Argentinean fighters of note: Monzon, Galindez, Locche, Coggi & Castro

Argentinean fighters of note: Monzon, Galindez, Locche, Coggi & Castro


Different countries boast of their own great fighters. The English had gritty Nigel Benn and the great Lennox Lewis, the proud Cubans had the flashy Kid Gavilan and “El Feo” Rodriquez, the Nigerians had super talented Dick Tiger and Hogan "Kid" Bassey, the Ukraine has the Klitchko’s and so on. But for gaudy records, legendary fights and especially high drama, I have always had a great fondness for South American fighters and most particularly, for those from Argentina. Let’s go back in history now and look at a few of the more notable ones.

1. Carlos "Escopeta “(Shotgun) Monzon.

With a final record of 87-3-9 with 59 KO's, This powerful and rangy Argentinean killing machine, built like an iron rod, first captured the World Middleweight Boxing Championship in a shocking upset over the highly favored Nino Benvenuti. Who can forget the perfect rights cross to the jaw that was the coup de grace for Nino?Overnight, he became the toast of the boxing world. Handsome and macho, he became a superstar and a favorite of the jet set. Some said he pushed his punches. If so, he pushed over 87 opponents to defeat. He also became only the second man to stop former three-time world champion Emile Griffith in 14 rounds.

Blessed with great stamina and a granite chin, he seemingly was irresistible force. Indeed, he was unbeaten over the last 81 bouts of his career, a span of 13 years! He defended his title fourteen times. Sadly, Monzon, like Salvador Sanchez, died in a car accident in 1995 at the age of fifty-two.

Carlos never did stop walking on the wild side and certainly never found the secret to controlling the raging temper that he mastered so well within the roped square. Mike Casey


2. Nicolino "El Intocable" Locche.


One of my all-time favorites, this Hall of Famer from Argentina, 117-4-14, possessed incredible defensive skills that may well have been every bit as good as Willie Pep’s. He was known for his magical defensive tactics, uncanny reflexes and extraordinary ability to feint and make his opponents miss. This earned him the nickname “The Untouchable.” In many of his fights, his fans would burst into song mesmerized as they watched him dazzle his opponents. The event would resemble a soccer match.

Following an amateur career in which he won 117 of 122 bouts, he turned pro in 1958. In 1961, he defeated Jaime Gine over 12 rounds to capture the Argentine lightweight title and two years later added the South American lightweight title. Over the next several years, he fought Joe Brown, Ismael Laguna and Carlos Ortiz. He then stopped Paul Fujii in Tokyo for the WBA junior welterweight title. Locche successfully defended the title five times. After losing to Antonio Cervantes (who he had previously beaten), he closed out his career with 7 straight wins. Locche is revered as one of Argentina's greatest boxing legends. He died on September 7, 2005 at the age of 66.

If you ever get a chance to watch this magician fight on video or film, don’t pass it up.


3. Victor Galindez


This colorful warrior hailed from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and amassed a 52-9-4 amateur record. As a pro, his final slate was 55-9-4-2 with 34 KO’s. He represented Argentina at the 1968 Olympic Games before turning professional in 1969. Galindez captured both the Argentine and South American light heavyweight titles in 1972, beating tough Argentine fighters like Juan Aguilar and Jorge Ahumada. Galindez suffered his first pro defeat when Aguilar beat him via a 10 round decision. It wasn’t the only time Aguilar would give Victor trouble as they fought three more times in 1970 with Galindez failing to beat him with another decision loss, a draw and a no contest.


In 1974, he challenged for the vacant WBA light heavyweight championship. Now focusing more on boxing than partying (for which he had a wild reputation), he put his 23-fight unbeaten streak on the line when he met Len Hutchins, 22-1-1, on December 7, 1974 for the vacant WBA light heavyweight championship. Fighting like a ferocious bull, he TKO'd Hutchins in 13 rounds. A busy champion, he traveled the world defending his title 10 times over formidable foes like Pierre Fourie, Alvaro “Yaqui” Lopez (yes, that Yaqui Lopez), Richie Kates and Eddie Gregory. He lost the crown to Mike Rossman in 1978 (it was his first loss in seven years and 44 fights). He regained it in a rematch the following year. He then lost the title to Marvin Johnson.

