On Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao more than solidified his #1 pound for pound ranking and future hall of fame status by dominating Oscar De La Hoya. The fight, which figured to be the highest boxing PPV of the year, was frowned upon by many in boxing. From fans, to promoters to fighters themselves, many labeled the fight as a “circus act” which would see De La Hoya have far too many advantages over his much smaller opponent. Many lashed out at Oscar De La Hoya for picking on a much smaller fighter and also labeled the fight as a clear mismatch. Well, the fight certainly was a mismatch, but surprisingly it was Oscar who looked as if he didn’t belong in the ring with Pacquiao.
Although the size differential was recognizable, it did not make much of a difference as Pacquiao was simply too good for De La Hoya to overcome. From the very start, Manny took the lead utilizing his speed advantage over his bigger opponent. Using improved defense and head movement, Manny proved to be a very elusive target for De La Hoya who was unable to land any flush shots on the smaller man.
By the second and third round, Pacquiao was finding great success with straight lefts which begin to bruise the face of De La Hoya. The Golden Boy remained calm looking to pick his spots and capitalize on any mistakes Manny would make. Oscar found some success as he was able to land a few body punches while Manny backed to the ropes. However, these shots were not enough to hurt Pacquiao, who continued to head hunt De La Hoya and land the cleaner shots.
By round five, De La Hoya was becoming increasingly frustrated as Pacquiao had won every round which passed. Sensing that De La Hoya was tiring, Manny began to step up his offensive assault on De La Hoya. Landing stiff right hands and combinations, Oscar started becoming defensive while back peddling to avoid Manny’s increased assault.
The sixth and seventh rounds were no better for De La Hoya as his smaller, faster opponent never allowed him to find his rhythm. Pacquiao began to land more and more accurately on De La Hoya, and at times, had Oscar covered up against the ropes as Pacman pounded away on his bigger opponent. As Pacquiao continued to land, Oscar’s face began to show the effect his punches were having. By the end of the seventh, Oscar’s left eye was very swollen and began to close. In addition, Oscar had the dejected look and demeanor of a fighter who just knew it was not his night.
The eighth and final round saw Oscar attempt his best to make one last stand against Pacquiao, but his best efforts were simply not good enough. Pacquiao, displaying great conditioning, kicked his attack into high gear and seemingly landed at will on Oscar. There were times during the eighth where one had to wonder if Manny was actually going to drop Oscar as he appeared to be hurt and fatigued. While Oscar made it through the round 8, it was another clear round for Pacquiao who was appeared more confident than ever. During a conversation in the corner of Oscar between Nacho Beristain and a ringside physician after the eighth round, it was determined that Oscar’s corner wanted to throw the towel in.
After experiencing such a defeat, Oscar could only give praises to his smaller opponent and ponder on what this loss meant to his future in the ring. Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, he deserves all the credit in the world. He fought a tremendous fight and he was the better man. I’m not shocked because at this stage, when you face a great fighter like Manny, it’s almost expected. I worked hard and trained hard, but in the gym it’s a whole different story. My heart still wants to fight, but when you don’t respond physically, what can you do? I have to be smart and think about my future plans.”
Speaking on his highest profile win to date, Pacquiao stated, ” I think I did well tonight. In the gym we knew speed would be the key to this fight and I used it tonight. I hit him with a lot of hard punches in the last two rounds and I didn’t think he was going to last the 12 rounds. But I didn’t want to get too confident”
Addressing his decision to ultimately stop the fight, trainer Nacho Beristain stated, “Today, you can see that a shining star got shut off. It wasn’t Oscar’s night every great boxer has his days. I had to protect him and stop the fight.”
With the victory Pacquiao’s record stands at 48-3-2 with 36 KO’s while De La Hoya’s record falls to 39-6 with 30 KO’s. With the win, Pacquio’s options for next year are very exciting. He could face Ring Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, face Ring Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in an anticipated third match between the two, or possibly face Floyd Mayweather Jr. who has been heavily rumored to return to boxing in 2009. Only time will tell which direction the boxing superstar will go in, but as for right now, Pacquiao should enjoy this huge victory and relish in the fact that he proved the naysayers wrong once again.
