against every championship caliber fighter as a precaution. However, when the episode was over I wasn't any more excited about the actual fight – and that may very well be due to the fact that I was already going to watch the fight, and as I've spent a lot of time covering the stories come out of both camps I didn't feel like much substance came out of episode one. I was also a bit let down that Floyd Sr. didn't have any rhymes for us, and HBO glossed over the two huge legal issues hanging over the Mayweather camp. As an aside did anyone else find it interesting that HBO seems to be lining the fight up as a Rich Guy/Poor Guy battle? At the end of the day the show was entertaining but had I been a neutral observer I'm not sure I'd be any more excited to pay $50 to see these two hook up.
Ramon Aranda : FACT - Though I'm looking forward to this one, watching Juan Manuel Marquez dig in and prepare for Floyd amped up my desire to watch this fight. I see Mayweather as the favorite coming in but the more and more I see of Marquez in training, the more I envision him giving Floyd a run for his money. I know he's gotten bulked up a little bit to make weight, but I'm just as interested in seeing if he can improve his handspeed which he knows will be key. Mayweather was up to his usual antics though I found it comical to see him rollerskating. I never knew he possessed those skills. I found it equally funny to see him doing so inside his house as well. Floyd is having fun while Marquez appears to be all business. Let's see how this develops!
Scorecard: 0 for 1
Round 2: You think Randall Bailey is making a mistake by moving to welterweight.
Joe Roche : FACT - I don't think there is a single person who watched Bailey-Urango on Friday Night Fights that thought Bailey looked like his body could hold up at a higher weight class. If anything Bailey looks more like a fighter who would be better off moving down in weight because Urango just looked huge next to Bailey and those KO right's that Bailey spends all night looking for have less effect on bigger guys. Now on the other hand I understand that Bailey is an older fighter, and it's becoming increasingly hard for him to cut weight to make the junior welterweight limit (so lightweight seems out of the question) but I honestly don't see how Bailey will be better off fighting at welterweight. Like I said the problem that Bailey had with Urango wasn't Bailey's strength it was Urango's and if he thinks he'll find guys more likely to be impacted by his crushing right at welterweight I fear he'll be disappointed. I still think Bailey could do some things against non-elite level fighters but I think his best chance at making noise is by sticking it out at junior welterweight.
Ramon Aranda : FACT - I agree with you Joe that Bailey doesn't seem like a good fit for welterweight. For me however, it's not so much that he looked small against the 140-pound Juan Urango but more so because he's moving up to a division that is ridiculously stacked with talent that a guy at this stage of his career would probably want to avoid. I mean, would you favor Bailey to beat guys like Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao, Berto, Clottey or even Margarito if he returns? Most certainly not as far as I'm concerned. I think the junior welterweight division is a little less competitive and Bailey should stay put.
Scorecard: 1 for 2
Round 3: You view Cotto as a serious threat to Manny Pacquiao.
Joe Roche : FACT - I get that Manny Pacquiao is the P4P king right now but you'd have to be nuts to not think Cotto is a threat. Miguel Cotto is no joke, his 1 loss comes with the Antonio Margarito (asterisk), and his victories over Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Carlos Quintana, Paulie Malignaggi, and Joshua Clottey are legit wins. Cotto is already the bigger fighter so it'll be much easier on his body to make weight then it will be on Manny's. Also Cotto's speed is fantastic for a fighter his size – ask Shane Mosley. Also people keep talking about how Margarito took something away from Cotto and he has never been the same. I remember a very similar statement from people before Paulie Malignaggi looked like the Magic Man against Juan Diaz a few weeks ago. I think you can discount the Clottey fight from a stylistic viewpoint because Cotto was just trying to see through most of the fight, and Michael Jennings isn't exactly a good measuring stick of where a fighter is following a tough loss like the one Cotto suffered to Margarito. I'm not going to say that Cotto is going to beat Pacquiao (not yet at least) but at the very least you have to say that Cotto poses a serious threat to the world's best boxer.
Ramon Aranda : FACT - You have to be naive to think that Cotto won't put up a fight against Manny Pacquiao. He's a legitimate 147 pounder with power in both hands; has a solid chin, impressive handspeed and can box when he feels he needs to. Those thinking Cotto will come in and simply go toe-to-toe don't give him enough credit. I thought Mosley would outbox him when it in fact turned out that it was the "brawler" Cotto who outboxed Mosley. I think Cotto's team can come up with a solid gameplan to take away some of Pacquiao's advantages and remember, it only takes one punch to end the night.
