Dancing With The Thugs

In less than a week, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will make his much talked about debut on the new season of ABC’s hit television show “Dancing with the Stars”.

Maybe they should be calling this “Extreme Makeover” instead.

Most boxing fans know Mayweather as a garbage-mouthed, trash talker with a hair trigger temper and a personality best described as the other side of cocky. But the ABC network is about to gloss over all of Mayweather’s previous transgressions, put him in front of a national television audience and then allow him to dance and entertain gullible Nielsen families.

What the mainstream public doesn’t know about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. could hurt them.

In the past, Mayweather was alleged to have broken a champagne bottle over a fellow bar patron’s head. On another occasion he was reported to have kicked a bar bouncer in the head during saloon melee. He also purportedly assaulted two women in a Las Vegas club. Besides that congenial behavior, the mother of his children, Josie Harris, once reputedly claimed that Mayweather had assaulted her as well.

And that’s just what we know about.

Mayweather, however, before he hits the airwaves explained away his behavior and seems to making an effort to turn over a new leaf. “In boxing,” said Mayweather several weeks ago; “I'm a loudmouth. In ‘Dancing with the Stars’ I can't be a loudmouth. The only thing I can do is go out there and work hard.”

This is the same “Money Mayweather” (his new nickname) that last week nearly electrocuted himself, his close friend and rapper 50 Cent, and a hoard of people assembled around the pool at the Hardrock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas that were festively enjoying the run up to the MTV Video Music Awards.

The 30 year-old Mayweather demonstrated the good judgment he is known for when he “made it rain”. He took wads of bills in various denominations out of a designer leather satchel and threw them into the air over the pool. This caused some of the fans to rush the pool side stage, a few to dive into the water to grab for the bucks, and others to swim madly and splash about. All this hyperactivity nearly caused the electrical musical equipment and lights to topple into the water which would likely have killed everyone had “50” not been forced to call a halt to the show in order to prevent a real tragedy from occurring.

Whatever the case with Mayweather, his mouth, and his ability to create his own weather system - who you are is who you are - and he likely won’t be able to fool the mainstream public for too long. A slick smile and flashy dance moves are only good for so many nights and even his dance partner; the capable Karina Smirnoff won’t be able to prevent Mayweather’s true colors from bleeding through. Like Cus D’Amato once said, “A man born round don’t die square.”

Floyd was up to his usual antics on Monday and again his charming personality seeped through like dog excrement trapped in a paper bag.

The locale was Universal Studios in Los Angeles and the occasion was the press conference to kick-off the “Undefeated” promotion for Mayweather’s December match in Las Vegas against England’s Ricky Hatton. Incidentally, over 16,000 seats for the fight, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden, sold out within minutes of going on sale on Monday morning.

Mayweather showed up attired in a three-piece suit waving an American flag in each hand. Someone, likely with Golden Boy Promotions or HBO, or both, had the bad sense to play a lewd rap song over the public address system as Mayweather made his entrance. At one point, Mayweather donned a fake crown and proclaimed himself “the new president of boxing.”

Michael Buffer introduced Floyd as “fierce and flashy” and then Mayweather started right in on an unsuspecting Ricky Hatton with enough verbal hooks and jabs to bewilder the Queen of England. Despite the presence of his dance partner, Smirnoff, and Oscar De La Hoya, his former foe and current promoter, Mayweather served notice right off the bat that there was only one star on the dais – and that was him.

Mayweather, who has a professional ring record of 38-0 (24) KO’s, insultingly referred to Hatton, who is also undefeated at 43-0 (31) KO’s, and who has a tendency to put on weight between fights, as “Vicky Fatton”.

Then, like the big bad wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood”, Floyd huffed and puffed and preened and posed and jumped and gyrated while up on the stage trying to blow Hatton’s house down. He got into a stare down with Hatton and got his face within an inch of Ricky’s nose and told him to, “Make a move.” Hatton showed some English manners and didn’t bother to play Floyd’s mind games or engage in similar crass behavior.

Mayweather can say what he wants about using his personality to “sell tickets” but the arena is already sold out in Las Vegas. Additional closed circuit seats are being made available for the crush of English fans that will make the trek across the Atlantic Ocean to the Nevada desert to support “Our boy Ricky” and the fight will likely be an overwhelming pay-per view success. The degrading rants of Mayweather were simply a case of Floyd being the real Floyd.

When asked why he decided to continue his career and fight Hatton after claiming he was “retired forever” after the De La Hoya fight back in May, “Money Mayweather” who made over $20 million against Oscar, explained things this way: “If the price is right anything is possible. I still got money coming in from that fight.”

Floyd, never one to let up on an opponent, at least verbally, later went on to say that, “I really don’t even know too much about Ricky Hatton. I knew he fight (sic) a bunch of guys who was over the hill.” Floyd then went on to proclaim that, “I love my life.”