BY: BROWN
**PHOTO-HBO**
(KNOCKOUT NATION – NOVEMBER 16, 2008)
A short period before his fight with Joe Calzaghe, Roy Jones Jr. had some choice words for Bernard Hopkins. Jones Jr. spoke on another potential fight between the two, Hopkins’ lack of entertainment, and spoke also about being compared to Hopkins. Speaking to PA Sport, Jones Jr. stated, “He is constantly talking about fighting me, but that won’t make the fight happen. I’ve already beaten him once. Why would I want to fight him again?”
Regarding the “entertainment” factor, Roy added the following, “I am an entertainer. People like to watch me fight. If I’d fought Kelly Pavlik two weeks ago it would have been a pay per view fight and in twice as many homes. With Hopkins and Pavlik you were going to get a regular old fight. Bernard looked good and shut him out but anyone can do that.”
Finally, Roy noted some of their accomplishments, and posed a question that has surely made the rounds in recent years among fight fans everywhere. “He is great at middleweight. I am a great all-round fighter. He got more middleweight defenses than anyone living right now while I’ve got the middleweight and heavyweight titles which no other fighter living right now has. You tell me, who is the greater?” asked Jones.
So in reading some of Roy’s quotes and seeing the question he posed, it got me thinking. I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at both fighters from a broad view to determine exactly who is the better fighter between the two. Surely, opinions on this matter will vary from fan to fan as expected. However, what I will do is look at both positive and negatives aspects of each of these professional fighters. In addition, I’ll make note of some of each man’s notable opponents, peek at their resumes, make some comparisons, and we’ll see what we come up with. Shall we? First up – Roy Jones Jr.
POSITIVES:
ROY JONES JR: In his prime, there was nothing like watching Roy Jones ply his craft in the ring. His “Bruce Lee” like reflexes were simply amazing to watch and his speed seemed to be like no other. To describe his style is very hard because at times, it appeared that Jones had no style. He had the ability to throw punches from all sorts of awkward angles, kept his hands low, and had the footwork of a trained dancer. There was definitely nothing “textbook” about his style, but he was so athletic that he didn’t need to fight from a conventional approach.
Roy’s talent and athleticism made it appear that he would be successful in any sport had he entered into it. He was that good. During his prime, not only did Roy not lose fights (the Griffin fight withstanding), but he rarely lost rounds. Aside from his reign as the #1 pound for pound fighter for several years, Jones is an 8 time, 4 division champion. He has won titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. Quite Impressive. In winning the WBA heavyweight title from John Ruiz, Jones became the first fighter in 106 years to do so and the only fighter alive who can claim that accomplishment.
NEGATIVES:
ROY JONES JR.: Roy’s reigns at Middleweight and Super middleweight were not as dominant as they sometimes appear as he simply didn’t stick around in each division long enough. Jones only had 4 middleweight defenses and 6 super middleweight defenses. Although he did end up ruling the Light Heavyweight division for numerous years, it can be said that it was a fairly weak division at the time. Outside of Virgil Hill, the biggest name he faced at Light Heavyweight during his initial run was Mike Mccalum, who was almost 40 years old at the time. Roy never faced Poland’s Darius Michalczewski during that time, who was viewed as Roy’s biggest threat. Jones was winning against so many average opponents in the division that he admittedly had to find other ways of challenging himself to get up for fights. This was done by orchestrating elaborate ring walk entrances, playing full court basketball games mere hours before fights, etc.
