Boxing! A Big Weekend .....

[H2O Man]

Boxing fans continue to be treated to some very competitive fights this weekend. First, on ESPN's Friday Night Fights, the Jr. Middleweight main event could be fantastic: Joachim Alcine (26-0, with 18 KOs) faces Javier Mamani (28-4-1, with 16 KOs) in a scheduled 12-rounder. The card will be carried from 9 to 11:30 EST. I think the main event could end early.

Next, at 11 pm EST, Showbox features a featherweight bout with Gamaliel Diaz battling Roberto Guerrero. I think that Showbox does a great job with introducing the very competitive lower weights to the American public. ( I met Steve and Nick at the Hall of Fame earlier this month. Great guys who really enjoy talking to fans about the sport.)

The most anticipated card this weekend may be Boxing After Dark (BAD) on HBO on Saturday. For a great warm-up, they play "Cinderella Man" at 8 pm. Great movie. My father's uncle helped train Jimmy for his first title defense.

At 10:30, things heat up quickly. In the first bout, at welterweight, Joel Julio (27-0, with 24 KOs) fights Carlos Quintana (22-0, with 18 KOs). This is what fans want to see: two undefeated contenders going head-to-head with the best opponent available. I think most of us would favor Julio, who is an extremely impressive young fighter .... but nothing can be taken for granted. It could be over in the first round, or it could go the full 12. But I would not look away from the tv in this one.

The "main event" is potentially outstanding. Calvin Brock (28-0, with 22 KOs) fights Timur Ibragimov (21-0-1, with 13 KOs). Again, two undefeated guys going in the ring to see who is better. Can't wait for this one!

Brock, from Charlotte NC, is what boxing needs. He has a degree in business administration (U of NC at Charlotte). The Boxing Banker is interested in dance. I like the fact that he is a good role model for young people.

I also like his punching power. Fans will remember him from his 4-2-05 bout with Jameel McCline on ESPN's first PPV card. McCline, a true contender who was doing well at that time, decked Brock in the 8th round. Brock got up and hurt Jameel later in the round. He went on to win a decision.

On 2-25-06, on the undercard of Vargas- Mosley, Brock was fighting against Zuri Lawrence, and not looking as good as he really is, until the end of the 6th round. He threw one of those classic, devastating punches -- a perfect left hook -- that flattened Lawrence. I was afraid he had seriously hurt the previously never knocked out Lawrence.

Ibragimov is from Uzbekistan, now Hallandale, FL. He is 6'3" and 225 lbs. He was a top European amateur, and has served as a sparring partner for Mike Tyson. He is active: in '04, he had 8 fights; in '05, he had 5 fights.

He says he has trained hard, and is in the best shape of his life. He had better be. I think he could cause Brock problems early on, because he is big, strong, and a good boxer. But, at this point, the only heavyweights I would give much of a chance of beating Brock are Sam Peter and Shannon Briggs. But I think, as DUer Dr E has first said, that Brock is the best in the division right now.

Enjoy the fights!

[Stephist]

1. Baby Joe Mesi

Right now I am watching Mesi on FNF and honestly the guy just needs to hang it up. I didn't think he was championship timber before the bleeding of the brain controversy and right now watching him get hit often against a 3-7 figter who signed to fight him yesterday it's clear he has no future in the ring. And given his past health problems it's time for him to get out.

[H2O Man]

2. A sad case.

He looked pathetic. I wish that he would retire. He seems like such a nice young man, that you hate to see him seriously hurt or simply humiliated. I agree that at his very best, he would never have been a top contender. Too small for today's heavyweights.

[H2O Man]

3. Dang!!!!

Where have all the boxing fans gone????

[Stephist]

4. My Kingdom For A Heavyweight

Calvin Brock is :boring:

I like Ibragimov's cornerman. "You a don't do it this round we a not going to be here in the corner when you come back". :D

The crowd chanted USA! USA! sometime around the 6th round when Calvin Brock threw two punches as if our national security depended on Brock winning. :lol

I'm sorry but that USA! USA! chant is just stupid in my opinion.

Also in my opinion Max Kellerman is fine in a studio but is lacking ringside. As much as I rag on Lampley, Merchant and Stewart they are far better then the B.A.D. crew.

Oh and were you surprised Joel Julio was beat so easily?

[H2O Man]

5. Yes.

Julio had seemed like a more complete fighter. But one early loss isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[MessiahRp]

6. Julio seemed to be looking for a KO from the getgo...

Quintana looked great. He gave so many different looks. Crouched down, turned to the side, punching inside, hitting from a distance.. He played back, he pressed later on... He was a complete fighter... And he had a decent jab and used some power in the later rounds.

I was thoroughly impressed by him tonight.

Rp

[H2O Man]

7. Quintana was very impressive.

He was fun to watch for exactly the reasons you listed. I also thought his response to the very low blow was worthy of our respect!

Brock did fine, against a tough opponent. But he showed the flaws that could be exploited by a veteran like Briggs, or a powerhouse like Peter. Of course, Brock could beat either of those two as well.

I had thought that after he beat McCline, his people would move him up a level. The fact that they recognized a need to lower his level of competition for a year suggests they are aware of his flaws. I think they need to have him fight some of the better competition in the division now.

[MessiahRp]

8. I think the problem with the heavyweight division as a whole

is that everybody in the division is extremely mediocre. There's nobody who stands out as an elite fighter and none of them look particularly skilled enough to dominate. I honestly don't think anybody in the division is much better than Mr. Boring himself John Ruiz, whom nobody wants to watch (which sort of encapsulates the problem with all the fighters in the division).

It's quite clear that this may be like the Hagley-Hearns-Leonard-Duran era for lighter fighters with all the marquee fights being down there since there aren't any legitimate heavywights to watch. Seeing the heavyweights that are out there make me appreciate Lennox Lewis that much more.

Rp

[H2O Man]

9. I think the heavyweights

would be more "fan friendly" if more matches were promoted, and carried on tv without being PPV. It seems that after a champion who dominates for a period (though Lewis did get flattened by two very average fighters), the division goes through a stale period. Then the next good, potentially great champion comes along.

Shannon Briggs is very good. But promoters aren't looking to match him against any top fighters. Brock and Peter are both works in progress. And Sergei Liakhovich could, if he were active, bring a heck of a lot of excitement to the division.

Return matches between the Rahman and Toney or the Ruiz and Valuev-types will make money for the promoters, and put the fans to sleep. But if Briggs, Brock, Peter and Liakhovich were to have a little fight-off, the public would find heavyweights worth watching.

[MessiahRp]

10. I sort of think

Heavyweight fights should take their turn being undercards on bigger name lighter weight marquee cards. It would help them exposure-wise to be on a card with De La Hoya or Mayweather. Also, it would be nice if ABC committed to the Wide World of Sports again to help put heavyweights on TV for free. I know Cable seems the outlet of choice but network TV exposure wouldn't hurt. With the way that some of these networks barely draw on certain nights I can't see why a once a month big boxing event wouldn't draw better ratings than some of the crap on there.

Not to mention the advertising returns might make more money than actual PPV buys which would mean you could attract major fights and put them on network TV rather than PPV and rebuild the entire sport.

UFC sort of does this already by having great fights on their Ultimate Fighter finales and presenting what would be a PPV event on TV live for free and the exposure has grown the fanbase a ton and their PPV buys are up dramatically to the point where they are going to add PPV webcasts.

The people in charge of the boxing commissions and some network executive have to be forward thinking about the presentation of the sport.

Rp