Mayweather & Berto: The Unlikable Pairing

Mayweather & Berto: The Unlikable Pairing

It has been officially announced; Mayweather v Berto is slated for September 12 and the boxing world is in less of an uproar but more of a universal groan of disapproval. Anyone who has read my blog knows I have a pro Mayweather and Berto sentiment, but even I must admit I am not entirely thrilled with the match up. However I am not writing to reiterate points about how this is a mismatch and the fans are being hoodwinked since I think there are enough people doing a pretty good job of that. I’m going to attempt to argue the benefits and some of the facts of this match and possibly give some perspective.

Since May 3, 2015 Floyd Mayweather has made no secret of his intentions to face an opponent of the caliber of Berto. In his post-fight interviews he stated he would pick someone he wanted to fight that will be a competitive opponent but not someone the public may see as one (and yet we all found ourselves shocked when Berto got the nod). In addition to that Andre Berto is the interim welterweight champ which to some, Mayweather included, seems to mean something. However outside of this there is a chance that this match can actually be good for the future of boxing.

I anticipate that this fight will surprise the boxing world for the very same reason the Pacquiao Mayweather fight seemed so underwhelming; perception. Mayweather v Pacquiao was never going to live up to the hype because the build-up produced an unrealistic expectation for two very smart, cautious and older fighters who hadn’t produced a knockout victory in over four years. In the case of the September 12^th bout the opposite perception is molding the outcome. The expectation of Berto/Mayweather is that the fight will be a wash since Berto is a ‘bum’. However as long as people expect this they overlook Berto’s performances inside the ring since 2011.

Berto’s no Chump!

On paper Andre Berto is 3-3 in his last six fights and if you let the naysayers tell it he was thoroughly dominated in all three losses. However Berto has never been knocked out; in his most recent loss to Sotto-Karass, the ref waved off the fight in the 12^th with Berto on his feet at the count of 4. This is same fight in which Karass was dropped in the eleventh. And with or without a blatant shoulder injury the fight was competitive with both fighters doing damage until the end.

Next, going backwards in time, there was Berto/Guerrero which was a fight mired in poor refereeing, fouls and dirty work unbecoming of Robert Guerrero who is typically a pretty complete, skilled and clean pugilist (I won’t go into as much detail on this fight as I already have in a previous post back in 2012, please feel free to peruse!). The image of the swollen eyed, almost extraterrestrial looking Berto allows the public to forget that damage was done in the first two rounds of a fight that went the distance. This was also a fight where Berto landed flurries off the ropes in the late rounds in what was being considered initially as the fight of the year. Much of the same could be said about Ortiz/Berto a fight where both fighters tasted the canvas twice and was also a fight of the year candidate.

The point of these examples is to show that Berto is more of a fighter than he has been given credit for; his speedy double uppercut does damage when executed, he has the heart of a warrior who fights as long as his body lets him and he does much better against fighters who are more boxers than aggressors and don’t lead with their head. As blasphemous as it may sound I have always seen Berto as similar to the late Arturo Gatti (one of my favorite fighters). Both men were at times outgunned by what many considered journeymen or gatekeepers (Manfredy and Sotto Karass come to mind), but they also fought hard, fought aggressive and never produced dull fights. This by no means equates to a Berto victory but the fact that Mayweather probably won’t smother Berto could produce some openings for Andre to look better than the general public anticipates.

Is There No One Else?

Finally there’s the issue of competition and the business of boxing. As disappointed as the fans and writers may be in the Berto scenario few have dared to point to someone who could do better: Broner would be considered a money grab, Thurman, Porter and Brook are allegedly to green and even Garcia is too fresh from the Malignaggi fight.  More importantly is the fact that no one gives any of these up and coming stars of the welterweight division a chance against Floyd which means if any of them fought him it would be a tremendous payday but also essentially the end of their burgeoning career. After all what does it say about your boxing era even if you become the champion but lost to the old guard on his way out?

The only other option would be GGG, the undefeated middleweight world beater with massive power and an all action style. Other than the problem of GGG being with HBO and Floyd being with Haymon, I’d argue that if this fight were to take place it would look a lot better on paper.  Most are in agreement that Mayweather lacks the power to put down GGG but he does have superior footwork, faster hands, and a good chin and is the best counter puncher in the world. Anything can happen in boxing but more than likely this would be a fight where Floyd moves, potshots and doesn’t engage. The fans are disappointed (as they always seem to be these days) and GGG gets branded as flatfooted and untested.

