Boxing: June 4 - 7

[H2O Man]

(All bouts subject to change)

Wednesday, June 4 - at Brooklyn, New York (ESPN2) -
10 rounds, light heavyweights: Yusaf Mack (24-2-2, 15 KOs).
Daniel Judah (22-2-3, 10 KOs); 8 rounds, light middleweights:
James Moore (15-0, 10 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (9-2, 6 KOs).

Friday, June 6 - at Montreal (ESPN2) - 12 rounds,
light welterweights: Herman Ngoudjo (16-2, 9 KOs)
vs. Souleymane M'baye (36-2-1, 21 KOs); 10 rounds,
super middleweights: Jean Pascal (21-0, 14 KOs) vs.
Fulgencio Zuniga (20-2-1, 17 KOs).

Friday, June 6 - at Reading, Pennsylvania (Telefutura) -
10 rounds, lightweights: Urbano Antillon (22-0, 15 KOs)
vs. Jose Leonardo Cruz (12-2-2, 8 KOs; 10 rounds,
middleweights: Marco Antonio Rubio (41-4-1, 36 KOs).

Saturday, June 7 - at Atlantic City (HBO) - 12 rounds,
WBC middleweight title: Kelly Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs)
vs. Gary Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs); 12 rounds, junior
featherweights: Daniel Ponce de Leon (34-1, 30 KOs)
vs. Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs).

Saturday, June 7 - at Uncasville, Connecticut -
(Showtime) - 12 rounds, WBC super welterweight title:
Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) vs. Sergio Mora
(20-0-1, 5 KOs); 12 rounds, welterweights: Carlos
Quintana (25-1, 19 KOs) vs. Paul Williams (33-1, 24 KOs).

Boxing fans will have a number of interesting fight cards to watch on television this week. After a week off, ESPN will be featuring good cards on both Wednesday and Friday.

On Saturday, there are interesting bouts on both HBO and Showtime. Both Kelly Pavlik (HBO) and Vernon Forrest (Showtime) will have what are expected to be tune-up fights. As always, anything can happen in the ring. (Rubin Carter used to tell me to remember that anytime you get in that ring to kick another man's ass, you have brought your own in right behind you.)

The most important fight, at least on paper, is the rematch between Quintana and Williams. This is really a "main event" quality fight. I expect that Williams will be more focused, and in much better shape for this fight. But will that be enough? I look forward to finding out!

I am interested in what other folks think about these fights.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. This is going to be a great week of fights

I think boxing fans will be spoiled this week. I like Paul Williams. He was very frustrated in his first fight against Quintana. I don't think Quintana solidly beat Williams, but Williams looked confused, as Quintana didn't stand and trade and allow Williams to use his extremely busy style against him. I don't know if Quintana has just figured out a way to beat Williams and has his number or not. I'll be interested to see how Williams adjusts to that quick in-and-out style, which he wasn't able to do last time. If you were training Williams, how would you suggest he adjust to approach Quintana? Would you suggest he stop following Quintana around and fight tall and box from the outside?

Apart from the big names fighting this week, I think the Afredo Cuevas vs. Texas-based Marco Antonio Rubio might be worth watching on Telefutura. I think the Telefutura fights usually start right after the FNF fights on ESPN and sometimes they're pretty good.

Have you ever seen Rubio fight? He's a big middleweight at 6'1" and he's relatively young at 27. I believe boxingrec has him ranked 18th among middleweights. He has a lot of knock outs on his record. He beat a decent fighter in Jorge Luis Zertuche his last time out. Kelly Pavlik knocked Zertuche out in the 8th round; Rubio did it in 7. Rubio also had an interesting split decision loss to another pretty decent fighter, Kassim Ouma.

I've never seen Rubio fight and I wonder if he's an up-and-comer or not. Does he fight tall at his height or is he an infighting banger?