Galindez also got to know his opponents very well during his career as he fought Aguilar nine times, Peralta six times, Ahumada five times, Domingo Silviera three times, Adolfo Cardozo twice, Lopez twice, Kates twice, Burnett twice, Rossman twice, Ramon Cerrezuela twice, Raul Loyola twice, Pedro Rimovsky twice, Ruben Macario Gonzalez twice and Fourie twice. Galindez fought once more before retiring, losing to Jesse Burnett. Sadly, on October 26, 1980, at the age of 31, he was killed in a horrible auto racing accident in De Mayo, Argentina.

Victor Galindez was the first Argentinean to win the title at home; though he never defended it there, as he was more at home in South Africa and Italy. Still, he was a national hero, and tens of thousands of mourners came to pay their respects the day his coffin was on view in Luna Park, the arena in which he had won the title from Len Hutchins. Like Locche and Monzon, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.

When I was a child I wanted to be a leopard, to be free, to be hunted, to escape. I became one. I wanted to be a champion. I became one. I lived my life the way I wanted. I think I’d now like to become a champion auto racer. It’s a sport less dangerous than boxing. You can die at any moment in boxing. Racing is a lot safer. You don’t have to take any punches in racing.


4. Juan “El Látigo” Coggi.

His record was 75-5-2 with 44 KO’s. Coggi was born on December 19, 1961 and is a native of Santa Fe, also the birthplace of Carlos Monzon. He became a three time world Jr. Welterweight champion. His nickname, “El Látigo,” means “The Whip.” “El Látigo” fought under the radar and few American fans knew much about him. He finished with a winning percentage of 91% and a KO percentage of 54%. Argentina boxing includes many greats. Immortals like Locche, Monzon, Galindez, Salazar and Castro. “El Látigo” surely has a prominent place among them.


His level of opposition included such formidable foes as Jose Luis Ramirez, Harold Brazier, 60-8-1, Patrizio Oliva, 48-0 coming in, Adolfo Rossi, Hugo Ariel Hernandez, 40-1, Ruben Oscar Verdun, Sang Ho Lee, 47-1 coming in, Akinobu Hiranaka, 17-0, Francisco Cuesta, 27-2-1, and Hiroyuki Sakamoto, 19-0. The total won-lost record of his opponents was extremely impressive.


After a great amateur career, he turned professional on April 2, 1982 and won seven of his first ten bouts by knockout. In 1986, he beat Hugo Ariel Hernandez, 40-1-1, coming in, for the Argentine (FAB) Light Welterweight Title in Buenos Aires. He then won the WBA Light Welterweight Title by knocking out the aforementioned Oliva in Ribera, Italy. Like the great Monzon, he took a liking to Italy and KO’d Korean Sang Ho Lee, 47-1, in Roseto degli Abruzzi. In 1989, he beat cagey Harold Brazier by decision in Vasto, Italy and after beating the great Jose Luis Ramirez in France in 1990 (after which Ramirez retired), he was upset dropping a razor thin MD to Loreto Garza, 21-1-1, in Nice for the WBA Light Welterweight Title.


He then went on a 20-fight win streak, doing battle in many different countries. In 1993, he beat Filipino Morris East to earn the WBA Light Welterweight Title. After several successful defenses, he lost a UD to Frankie Randall, 50-3-1 at the time, on September 17, 1994 in Las Vegas. He would go on to split a pair with Randall in 1996. Each fight with Randall was controversial for different reasons. Many remember Coggi based only on his performances against Randall, but Coggi beat Randall in their second fight after Frankie was unable to continue due to an injury caused by a head butt. As well, Coggi had decked Randall in round three of that fight. He proceeded to win 5 in a row before losing his last fight to Michele Piccirillo, 29-1, in Italy on May 29, 1999 closing out a great career against great opponents in many different countries. He never lost a fight by knockout.


5. Jorge "Locomotora” Castro


Still fighting, he is currently 130-11-3. When he crushed Colombian Jose Luis "La Pantera" Herrera, 14-2 coming in, at the Municipal Patinódromo, Sea of the Silver, in Buenos Aires on January 27, 2007, he had avenged a previous loss. He decked “The Panther” 4 times, as he gained his redemption in no uncertain terms.

