Brandon Rios: Return of a Fallen Warrior?

The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas is what most would describe as a luxurious resort, offering a mood of lavishness.  Every inch of the Cosmo screams modern elegance with just a tint of eclectic.  There’s a certain atmosphere that exudes from the decorative walls and translucent chandeliers.  It’s a feeling of peace… comfort… easiness. 

It’s only fitting that on Saturday, August 2^nd … The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas will play host to what promises to be a brutal, vicious and ugly boxing match pitting Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (31-2-1, 23 KOs) against Diego “La Joya” Chaves (23-1, 19 KOs). 

Neither one of these fighters understand the concept of moving backwards and both consider aggression to be their best defense.  Both fighters are capable of walking away with victory, but the result will only be determined by whether or not we will see the return of the warrior inside of Brandon Rios. 

Corner II Corner Podcast -- Post Fight Reaction to Golovkin-Geale

12 Rounds of Thought - Golovkin vs. Geale

My initial thoughts on Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s three round destruction of Daniel Geale and Bryant Jennings controversial split decision victory over Mike Perez. 

Round 1:  First and foremost… a referee should NEVER be a major influence in a fight.  To take a point away from Mike Perez in the 12^th round without warning is absolutely atrocious! The fight would have been a draw… a fight that was very competitive, close and most importantly, not dirty.  Tough break for Mike Perez. 

Round 2:  With that being said… neither Bryant Jennings nor Mike Perez do anything to push the needle forward.  These are two above average heavyweights who don’t possess the power or skill to be a serious threat to Wladimir Klitschko.  Personally, I rank recently fallen Chris Arreola over both of them. 

Round 3:  As for the fight itself, it was better than I thought… but not good by any means.  Each fighter had their moments.  Jennings had an opportunity to really take over, but never took advantage of his momentum.

 

Round 4:  Jennings dominated rounds 7 & 8, wobbled Perez in the eighth… but couldn’t follow up.  A sign of a really good fighter is his ability to build on momentum… and Jennings was unable to do such. 

Round 5:  Gennady Golovkin is a superstar in the making.  He has it all… the look, physique, ability, showmanship and most importantly… lethal power.  He is entertainment in the purest form. 

Round 6:  Just think… Golovkin was hit while throwing the punch he landed to knock Geale out… imagine if he wasn’t… eesh!

Round 7:  A very underrated aspect of GGG’s arsenal is his stiff jab.  It’s damn near a power punch! He kept Geale off-balance and constantly on his heels. 

Round 8:  I had a few people make remarks about Golovkin’s defense… saying he took too many shots and drops his right hand.  Easy response… he knew early in the first round that Geale couldn’t hurt him and from that point on, he was in terminator mode. 

Round 9:  Something else that goes overlooked is Golovkin’s ability to make subtle movements with his head and shoulders to avoid punches.  He’s always in position to fire back. 

Round 10:  He has an innate ability to cut-off the ring.  Geale tried to stay on the outside, but Golovkin quickly suffocated him and made the ring feel smaller than an elevator.

Round 11:  It’s become obvious to me that GGG dares to be great.  His post-fight interview with Kellerman was what we want from all prizefighters… no fear.  He wants the best.  Called out Cotto… and wants to unify the division.   

Round 12:  From 154-168, the only fighter I see giving Golovkin some trouble is Andre Ward… and he’s been on hiatus.  Cotto MAY fight him, but I don’t see it… he’s a rejuvenated fighter who has bigger paydays on the horizon.  Why lose all that momentum by getting in the ring with such an animal?  I’d put my next three year’s salary on the line that Oscar De La Hoya keeps Canelo Alvarez light years away from a match-up with Golovkin.  Froch already damn near admitted he wouldn’t fight him.  Chavez Jr. had his chance to no avail.  So who?... It all leads to Solomon, then possibly Quillin if the networks can work something out.  Regardless, neither Solomon or Quillin give Golovkin the opportunity to hold the stature that equates to his true potential.  This man has an aura… a specialness that comes around maybe once a decade.  Sad to say, without that marquee victory on a national stage, his impact on the sport will not nearly be what it should be. 