Asked for his opinion of Mayweather and his goon-like theatrics, Hatton was matter-of-fact in his assessment. “He’s very disrespectful to be honest with you,” said the down to earth Hatton. “I’ve only met him on a few occasions and if he has a good side I haven’t seen it yet. It’s one thing selling tickets, but I don’t think he does it with a great deal of class. I think the most hurtful thing was that he didn’t get a reaction out of me. He was just insulting me and saying he was going to do this and do that and that he was going to do me over. I was just chewing me gum and smiling at him. When I did make a move he just walked away.”

At the end of the surprisingly sparsely attended press conference, Hatton was asked if he was going to tune in to watch Floyd show his fancy footwork and strut his stuff on “Dancing with the Stars”. Hatton just grinned in a dismissive way and disgustingly muttered, “Not bloody likely”.

After day one of a multi-city press tour that will stretch from California to England, Ricky Hatton had already seen enough of the dancing thug.

September 2007

WILL CHRISTMAS COME EARLY?

Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor is preparing to fight Kelly Pavlik on September 29th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

As a kid, there were a couple years when Santa Claus and his reindeer flew right by the ramshackle house that Jermain Taylor, his three sisters and his mother called home. For the Taylor family, there were times when December 25th rolled around on the calendar and there were no presents wrapped with care, no fat man in a red suit to spread holiday cheer and not even a Christmas tree in the family living room.

“Christmas time was hard,” says Taylor, who is currently locked away in a training camp in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, high in the Pocono Mountains, preparing to defend his world middleweight championship against Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, on September 29th at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

“There was a couple of times when we didn't have Christmas,” continues Taylor. When I look at where I come from, if there was a picture that I could show you, it would almost bring you to tears how poor we were,” says the soft-spoken 29 year-old champ.

His father left the family and walked out the door when Taylor was only five years old. Several years later, his grandmother, with whom he was especially close, was murdered by her own son, Taylor’s uncle, who then killed himself three days later. His bronze medal from the 1998 Goodwill Games was buried with her.

“Everytime I get into the ring, she's the first person that pops into my head,” explains Taylor who is undefeated as a pro with a record of 27-0-1 (17)KO. “Before a fight, I go to a neutral corner, kneel down and say a prayer to God and my grandmother.”

From an early age, it was clear to Taylor that he was going to have to step up and become the man of the house. He was left to looking after his three sisters while his mother was away at work trying to earn the meager paycheck that the Taylors were forced to scrape by on.

“I think about those days all the time,” says Jermain, who now earns purses in the millions of dollars whenever he steps in the ring to fight. These days he resides in a home befitting that of a young champion and he possesses all of the trappings of fame and fortune.

When he thinks back to those days growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas he does so with some sadness. He spent his time as a kid running a household, not playing outside with the other children and being carefree. He grew to be wary of every knock on the door and being cautious of his surroundings. “Why did I have to do that and why did I have to grow up so fast like that?” he asks out loud.

His has certainly been a life of sacrifice. Looking at him now you would never guess that he can compress his body down to 160 pounds. At 6’1” tall, with wide shoulders and thick arms, Jermain Taylor looks more like a 175 pound light heavyweight. But he has fought his entire professional career in the middleweight division, won a bronze medal in 2000 Sydney Olympics in that division too, and swears were it not for this challenge from a wrecking ball named Kelly Pavlik from Youngstown, Ohio (Ray Mancini’s old hometown) that he would have left the land of the middleweights forever.

The strain of trying to make his body fit into it’s 160 pound suit has been one that Taylor has been dealing with since before he won the title from the great Bernard Hopkins nearly two years ago.

His assistant trainer, Ozell Nelson, who has been with Taylor since he first laced on a pair of boxing gloves, is vocal about Taylor’s need to move up in weight. “We just can’t make this weight anymore,” he claims. “I don’t want him to kill himself to make 160. This weight has been a problem for a long time.”

Many people don’t know that Taylor, who struggled somewhat in defending his middleweight title for the fourth time in a split decision over Cory Spinks last May in Memphis, was 170 pounds only a day and half before the weigh-in. In the final hours before stepping on the scales, when most fighters are relaxing and conserving their energy, Taylor was forced to sweat off the additional ten pounds or risk losing his championship on the scale.

Taylor would likely have moved up eight pounds to the super middleweight division after the close win over Spinks, but then Pavlik crushed Colombian slugger Edison Miranda on the undercard to become the # 1 contender and raise his record to 31-0 (28) KO’s. It was after that fight that the public clamor for a fight between the two men reached a fever pitch. Had Taylor moved up without fighting Pavlik many people would have perceived him as running away from one of his most significant challenges.

Whatever the case, Taylor says bring Pavlik on and he says he’ll be ready for whichever version of Pavlik shows up. “I hope he chooses to fight me the same way he fought Miranda, but whatever he does, I know I'm going to win,” says a confident Taylor. “Slug, box - it don't make no difference. The outcome will be the same. Miranda didn't have all the talent people thought he had and I knew he was just all mouth. I know Pavlik is strong, but I know I am stronger than him.”

