Tag: Boxing

This is an INSANE Weekend for Combat Sports

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For those of us that love the world of MMA, there occasionally comes a weekend like this where there are multiple cards on multiple days and you can kind of just plan a lazy weekend around watching a steady stream of violent athleticism on both the feet and the ground.

Even rarer still comes the Friday-Sunday run of both MMA and a boxing match that even a casual fan wants to tune into. And we have just that this weekend. Not one but two UFC cards and the hotly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Sure, The Saturday UFC card goes head to head with Fury vs. Wilder, but one can always rig up a stream of the FS1 card card. Plus I doubt the boxing goes off until like, 1 or 2 in the morning because boxing is batshit like that (Note: Red is seething reading through this because we once stayed at a bar until 3:00am to watch Ronda Rousey only to have her knock out her opponent in like, 15 seconds).

To get into the nitty gritty, we kick off our weekend of pugilistic omnipresence with the finale of the most recent, and possibly last (???????) rendition of “The Ultimate Fighter”. I honestly haven’t seen an episode which always makes me sad. As much hate as it gets I do think it’s a pretty enjoyable show. This season they had heavyweights on which makes it even more intriguing as it puts the “big brawler vs. talented martial artists/athletes” question under the microscope. Did I mention the other weight class they had was women’s featherweights? The seemingly non-existent weight class occupied by Cyroid? So ya, bit of a circus this one.

The HW final is between Justin Frazier, 29, from Alaska who brings a 3-fight win streak into the contest. His opponent is a Spaniard with a long-ass name (Juan being the first part) who is 38 but only has one loss to his credit. It looks to be striker vs. grappler so I am going to just guess the Alaskan clubs him with one. The women’s final is Pannie Kinzad, a known quantity in Women’s MMA vs. Macy Chiasson, a slightly more unknown fighter. I have Kinzad, who I believe held an Invicta belt at one point. The Main Event of this one pits Rafael dos Anjos against Kamaru Usman in a pivotal 170lb clash. After what happened against Colby Covington I just can’t take RDA, who I fucking love. Usman by UD.

Wake up, watch some college football, and then it is on to UFC Fight Night: Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa. The first notable fight is what the man himself has said will be Mark Hunt’s last MMA fight. He fights AKA prospect Justin “Big Pretty” Willis and honestly I don’t think the Super Samoan has anything left at this point. Willis by KO in RD2. Next is Shogun against Tyson Pedro. I LOVE Pedro as a prospect, mostly for his size and penchant for violence, but he keeps stumbling and seems to not have much in the grappling department. Shogun, while a blackbelt in BJJ, won’t really go after a sub. He is, however, a world class kickboxer and I think gets the UD here over the greener Pedro. The main event, as mentioned pits Junior dos Santos against Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa. I think this one goes like any other “Cigano” fight against someone not named Velasquez, Miocic, or Overeem. Basically, unless you have technical assets better than JDS’, he is a very hard out. JDS by UD.

Finally, we have Fury vs. Wilder. Not only is this a long awaited fight, but it is so in part due to a complete mental breakdown/run of addiction on Fury’s parts that saw him weigh 400lbs and have most folks just figure his career was over. And all of this after just beating Klitschko. I will preface anything else I say with the fact that I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT BOXING I AM JUST TRYING MY BEST. To beat Klitchsko you have to have some great technical ability and from I’ve read Fury is indeed an excellent technician and can change his approach based on opponent. I’ve watched Wilder fight and he pretty much just tries to take you’re fucking head off. something which he is VERY good at doing. That said, I don’t think Fury engages in a brawl and I think Wilder fails to clip him. Fury by UD.

At this point it will be Sunday and you will be hungover and exhausted and wondering what happened but hey, that’s the price of the clash of many titans. So whether you like it when they just bleed or fail to protect they neck, this should be a fun few days.

Enjoy,

-Joey B

 

 

You Are Watching a Master at Work in Vasyl Lomachenko

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If records are made to be broken, what is history for? Color commentators, play-by-play announcers and analysts of all sports use the cliché often; “We are watching history.” What is sports history? Record breaking nights on the diamond? A back and forth NFL playoff game? Do we ever really know what will be dubbed “history” when it is happening? Aside from the obvious legendary moments like the 2004 ALCS series between the Red Sox and the Yankees, can we always pinpoint a certain moment or game or series as “history?”