Follow me on Twitter: @RLMalpica

2nd Quarter Boxing Report - 2014

With over half the year gone, there’s been some very intriguing storylines in the world of boxing.  Fighters that showed glimpses of greatness were brought down to earth while a young crop of boxers emerge.  It’s boxing, every man for himself and the elite fighters always rise to the top.  While 2014 has been a let-down thus far, the year definitely hasn’t lacked any substance.  Take a look as I breakdown the second quarter of the year:

Let’s Dig Deep!

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may still be boxing’s king, but his reign will not last much longer.  His bout with Maidana showed a vulnerability in the fighter’s abilities I haven’t seen in the past.  While Floyd’s obviously still one of the best fighters in the world, I do believe Maidana laid out a blueprint on how to give the pound-for-pound king some problems.  A true depiction of Floyd’s regressing skills will be on display in the rematch with Maidana September 13^th.  If he dominates and proves that the first fight was intended to be competitive, then my claim is refuted… but if we see a replay of the first bout, then the end is near. 

Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter are the future of the welterweight division… and maybe the sport.  Both fighters have an enticing personality and both possess a fan friendly style with commercial appeal.  On top of that, both fighters are American and could be the type of boxers that increase public perception.  Porter’s annihilation of Paulie Malignaggi catapulted him to the doorstep of stardom.  Thurman has yet to be truly tested. 

Gennady "GGG" Golovkin - A Feared.... and Un-Wanted Man

Every once in awhile a fighter comes along that defines transcendent.  They possess a certain aura about them and extract an energy that can only be described as chilling.  Looking back thru the depths of boxing history, only a few fighters come to mind.  Sonny Liston possessed a bone chilling presence… Roberto Duran pumped fear into opponents… Mike Tyson may be the most transcendent of them all. 

Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs) already has that aura and this comes without ever exchanging punches with a well known opponent.

In a sport that markets unforgiving brutality, such a character would usually be a promoter’s dream.  When looking at the aforementioned fighter’s careers, their aura worked to their advantage and was utilized as a major marketing ploy.  For Golovkin, it’s working against him. 

Nobody wants to fight Gennady Golovkin.  Now “nobody” is a relative term… Golovkin can find fights, as is evident by his matchup this Saturday with Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KOs), which is easily his toughest opponent to date.  But Golovkin is at a point in his career at age 32, where he should be fighting the best in the world. 

If he had it his way, he would be.  A showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was proposed to take place in July only to fall apart due to Chavez Jr. not wanting to extend his contract with Top Rank Promotions.  In what would have been a monumental opportunity for Golovkin to spread his aura and transcendence to a wider audience, turned into the Kazakhstan native fighting another little-known fighter. 

All indications point to Golovkin “daring to be great”:

“Right now my focus is 160.  I’m open for everyone  [who is] a big fight, a pay-per-view fight.  [Me fighting] at 168 or at 154 is just for a pay-per-view fight.  Right now my focus is 160 and I’ll stay here [at 160] and I’m open for everybody,” Golovkin said. – per Bill “Two Scoops” Emes of boxingscene.com

The truth is… the aura surrounding Golovkin is truly a byproduct of his innate ability to destroy opponents inside the squared circle.  He has a storied amateur background.  His power is unquestioned.  The man is relentless and looks to stop at nothing.  Golovkin looks to punish you… and he never stops coming.  It’s only fitting that Iron Mike is his idol.  

From the Jr. Middleweight to Super Middleweight divisions, there are a good number of quality matches that would help propel Golovkin’s career and more importantly showcase one of the best fighters in the world to the masses.  I highly doubt newly rejuvenated WBC Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto wants any part of him.  Cotto’s fallen opponent Sergio Martinez sure didn’t.  It’s WAY too much risk for pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya knows better than to put Canelo Alvarez in the ring with such an animal. 

That’s why Golovkin is subdued to fight the likes of Geale, Sam Soliman and Peter Quillin who are game opponents, but lack the marketability to turn Gennady Golovkin into a household name. 

For the average sports fan to be unfamiliar with Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is truly a travesty.  Sonny Liston was known and feared.  Roberto Duran is an icon.  Mike Tyson will forever be the most captivating personality in boxing history.  Golovkin deserves that same opportunity.  The question is… does any top-flight fighter want to give it to him?

Follow me on Twitter: @RLMalpica

5 Things I Think About Paquiao-Algieri

My initial thoughts on the announcement of Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) vs. Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) on November 22, 2014 in Macau China. 