Berto is quite possibly the best case scenario for Floyd and Boxing. Floyd may open up, show some of the old Pretty Boy aggression and maybe even score a knockout. Berto will get an obscene payday, marginal recognition and an untarnished image because, let’s face it, most fans and pundits don’t like him anyway. Entertainment is fickle and most would be disappointed no matter the opponent Mayweather picked. I’m not trying to sell this fight, but there’s more to a matchup than what is on paper and before we all collectively damn this match to hell I’m going to at least give Berto the puncher’s chance he deserves.

Records and the Defense of the Less Tangibles

I recently read another article in which a writer insisted Floyd Mayweather has no claim at being considered anywhere near his self proclaimed title of TBE.  I must admit that at first I expected an article all about how Mayweather supposedly fought his opponents past their prime or avoided so and so and was surprised not to see such a report. Part of it did as the writer highlighted Mayweather’s more challenging fights against what he considered lackluster opposition. However as I continued reading I found that the article took another favored approach. Without spoiling the article if you chose to read it (I attached the link) the article does give Mayweather credit for being the best of his generation. While this is hardly a breakthrough given Mayweather has beaten virtually every fighter in his era, it begins to discredit his accomplishments in the often played out tale of fighters from way back when. The writer claims that fighters are not as good as they once were because of the lack of true old school trainers and fighters. However what was more frustrating was that one of the writer’s main arguments consisted of naming essentially the entire boxing hall of fame who Floyd hasn’t faced in his weight divisions and then insisting how every one of the 50 men mentioned were miles ahead.

First a remark on the idea that fighters are not what they used to be. I often refer to boxing fans as being similar to baseball fans and music snobs in that we love getting caught up in the nostalgia of how great a fighter was that we either grew up watching or worse, never saw fight but heard the old timers mention with such pride. The tales of glory from those we admire inspire us to research and dig for more. Many times this research will lead us to find a favorite who may have never fought when we were alive but saw highlights or a few of the old tapes. But that is just what they fighters are, our own personal favorites. Now I in no means want to tarnish the names of great past fighters but when we as fans mention our favorites there is a level of bias that presents itself.

It is true fighters aren’t what they used to be in the sense that you would be hard pressed to find a fighter with over 100 fights let alone that many wins. Some of this does have to do with fighters being more business savvy and matchmaking. Another factor also has to do with the fact that we romanticize many fighters for fighting hundreds of times without looking at context. Anyone who believes fighters cared less about money in the ‘60s, ‘50s, ‘40s or even ‘20s is delusional. Boxing was a way for many men to make money in addition to their full time jobs. For those who were pure sportsman and were able to make boxing their primary employment they often started incredibly early. Many of them also turned professional at much earlier ages than most of our modern fighters do. With certain exceptions (Ray Robinson comes to mind) the majority of fighters with such huge numbers of fights turned pro shortly after picking up boxing gloves. Should we use the fact that Julio Cesar Chavez fought to nearly 100 wins and disregard the fact some of it comes to an early start in the pros essentially tarnishes the greats before him who did so at 20.

            The second part is the argument that a fighter’s undefeated record doesn’t prove anything. I MUST concede, undefeated isn’t everything but it is a crowning achievement. It states that of all of your peers (assuming you faced most of them) none were capable of besting you. Much of this is a testament to skill; fighters value their record and every win is hard sought after. Others will argue this is more attributed to being a ‘protected’ fighter. While it is easy to play off as good matchmaking, this only tells part of the story. Matchmaking like it or not is a part of boxing and it is a very good thing for the sport and in many instances for the safety of the fighter. Matchmaking is the very reason many fighters today don’t have nearly as many wins in their column (think Harry Greb). But is also the same reason why so many contemporary boxers have fewer losses as well (think Joey Silva).