An individual such as Michael Jordan had some pretty iconic moments throughout his career, a 60 point playoff game with the flu, monumental trash talk backed up by superb game stats. Did we know the most viewed moment of Jordan’s career would be a jump shot over Craig Ehlo in a playoff game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989? No way! So when I watch Vasyl Anatoliyovich Lomachenko fight, how do I know we are all watching boxing history? His fight IQ, his unorthodox training methods, and the compu-box numbers say so.

To the hardcore boxing fan Vasyl Lomachenko is already the greatest featherweight and lightweight in boxing’s history. While I refuse to pull the trigger on such a massive statement, I will concede that in only 12 (11-1) professional bouts he is the best of my generation, BY FAR! Yes only a dozen fights to pick through and being considered a great is totally unheard of but just like Slater from Dazed and Confused said: “It’s quality not quantity, man!” He was talking about the women he had been with, I am speaking on the strength of Loma’s record, it’s on steroids.

Lomachenko has fought seven current champions out of twelve career fights. Only one of his opponents had more than three career losses. Astoundingly the combined record of Loma’s first twelve opponents is 352-30. Yup, read that again. On top of that he has already won three different world titles: WBO feather and lightweight championship and he is the newly crowned WBA Lightweight champion. Whether he is defending or fighting the current champion a belt is usually on the line for “Hi-Tech.” In achieving all of this he has become the fastest fighter to hold a belt in three different weight classes, by eight fights! Compare that to the other boxing great of this generation Floyd “Money” Mayweather, whose first twelve opponents combined record was a puny 96-84, also he did not fight for a belt in those first dozen either. Excited yet?

From a “sweet science” standpoint the Ukrainian does everything perfect. His hand speed is second to none, his footwork is unlike anyone’s we have ever seen in boxing before or since, the angles and openings he creates and uses to set up combinations is godly. There is no comparison in the last 100 years to Vasyl Lomachenko, he is one-in-a-billion. The boxing unicorn. Coming into his most recent fight against Jorge Linares he had made his previous four opponents quit before the 8th round, all former champions. Not from the beating being too severe but because Loma has mastered the old boxing golden rule of hitting and not being hit. Annoying his opponents into submission, every older brothers dream. His training methods are strange but clearly effective, all of which are usually made by his father Anatoly Lomachenko. He trains his mind as much as his body and that is where he separates himself from the rest of the pack, or in his case, history.

 

The answer that boxing has been looking for since the downfall of Mike Tyson in the mid 1990s is here. He is the most exciting fighter to watch since Muhammad Ali danced like a butterfly into living rooms across the country and stung like a bee against his foes. A soft spoken, average sized man who moves like a dancer and thinks like a mathematician. Loma makes fraction of a second decisions in half the time needed and seems to always apply the correct technique and counter for every fight situation presented to him across his entire career. A career as a pro that I listed above is preceded by his two Olympic gold medals and his ridiculous 396-1 record as an amateur boxer. So where does a generational great go after only a dozen fights against champion after champion?

To the Mount Rushmore of his weight class course. Boxing is always good for knocking on the door of a retiree to remind them how old they are and offer them an offensive amount of money to try to derail a recently steaming hype train. In fact when generational greats square off, if the young fighter isn’t named Mayweather, the older fighter usually wins. For Loma the older fighter looks as if it is going to be fan favorite Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Both camps have been in serious talks for Manny to challenge Lomachenko for his WBO featherweight championship. Many fans want this fight but I would rather watch CSPAN for 16 straight hours.

This is a lose, lose, lose/promotion – company win type of fight. Both fighters and the fans lose if this fight is made. For Vasyl Lomachenko this is not good for his career because Pacquiao is 5-4 in his last nine fights and currently holds no championships which would make “Pacman” a giant step back from the strong fighters Loma has fought thus far in his career. Manny Paciquiao isn’t on the same boxing or athletic level as Loma, even in his prime. This fight hardly has the allure that it would if Loma fought other active fighters closer to his age and current skill level such as Terrance “Bud” Crawford or Gervonte Davis. Nonetheless its seems as though the 39 year old Pacquiao is going to be next to step into “The Matrix” that is Vasyl Lomachenko’s ability.