“Locomotora” has been fighting as a pro for 20 years. He won his first 40 professional fights, but few except aficionados know much about him, maybe because most of his fights have been in Argentina. Nonetheless, he has fought the very best during his long career. Indeed, he split a pair with Robert Duran beating him in 1997 and holds two wins each over Reggie Johnson (for the vacant WBA Middleweight Title) and John David Jackson (in 1994’s Ring Magazine Fight of the Year). He also beat Peter Venancio (three times), Hector Hugo Vilte, Alex Ramos, Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra, Fabian Alberto Chancalay, Imamu Mayfield and many other tough customers. His losses were against such rugged foes as Shinji Takehara, Terry Norris, Vasily Jirov, Paul Briggs, Juan Carlos Gomez and Roy Jones Jr.

Many of Castro’s opponents have long since retired. Ramos now heads the Retired Boxers Foundation; Norris has been inducted into the Hall of Fame and Duran will go in this year; Takehara has retired as has John David Jackson; Jones and Jirov are still trying to recapture the magic. Yet Jorge fights on and wins.


No stranger to championship belts and fights, he has won the WBA Middleweight Title, the South American Cruiserweight Title, WBA Fedelatin Super Middleweight Title, the Argentine (FAB) Light Middleweight Title, and the South American Light Middleweight Title, As well, he has battled for the WBC Cruiserweight Title, IBF Cruiserweight Title, and IBO Cruiserweight Title.


The Classic….13 years prior to getting his payback (December 10, 1994 to be exact), Castro met tough John David Jackson for the WBA Middleweight Title at the Estadio de Beisbol in Monterrey, Mexico. The fight, named Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year, featured one of the most dramatic endings in ring history. Castro was trailing badly on all three scorecards (71-80, 73-80 and 74-79). One eye was closed and the other was half closed. He was bleeding and pinned against the ropes taking wicked shots and combos.

Referee Stanley Christodoulou positioned himself to stop the fight and started to raise his hands to signal the stoppage, but then Castro landed a hard right hand on Jackson's chin and Jackson went down. All of a sudden, instead of stopping the fight in Jackson's favor, Christodoulou began counting out Jackson, but John David managed to get up. He suffered one more savage knockdown and "Locomotora” completed the comeback and retained his title with decisive knockout in the ninth round. Clearly, this had been one of the most amazing, if unlikeliest, turnarounds in boxing history. Shades of Hearns-Barkley, Castillo-Corrales, Graham Earl-Michael Katsidis….

At a press conference after the fight, Castro called his winning punch "La mano de Dios," (The hand of God). The ending to that fight became legendary in Argentinean lore and was written about for months in many boxing magazines and books. In 1998, proving the first win was righteous, Castro beat Jackson again, this time by a close UD. He decked John David twice in the 4th and 8th rounds to pull it out for the vacant WBA Fedelatin Super Middleweight.

Given the brutally redemptive manner in which he won his last fight, hopefully we can count on seeing him fight again. He finished with a winning percentage of 91% and a KO percentage of 54%.



There have been many others including Hugo Pastor Corro (59-7-2), Santos Benigno Laciar (79-10-0-2), Ubaldo Sacco (47-4-1), Gregorio "Goyo" Peralta (99-9-9 with 59 knockouts), Jorge Victor Ahumada, 42-8-2, Juan Domingo Roldán (67-5-2-1), Oscar Natalio Bonavena (56-9-1) and Carlos Gabriel Salazar (47-3-8).

Carlos Manuel Baldomir, Jorge Rodrigo "La Hiena “Barrios, Hector Javier “El Artillero" Velazco and Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez are notable Argentineans currently fighting. While they may never make ESPN’S already infamous and dreadful top 50 list, someday, they just might join these Argentinean greats.

Three Lesser known Fighters to watch in 2007

Three Lesser known Fighters to watch in 2007

By Ted Sares

While not necessarily new kids on the block, here are three to keep an eye on in 2007:

Bermane “B. WARE” Stiverne

From Laval, QC, Canada and now residing in Las Vegas, This heavyweight is 12-0 with all wins coming by KO. I have seen him fight twice and both times, he rendered his opponent unconscious (one was veteran Harold Sconiers). .