Roy met his stiffest challenge at Light Heavyweight in quite some time when he faced Tarver in 2003. Although the fight was close (with Jones being effected by his weight loss from the Ruiz fight prior), Jones won by majority decision. However, his immediate rematch began a three fight losing streak for Jones (between Antonio Tarver and Glenn Johnson) in which Roy was brutally knocked out in two of the three fights. Roy bounced back from the losses with two wins over little known opponents and a high profile win over Tito Trinidad. However, Jones gained little credit for the victory as Tito was coming off nearly a 3 year retirement, and was blown up in weight to meet the 170 pound catch weight for the fight. This win was recently followed up by a devastating loss at the hands of Joe Calzaghe who dominated Jones for nearly 10 rounds.
OPPONENTS:
ROY JONES JR: The two best wins and names on Roy’s resume are Bernard Hopkins and James Toney. Jones beat Hopkins and Toney in 1993 and 1994 respectively to pick up middleweight and super middleweight titles. Other notable opponents on Roy’s resume include Montell Griffin, Mike Mcallum, Virgil Hill, Eric Harding, Clinton Woods, John Ruiz, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Felix Trinidad, and Joe Calzaghe. As of now, at least five of Jones’ WINS are over present and assumed future hall of famers (Mccalum, Hopkins, Toney, Hill, & Trinidad )
BEST 3 IN RING PERFORMANCES:
ROY JONES JR: James Toney, John Ruiz, Montel Griffin (2 )
Next, we’ll take a look at Bernard Hopkins.
POSITIVES:
BERNARD HOPKINS: Bernard Hopkins is widely considered one of the top 5 middleweights of all time who could have fought in any era. Referred to as a “Throwback” by many, Bernard is one of the most disciplined fighters to come around in a long time. Hopkins had a ten year run as middleweight champion in which he defended his championship a record 20 times. With his record number of defenses, Hopkins’ name can be mentioned among the company of other greats such as Louis, Holmes and Calzaghe for record defenses. Hopkins is the oldest fighter to ever hold the Middleweight championship and didn’t lose it until he was 40 years in a controversial loss to Jermaine Taylor. After “another “controversial loss to Taylor in the rematch, Hopkins moved up to Light Heavyweight to defeat Antonio Tarver for the Lineal Light Heavyweight Championship. He was 41 years old.
In terms of fighting style, Hopkins couldn’t be any more textbook if he tried. Hopkins’ style is totally built around the pure fundamentals of boxing. While he doesn’t have tremendous speed, his punching technique, counterpunching, defense, footwork, balance, and ring generalship could all be taught at sweet science seminars worldwide. . Although Hopkins is economical with his output, he somehow makes opponents fight his fight and at his pace. Due to his caginess, and counterpunching, Bernard appears to make opponents question every punch they even think about throwing. Outside of his pure skill, his longevity is what is truly astonishing. Even into his 40’s, Bernard is fighting at an elite level, competing and defeating Pound For Pound level fighters. At 43 years old, Hopkins recently put on a boxing clinic against Kelly Pavlik that has been heralded as his best career performance to date.
NEGATIVES
BERNARD HOPKINS: While Hopkins had a record number of defenses at middleweight, the overall division during his reign has been labeled weak by many. Outside of a few notable names, many of Hopkins opponents were clearly overmatched mandatories. Hopkins faced opponents like Robert Allen three times, Andrew Council (who was coming off a loss to Allen), and Morrade Hakkar who didn’t even belong in the same arena Hopkins fought him. Hopkins has received credit for beating several champions or former champions at the time they fought him. However, it should be noted that many of these fighters were at their peak and most dominant while in lower weight classes. At a stagnant point in his middleweight run, he never attempted to move up in weight as he was so content with facing his madatories and draining himself to make 160. It was at Super Middleweight where he could have possibly faced tougher challenges including the man who reigned supreme at the time, Joe Calzaghe.
