Contender, Mosley-Cotto

Well, I caught the post fight reaction on the Contender finale. I'm ashamed to say I've never really watched the show. Looks like the championship fight was a humdinger. Will definitely try to catch the replay. I'm hearing fight of the year talk.

So, big fight coming up this weekend: Shane Mosley vs. Miguel Cotto. Normally I'd shell out the PPV $ for a fight like this, but now that the baby is here, I figure I'll just wait for the replay. So what do I think of this one? I'm really excited for this one. This is a great matchup of Mosley's speed and smarts against Cotto's power and determination. Oh, and youth.

Cotto is one of those fighters who seems like he's ready to be taken to me. Judah definitely hurt him. So did Ricardo Torres. He's not a figher who's quick on his feet, and he's not a one-punch KO artist. But he keeps coming, has a great heart, and also has some pretty heavy hands. If Mosley boxes and uses his hand and foot speed, I think can win. But then every time I think those things, I remember how Vernon Forrest hurt him to the body late in their first fight and how Cotto throws some nice body shots. This one should be great. Pick? Dang, I don't know. My guess is that Mosley either chooses to stand toe to toe or maybe is forced to do so and gets worn down late in the fight. I'm rooting for the old man to pull this one off, though.

Here's a fight I'd like to see: Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Diaz. Imagine all the punches thrown in this one.

Also, I have a bad feeling about the Jones-Trinidad fight. A bad feeling for Roy Jones. Honestly, I wish he'd retire and let me remember all the brilliance instead of the fights at the end of his career.

I thought it would be a little more competitive

Dang, I really thought Kessler would be able to stay with Joe a little more than he did.

I just don't know who can beat this guy. He doesn't look that impressive, but he is a darn good fighter. I have to give my grudging respect.

Who can he fight?

Pavlik? Joe would be too slick and too fast.
Taylor? Same
Hopkins? Joe would be way too busy for him

The light heavies could be interesting if he goes up in weight. Dawson? Tarver? Jones? Those could be interesting.

I look forward to seeing both Kessler and Calzaghe fight again. I may have to give up on seeing someone beat Calzaghe.

Two years later. And what's up with the spam?

Wow, has it really been two and a half years since my last post? I thought that might happen. I feel some strange motivation to start regular posts, so hopefully this will be the start of something.

I was pleasantly surprised to see I actually had a couple of comments. Thanks to TheHeffer for those. But what’s up with the spam comments? I didn’t realize they could do that.

Okay, so let’s talk boxing. Big fight weekend. We have Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler on HBO and Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez on Showtime. Both are good fights, but I’m really excited for the Calzaghe-Kessler scrap. Why? Two reasons, I suppose:

1. Should be a good fight
2. I would love to see someone beat Calzaghe

I’ve never been a Calzaghe fan and have always thought he was overrated. It was hard to deny his talent after he humiliated Jeff Lacy last year, but he just doesn’t impress me that much. I’ve rooted for Calzaghe once, and that was in his fight against Peter Manfredo earlier this year. That choice was basically who I disliked more, and I really dislike Manfredo. So it was great to see Joe win that fight, though a clean KO would have been nice.

I’m rooting for Kessler, but do I think he’ll win? Hard to say. Joe fights to the level of his opposition, and as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a very good fighter. He has good ring smarts and quick hands. Does he still have what it takes at 35? It’ll be interesting to see if Kessler can land solidly on him and then how Calzaghe takes Kessler’s power. Let’s not forget that Joe was knocked down by Byron Mitchell a few years back. Of course he stormed back to win, but it shows that Calzaghe can be knocked down.

So what’s the call? My heart is definitely with Kessler. My head? Man, this is a tough one. I’m going to say Calzaghe by close decision. In the end, he’ll probably be just a bit busier. Having said that, I would not be surprised to see Kessler score a booming KO.

Marquez-Juarez. This is a decent fight, but JM Marquez is just too complete a fighter for Juarez. Rocky does have that great left hook, and if the fight turns into a slugfest, he could get lucky. But as we saw in the second fight with Barrera, Rocky can be outboxed. I see Marquez winning a comfortable decision in a competitive fight.