At his best “PacMan” was a forward pressing power puncher and the style that fares the worst against Loma happens to be a forward pressing power puncher. Even if Pacquiao somehow has a technical revelation occur to his game he still has too many holes against a sniper like Vasyl. When Pac retreats he goes straight back instead of moving laterally, it has cost him more than one fight in his career and that bad habit would be where Loma will do most of his damage to the older fighter. Midway through the second round I can see Loma learning the timing and finding a rhythm against Manny’s persistent in-and-out power punching. Through frustration of being hit by Loma and not being able to return fire, Pac will overextend himself during the middle rounds which will either lead to a stoppage or cause the elder man to severely slow down if the fight were to somehow make it to rounds 9-12. “Hi-Tech” by 6th round KO or unanimous decision.

The only man who has a chance at stopping Loma within the next 2 years (yes, that short time frame) is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Otherwise Lomachenko has a clear and easy path to Living Legend status.

Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez said it best:

“Heroes get remembered but legends never die.”

Who do you think can stop Loma?

I’m Speechless: The UFC Reportedly Offering Anthony Joshua a $500 Million, Multi-Fight Contract

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The Telegraph – The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making an audacious bid to sign a promotional multi-fight deal with Anthony Joshua which could earn the Londoner $500 million (£353 million) and make him the richest British boxer of all time.

As the title suggests, I am absolutely fucking speechless. No idea how to react. Is this a negotiation tactic with Floyd? Is this Dana White letting his dick swing in capital-B Boxing’s face a little? I just don’t know. All I know is that if Anthony Joshua ever competes with a UFC emblem anywhere near his name, either in a cage or in a ring, it would be a massive coup and a combat sports changing moment.

What makes me think this is not just posturing is that Joshua himself has made it clear in the past that he could see himself competing in MMA. I always saw it as a mix of him being a real true, blue competitor and someone that wants all the glory in the world. He wants it all. And whether or not you are a Boxing fan or an MMA fan, can you really call the heavyweight champion of either the “baddest man on the planet” nowadays? Not really right? I don’t know how Joshua would do if he ran into Stipe Miocic in a dark alley or vice versa.

This, in the end, would be a hell of a culmination for this era of the post-Zuffa UFC. It would take MMA and it’s entities onto the next level. And it would only, apparently, cost them $500 million. Stay tuned.

Floyd Mayweather Has To Make At Least A Half-Hearted Attempt on Conor’s McGregor’s Life, Right?

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Image result for mcgregor cj watson

So over the weekend you might have seen Conor McGregor achieving cuckold-ception while Floyd Mayweather got cuckhold-cepted. I don’t mean this in one of the infinite loose ways the term cuckold now gets thrown around, I mean literally.

You see, that isn’t any old NBA jersey the fashion maven McGregor thought looked good with the day’s color scheme. That’s C.J Watson’s jersey. C.J Watson is a current/former NBA player (he didn’t make a roster last year) who banged out one of Mayweather’s baby mamas right in his goddam face. This is all the more inflammatory as Floyd’s discovery of this fact is what triggered his infamous domestic violence case. Now 7 years later The Notorious is just struttin around, as he is wont to do, openly mocking the most embarrassing chapter of Floyd’s life. Brutal.

For me however, the worst part of this whole thing is that it brings back to light who exactly it was that this woman slept with to enrage Floyd. Wasn’t Kobe. Wasn’t known cuckold enthusiast Derek Fisher. Shit this was 2010 and it wasn’t even a guy like Rashard Lewis. Nope, The greatest boxer of his generation was replaced with C.J Watson, a backup PG that averaged 8 and 3 for his career playing for 5 different teams. Floyd was basically getting subbed out for a D (G?) Leaguer. Just embarrassing. Now you have Conor wearing the guy’s jersey. It might be the only merch C.J Watson ever sold.

So again I ask, doesn’t Floyd Mayweather at least have to like, mail McGregor some anthrax or something? Maybe pull out a letter opener at the next presser and run at him before getting purposely tackled by a security guard? Beating Conor McGregor up in an organized boxing match really isn’t going to remedy this, not publicly at least and probably not personally for Floyd. He’s gotta go some sort of medieval.

Mayweather Promotions Is Already Missing The Point

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I honestly believe one of the the aspects that makes MMA more appealing to my generation than boxing, to generalize greatly but truthfully, is the certain degree of chaos that permeates the sports. From the promotion of a fight, to the press conferences, to the weigh-ins, there is a certain degree of frenzied uncertainty that makes all that pageantry that much more fun. I mean, we’re talking about a sport where grown men and woman, barely clothed, beat the bag out of each other with limited rules and still some of the more memorable moments happen during routine pre-fight business.