If you are wondering who Joey Silva is I am about to make two points. The first point is that many of the fighters of the past fought countless opponents multiple times a year. And for a man like Homicide Hank this could mean fighting Joey Silva one week and a man like Sugar Ray Robinson the next (literally, the fights were 7 days apart!). While Henry Armstrong is a phenomenal fighter there are several instances in his, as well as a myriad of other Hall of Famers’ careers, where they fought and beat fighters who on paper could be easily dismissed as bums. Statistically speaking a lot of this has to do with fighting obscene numbers of men over the course of their career. When a boxer fights over 40 fights in a year like they did in the past it’s hard to say if either fighter is truly conditioned during the fight or in fighting shape once they have taken the beating. So while boxers don’t fight as often and therefore aren’t getting as much experience it is arguable that they are also facing a more competitive level of fighters on most occasions.

            The second point I want to make with Joey Silva is the matter of being a boxing snob. I had no idea who Joey Silva was until I began writing this article but I took full advantage of his record to make a nonsensical point. I am in no way assuming the writer of the article I read did the same but this seems to happen all to frequently these days; an enthusiast goes on a boxing sight, does their due diligence to find fighters names throughout the archives of boxing and then pieces together the greatness of a fighter solely based on the numbers they see. That is exactly what I just did in an attempt to prove that fighters fought less than stellar competition and I could do it time and time again with the click of a few links to fighters (it’s ironic because it is often done to prove how some boxer’s O boxing achievement is less than spectacular).

Theses archives are a tremendous asset to the modern day fan because they allow us to dive into fighters we never knew existed and appreciate the well documented history of one of the world’s oldest sports. However to abuse it to prove the point that a fighter’s record now means nothing is simply proving that you are no better than the ‘casual fans’ today who insist otherwise. Records can't tell everything but they are a part of who a fighter is. I never saw Joey Silva fight so I mean no disrespect to his acumen, but on paper this is a man who lost nearly three times as many fights as he won. And yet at this is also the same man who went the distance with Henry Armstrong. Maybe Homicide Hank wasn’t that much of a HOF fighter and spent his career padding his resume with weak opposition. Now how RIDICULOUS does that sound? Then again I’d like to think maybe the Silva “just knew how to fight” as Mayweather said of Emanuel Augustus.

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/20846-floyd-mayweather-jr-the-best-ever-hardly

Mayweathervs Pacquiao Predition(s)

It’s not in my nature to write predictions but I figured why not for this one. I decided to predict how this fight would play out based on Manny’s most recent fight with Chris Algieri and Mayweather’s rematch with Marcos Maidiana. I did this for two real reasons.   

One: It’s easier. I’ve been watching Money and PacMan since ’98 and ’03 respectively and to consider all of their achievements and abilities is just far too time consuming and too long of a read for today.
Two: While fighters became who they are based on past opponents what I believe tells us more about these two is how they both looked and behaved in their most recent outings. Of course we can talk about how they looked before but many of our arguments will come from nearly a decade ago. Like it or not 2007 Money and 2009 Manny are not fighting each other but the 2015 versions of themselves.
 

So without further ado here goes nothing!

Round 1: Both fighters will begin very cautiously for the first minute. Floyd will get into his offensive stance and throw the jab while leaning hoping to lure Paquiao into being the aggressor. Paquiao will oblige and come in with his double jab trying to set up the left.  Neither fighter will do too much of consequence in the eyes of the fans or commentators but they have already laid the ground work for their game plans.

Round 2: Money will shift to being defensive and use his footwork to force Pac man chase him. Floyd will attempt to dodge Manny’s left and tuck underneath the right but will get caught with the first meaningful punch which will convince Floyd to remain distant and continue circling.

Round 3: By now Manny will no longer pursue he will remain patient and force Mayweather to engage. Floyd will cautiously oblige and land a few big shots first to the left side of the body and follow up with a straight right. Manny will not be hurt but will attempt to fire back in which Money will counter and continue to work the body.

Round 4: Still cautious Floyd will begin to adjust into going on the offensive. Manny will throw the left and catch Floyd forcing Floyd to initiate a clinch. Manny will remain calm and wait for Kenny Bayless to break them up. Floyd will attempt to do this on several occasions and Manny will allow it as Manny feels he hasn’t put Floyd in enough danger to clinch out of necessity.