The fight with Pavlik is one of the most looked forward to matches of a busy fall boxing season and Taylor is under no illusions as to what the challenger brings to the table. “Kelly Pavlik is a fighter, just like me,” says the champion. “He comes to fight, no running, no holding. People are going to be surprised by what they see on September 29th. I'm expecting a lot of fireworks in the ring with Kelly Pavlik. This is my kind of fight.”

A victory over Pavlik would be one of the best presents that Jermain Taylor could ever receive. He knows too well that December 25th only comes around once a year, and he has already missed more Christmas mornings than one man ever should.

September 2007

A GONZO BET ON KELLY PAVLIK

The father of Gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson, 1937-2005, may he R.I.P.

The preachers and the religious right will tell you that gambling is a sin and a dangerous disease. But millions of people in this country are hopeless addicts with a syringe called a slot machine dangling from the last vein in their arm.

The zealots, the ones that elected George W. Bush and Senator Craig of the men’s room stall, will tell you that if you gamble then when judgment day comes, and it will come, like death and taxes, that you’re going straight to the underground. Down there it is very hot and there is a man there who wears a red suit, has horns and carries a pitchfork

The great doctor, Hunter S. Thompson, to whom this particular column is dedicated, preached to you that if you were going to be a betting man that “Any jackass that who will bet his heart instead of his head…is either a brain dead sucker or temporarily insane.”

But I can’t get this Kelly Pavlik kid out of my heart so that makes me one of the above and probably both. Bad craziness.

The sun is setting earlier here now up on the hill in the thick woods of Maine. The air has a different feel as summer begins to turn to fall. Packs of wild, bloodthirsty coyotes roam the country road at night in front of my fortified compound while they search for prey and howl outside my bedroom window until all hours of the morning. Vermin.

In the day, flocks of wild turkeys criss-cross the property searching for food while trying to keep away from the predators. The apples in the orchards are dropping to the ground and the deer are fat with glee as they chomp away under the pale moonlight.

Winter is coming and I am getting ready to settle in.

Kelly Pavlik is going to fight Jermain Taylor from Arkansas on the 29th of this month down by the shore in Atlantic City and he looks like a sure bet to me. Depending on how the odds go I may just make a telephone call to double down. Pavlik can’t miss! As the natives say up heyah in Maine, “He’s the best thing I seen come down the pike in a long time. Ayuh!”

And I’ve been watching this hardest game pretty damn close for nearly 30 years now.

I can feel the good vibes washing up the coast from Atlantic City. A.C. is where my wife Rebecca and I got engaged on the beach and where I very nearly got into a drunken brawl with some Arturo Gatti fans because I dared scream my guts out loud for my New England brethren Micky Ward when he fought Gatti there twice. Jesus, those wops are territorial bastards. Worse than a pack of roving coyotes. More like hyenas or jackals. It was like an episode of The Sopranos minus Paulie Walnuts.

But I’ve been wrong before. My wallet is still smarting from the huge losses suffered from the Evander Holyfield versus Johnny Ruiz trilogy because every one of those games of charades went the wrong way in a bad way. Those three nights nearly sent me into a financial death spiral and I was ready to swear off boxing forever and become a joyless alcoholic. But those are withdrawals of a different sort. That’s another story for another day…OK?

Ho ho. If you saw the way Pavlik tore through a Colombian destroyer named Edison Miranda then I need say no more. Pavlik brutalized the South American and by the time it was over I was surprised that this young animal named Pavlik, from Ohio, wasn’t carrying the bloody pieces of Edison Miranda out of the ring in his mouth. It was a gory mess that shocked everyone. I thought I saw people at ringside turning away in horror the same way they do when they see the blood spattered placards and posters the abortion abolitionists on the street corners hold up.

In the process, Pavlik became the #1 contender for the middleweight championship of the world. And this is no alphabet/paper championship either. This is for the real thing, the championship that Jermain Taylor and HBO usurped from Bernard Hopkins and it’s the championship that he has managed to hang onto only by the skin of his Arkansas Razorback. Taylor’s been the benefactor of more close decisions than George W. you know.

But Taylor’s rein is coming to an end on the 29th and I’ve got a lot of money on Pavlik that says so, too. Yes, this Pavlik is a can’t miss and I’m going all in folks. Jesus, Taylor may not come out of this one alive or the very least he’ll be in two pieces.

Taylor says he’s heavy like a swine and he almost tried to run away from this fight like a fat pig lost in the woods. But the public wouldn’t let him and HBO couldn’t save his ass so he’s locked himself away in the Pocono Mountains with his trainer Emanuel Steward to see if they can work the suet off him.