Stiverne moves nicely for a big man and is very athletic. He has fast hands, uses stiff jabs, nice hooks, and closes matters with a devastating right. He also possess good defensive skills. I see him as having the entire package, but at age 30, he needs to step it up. I believe his agent is Lennox Lewis.

As to why he was not in the Olympics, he “was robbed” in a qualifying tournament in Mexico where he knocked down his Mexican opponent three times but still “lost” the decision and the place in Olympics.

I am going on record as predicting great things for B. WARE.

Vernon “Iceman” Paris

“The Iceman,” 14-0 with 10 KO's, is only 19 years old and fights out of Detroit, but he has the slickest moves of any young fighter I have seen since a young Pernell Whittaker was doing his thing. In an article dated April 28, 2007 in maxboxing.com, Doug Fischer describes Paris as a kid who exhibits good footwork, excellent hand speed and hand-eye coordination, as well as a variety of punches and combinations. He employ shoulder-roll counters with his left hand held low while in close like a poor-man’s Floyd Mayweather. When it becomes evident that an opponent is not going to be blasted out early or easily, he gets on his bicycle and ruthlessly pot-shots until the referee had seen enough.

Vernon Paris is one talented boxer. He is a kid, but he fights like an old school purist. He also fights with two bullets lodged near his spine, the result of a shooting incident last year in which he was an innocent victim.

Light welterweight Paris puts on mini-clinics. Check him out.

Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez

He is an Argentinean light middleweight who fights out of Spain. He is 39-1-1 with 20 KO’s. Martinez is a slick southpaw boxer who travels around the world beating fighters in their backyards and has done it time and time again until he met Tony Margarito who is the only man who has beaten him. It was a good fight, Martinez had his moments and looked good, but Tony cut off the ring, trapped him and let his hands go to finish him off.

However, Sergio has continued to win since; in fact, he is on 23-fight win streak and has beaten most of Europe's top fighters at his weight. He sometimes keeps his hands down (which only a few gifted fighters can pull off) and he does it well
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His last fight against Saul Roman, 26-2 coming in, was a WBC eliminator for a title. He iced Roman with a body shot. Hopefully we will be seeing him on the big stage soon. He is currently the Latino Light Middleweight Title. One of his ko victims was Adrian “The Predator” Stone who retired after the loss.

Sergio is someone to track in 2007.

Jose Luis Ramirez

The rap on Ramirez was that he was a bit slow and ponderous, but if that's true, what does it say about the 82 opponents he KO'd?

Record: His boxing record is an "old school" 102-9 with 82 KOs and his KO percentage a great 74%.

Level of Opposition: Outstanding It included many former champions and Hall of Fame inductees. He fought such notables as Pernell Whittaker and Edwin Rosario each twice, Ruben Olivares, Hector Camacho, 26-0 at the time, Terrance Alli, Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown (who had taken the IBF Lightweight Title in 1984 from Melvin Paul), Julio Cesar Chavez, AND Cornelius Boza Edwards. He also did battle with Juan Martin Coggi, Vicente Saldivar, Aurelio Muniz, Irish Frankie Crawford, Jose Torres, Manuel Hernandez, Bostonian John Rafuse) and Dominican Cocoa Sanchez (who had whipped Jerome Artis and Rocky Ramon). To his great credit, he had a penchant for going into his opponent's home town to fight.


Chronology: He resided in Culiacan, the same Mexican town that gave us Julio Cesar Chavez. They would later become gym mates and close friends.
Ramirez won 43 of his first 44 professional fights in Huatabampo or Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. He fought under the radar and was underrated, but who climb steadilyup the boxing ladder and rankings and become a two- time world Lightweight champion. Moving from featherweight to lightweight (after having lost to the great Ruben Olivares, 82-9-1), he met another legend in Alexis Arguello, 69-5 at the time, and managed to deck him in round six, but lost a razor thin ten round split decision in Miami. He then faced Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini for the North American Lightweight belt, and lost a 12 round decision in Warren Ohio near Ray‘s hometown.