Round 5: Manny will attempt to impose his will as he did in the previous round. Floyd will lie against the ropes and lure Manny into throwing combinations. Bayless will break them up and Floyd will go back to the ropes hoping to set up the check hook. Only after taking a few hard shots to the face he will succeed and turn so that Manny is on the ropes, Floyd will throw a few of his own and let Manny out of the corner.

Round 6: Where most of the fifth took place on the ropes much of this round will be in the center of the ring. Floyd will start out stationary with a high guard. Manny will come forward and throw several flurries that will go mostly blocked. As Manny goes in a second time a clinch will occur and then Floyd will begin to move around again. He will slip some of Manny’s punches and throw a looping jab immediately followed by the straight right connecting and visually backing up Manny.

Round 7:  Floyd will spend much of this round laying back and moving. Manny will capitalize on this and land a few punctuating shots of his own to which Floyd will smile in acknowledgment of Pac man’s power and connection.

Round 8: Manny will come out again hoping to do damage however Floyd will change the pace of the round by Mann’s double jab with a hard punch to the chest. Manny will attempt to readjust but Floyd will take this opportunity to go on the offensive and land some body shots of his own. As Manny’s guard comes down to block the body Floyd will hammer Manny’s head with a looping right hand.

Round 9: Manny will come out cautiously but will find Floyd unwilling to engage. As Floyd begins to move back Pacquiao will bang a hard jab pushing Floyd off balance and into the ropes.  Paqcuiao will attempt to punish Floyd along the ropes but his assault will be short lived as Bayless separates the two.

Round 10: Finding Pac Man more stationary Floyd will move in and out hitting Manny with pot shots around Manny’s high guard. Floyd will throw an uppercut between the guard that will rock Manny’s head. As the action moves off of the ropes Manny and Floyd will have an accidental clash of heads busting Floyd’s lip. Floyd will be visually unsettled but maintain control of the round by clinching.

Round 11: Having his lip cleaned Floyd will continue wiping his lip but will attempt to even up the score by throwing combos of three or four rather than the one twos he prefers. The second half of the round will go to Manny as he will continue to attack after Floyd’s offensive was unable to stop the Filipino.

Round 12: The two will touch gloves having earned one another’s respect and will both attempt to put the finishing touches on the fight, Floyd will spend much of the round moving while Pac Man pursues. In the last minute Floyd will attempt to steal the round with a few crisp shots of his own

 The fight will be called a Majority Decision for Mayweather with a one card calling it a draw.

Disclaimer
This is my prediction solely based on these to fighters’ most recent matches with Algieri and Maidana. As a fan though I think the fight will depend on Manny’s power and Floyd’s mind frame. When Floyd tastes Manny’s power he will decide if the fight can be competitive. If Floyd decides to stick to being out of range and reluctant to fire, expect that Floyd realized Manny’s power is real. Floyd may pull off the win but it is unlikely as many will see him as running the entire fight. Floyd’s mind will also play a big part in his performance. Floyd was visibly distracted in the second Maidana fight; if the same distractions are present then Floyd will not be the same fighter. He will be given problems all night long and possibly even get bulldozed by Manny.
 However if Floyd comes in the right mind and is unfazed I expect Mayweather to throw looping shots around Manny’s high guard starting in round three or four.  He will find his rhythm and hammer Pacquiao with counter punches throughout and possibly even lead to a late round stoppage. My guess between round 9 and more likely 11.

Jennings Post Klitschko Bout

Some Credit for a Deserving Jennings

Saturday’s heavyweight bout between Wladamir Klitschko should have created more buzz given what actually took place inside the ring. Yet in spite of the fact that most were giving Jennings a snowballs chance of making it to the halfway mark let alone the championship rounds, the very same pundits are now insisting the fight was “just as they predicted”… a dud, a total mismatch and if anything another testament to the greatness of Klitschko.

                Personally I found the fight more entertaining than most of Wladamir’s recent fights; Jennings was a live dog throughout and kept his work rate busy enough to create some problems for Klitschko and also managed not to burn himself out. While Bryant was ruled out of this fight before it ever began based on his experience, or lack thereof, he showed a deep knowledge of the sport in the way he executed his game plan. Jennings focused on the body early hoping to make the head available later, his head movement was phenomenal and kept a high guard well enough to take much of the sting off of Klitscho’s power punches. He was even aware of the referee’s commands by capitalizing before a break was called, and he used his combinations in an effective enough way that Klitschko himself admitted prevented him from throwing his right as often as he’d liked to. Klitschko also showed what many already knew to be true about his boxing acumen: when chided by the ref for excessive clinching Wladamir tended to execute more effective combinations and dictate the pace.