  

1.   It’s gonna be a tough night for Chris Algieri… and I see him as being a pretty good fighter.  I’m very surprised that Bob Arum is throwing him in the ring with Manny at this point in his career.  Why not build him up a little more? Get him some more experience under his belt before subjecting him to a top 3 fighter in the world. 

2.   One thing is painfully obvious… Manny has run out of opponents.  The Cold War may have thawed.. but with the uncertainty surrounding Golden Boy and its roster, it’s pretty clear that we’re not going to see the fights we WANNA see for some time.

3.   If ever there was a time for Bob Arum to put together a top notch undercard… this is it.  In a year that’s already seen 5 pay-per-view events with Mayweather-Maidana2 coming in September, Pacquiao-Algieri easily falls to the bottom of the list.  Add to the fact that the bout is in China against a little-known fighter, Top Rank will need to do a MASTERFUL job of promotion. 

4.   From a stylistic standpoint, Algieri finds himself in a tough position.  The tough New York native climbed off the canvas and put on a top notch boxing performance against Ruslan Provodnikov.  He stayed on the outside and beat Ruslan to the punch with crisp combinations and was able to use his movement to deter Ruslan’s attack.  Against Manny, combination punching is a great tactic… if you have power.  Algieri doesn’t possess the type of power to halt Manny’s relentless offensive attack.  Couple that with Manny’s elite footwork… and we’re likely to see Pacquiao score his first KO in 5 years.

 

5.   This is a stop-gap fight.  Bob knows it’s not gonna perform anywhere near the level of Manny’s past bouts.  It’s a calculated match that provides Manny with an opponent who doesn’t pose a risk and gives Manny a legit opportunity to score a brutal stoppage.  Algieri’s face will be bludgeoned by the middle rounds and Top Rank will use the brutality to help propel their star’s reputation back to what it once was. 

 

Follow me on twitter: @RLMalpica

 

We Go To The Scorecards

Examining a Pattern of Bad Judging

There’s no other sport in the world that utilizes the human element quite like boxing does.  To win, a boxer must either control his own destiny by knocking his opponent out or leave his fate in the hands of three human judges.  Boxing is subjective… and while there’s a beauty in a sport dominated by opinion, debate and passion… at times it can be frustrating. 

Judges are to score fights based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense.  Pretty basic concepts… but once again subjective.  There’s no exact science to judging a bout and most of the time they get it right.  It’s a part of boxing that we’ve grown accustomed to and bad decisions come with the territory. 

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a pattern in the last year that I feel needs to be addressed.  In the majority of marquee fights for the past year, one or two of the scorecards seems to be completely off compared to the other.   Now I’m not here to throw out conspiracy theories or suggest foul play… I am merely reporting on my observations. 

When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stepped into the squared circle with boxing’s king Floyd “Money” Mayweather in September of 2013… the world was watching.  The fight broke records, producing over 2 million pay-per-view buys resulting in the second most in boxing history.  Floyd dominated the fight and it could be argued that he won every single round… yet CJ Ross somehow scored the fight a draw, while the other judges and boxing experts saw the fight decisively in Mayweather’s favor.  I’ve watched this fight a number of times and even with eyes fixated on Canelo, I couldn’t come up with 4 rounds to give him. 

12 Rounds of Thought - Canelo vs. Lara

My initial thoughts on Canelo Alvarez's controversial split decision victory over Erislandy Lara.  A bad night for boxing.  

Round 1: Tonight boxing took another black eye... I've been saying all year the judging has been horrible and suspect... tonight was the icing on the cake. Very bad day for boxing.  

Round 2: I scored the fight 116-112 for Lara and felt that almost every round was pretty decisive.  How ANY judge scored it 117-111 for Canelo is preposterous.  

Round 3: I scored rounds 4, 7, 8 and 9 for Canelo... that's it.  He was severely out-boxed by a superior boxer in every other round.  

Round 4: Before the fight, I said if Erislandy Lara stuck to his gameplan for the entire fight... he would win easy... and he did.  Should have been a decisive win for Lara.  

Round 5: Lara did an incredible job of sticking and moving... landing one-twos and using his lateral movement to control the fight.  