In May 1983, Jose Luis fought heavy handed Edwin "El Chapo" Rosario for the world Lightweight championship at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan Puerto Rico. He lost a 12 round unanimous but close decision with each card reading 113-115 against him. In 1984 in a rematch also in San Juan, he took it out of the judges' hands by stopping Rosario, 24-0, in four rounds. Ramirez launched an all-out attack and trapped "El Chapo" on the ropes giving the referee no alternative but to stop the action. The Mexican had landed 17 straight heavy punches. He was now a World Lightweight champion for the first time after having fought many great fighters in their own back yards and in many different countries.



After losing a televised fight to Hector Camacho in 1985, the culturally intellectual Ramirez moved to Paris for two years to get his bearings. While there, he went 12-0 with 7 wins coming by stoppage. These included impressive nods over former world champions Cornelius Boza Edwards and tough Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown. He also won back the vacant WBC World Championship belt by beating rugged Terrance Alli in St. Tropez, France. Before moving back to Mexico, he beat future Hall of Famer and multiple world champion Pernell Whitaker in a hotly disputed decision that went as follows: Judge Harry Gibbs 113-117, Judge Newton Campos 118-113, and Judge Louis Michel 116-115. Most thought Whitaker had been robbed, but his quick and stylish combinations failed to do much damage or even bother Luis, even those that landed flush. With Pernell always back pedaling and retreating, Ramirez pressed the action, but he could not over power him.


Meanwhile, Chavez had taken the WBA'S championship by beating Rosario, and in a unification bout between the two friends and neighbors, Ramirez, who is a godfather to one of Chavez's sons, lost an 11 round technical decision to Chavez, 62-0 at the time, in October 1988 at the Las Vegas Hilton. When Ramirez, 101-6-0 coming in, was cut on the forehead in a clash of heads, it went to the scorecards. Chavez, who was a 9-1 favorite, said before the fight: "At first I didn't want to take the fight because we are so close, almost like brothers." Chavez was in front by only two points on the scorecards of two of the judges. Judge Rudy Jordan had it 96-94, Judge Lou Tabat 95-93 and Judge Art Lurie 98-91


In 1989, he attempted to win the IBF Belt from Whittaker in Pernell's home town of Norfolk, VA, but lost a 12 round decision. He then lost a 12 rounder to the great Juan Coggi, 43-1-2, for the WBA's world Jr. Welterweight title in Argentina, after which he called it a career. Four of his nine losses had been to Hall of Fame fighters like Alexis Arguello, Ruben Olivares, Edwin Rosario and Pernell Whitaker. He also lost to future Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez, and to Hector Camacho who may also be a future inductee. He was stopped only once in 111 fights. Jose Luis Ramirez was all about fighting tough hombres with gaudy old school records.



Ramirez is a member of the less recognized World Boxing Hall of Fame and undoubtedly will also be inducted into the Latino Boxing Museum and Hall of Fame in Cumana, Venezuela, but he has not been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY.



This article is not a case for his induction; it simply is a show of respect to a great fighter who fought in the rich tradition of other great Mexican warriors. Hombres like Chavez, Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Ricardo Lopez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Vicente Saldivar, Kid Azteca, Jose Becerra, Humberto "Chiquita' Gonzalez, Pipino Cuevas, Salvador Sanchez, Miguel Canto, Lupe Pintor, Erik Morales, Guadalupe Pintor, Jose Medel, Rodolfo "Gato" Gonzalez, Raul Macias, Mando Muniz, Alfonso Zamora, Juan Manuel Marquez, Chango Carmona and many others.
"To be a Mexican fighter you first have to be a warrior.' Marco Antonio Barrera

Miranda vs. Pavlik: Assault and battery

Edison "Pantera" Miranda, 28-2, 24 KO's, should have focused on his opponent rather than Jermain Taylor. Miranda talked too much in the build up to the fight. Trash-talking has become a part of boxing, but Edison needs lessons. He doesn't do it well.


As for Kelly Pavlik, 31-0 with 28 KO's, he kept quiet and focused, letting Miranda do the talking and putting pressure on himself to back up the talk.