                Despite what the scorecards said the fight was nowhere near one sided; both fighters were pushed to exchange and had various opportunities to display their ring generalship. Even if there were no knock downs or stoppages this fight was exciting. But perhaps we as spectators are too wrapped up in the nostalgia of boxing. It is a curse we share with baseball in that we perpetually look for the next Mike Tyson and compare every contemporary fighter and matchup to that of their past perceived counterparts. Klitschko vs Jennings won’t be heralded as a fight of the year but it doesn’t need to be.  What should truly be taken away from this fight is the hope for resurgence in elite level heavy weight talent.

 It is undeniable that Wladamir is the measuring stick for the Heavy weight division and is considered by some alongside the best heavyweights of all time. There is also no apparent proof of Father Time having caught up with him as of yet. Therefore when a relative unknown of average heavyweight dimensions doesn’t just survive but executes a legitimate game plan and creates a competitive matchup we should take notice.  Jennings was tested against the best in the division and did not disappoint (in fact given perception he actually surprised) and yet the conversation immediately shifts to what’s next for Wlad. Granted Wladamir is the champion with mandatories to face but he can’t face them all at the same time. Maybe Jennings could have a chance to drop Fury a la Cunningham should Deontay get a shot at the champ. It was said in the buildup that win or lose we would see the best of Bryant Jennings. I would argue Bryant brought his best at this time and that showed us that he smarter than initially perceived. I would also argue that Jennings will take away some serious ring knowledge from this opportunity. I’m keeping my resolve in the return of Heavyweight division especially Bryant Jennings and I encourage all to do the same.

A Financial Warning

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again boxing fans and writers need to stayed focused on the only part of the super fight of the century that has any effect on the fight itself. It is ironic that the same people who insist that they don’t like Mayweather for his money persona and flaunting his wealth in people’s faces have a chief concern about how this is the richest fight in boxing, how lucrative a rematch will be and purse splits. In all reality what does any of this have to do with viewers of the fight? Does anyone remember how much Ali was paid to fight Foreman or all backdoor powerbrokers who created Tyson Lewis? Better still for recent history how much did Manny Pacquiao make for his last fight with Algieri? Truth be told the money is irrelevant and is really nothing more than a ploy by those who will actually get a piece of the pie.  Don’t get me wrong, if you are interested in the dollars and cents of the mega fight, by all means indulge. However the constant selling of this fight as a matter of dollar signs alone in my opinion is merely a tactic to bleed the boxing public once more.

          During the years building up to this fight I recall talking with my friends about how big the fight could be and someone inevitably brought up how it could make $150 million, then 200 then 400 and on and on. All the while I remember asking those who brought up said topic how this fight was going to make that kind of money and would frequently hear from Pay Per View sales. They were right of course but looked bewildered when I stated that the PPV buys were coming from us. Our demand dictates the prices we pay for inelastic goods like entertainment.  As the writers and bloggers began to talk more and more about the money of the fight it created buzz that convinced the boxing promoters they could legitimately get away with charging $100 for PPV. Lo and behold here we are giving our pound of flesh!

          Now more and more people and articles are focusing on what a draw in this fight could mean monetarily.Personally I rationalized paying for this fight under the idea that it’s a once in a lifetime match up and while a draw is a possible outcome in boxing who in their right mind believes that would or should happen? One fighter is known for explosive power and all action offense and the other is a master counter puncher who rarely loses more than two rounds let alone an entire judge’s score card. A close fight makes sense and would surely be exciting but a draw seems fishy. Even if we hope for a draw no one should announce it or we could be looking at a major let down in this “Super Bowl” of boxing. Don’t underestimate the powers that be in boxing to create controversy for currency and if we as fans let it be known we accept a draw, one could be forced through a myriad of ways: poor officiating, ‘blind’ judges etc. A match of the best is what we are getting and the best fight is what we are hoping for so let’s keep our focus on the real storylines and numbers of the fight: reach, speed, power, style, trainers, legacies, belts, past opponents, future opponents. Pick one, pick three pick any of them but please let’s leave selling this fight to the only people who are being paid to do it! 