A propaganda story was floated up from that underground camp last week. Taylor said he feels as good as ever, maybe better. But he hasn’t had to step on the scales yet either. It’s all mystery and smoke and mirrors anyway. Cloak and dagger stuff. I thought I saw a look on Steward’s face that was the same one on Hitler’s mug before he locked himself away in the bunker in 1945.

No, I think in a serious fight with Kelly Pavlik that Jermain Taylor, as the great Hunter S. Thompson would have said, “Will curl up like a worm in a bonfire.” Ho ho.

Only three more weeks or so and we’ll have new middleweight champion of the world and I’ll have enough money to keep the wife from filing for divorce and enough greenbacks to beat the black suited bill collectors back from the door until spring.

Selah.

September 2007

YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN

Above: Fernado Vargas was recently diagnosed with anemia which postponed what was to be the final fight of his career against Nicaragua's Ricardo Mayorga at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Tough guy Fernando Vargas was briefly knocked out again, but this time it was not a punch thrown by Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya or Shane Mosley that did it.

No, after all of the punishment that he has put his young self through over the years, it was his own body that finally gave out on Fernando Vargas. Feeling sluggish and ill in the gym while preparing for his scheduled September 8th bout with trash talker extraordinaire Ricardo Mayorga, Vargas decided to make a trip to his doctor’s office.

The diagnosis? Anemia.

The bad news smacked home like that Oscar De La Hoya left hook to the head which separated Vargas from his senses back in 2002. Blood tests revealed that the 29 year-old Vargas, who has had trouble making weight for many of his fights, has an iron deficiency.

The fight has now been pushed back nearly 11 weeks to November 23rd and it will still be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Vargas has lost nearly 100 pounds since being at a high of about 265 late last year and his efforts to get down to the contracted weight of 162 pounds for the fight with Mayorga were paying off, but then he just didn’t feel right. He said he felt very weak and sick to his stomach and when he couldn’t train he decided to seek medical advice.

The Oxnard, California native told the Ventura County Star that, “I had no choice,” when it came to postponing the fight. “I can't fight in this condition,” he claimed.

Simply put, anemia is a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to body tissues. It causes a person to feel weak, breathless, light-headed and tired.

Vargas’ anemia was reported to have been caused by stomach ulcers which led to internal blood loss. A possible cause was his overuse of aspirin to help alleviate minor muscle discomfort associated with his training.

“Every athlete has aches and pains,” said a downtrodden Vargas, “and I guess I was taking a little bit more aspirin than recommended. The doctor said it's common for people who take a lot of aspirin to have this.”

Dr. Jonathan A. Mitchell, a physician contacted for this story, said it depends on what's causing Vargas’ anemia as to what the course of treatment will be. “There are many, many causes of anemia,” explained the doctor. “For example, if anemia results from losing too much blood, the cause of the blood loss will need to be addressed first,” said Dr. Mitchell. “If anemia results from a diet that's low in iron, the doctor may recommend a change in your diet or even iron pills.”

As for the length of time a person may be expected to be sidelined by anemia? “Well it can depend on many factors,” said the good doctor. “It can vary widely according to the cause and the manner in which the person being treated responds to the prescribed course of treatment.”

As a result, the grudge match against Nicaragua’s Mayorga has been rescheduled leaving ticket buyers for the original date very happy. Ticket sales for the original date were reportedly brisk, with nearly a million dollars in the till.

Vargas’ doctor has recommended that he refrain from training for at least two or three weeks, thus making the reschedule of the pay-per view match a logistical nightmare on the crowded autumn boxing calendar.

For Vargas, the fight will be his swan song and he says he’s going to ride off into the sunset for a career in the movies. A lover of Mexican food, which caused his shocking weight gain after his loss to Shane Mosley last July, Vargas is clearly looking forward to the end of his boxing career, which has now been prolonged by his anemia diagnosis. The sacrifice of making weight has always been his constant nemesis.

A couple of weeks ago, when asked what his life after boxing was going to entail, Vargas had this to say. “After this fight I get to go eat whatever I want, whatever I want I'm going to eat,” he happily declared. “If I want to drink a little bit, I’ll drink a little bit. But for now I like the diet and the training; it's for your health. I got the fat gene from my biological father so I need to stay in the gym. But after this fight, if I want to let loose a little bit, I'll do that. Other than that I’ll be keeping my shape for my health, and looking good for my wife and doing movies.”

Whether Vargas and Mayorga can hold their shape until November 23rd is a big concern for everyone involved in the fight. Neither fighter is the picture of self-discipline. Vargas has a penchant for food, while Mayorga’s vices are beer, cigarettes and street racing.

Quizzed several days ago as to how his training camp was progressing for the fight against Vargas, the often-comical Mayorga, who got into a pre-fight press conference brawl with Vargas, didn’t exactly sound like he was sacrificing or living a Spartan existence. When asked if he was still drinking and smoking he claimed he was. “I basically have been doing the same thing because that's my style,” said the wild child. “I like to drink and smoke, but this time a little less. It doesn’t matter, though. I'm going to fight a bum that’s going to get knocked out.”