[H2O Man]

2. I'll start with Williams.

You may recall that before the fight, his camp was saying that he had taken a recent interest in the great lightheavyweight champion Bob Foster. I think that everyone who is tall and thin can look at Bob Foster highlights, and think, "Wow! I'd love to do that!" And, as Teddy Atlas often notes, a lot of tall, thin fighters have surprising power.

But I am reminded of something that Rubin Carter told me, when I was an amateur. He said that in boxing, he who knows "why" always masters he who knows "how." Thus, it is always risky to try to copy another man's style.

Bob Foster was an inexperienced amateur who lost some early fights, before he became a good amateur. And then, from 1963 through '67, he was an sometimes frustrated contender, being forced to fight too many heavyweights, before he became one of the top lightheavyweight champions in boxing history.

Paul Williams is a potentially great fighter, who inhabits a different weight class in a different era than Bob Foster. He has not had the experiences that Foster had. His experiences led him to believe that he was so good, that in preparing for a title defense, he could channel the boxing spirit of Bob Foster. The fact that this was hubris was found in the fight: he did not use his natural skills, and had not prepared to adjust if things went wrong. And wrong they went!

In this fight, he needs to retire his Bob Foster imitation, and remember who he is: a tall, lanky, fast fighter who can throw many, many punches per round. If he does that, he likely takes an easy, though unexciting, decision. Better to win a boring fight, than lose a war. More, if he has any realistic chance of scoring a knockout, it will not be because he is another Bob Foster, but because he catches a tired, frustrated opponent who he catches off-guard, and off-balance, moving into his power.

[maxpower]

3. H2O man

Not only do your post inspire me to think about the big picture, but your passion for the sweet science is truly impressive. If I am not the first to say it "Long live H2O man." You are surely a scholar and a gentleman.

[H2O Man]

6. Thank you!

I enjoy most sports -- I like football, basketball, baseball, and watch everything from my children in school sporting events, to the Lakers vs the Celtics. But there is nothing like boxing.

Perhaps it is because I am far more familiar with boxing than other sports, but I think that it is unique, and could provide for fascinating studies: the psychology of the individuals who participate in boxing matches; the sociological aspects of the groups who make up the boxing community (fighters, trainers, promoters, refs & judges, fans, and journalists; and the political significance of boxing -- Muhammad Ali being an obvious example, though men like Jack Johnson and the great Joe Louis have to be included. Boxing's history has had the most curious connection with the politics of the day.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. I saw the Marco Antonio Rubio fight on Telefutura

He picked journeyman Freddie Cuevas apart and really busted him up. Cuevas suffered a badly shattered nose bone and couldn't answer the bell for round 6. Rubio has signed a contract to fight Kelly Pavlik for his middleweight belt in September. Rubio is a tall and thin middleweight at 6' 1 1/2", as big as Pavlik. He uses his jab, which looks like a decent one and he appears to have good power. He's an accurate puncher and delivers his punches straight. His problems are on defense. He is hittable and Cuevas landed some good right hands on him that might have been disastrous had Pavlik been the one delivering them. Rubio doesn't seem to have very good defensive lateral movement and comes in straight. He also tends to pull straight back from his opponent. I think Rubio will really have to bring him "A" game into the ring if he's going to face Pavlik. Pavlik and Rubio have faced one common opponent, that being Jose Luis Zertuche. Pavlik knocked him out in 8 rounds and Rubio did it in 7. Rubio's TKO of Cuevas was his 38th knock out in 48 fights. Rubio is ranked 3rd by the WBC and 4th by the WBO.

[H2O Man]

5. It is interesting

that we have some very talented tall fighters in the Jr Middleweight and Middleweight divisions. Even if the heavyweight division gets straightened out in the next year, the welterweight - through - cruiserweight divisions will still be where the most talent is.