Mayweather “better” than Ali

I recently read the article about Floyd Mayweather's claims of being better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali and noticed tremendous outcry by the author and by those who left comments. I will attach the link to it at the bottom if you have yet to read it. First and foremost I will state the obvious; I am a boxing fanatic and a fan of Floyd Mayweather. However I am going to try and be as unbiased as possible in his defense. This will also be more of a contextual examination than statistical as it will be a retort to the article itself. With that being said if you have an utter distain for pro Money sentiments, reader beware because this will probably make your blood boil.

The Article

To begin O’Donnell attempts to discredit Mayweather stating that the disparity in size nullifies all comparison of the two fighters which is essentially true which is why fighters are compared often through the lens of pound for pound ability. O’Donnell continues by comparing Floyd to the Muggsy Bogues of boxing which I can only hope is an over dramatization for the sake of argument. The author continues by arguing that Mayweather’s competition is significantly weaker than Ali’s however this is all suppositional. No one in the modern boxing era would dare question the legitimacy of Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, or George Foreman. However in Ali’s prime many accused him of pulling a Floyd when it came to competition and match making. Boxing pundits claimed Patterson was over the hill by the time Ali fought him, others insisted Liston was on the take, Jerry Quarry lost to virtually every top tier opponent he faced and Archie Moore was 46 by the time he faced a young Cassius Clay. Many in the audience even insisted Ali ran too much in his first match with Frazier. Needless to say many of Ali’s past opponents were greats but to be fair so will many of Mayweather’s opponents from Mosley to Corrales. The lens of quality goes in and out of focus over the decades but to insist that the modern featherweight through super welterweight (Floyd’s weight classes) divisions lack any comparable talent with the previous eras of boxing is selling countless Hall of Fame fighters short for the sake of ridiculing one.

More importantly than the argument of who is better is the issue of the comments Mayweather has made. Some may cringe at the idea of Floyd being spoken about in the same breath as Ali and Robinson but it has already happened and the perpetrators have been some of the most respected in the sport, Emanuel Stewart and George Foreman come to mind. While the majority of the boxing world does not agree that he is better than Ali and Robinson (myself included), his statement is a matter of opinion and makes sense from a marketing perspective.

Opinion First:

            Examining Mayweather’s opinion based on his comments make sense from his perspective with Ali. As the author points out correctly Muhammad Ali was a powerful and big man who often enjoyed an advantage in either weight, height, reach or all three. That being said it is nowhere more apparent than in the heavyweight division how beneficial these attributes can be. In Mayweather’s defense he has fought fighters of a much wider range in size comparatively given he’s taken on opponents from 130 to 154.  Perhaps in Floyd’s mind this leads to more versatile opposition.

Floyd’s argument from a technical standpoint is that the old axiom of boxing is hit and don’t get hit. And while greatness is not measured solely in stats and technicality, it is a crucial part. By this reasoning Floyd does have a justification saying he is better as a technical boxer; he has relied on his ring I.Q., ring generalship, timing and adaptability more than endurance, speed, power or any other physical attributes to maintain dominance.

From A Marketing Perspective

            Let’s consider a hypothetical where Floyd doesn’t think he is best of all time. For a fighter who is arguably the best of his era to insist he isn’t as good as the fighters of the past would be detrimental to boxing given the prevailing opinion by naysayers that boxing is dead. Such a hypothetical essentially states that Floyd sees himself as the close to as good as it gets and could be interpreted as proof positive that boxing is a dying sport. After all if the self-proclaimed TBE is saying he is second to some where does that put every other fighter of the last fifteen years? Fighters say often outlandish things about their legacies and other’s legacies for various reasons that they may or may not truly believe. However at the end of the day no one person has the last word on a fighter’s legacy. In boxing greatness is often based on collective knowledge over comparative generations; who beat who and when. And while Mayweather’s legacy is still being written his polarizing persona will be outlived only by his skills in the ring. The reality is fighters’ public perception is similar to that of US presidents; the longer their out the higher their approval rating goes.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/video/floyd-mayweather-jr-argues-that-hes-way-better-than-muhammad-ali/