With the rescheduled date, Vargas will still be able to keep the promise to himself to retire before his thirtieth birthday. He turns 30 two weeks after he will fight Mayorga and he always said he would never fight past that age. He hand-picked Mayorga as the opponent for his final go round and smart business moves throughout his career mean that he doesn’t need the money this fight would have brought him.

“I said I was going to leave by the time I'm 30 and I'm doing that…I'm 29,” said Vargas. “And I'll be 30 on December 7th. I said I’d never be fighting after 30. And I remember saying that, even as a kid. That's too old to be fighting. I'm glad for the top fighters who are 30 or over. But that’s not me. I don't want to do it. My body won't let me anymore. My body is tired of all these ups, downs, ups, downs. I want to stay healthy for myself, for my wife and for my kids and continue doing that.”

For Vargas, who accomplished so much in boxing at such a young age, it is bittersweet to wave goodbye to the young warrior, but he claims he’s happy with the way in which his career has turned out.

“I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in boxing,” said Vargas. “Three-time junior middleweight champion of the world and the only one in the history to do so. I made a lot of money and I still have my faculties and I still have my family. Everything is fine with me. My health is fine. I did everything I wanted to do in boxing.”

If the Mayorga fight is indeed the end, Fernando Vargas has certainly provided his loyal legion of followers with thrills, chills and spills throughout his 10 year professional career. He was a courageous gladiator who was more than happy to go out on his shield and shed his blood to make fans happy in this game they call boxing.

And it’s a strange irony that it’s that same blood which has now prolonged his final goodbye.

August 2007

THE FAVORITE SON OF THE PHILIPPINES

From left: Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, pictured last week in Beverly Hills, California will next meet again on October 6th in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Events Center

Manny Pacquiao, who is one of the few bright lights in the sky of boxing, likes it hot.

And it’s a good thing, because as Pacquiao opens training camp in Cebu City, Philippines for his October 6th rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera the forecast for this week is continued hot and steamy weather with the mercury topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a chance of thunderstorms.

But Manny Pacquiao wouldn’t have it any other way.

Over the past decade or so, only Mike Tyson has captured the interest and fascination of boxing fans in the manner that this little Filipino spitfire does and now Pacquiao is learning a thing or two about the type of heat that the magnifying glass of the world can generate.

Just how hot is the demand for Manny Pacquiao and what is it like to live inside the vortex that has become his life? Well, he recently signed a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Nike, joining blockbuster names like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods – which is even more incredible when you realize that Manny Pacquiao barely speaks English.

He has been the subject of drawn out tugs-of-war among the most powerful of American fight promoters and the most astute boxing managers. In his home country his every move is scrutinized, analyzed and examined. He recently ran in a campaign for a congressional seat “to help my people” but he lost that fight, something that has only happened to him inside a boxing ring once in the past eight years.

Whatever Manny Pacquiao does and wherever he goes it is newsworthy in the Philippines, even if it isn’t news at all. Paparazzi, gossip hounds and those that run the rumor mills churn out page after page that tell of Pacquiao’s out of the ring exploits. Even here in America his face graces everything from the cover of The Ring magazine to the marquees of Las Vegas casinos.

But his life and what is said and written about him has gotten out of hand. So much so that the usually happy-go-lucky 28 year-old has filed a lawsuit for libel against the writers that shadow his every move. They said he gambles too much, spends all night playing in billiard games and that he may not be a faithful husband. He became fed up with what he calls “untruths” and he claimed what was being written about him was nothing more than fabrication.

Whatever the case with Pacquiao and his personal life, he is one of the best if not the very best fighter on the planet and maybe that’s all that should be said or written about him.

The Philippine people are believers in a long list of their old proverbs and perhaps Pacquiao thought of this one before he filed his court papers, “He who cackled is the guilty party.”

But if you know Manny Pacquiao you know that he doesn’t stay mad for very long. He is quick to smile and even in these times of speculation and rumor, Pacquiao decided to show that he was not out to undo everything that is written about him. So on Sunday he took a break from the rigors of his boxing preparations under the watchful eye of trainer Freddie Roach and played a friendly game of basketball with a group of Filipino hacks.

“This is to prove that Pacquiao is not hostile to sportswriters. He just wishes that they could be more careful with what they are writing,” a member of the Pacquiao inner circle told the Philippine Daily Inquirer “He can be nice and play a game with them, but he can also sue them if they cross the line.”

His Filipino lawyer, Franklin Gacal, said the contract with Nike has a morals clause which states that Pacquiao should keep a “good image” and that if Nike believed the falsehoods that were written then the contract would be in jeopardy which could end up costing Pacquiao an untold fortune.

And like any athlete that has gone corporate, Pacquiao now lets his lawyer do the talking for him from time-to-time. “The moment he has a bad image is considered a violation of the contract,” says Gacal.