Instead, Hopkins preyed on lower division fighters and urged them to move up in weight. Hopkins often accused elite Jr. Middleweights of “Eating like Models” because they were afraid to move up and face him. In this manner, he ultimately received two of his most noteworthy wins over Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya – who were both former welterweights. Even after eventually moving up and winning the Light Heavyweight title, Hopkins continued his practice of choosing lower division fighters to face. Hopkins faced and defeated both Winky Wright (a natural Jr. middleweight) and Kelly Pavlik (a middleweight) at catch weights of 170 pounds. Although the wide decision over Wright has been disputed, Pavlik was severely schooled by Hopkins. In both cases it was clear that neither fighter belonged at 170 as Hopkins enjoyed a clear size advantage over his opponents. In his one fight where he defended his title at the Light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds, he was defeated by current champion Joe Calzaghe.
Also, it can be noted that in most, not all, but most of the fights toward the end of his career, Bernard has engaged in much more holding and dirty tactics in the ring. Jokes have been made that Hopkins’ best punch is his forehead. In many cases Hopkins does lead with his head, and will excessively hold an opponent so they can’t find their rhythm. For many that appreciate clean sportsmanship in a fight, this behavior is a turn off. For those with the mentality that the fight should won at any cost if he can get away with it, this probably poses no problem to them.
OPPONENTS:
BERNARD HOPKINS: Hopkins resume is loaded with respected opposition. Notable names on his resume include Glen Johnson, Antwon Echols, Tito Trinidad , Oscar De La Hoya, Howard Eastman, Jermaine Taylor, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Joe Calzaghe, and Kelly Pavlik. As of right now, at least 3 of Hopkins’ WINS are over assumed Future Hall of Famers (Trinidad, De La Hoya & Wright)
BEST 3 IN RING PERFORMANCES
BERNARD HOPKINS: Kelly Pavlik, Tito Trinidad, Antonio Tarver
WHO IS THE BEST?
Of course, the easiest way for me reach a safe and predictable conclusion would be to call it a DRAW. But that would be too easy right? So what I conclude is that in looking at their entire body of work, I will judge them as follows:
BETTER FIGHTER: BERNARD HOPKINS
BETTER CAREER: ROY JONES JR.
BETTER FIGHTER:
BERNARD HOPKINS: In a head to head comparison, I believe Hopkins is the more complete fighter. I believe that Jones was the more athletically gifted fighter and his natural talent allowed him to be so successful. In his prime, Roy was the most entertaining fighter to watch as his speed could be compared to anyone that came before him. However, because his style was predicated on speed and reflexes, when those attributes declined, it appears that Jones did not have much to fall back on. Although his late career losses don’t erase his legacy and success over many years, the losses still have to be factored in. Because Jones “appeared” to lack boxing fundamentals and technique, the aging effect seemingly exposed him as he began to slow down. Although he didn’t need the use of true technique in his prime, his lack of it cost him in the last 4 years of his career.
In comparison, while not as athletically gifted or entertaining as Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins has a technical style that allowed him to the remain competitive into his 40’s. In the later stages of his career, Bernard has had the unique ability to adapt to any style he faces and somehow finds a way to win against his much younger opponents. Even in the fights where he has lost, the decision always seems to be a controversial one in which many believe he really won (See Taylor 1 & 2 and Calzaghe). Another big factor to take into consideration is that both Hopkins and Jones Jr. have four common opponents on their resumes: Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Tito Trinidad, and Joe Calzaghe.
In facing those four common opponents, Jones’ has only defeated a blown up Trinadad, but lost to the other three with two of the losses coming by knockout. On the other hand, against that same bunch, Hopkins only has a disputed loss to Calzaghe, while holding victories over the other three. With that comparison, it should also be noted that Hopkins was older than Jones when he fought and defeated 3 of their common opponents. In addition, both Tito Trinidad and Glenn Johnson were both undefeated and closer to their prime when Hopkins beat them. On top of that, Bernard was the first man to stop BOTH fighters by TKO.