Kelly had a sound and studied strategy, backing up the tough Columbian and hitting him with crunching body shots and savage straight rights. "Pantera," who does not possess the greatest technical skills, was unable to fight backing up. He was confused from the get-go as Pavlik shocked the spectators by his dominance (and by his ability to handle Miranda's best shots). As Miranda's eyes began to close, it became "when" and no longer "if." The "when" occurred in the sixth round as Kelly brutalized Edison with accurate and deadly straight rights and left hooks. He finally sent him to the canvas twice. In the seventh, "The Ghost" decisively closed the show by stopping the highly touted Miranda with a savage assault on the ropes, as tolerant Steve Smoger called a halt to the assault and battery.


Kelly Pavlik, with a 90% KO percentage, is the real McCoy and is now the top ranked middleweight in the world. In the tradition of Ray Mancini and Harry Arroyo, Youngstown, Ohio has itself another top fighter, and if you happen to be from Youngstown, this was very fun and exciting fight to watch.


"Kelly Pavlik is a worthy opponent and a hard puncher, so the fans should see a great fight," Unfortunately for him, I hit harder than he does, and when I do land, I'll make 'The Ghost' disappear." Edison Miranda

The Golden Boy and the Pretty Boy

1. The Hype…


The biggest fight since Lewis-Tyson was held on May 5, 2007. Would it live up to the Hype? This is the mega fight with all the mega-hype.


The De La Hoya camp was calm as Freddie Roach led a focused Oscar through the paces, but unsettling news of feuding between Roger and Floyd Sr. came out of Pretty Boy’s headquarters. Oscar surprised his wife with a birthday cake and Mariachi band, while Floyd was calling him a bitch and mutherfucker from afar while hamming it up with 50 Cent and the home boys. Shades of Holmes-Cooney and the hype around “The White Hope.” But wait, that wasn‘t about race, it was all about money and so is this. Forget the feigned dislike. It‘s pure hype and has everything to do about money. It’s no accident Oscar is well like by other boxers. He has made many of them wealthy. The De La Hoya-Mayweather extravaganza brings to mind other mega fights of the relatively recent past.


Tyson-Lewis


Before Iron Mike Tyson met Lennox Lewis on June 8, 2002 in the highest-grossing pay-per-view event in history, he said “I want your heart. I want to eat his children.” ThatVideoSite.com, “Mike Tyson: "I want to eat his children" [Available Online].
Lewis, of course, completely dominated the fight and knocked out the hapless Tyson in the eighth round. Tyson was bleeding from cuts over both his eyes and from his nose when Lewis landed a final shot that sent him sprawling on his back for the 10 count.

The soundly beaten Tyson was humble and contrite after the fight, telling Lewis how much he loved and respected him, and what a masterful boxer he is. So much for the pre-fight hype.


Leonard-Hagler


Then, going back to April 1987, another “super fight occurred when Sugar Ray Leonard beat Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a monster upset that was far more tactical than exciting. The decision went to Leonard via split decision. The fight was broadcast on pay-per-view TV and closed-circuit outlets all over the world and was a huge money maker. It was also a huge bore.


Hagler-Hearns




In April 1985, Hagler again participated in a super fight, this time against the formidable Tommy Hearns, who was a devastating puncher who ruled the welterweight (147 pounds) and cruiserweight (189) divisions through the 80s and 90s. At stake were the WBC, WBA, and IBF Middleweight Titles.


Unlike Tyson-Lewis or Hagler-Leonard, this one lived up to expectations and was indeed a super fight in every sense. This was World War One in the trenches. Maybe, it was the most explosive first round in boxing history and perhaps the greatest three rounds in history. Hearns won the first round in ebb and flow malice aforethought, but Marvelous Marvin won the fight by savage KO in the third putting an end to the unmitigated violence.

Hearns-Leonard


Earlier, on September 16, 1981, Sugar Ray met Hearns (who else). Both were paid handsomely as they put their titles on the line in an effort to unify the welterweight championship in Las Vegas. Once again, this one exceeded expectations as Ray took an early lead only to surrender momentum to Hearns in a classic ebb and flow battle. With a loss staring him squarely in the eye (Angelo Dundee told him, "you’re blowing it son, you’re blowing it!"), Sugar Ray reached down in the 13th and took it to the exhausted “Hitman” with savage shots both upstairs and to Tommy’s thin body. All of a sudden, Ray became the “Hitman” and decked Tommy. Showing great heart, Tommy held his own in the fourteenth until Ray cut loose with a big right followed by a brutal volley of unanswered punches to bring matters to a decisive and breathtaking close.