That’s not to say boxing has never had it’s moments, shame on me if I ignored the masterful rhetoric of Ali or blatantly insane musings of Tyson, but in hindsight, compared to MMA, it seemed a bit rehearsed, a bit staged. Sure, Ali put on a show for the ages, seeming almost boastfully annoyed his opponent would ever meet him in the ring. Buttttt then you have Jake Shields firing a macchiato at Artem Lobov or some other SBG team member while the Diaz brothers flipped the bird and Connor McGregor returned fire with an energy drink. The headliners of that fight were making millions of dollars on a card that would rake in millions more. MMA is now a legit business and a legit sport, but the uncertainty remained and remains, it can’t be quelled.

Which brings us to McGregor’s upcoming boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. On Monday they held the first presser of a 3 country, 4 city press tour to promote a fight that is more spectacle than competition, regardless of predicted or eventual winners.  The fight itself is itself a debate probably every fan of combat sports has had over the past 20 years or so: what happens when you put the best MMA fighter and the best boxer against each other. Whether the former (McGregor now) or latter (Mayweather anymore) is true, you have a dynamite enough cross-section of the two sports in name and reputation to warrant the hullaballoo the fight itself has caused.

However, I don’t think I’m along when I say I was just as interested to see class of styles in promotion: the semi-scripted, reality tv-esque machismo of boxing vs. the “Um Jones and Cormier just put Sholler through a temporary wall” tornado of MMA. Conor McGregor did his part. He showed up in his flashy pink tie and blue suit, the pin stripes of which were actually the tiny words “Fuck You” printed over and over again. He swaggered, he jawed, he got the crowd going. He smiled that “4 years ago I was on welfare and now I have all you motherfuckers eating out of my hand” smile. It was awesome to have him back.

Mayweather….started ok. He was the silent, stoic Floyd he’s been for his last couple of fights; a bored, bothered character his promotional company has used as a foil to throw opponent after opponent at to see if anyone could topple the apathetic king. The whole production has worked of course, raking in billions, and I suppose it could work on this tour as well, matched up against Connor’s bluster and self-confidence (he honestly, to the bone believes he is winning this fight, within four rounds at that). However, he has to play the high-stakes jenga game that is an MMA promotional endeavor at least a little bit. And right here is where he made a colossal mistake.

McGregor and Mayweather sat on stage answering questions. Connor was the Connor we all know and love, laughing, taunting, soaking it all in, looking at the crowd and nodding “isn’t this great” – and interrupting. This is where Connor excels and really gets in his opponents head/ear (Please watch this to give credit and honor to the one true king of Interruptsmanship). He once called Nate Diaz a cholo. He once asked New York City who the fuck venerable, two weight UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens was. He doesn’t let you dictate inside the cage and doesn’t let you speak outside of it. It is why he, the UFC, and all his opponents and other fighters on his cards have benefited financially from his time at the top.

And Mayweather Promotions cut his mic off.

Although Floyd has never been the most articulate, loquacious guy in the world and quite frankly doesn’t seem to care to speak a whole lot anymore (to be clear, he is a master with the press, I just don’t think he gives a shit), his team’s insistence on their guy being “the A-side” and having more than his time to shine took priority over the whole reason this fight was ever made: Conor being Conor. That is the undeniable truth. There is a reason Floyd never fought BJ Penn or any of the other MMA fighters of his approximate weight and time. Floyd is only one half of the puzzle and before Conor no one else could complete it. What finally is going to give combat sports fans their answer to the questions of what boxer vs. MMA fighter would look like, and give Floyd a massive payday that he actually might need , is not just a fighter of multiple disciplines who has the skill to make fans demand and pay for it, but has the charisma. And the mouth. That was and is only Conor.

And Mayweather Promotions cut his mic off.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if this trend of making sure Floyd gets his close up continues. McGregor getting muted was noticed and confirmed by the man himself so they may rethink censoring him moving forward, although then again, Floyd doesn’t really give a shit. Regardless, as it stands now Mayweather Promotions has so far refused to cede any of the promotional creativity to the magnetic tight rope walk that is MMA’s. Floyd Mayweather may have a flawless record in the ring but when it comes to truly letting this dream live to be a reality he has some work to do.

His record there is now 0-1.