With that said, one may ultimately assume this whole debate is a moot point considering Roy Jones Jr. actually defeated Hopkins when they fought. This is true, but this fight happened in 1993 when Hopkins was not fully developed and nowhere near the fighter he was to become. That could be viewed as a weak argument, but there are things to consider. Although Bernard had 23 pro fights at the time, he was still “learning on the job” as he had only picked up the craft of boxing during his time in the penitentiary. In contrast, Roy Jones Jr. was a U.S. National Golden Gove winner, a U.S. Olympian (who was robbed of gold medal), and had an extensive amateur background. So at the time of the fight, Roy was the much more complete fighter as Bernard had yet to fully develop.
So while Hopkins did indeed lose the fight, considering the timing of the fight, it is hard to just assume that Hopkins is the lesser “overall” fighter between the two based on this one night some 15 years ago. Think about it. Ali lost to Spinks, Sugar Ray Leonard lost to Terry Norris, Mike Tyson lost to Buster Douglas, and Evander Holyfield lost to Michael Moore. However, even in victory would anyone say Spinks, Norris, Douglas, or Moore are “overall” better fighters then the aforementioned legends they beat? Timing is everything, but the results of one night don’t tell the complete story. The fact is, Hopkins went on to become a much more complete fighter who never lost another fight for nearly 13 years after the Jones loss.
If that example lends no weight to at least still considering Hopkins the “overall” better fighter, consider this final comparison. Bernard Hopkins is 43 years old and Roy Jones Jr. is 39 years old.
Into his 40’s, Bernard has fought Jermaine Taylor, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Joe Calzaghe, and Kelly Pavlik. He has won against 3 of those men and has had disputed losses against the other 2. What is noteworthy is that each of those five men were considered top 10 pound for pound ranked fighters at the time he fought them.
Now – Based on Roy’s recent showing, when Jones enters his early 40’s in the next couple years, can any fight fan truly picture Roy Jones Jr. beating or even being competitive with any Pound for Pound level fighter of significance?
Maybe it can be viewed as substance and skill over athleticism and flash, but all things considered, my opinion is that Hopkins is the “overall” better fighter between the two.
BETTER CAREER:
ROY JONES JR: Although Roy’s recent string of losses late in his career may tarnish his legacy slightly, it can’t be denied that Roy’s talent, showmanship and accomplishments have made him into an iconic figure of the sport. As good as both he and Hopkins are, when comparing their career head to head, the tide certainly swings Roy’s way.
Although Hopkins reigned supreme at middleweight, he never took any chances moving up in weight until much later in his career. From Middleweight to Light Heavyweight, Hopkins had the habit of forcing lower division fighters to move up in weight to face him. Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Winky Wright, and now Kelly Pavlik are all examples of this. In comparison, Roy never remained content at one weight and moved up to beat some of the toughest opponents in higher divisions he fought in. As stated, he has won multiple belts and earned millions, but his biggest accomplishment in boxing is moving up in weight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
Some critics have said Jones was lucky with the timing being just right as Ruiz was the weakest of the heavyweight title holders at the time. Regardless of that opinion, a former middleweight winning the heavyweight championship of the world is a feat that can not be denied. In addition, in his very next fight, Roy dropped almost 30 pounds to come right back and win the light heavyweight title from Antonio Tarver. That alone is a career achievement that will put Roy over the top in comparing Roy and Bernard. It is very unlikely that we will see another middleweight achieve the crown of heavyweight champion anytime soon. Although it was never said, I believe Hopkins realized Roy’s heavyweight accomplishment would always be hung over his great late career accomplishments at light heavyweight. I believe that is why he had Golden Boy Promotions try so hard to secure a fight with then WBC heavyweight champion, Oleg Maskaev, on his behalf.
Roy will also be looked at as having a better career for what he brought to the sport. Although he wasn’t as media friendly as he is today, to many, he was viewed as the second coming of Ali. Word of his gift of gab, flashy showmanship and athleticism alone drew many casual sports fans to the sport of boxing – much like Tyson’s mix of speed, brute strength, and knockout ratio did in the late 80’s to early 90’s.