His trainer Freddie Roach often worries about his charge. So much so that Roach dropped everything and made the long slog across the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines to watch over Pacquiao as he prepares to face Barrera in their rematch. Roach calls Pacquiao a “one of a kind” and a fighter “that is unlike all the others.”

Their training camp was supposed to take place in Los Angeles at Roach’s Wild Card Gym but at the last moment, and unbeknown to Roach, Pacquiao fled Beverly Hills, California after the press conference to announce the Barrera fight and flew back to the Philippines. He announced he would be training within the friendly confines of his native land and not in America because he said Barrera “has spies” in California.

Most observers see the rematch against Barrera as a foregone conclusion and they perceive the Mexican as a fighter well past his best days. Even though Barrera is still a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter they view Pacquiao as a typhoon-like force that will again overwhelm the 33 year-old Barrera. As a result, most are picking Pacquiao as an easy winner to repeat the victory of their first fight, which took place in November 2003.

Even “Nacho” Beristain, trainer of many Mexican champions and the current trainer of brothers Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez (among others) doesn’t see a way that his countryman Barrera can win. “It will be difficult for Barrera to win,” Beristain told the Mexican press last week. “Pacquiao has the style that complicates things for Barrera. He is fast, elusive and left-handed.”

But Roach is cautious and guarded when he hears such talk. “Barrera’s a durable guy,” he warns. “A lot of people are saying that this is going to be an easy fight, but Manny has to be in shape to win it. Barrera will come out fighting because there’s a lot of pride at stake for him in this one. He’s said this is it for him so we’re expecting him to be at his best.”

With the fight only seven weeks away, Roach and Pacquiao finally got down to serious business this week. Manny began his sparring sessions and as usual, he summoned his unique ability to put the rest of the world and the turmoil that envelopes him on hold while he focuses on his training.

In the words of an old Filipino proverb: “To a fearless person, no fence is high enough.”

August 2007

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT

From left: Felix "Tito" Trinidad, the unmistakable Don King and Roy Jones, Jr.

Don King was giddy with glee Monday at his offices in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

At his side were legendary fighters Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Roy Jones, Jr. who were in attendance to announce that they are hoping to face-off against one another in January 2008.

“My Tito has returned!” bellowed King, “My Tito Trinidad is returning to his throne!” declared the magnanimous 75 year-old promoter in unrestrained, wide-mouthed happiness.

Even by Don King’s standards he seemed beyond delighted with himself.

It’s a match that many see as at least half a decade too late as both men are well past their best days. Trinidad has been retired for two years since he lost his last fight to Winky Wright in May 2005 and Jones has looked less than impressive since being knocked out in fights versus Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson.

Should the fight actually happen it will take place on a date to be determined in January and at a catch weight of 170 pounds.

Jones, who is a fussbudget for money and is persnickety with the fine details of fight contracts hasn't actually signed on the dotted line for the bout, but said yesterday that he's leaning toward signing after he reviews the paperwork.

For Jones, it may be a wise choice. Many would see it as a poor decision if he turns away the significant revenue and even more significant attention that a match against Trinidad would garner at this late stage of his waning career.

Jones, who is 38 years old, decisioned Anthony Hanshaw on July 14th in a fight at Biloxi, Mississippi. However, he looked his age and the fight was a pay-per view television bust attracting only somewhere in the anemic neighborhood of 25,000 buys. Jones has fought sporadically over the past few years and hasn’t looked like the great fighter that he once was since March 2003, when he won the WBA heavyweight title belt from Johnny Ruiz.

Jones seemed to realize his predicament as a relevant force in the sport and as a box office draw yesterday. “It's a unique, special event that this sport needs,” admitted Jones, who was realistic, if only for a brief moment. “If you can't put it on the line for this, then you can't put it on the line for anything. This is the type of thing you put it on the line for. The sport needs another megafight and that's what this is.”

Despite the fact that Jones has yet to sign a contract, Don King, ever the maverick, was forging on ahead with plans to match the two and he promised that, “The deal is real!”

The promoter, who is close to Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan, said that the fight is a possibility to land at “the world’s most famous arena” but he wasn’t ruling out any locale or television broadcast partner in his efforts to bring the fight to fruition.

“We don't have no TV,” said a worry-free King. “We don't have a dime nowhere committed to nobody. What we've got is a fight and that means an attraction first. Now we have to go out and find the money for this attraction and make this attraction come off, because these two guys are fighting for pride and glory - as well as money.”

King, ever the huckster, will need to go out and find the money - and a lot of it.

Trinidad’s contract with King stipulates that he be paid a guaranteed minimum of $10 million. Jones, as always, will seek as much as the monetary pie as he can help himself to. Jones’ often outrageous financial demands have scuttled other fights in the past and this one could fall victim to the same muck and mire should the mercurial Jones decide to hold King hostage to his monetary requests.