I think that’s about it for now. Haven’t checked the results of Brock-Chambers yet. I hope it was a good one. Could have been boring, though.

Kostya Tszyu

Dang, I had a feeling I'd be terrible about new postings. My girlfriend, Karla, and I spent the weekend in Lincoln City, Oregon to watch a fight card at Chinook Winds Casino, but more on that later.

I recorded last night's Ricky Hatton - Kostya Tszyu fight, but I could stand the suspense and checked sports news on my cell phone when we got home. I saw the "Hatton Upsets Tszyu" headline and read the story. I have to admit I was a little down. I wouldn't say I am a huge Tszyu fan, but I've always liked him, and I always root for him. Still, I had a bad feeling about this fight.

I finished watching the fight about half an hour ago, and the thing that stands out the most to me is how classy Tszyu was in losing. No excuses, just praise for his opponent. I am sure lots of boxing writers and fans will accuse Tszyu of taking the easy way out and not having any heart. It's amazing how quickly these sorts of folks can turn. It was sad to see such a great fighter end a fight on his stool, but hey knew he was beaten and was realistic with himself. Personally, I'd like to see him stay retired.

As for Hatton, it's tough to say how good he is. His high-pressure, smothering attack will present big problems for all but the very best fighters at 140 pounds.

Floyd Mayweather: I think Floyd outslicks Ricky, but Floyd would have to be at the top of his game and use his slickness. I believe Floyd is the top fighter in this division.

Vivian Harris: If he can get Hatton's respect from the outside, he can win. Still, I get the idea that Harris is just a little fragile. I'd love to see him prove me wrong, though.

Miguel Cotto: Hmmm . . . this one would be exciting. I don't know if Cotto is slick enough or hits hard enough to deter Hatton.

Arturo Gatti: This one would be a great fight for fans. If Arturo boxes well and uses his power, he could win. Still, I think Hatton would probably outwork him on the inside.

Okay, that's good for now. More on last night's card in Lincoln City soon. I'll also tell you about our trip to Las Vegas for Wright-Trinidad.

Good Lord

I've been thinking about starting up a boxing blog for a while. I've just watched one of the best fights I've ever seen, and I thought this would be a good time to start blogging.

Diego Corrales just knocked out Jose Luis Castillo in one of the most amazing comebacks I've ever seen. Down twice and hurt, Corrales stormed back and had Castillo out on his feet against the ropes. Some might fault referee Tony Weeks for stopping the fight two quickly, but in my opinion, Corrales was just one punch away from hurting Castillo pretty badly. I don't yell out loud much when I'm watching boxing, but this one had me yelling and screaming.

I met Diego Corrales in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, and he is one of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. Still, as much as I like him, I thought Castillo would come on late for a stoppage. The fact that Diego went down against Casamayor and Mayweather so many times had me questioning his chin a bit. To his credit, he got up from all those knockdowns and didn't look badly hurt. Tonight he was hurt. These weren't the same knockdowns that he popped back up from against Casamayor. Both time he went down tonight, Diego fell as if his brain lost its connection to the rest of his body. Somehow, he found the wherewithal to punch back with the accuracy and power he needed to turn things around.

I'm 5' 9". Corrales is about my height but weighs forty pounds less than I do. He's skinny, almost scrawny-looking. But Good Lord, that man is able to harness incredible punching power. He showed not only power and skill tonight, but also a heart as big as any I've ever seen in the sport.

Nicely done, Chico.

This is what makes boxing such a riveting sport to watch. Lots of sports have high drama, especially in close, back and forth contests. Boxing, however, it the one sport where a single event can change everything in an instant. Baseball doesn't have a five-run homer. Basketball doesn't have a four point shot. Only boxing provides this kind of drama.

Well, I doubt anyone is reading this, but I'll stop anyway. Am going to be in Vegas next week for Trinidad-Wright.