Aside from his endorsements, rap albums, and many accomplishments, when many fans and historians look back on Roy’s career, they will think “Entertainment”. Roy was one of, if not thee most entertaining fighter to watch during his era. Even if his opponents were out of their league, Roy would find “entertaining” ways of dispatching his foes to win fights. With his speed and talent, Roy would perform in such a way that the audience would be entertained whether it was an early knockout or a unanimous decision victory.
In all fairness, I don’t believe the same will be said about Bernard Hopkins. Many have claimed that the method to Bernard’s in ring madness is very boring. Although Hopkins got the job done, he didn’t seem overly concerned that the crowd was entertained. It was not uncommon to hear “boos” throughout some of his fights, as Bernard was content with breaking his opponents down in a non-entertaining, methodical type of manner. Bernard’s hard mentality viewed “a win as a win”, and as long as the crowd’s boos didn’t effect his paycheck, he could care less. In addition, Hopkins was even such a late bloomer in terms of fan and career notoriety that he didn’t start receiving massive press and paydays until the De La Hoya fight. At the end of the day, Roy edges Bernard out in the “Career Highlight Reel” department.
CONCLUSION:
When it comes down to it, both of these fighters are legends and will be viewed very favorably in years to come. I hope they both retire right now so that they can be inducted into the Boxing Hall of fame TOGETHER in 2013. That may not happen as they both have claimed that they will continue fighting. Although, these thoughts are just my own opinions, I can totally understand anyone disagreeing and feeling that Roy Jones, Jr. was the better fighter. That may indeed be the truth as I don’t offer my stance as fact, but only as one opinion. Both of these men were so good that I’m sure many points in this article can be countered by those who feel Jones is the better fighter. Either way, both of these men will be viewed as two of the greatest fighters of all time who definitely made their mark on the sport. No matter if you agree or disagree with my conclusions, one thing fans worldwide can agree on is that the sport won’t see two talents like Roy and Bernard come back around for a very long time.
BY: BROWN
Brownkn1@gmail.com
(KNOCKOUT NATION – NOVEMBER 23, 2008)
With a brand new trainer and new found hunger, Ricky Hatton put on a workman like performance in defeating Paulie Malignaggi by TKO. With his performance, Hatton defended his Ring Jr. Welterweight title and put to rest any doubts that he could regain his old form prior to the loss to Mayweather Jr.
The first round of the fight was Malignaggi’s best round as he was able to find Hatton consistently with his jab. Throughout the round, Paulie was able to box effectively, stay evasive, and keep Hatton out of rhythm to take an early lead in the fight. However, from the second round on, the fight was all Hatton’s.
After warming up in the first round, the second round saw Hatton engaging Paulie with his trademark aggression but setting up his offense much better than in the past. The training with Mayweather Sr. seems to have helped Hatton as he used much more head movement and utilized his jab much more to get inside. While fighting on the inside, Hatton was able to put in some early body work that was able to pay dividends as the fight went on.
As the rounds went on, Malignaggi did his best to utilize his jab and set up power shots, but due to his lack of power, Hatton was able to walk through any and all of his punches without fear of being seriously hurt. In order to stop the Hatton’s attacks, Malignaggi began to imitate the Ricky Hatton of old as he was initiating much clinching and grabbing. Referee Kenny Bayless, had a very busy night separating both fighters, as it appeared that Malignaggi’s first instinct after being hit was to tie Hatton up.
Hatton continued to show patience, jabbing his way in and appeared to hurt Paulie several times. However, Malignaggi remained awkward enough with his defense and angles that Hatton could not deliver that one big knockout shot he wanted. After 10 rounds, Paulie’s face was bruised and his will had been had been broken by Hatton. Although he stayed in the fight, he seemed to be in survival mode in just looking to go all twelve rounds.