I think Bob Arum is close to setting up Calzaghe vs Pavlik. One report suggested that Madison Square Garden could be the site. I think Palik should stay at middleweight, though I'm sure he is growing. My son thinks he would take Calzaghe; I don't think it's a good fight for him yet. Let Calzaghe beat Jones, get a bit older, and Kelly should fight again at Super Middleweight to get more comfortable there. It's a big step up. For some reason, not many middleweights do it well -- Dick Tiger and Bernard Hopkins are not the average warrior.

I've seen Rubio before. My impression is that he has a lot of natural talent, and has the potential to be at the top of the division in a relatively short time. It is rare that a bad habit like pulling back doesn't catch up with a fighter -- the best trainers try to cure that early in the gym.

Most fighters resort to "old" tactics at some time or another -- usually when a fight is hard, or if they take a hard shot. But the pulling straight back tends to show up in some guys, especially tall fighters, when they fight opponents they don't take serious enough. (On WNF, the younger Judah got decked when he made a stupid defensive error. He took for granted he could pull back with his hands at his sides. Foolish!)

My brother used to follow Tommy "the Hit Man" Hearns. I have hundreds of photos of Tommy in the gym, in camp, and almost all his top fights. Now, Tommy had a habit of pulling back, including when he was hurt. I watched it enough that I knew that Iran "Blade" Barkley would KO Tommy. My brother laughed at me, but I figured Barkley had the ability to move up out of his crouch fast, and had a long reach. Tommy had been hurt in one of his middleweight fights when something similar happened, by a guy who didn't have The Blade's power.

I get long-winded. Anyhow, a bad habit that gets reinforced in a young fighter tends to come out when they reach the top. The really great fighters are those who do not make mistakes.

[H2O Man]

7. Paul Williams

by 1 round TKO over Quintana. In the first few seconds of the fight, Quintana came out with his right hand low. (Both are southpaws.) Williams was measuring him, and throwing a high volume of punches. He caught Quintana cold, and never let him off the hook. Two knockdowns. Very impressive win.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

11. Williams looked good

He was getting good extension on his punches, putting his entire body into them instead of throwing a lot of slapping shots. That straight left hand was a vicious one. He was countering very well, too, coming back with a punch when Quintana missed. He looked a lot more focused than he did in the previous fight.

[H2O Man]

13. Williams exploited

Quintana's mistakes. It was a very impressive display of his talents. I think that his loss will make him a better fighter.

[H2O Man]

8. Lopez TKOs de Leon

in one round. 2 knockdowns. Vicious fight.

[H2O Man]

9. Mora by decision.

Forrest looked old, though I thought the fight was close.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. It was a close fight

Sergio Mora gets a lot of disrespect on the boxing message boards. I enjoyed his performance. He looked very slick and hard to hit. He made Forrest miss a lot and I've always heard that it takes more out of a fighter to miss a big punch than to land one. At least, that's what my father used to tell me and he fought as a pro many years ago. Forrest has had a good career and has nothing to be ashamed of. He fought his heart out but he ended up fighting Mora's fight.

[H2O Man]

14. I don't remember Forrest

landing any significant left hooks to the head. He landed some solid body blows, but when he attempted to end with the hook to the head, he missed every time. He needed to shorten the distance between his and Mora by simply sliding his left foot forward a half-step. It was obvious that he didn't pick up on that, and Buddy McGirt didn't appear to bring it to his attention. (Certainly not when we saw the Forrest corner in action.)

Missing a punch takes at least twice as much energy as landing one, because you have to exert the extra energy to stop it without going off balance. The more tired you are, the more draining it becomes. Forrest had told McGirt that he was "winded" after what, the 5th round? And he never got a second wind.

If styles make fights, then Forrest is a great example. He beat Mosley in the amateurs and twice as a professional. He had his number. But he also lost twice to Mayorga, who has a strange style, giving angles and always changing the pace, first on attack, then moving away. Mora fought much the same, and while he lacks Mayorga's punching power, he seems more disciplined.

[H2O Man]

10. Kelly Pavlik in 3.

He looked very, very good.