Round 6: He frustrated Canelo... and showed throughout this fight that he is the better fighter.  

Round 7: Canelo is extremely one-dimensional... and this fight showed Canelo's kryptonite.  Movement. The fight looked like Floyd-Canelo2. 

Round 8: Props to Paulie Malignaggi on speaking the truth... Judge Levi Martinez had Canelo winning during the national anthems.  

Round 9: I'm on the hook for putting myself out there by saying Canelo was the future of the sport... boy was I wrong.  He's nothing but a glorified puncher who thinks he's a boxer.  Very disappointed.  

Round 10: For some odd reason, Canelo has an identity crisis.  He thinks he can outbox pure boxers.  He gave away the first three rounds simply by trying to stand on the outside and box one of the slickest boxers in the sport.  In round 4 he got aggressive and did some good body work that paid off later in the fight, but there were so many opportunities for Canelo to make the fight rough... and he'd let Lara off the hook.  

Round 11: Much respect to Lara for not letting his pride get the best of him and fall into the trap of trading with Canelo.  I didn't think he could do it on that big of a stage... after all the trash he talked... but he did and that showed me the type of professional he is and will be.  Erislandy is going to be a problem for a while.  

Round 12:  A rematch? No way in the world that happens... I doubt you'll even see the two fighters matched up in the same month.  Canelo will go on to bigger fights with Cotto and such... while Lara will be avoided for years.  It's a tough break for Lara in so many ways.  He wasn't well known... and out-boxed one of the biggest fighters in the sport.. and got robbed.  Real tough break.  I truly hope he gets another shot at a big fight.  I'm still excited for Canelo-Cotto because stylisticly it's gonna be great... but unless something drastically changes in the next few fights, Canelo is not an elite fighter. Sad sad day for boxing.  

Follow me on twitter: @RLMalpica 

5 Things I Think About Mayweather-Maidana 2

• It’s obvious that Floyd Mayweather Jr. saw Marcos Maidana as the ONLY option for his scheduled bout on September 13^th.  That’s not to say that there are not more intriguing match-ups out there, but for Floyd and HIS personal matchmaking model, Maidana was the only fighter that made sense.  The numbers for the first fight have yet to surface, but word on the street is that Mayweather-Maidana did somewhere in the ballpark of 850K buys.  A rematch will do similar numbers in my opinion and truthfully, no other opponent besides Pacquiao will move the needle.

• The rematch does provide a pretty good level of intrigue.  Floyd showed vulnerability in the first fight and the decision was somewhat controversial.  There are a number of questions going into the rematch and the yearning for those answers will help promote this fight.  Has Floyd lost a step and is he beatable?  Did Floyd “truly” make the fight competitive for the fans?  Can Maidana duplicate what he did in the first fight?  These are all questions that breathe life into what seems to be lukewarm anticipation to the rematch. 

• Floyd considers himself “The Best Ever” and while some may say taking this rematch was the easy road, I disagree.  Yes, I’d like to see him in the ring with Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and a number of other young fighters, but in my opinion he has unfinished business with Maidana.  Legends don’t leave doubt or dust unsettled… they provide clarity.  While I don’t think legacy is ever a decision maker for Floyd, it is a byproduct of his matchmaking in this instance.  He has something to prove, whether intentionally or not. 

• Maidana could not have had a better game-plan going into the first fight.  He did exactly what I thought he needed to do.  Make the fight ugly and put relentless pressure on Floyd to make him fight off of reaction as opposed to allowing him to think in the ring.  Marcos executed to perfection in the first few rounds… but ran out of gas and didn’t have much left in the second half of the fight.  With a trainer like Robert Garcia, I would think they would adjust the plan slightly to allow Maidana to keep his stamina up for late fight success as well.  Easier said than done… but if Marcos Maidana is going to shock the world, he’ll have to be relentless for the full twelve. 

• I really believe we’re seeing the end of a dominant reign.  By no means am I saying that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to lose on September 13^th, but I don’t expect a much different fight than what we saw the first time.  The Welterweight and Junior Middleweight divisions are as strong as ever.  I really see the torch being passed on very soon from the Manny and Floyd era.  Mayweather-Maidana2 will be a foreshadowing of what’s to come.  

Follow me on twitter: @RLMalpica