Scorecard: 2 for 3
AND NOW FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS!
Round 4: On September 19, instant replay will be used at some point during the card at the MGM Grand.
Ramon Aranda : FICTION - I say it won't happen only because people will expect it. As the first card (Mayweather vs. Marquez) to be allowed in Nevada to use instant replay, I get the feeling most of us will be waiting for the moment when it will be necessary to use it. Of course, when you're waiting and expecting on something, it usually never happens. It'll probably be first put into play when we're no longer anxious for it. In 2009? Yeah probably, but my senses tell me it won't be used on Sep. 19. Come to think about it, let's hope we don't need to use it that night.
Joe Roche : FICTION - I have made my distaste for instant replay in boxing well known around these parts, but my personal feelings aside I honestly don't expect to see instant replay used on the 19th. I don't think that instant replay is needed on many occasions in boxing, and as a result of that I just think statistically there is very little chance that something will happen that will require instant replay. I am just hopeful that the officials don't sit around with their finger on the proverbial button all night waiting for the first sign of a clash of heads to hit the replay button just so they can use their new toy. I'd hate for instant replay to ruin the flow of what should be a fantastic night of fights.
Scorecard: 3 for 4
Round 5: If there is a knockout win in any of the fights scheduled for the Super Six World Boxing Classic, you expect it to come by from either Abraham, Kessler or Froch.
Ramon Aranda : FACT - This isn't to underestimate any of the US fighters (Ward, Taylor or Dirrell), but I feel that the European fighters have more knockout potential. That's not to say they couldn't win via KO but I more or less envision them taking a decision. Taylor hasn't registered a knockout win since 2005,and while Ward and Dirrell have pretty good knockout percentages, they haven't been as devastating as the ones we've seen from Abraham, Kessler or Froch. Froch meanwhile already owns a knockout win over Taylor while Kessler and Abraham possess heavier hands in my opinion.
Joe Roche : FACT - This one comes down to Abraham. From everything I've seen of the "King" he is going to be stronger at 168 then he ever was at 160. One of the complaints that I've had about Arthur is that he starts slow and seems worried about fading at the end. Much of that has to do with his body being too big for 160 pounds and the difficulty that he has cutting weight, which leads me to believe he is going to be much stronger at 168 and he was already devastatingly strong at 160. I'd look for Abraham to score at least 1 KO victory in this tournament. As for the other guys I honestly haven't even started watching the Kessler tapes that I've come across so I'm not sure how powerful the Viking Warrior really is – but he appears to have KO power and if there is any speed behind those shots guys like Froch and Taylor will be in trouble. I'd also throw out that I would not put it past Dirrell to have a KO victory in this tournament due to his unorthodox style and solid power. The fact that you could justifiably make a case for any of these guys getting a KO (except maybe Taylor) is one of the reasons the Super Six tournament is going to be such a great experience.
Scorecard: 4 for 5
Round 6: You enjoyed the movie "TYSON".
Ramon Aranda : FACT - I absolutely enjoyed this one. I didn't get a chance to check it out while it was at theatres since it had a limited release but I finally had the time to watch it last week after buying it on Blu-ray. Point blank, it was a revealing look at one of the most appealing, and destructive heavyweights in the history of the sport. The fact that Mike didn't seem to hold anything back, along with some exceptional footage that was re-mastered in HD, I'd easily recommend this one to any fan of the sport - regardless if you liked Mike Tyson the man or the fighter.
Joe Roche : FICTION - This is only fiction by default because believe it or not I have yet to see "Tyson." It's not for lack of trying because I actually own the documentary, hell I'm looking at it right now but with all my other commitments I just haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I've heard nothing but good things though so while I answered fiction here I tend to think that it is something I will absolutely love. Tyson is without a doubt one of the most fascinating figures in the history of professional boxing, and while many people call him "dumb" or "slow" he has shown a remarkable appreciation for the history of boxing so I'd love to hear his uncensored thoughts on his own place in the history of the sweet science.
Final Scorecard: 4 for 6
And there you have it as it appears Joe and I don't have a lot to argue about this week. But what about you, the fans? Agree or disagree? Fact or Fiction?
Let us know!
Source: http://www.411mania.com/boxing/columns/114968
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