However, that was not to be as Buddy McGirt signaled the referee shortly into the 11th round that he was throwing in the towel. With that decision, Malignaggi was visibly upset and gave his trainer a shove in dispute of it. Although Malignaggi would have likely finished the fight, there seemed to be no clear way he would win without knocking Ricky Hatton out. If you’ve followed Malignaggi’s career, you know that that scenario would have been highly unlikely.
Malignaggi will have to now learn to deal with just his second loss and figure out which direction he wants to go. Speaking to Larry Merchant, Paulie stated, Ricky fought a great fight,” he said. “Maybe I wasn’t going to win, but I’m better than this. I’m better than getting stopped. I tip my hat to Ricky, but I was worse off in the Miguel Cotto fight. They didn’t stop it then, why should they stop it now? This goes down as a knockout on my record but it shouldn’t.”
Defending his decision to stop the fight, Buddy McGirt stated, “The reason I stopped the fight is because we were losing. My guy couldn’t hurt him and I wanted him to live to fight another day. There was five minutes left in the fight and I didn’t want to see him get seriously hurt. It only takes one punch. I would rather him get mad at me for stopping the fight than for him to get seriously hurt.”
As for Ricky Hatton, his record improves to 45-1 with 32 KO’s. After the fight, Hatton stated, I’m in a new camp with Floyd and it showed in the things I was doing tonight. I dropped my shoulders and allowed my punches to go. I slowed down, I was more composed, and I used my left jab”. Hatton also indicated that he was very interested in facing the winner of De La Hoya and Pacquaio. Regardless, after a poor performance against Juan Lazcano, Hatton’s win last night, places him right back in the thick of things opened up a number of options for him for a possible mega fight next year.
BROWN
Brownkn1@gmail.com
(KNOCKOUT NATION – NOVEMBER 28, 2008)
Last week, fight fans were disappointed to hear that Antonio Margarito turned down a two million dollar payday to face Shane Mosley on January 24th. It appears that after some more negotiating, and help from HBO, the fight is now officially on and will air on World Championship Boxing. Speaking to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Margarito’s promoter, Bob Arum stated, “It’s back together. Everybody got satisfied. Everybody was sensible,” We adjusted the purses as far as HBO putting more money in and it got solved.”
Also confirming that a deal had been reached, Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer stated, “The fight is done. I think it’s fantastic to end 2008 with a bang with Oscar De La Hoya against Manny Pacquiao and then for Golden Boy and Top Rank to start 2009 with a bang with Margarito-Mosley. It’s a fight that fans want. Now, it’s a fight the fans will get. It’s exciting.”
Although the amount has not been disclosed, HBO apparently offered more money to Margarito to entice him to make the fight. The extra amount offered was suitable to Top Rank and Margarito and now the fight is done. Arum stated, “Let’s just say that the gap has been overcome. We’re fine with everything. We’re happy we can do the fight. It’s a good fight for HBO and good for the fans to get a fight like that without having to dig into their pockets I think it’s a win-win situation.”
Margarito is coming off a devastating win over Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley is coming off a knockout win over Ricardo Mayorga. Arum has indicated that even if Margarito should lose to Mosley, he still intends on having Margarito face Miguel Cotto in a rematch in June. Mosley will hope to spoil those plans and get his on revenge on Cotto who he lost a close decision to. Both men will report to training camp right away with Mosley’s camp having a new face around. It was recently reported that Mosley has parted ways with his father as trainer, and will be replacing him with Nazim Richardson. Richardson is also Bernard Hopkins trainer and Mosley hopes that he can help him come up with an effective gameplan to be successful against the Mexican warrior.
This announcement comes as great news and is the perfect way to get the year started off right. Credit should be given to Margarito for taking such a risky fight with a huge payday with Cotto looming in June. Much credit should also be given to Shane Mosley, who continues to show that he is always willing to face the best, no matter how dangerous the opponent may be. The fight will officially be announced on December 6th at a press conference in Las Vegas.
Brown
Brownkn1@gmail.com