The fight would seem a natural draw for Madison Square Garden. New York has a very supportive Puerto Rican boxing community that recently showed up in such overwhelming droves to see Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto fight Zab Judah that the arena was sold out for the first time since Trinidad fought there in 2001 in a losing effort against Bernard Hopkins. Jones is no stranger to New York City having fought there several times during his career.

King, no longer the same promotional power-broker that virtually controlled boxing for over two decades, has been relegated to somewhat of a bit player in the United States over the past few years. Yesterday, however, the old master was at his bombastic best and he seemed positively jubilant to be back on center stage

“This is what the public has waited for, for a long time and now they're going to have it!” King happily testified as Trinidad and Jones posed in a mock stare down. “It's the people's championship!”

Trinidad, who will be 35 by the time the proposed fight takes place, was back to his old form as well. He turned toward Jones at one point in the press conference yesterday and said, “I'm waiting to knock you out! O.K. baby!” And then he erupted into a stint of smiles and laughter still showing the bright grin and boyish charm that helped make him a boxing sensation.

Trinidad, who is a national icon in Puerto Rico also claimed that only one foe could lure him from his peaceful island retirement in the Caribbean - and that was Roy Jones, Jr. “Roy Jones is one of the biggest and greatest champions ever in the sport of boxing,” claimed Trinidad. “But he’s never faced a puncher like me.”

Many are surprised that Trinidad would end a 30-month retirement and go directly into such a high profile fight with a Jones who still shows flashes of his old self in brief spurts. However, both King and Trinidad’s father and trainer, Felix, Sr. downplayed that risky aspect of this potential match-up.

King, hyping Trinidad’s ring prowess said, “Most fighters of Tito Trinidad’s stature would want a warm-up fight after being off for this long, but not Tito Trinidad!”

The authoritarian Felix Trinidad, Sr. who serves the triple role of father, manager and trainer said he’s not worried either about sending his son from the retirement village straight to the ring. “I can be proud to bring my son into battle with a giant such as Roy Jones,” he boldly said. “My son is a legend, but so is Roy Jones. And Roy Jones has been there forever. He's made an indelible mark on people around the world.”

Trinidad, who has 35 knockouts in 42 wins said that he should have no problem getting into fighting shape since he has nearly six months to prepare. He’s chomping at the bit to get back in the ring.

“It’s going to be a very big fight, a huge fight,” said Tito. “I hear from Roy that somebody has to go down in this fight. I have to tell Roy that it’s going to be him. I always come to win.”

Not to be outdone, Jones then went on a rant of his own. “They got somebody they think can beat Roy Jones, Jr. who stands in my way and I’ll show you what I’ll do wit’ him! Yeah, I’m ready whoever want to bring it! Whenever, whoever, however you want it! Daaaammmmn right, I want it!”

And then it was back to King who would have the final word. “Tito, Tito, Tito! My shining star! Only in America! Hah! Hah! Hah!” he loudly cackled.

“It will be demonstrated with two titans, two legendary fighters coming together to fight. This is what the public has awaited for, for a long time and now they’re going to have it, you know what I mean?” said the fast-talking King, a former numbers runner from the Cleveland streets.

Unstoppable, King continued, his voice drowning out all those around him. “What Tito is saying in the words of the indomitable and incomparable Cyrano de Bergerac; ‘Don’t bring be no mortal men. Bring me giants.’ And giants is coming! And Roy Jones, Jr. one of the legends of our time, one of the greatest fighters in the world! And so you got two of the greatest fighters in the world meeting each other. I’m so excited I can hardly wait! Viva Puerto Rico! Viva America!” and then his voice trailed off, if only for a moment.

One thing about their reunion on Monday is that Trinidad, Jones and even King to some extent, seemed to know this fight is likely one of their last flashes in the old spotlight.

And it was nice to see the old crew back together again just the same. Yet somehow time has passed them all by and they seemed a day late and a dollar short to the old grind.

August 2007

ARM WRESTLING WITH USELESS INFORMATION

Rocky Juarez will face Juan Manuel Marquez on September 15th in Las Vegas

I just returned from a long slog to the Great White North where I took in the Canadian Arm Wrestling Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Now you wouldn’t think that me attending an arm wrestling competition would generate something to do with Rocky Juarez, but the whole affair got me to thinking.

With the fallout of Argentine, Jorge “La Hyena” Barrios from his September 15th fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, “The Boxing Banker” Richie “Rich” Schaefer, formerly an executive with Swiss Bank UBS Warburg (how’s that for useless information?) and Golden Boy Promotions were at Def-Con 4 trying to keep their “Fireworks” pay-per view show from fizzling out like a dud on Mexican Independence Day.

So when “La Hyena” was blacked out with multiple retinal tears it was no laughing matter. In stepped Rocky Juarez, who had initially been scheduled to face 126-pound IBF belt wearer Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero on the same card and the day was saved for Golden Boy Promotions.