2. The Prediction…


Oscar De La Hoya has fought better opposition is bigger and maybe stronger. He is an orthodox fighter who looks to land fight-ending left hooks following stiff jabs, but the edge goes to Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is the complete package blessed with superior speed, stamina, sharp punching, a solid chin and great defense. He has subtle old school moves and his great counter punching ability should give him the advantage in any heated exchanges, but he needs to be weary of THAT hook.Late-developing issues between Floyd Sr and Roger seem unsettling, but Mayweather has great pedigree and focus. The Golden Boy has been taken out once and down several times. He has lost two of his last four fights, looked bad against Sturm, and beat a made-to-order opponent in Mayorga. Still, he has been in many mega fights and also has great focus.

The fight will be overly tactical, unless De la Hoya can use his size to back up Mayweather in which case it could spell big trouble. But If Floyd punishes and frustrates De la Hoya with quick in-and-out movement, he will prevail. Styles make fights, and the styles here suggest a less than exciting bout. PBF's overall skill-set and career momentum will result in a UD victory.
As anticipation builds for Mayweather-De La Hoya, don’t look for it to be Hearns-Hagler or Leonard-Hearns.


3. The Outcome…


The hype is over. It's time to get it on. Pretty Boy and Golden Boy now square off in the most highly anticipated fight in recent memory. How eager were fans to see this fight? The cheapest ticket available from StubHub.com cost $778 ... and that was to sit in the back of the upper deck.


It was a tactical, non–compelling fight even though the crowd screamed every time Oscar twitched. With De La Hoya inexplicitly abandoning his jab at the wrong time and not being able to time THAT hook, he allowed Floyd to dictate the action, particularly down the stretch. His superior speed and accuracy resulted in a well-deserved decision, though it should have been a UD as one of the judges (and Jim Lampley) missed it badly. I had it 117-113. Thank God, it was not a draw.



As for the excitement factor, when Floyd Mayweather Sr. becomes the story of the night, something is amiss. The real excitement was the under card war between Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and Sergio “Rocky” Medina in a solid ebb and flow thriller won by Filipino Bautisita.
Did it live up to the hype? No. Was it a Hearns-Hagler or Leonard-Hearns? Absolutely not.


"Floyd ain't quitting. Too much of this money will make a dead man walk....... Roger Mayweather

Mayweather vs. De La Hoya: The Prediction and the Outcome

By Ted Sares

The Prediction


Oscar has fought better opposition is bigger and maybe stronger. He is an orthodox fighter who looks to land fight-ending left hooks following stiff jabs, but the edge goes to Floyd who is the complete package blessed with superior speed, stamina, sharp punching, a solid chin and great defense. He has subtle old school moves and his great counter punching ability should give him the advantage in any heated exchanges, but he needs to be weary of THAT hook.

Late-developing issues between Floyd Sr and Roger seem unsettling, but Floyd has great pedigree and focus. Oscar has been taken out once and down several times. He has lost two of his last four fights, looked bad against Sturm, and beat a made-to-order opponent in Mayorga. Still, he has been in many mega fights and also has great focus.

In my view, the fight will be overly tactical, unless Oscar can use his size to back up Floyd in which case it could spell big trouble. But If Floyd punishes and frustrates Oscar with quick in-and-out movement, he will prevail. Styles make fights, and the styles here suggest a less than exciting bout. PBF's overall skill-set and career momentum will result in a UD victory.


The Outcome


It was an overly tactical, non–exciting fight even though the crowd screamed every time Oscar moved. With De La Hoya inexplicitly abandoning his jab at the wrong time and not being able to time THAT hook, he allowed Floyd to dictate the action, particularly going down the stretch. His speed and accuracy resulted in a well-deserved SD, though it should have been a UD as one of the judges (and Jim Lampley) missed it badly. I had it 117-113 but can’t argue with 115-113. Thank God it was not a draw.

As for the excitement factor, when Floyd Mayweather Sr. becomes the story of the night, something is sorely missing.