To their credit, Golden Boy initially pitched undefeated WBO 130-pound belt holder Joan Guzman as the replacement opponent for WBC champ Marquez, but that fight was turned down by Marquez’ trainer and manager Nacho Beristain quicker than you can say, “No way, Don Jose Sulaiman!”

But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves here, so let’s go back in time shall we?

The first time I remember seeing Rocky Juarez was seven years ago when he was only 19 years-old and a fresh faced world amateur champion. He was just as respectful and thoughtful and polite then as he is now.

It was at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Convention Center (how’s that for useless information?) and Juarez was facing off against Stevie Luevano (now the WBO 126-pound titlist) for featherweight bragging rights.

The ink wasn’t yet dry on Juarez’ high school diploma from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas, which is the same high school that produced 1972 welterweight Olympic Bronze Medalist Jesse Valdez (how’s that for useless information?) Juarez went on to defeat Luevano for the third time in a row as an amateur and later that year to win the Olympic silver medal in Sydney, Australia. Of course not long after that Juarez began punching for pay.

When asked that day in Tampa why he went by the name “Rocky” - Juarez, who has eyelashes longer than the recently departed Tammy Faye Baker (how’s that for useless information?) explained it this way. “My father wanted to name me after Rocky Marciano,” said the diminutive Juarez. “My grandma, well, she didn’t like the name because Marciano in Spanish means ‘martian’ (how’s that for useless information), so my Dad changed it to Ricardo.”

So fast forward seven years and I got to thinking about Rocky Juarez and the terrible position that he was put into with having to choose between fighting Robert Guerrero for a featherweight title that he could probably win, or getting thrown in with the lion they call Juan Manuel Marquez for a 130-pound championship fight that he has little chance in.

It reminded me of those Canadian arm wrestlers who stared into each other’s faces without blinking and then heard the crowd yelling into their ears, “Over the top!” or “Tear it off!” or some such. Like Rocky Juarez they were under pressure to step up to the table.

You’ve got to ask yourself why Rocky Juarez’ management would advise such a fight for a young fighter that still hasn’t gotten his feet back under him after having lost two in a row to the great Marco Antonio Barrera last year.

As Al Bernstein would say, “Make no mistake”, a manager’s job is to protect his fighter to some extent. The manager’s job is to get his fighter the maximum reward for an acceptable level of risk. So why was Rocky Juarez taken out of a fight he would likely have won to get put into a fight where he will likely get beaten up?

Say what you want about the alphabet sanctioning cartels and their Byzantine methods, but those pieces of plastic called title belts that they hand out in return for sanctioning fees are a powerful and useful too when it comes time to negotiate television contracts and fight purses. Yet after an Olympic silver medal, 30 professional fights, over seven years as a pro, with all of that promise and with a name made for a fighter, Rocky Juarez is still no closer to realizing he and his grandfather’s dream of winning a world title. He will likely lose to Marquez and then he is right back where he was before this fight with no title belt and no bargaining chip.

And then remember that the same people who cursed Marquez’ manager Nacho Beristain for being “overprotective” and a “hard bargainer” are now the same ones that are calling him “savvy” and “wise” for turning down a fight with Joan Guzman and instead opting for the easier fight with Juarez. If Juarez’ management was as deft he would likely be a world champion by now.

You’ve then got to ask yourself why Rocky Juarez’ advisers would “advise” him the way they have.

You must remember that Rocky Juarez was a boxing prodigy initiated into boxing by his grandfather who was a boxer in Mexico. (How’s that for useless information?) Juarez’ grandfather taught him the basics and got him into the boxing game after pulling him from a dusty baseball diamond when he was only 13 years-old, much like Joel De La Hoya pulled Oscar from hitting with Louisville Sluggers to hitting with Reyes.

You must also remember that in this day and age of four titles per weight division why is it that Rocky Juarez has not won some sort of a title at 126 or 130 pounds? You’ve got to ask yourself is it the fighter or is it the managers that advise him?

Yes, boxing is a business and it is about money. “Make no mistake”, as Al Bernstein would say, that when you fight on a Golden Boy Promotions pay-per view card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas everything is about the bottom line.

But I think back to that day in 2000 in Tampa, Florida and I think about the honest little Rocky Juarez who said “I don’t want to let my head get too big for me” and about his dream to win the gold medal that never came. Later it became about his dream to win a world title that has also never come. I think about the bond he has with his grandfather that started all of this and then I think about the vultures that probably twisted Rocky Juarez’ thoughts and presented the “opportunity” against Juan Manuel Marquez as something that he “couldn’t turn down” because of "the money”.

And then I think about that day spent in Fredericton, New Brunswick under the chandeliers of a hotel ballroom with burly men grunting and groaning, locked hopelessly in one-armed stalemates.

And I realized that Rocky Juarez is in a similar predicament.

August 2007