A Classic Revisited

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito II

Most of us remember the classic brawl that took place in their first fight, however, Margarito's win has been tainted with accusations of loading his gloves with plaster. After the fight there was a bit of controversy as a picture surfaced of Margarito directly after the fight which showed his hand wraps were torn, which is fairly damning. Wraps are gauze and it would be nearly impossible for them to be torn in such a manner, unless of course there was plaster underneath. After the Mosley v. Margarito fight in which Margarito was actually caught cheating it became apparent, albeit in hindsight, that most likely Margarito had loaded gloves against Cotto.

Cotto dominated Margarito early, then seemed to swell up over the period of one round. This would be consistent with plaster as it takes a few rounds to harden. The evidence seems pretty clear, therefore, I refuse to even watch that fight. I recognize there was a first fight, however, I cannot watch that knowing that Margarito was essentially using two weapons against Cotto. The second fight is purely about revenge, Margarito was never really in the fight, however, he took his beating like a man. There were a few times it seemed that Cotto had his man hurt and could have pressed him and taken him out, but he seemed to relish the moment, the revenge he was exacting against his foe. It was probably one of my favorite performances of Miguel Cotto.

Margarito after first Cotto fight

Close up of same hand wrap

Mike Tyson, In Perspective

Arguably one of the most recognizable faces in boxing since Muhammed Ali, Tyson is considered to be among the all time greats in the sport. This is an attempt to put Mike Tyson in perspective, not to demean or discredit him.

First we have to figure out what makes a fighter great, especially if we are to consider a fighter as being one of the all-time greats. If we look at the records of other great fighters, we see a ledger full of other great fighters. Granted, some very talented fighters end up in divisions that are sparse in talent and are thus robbed of potential greatness, or forced to move to another division. Its not just fighting other great fighters, its beating other great fighters. Of course there are accomplishments like becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever that would also weigh in on ones decision. Also, there are fighters like Arturo Gatti who was loved when he lost and when he won, a blood and guts warrior. In that case Gatti became great in the sense that he was a warrior, a crowd pleasing brawler, but still not among the all time greatest fighters. This is my basic criteria for establishing greatness.

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history by defeating Trevor Berbick via second round TKO, he then defended his title 9 times before shockingly being knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas in the 10th round. Many would consider Tyson prior to the Douglas fight as being in his prime, so his opponents during this time should give us some insight.

His first defense was against James Smith, a boring 12 round UD. Smith was a big hard punching heavyweight who held the WBA title, Tyson held the WBC. Smith did little of anything and mainly tried to stay away from Tyson the whole fight. After that there was Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Tyrell Biggs, and then Larry Holmes. This should establish Tyson as a great by destroying Larry Holmes, an all time great, within 4 rounds. However, Holmes came out of a two year retirement and was well out of his prime before he retired. How Holmes got this fight after being in retirement is beyond me but if beating an old Larry Holmes makes you great, then beating an old Ali should immediately make Holmes great. Holmes did not get the same reception for beating up an old Ali, who was also coming out of a two year retirement, that Tyson got for beating up Holmes, so if one doesn't count, why should the other?

After Holmes Tyson fought Tony Tubbs and then the super fight with Michael Spinks. Spinks is no doubt one of the greatest light heavyweights, but at heavyweight he beat an aging Holmes and a spent Gerry Cooney before taking on Tyson and being obliterated. That proved to be a great light heavyweight versus a young and prime Mike Tyson. Tyson then went on to fight the limited Frank Bruno and Carl Williams before being dethroned by Buster Douglas.

I suppose the argument could be made that Tyson fought who was there and perhaps I am being too hard on him. However I disagree. Tyson admittedly paid Lennox Lewis $5 million in step aside money, of course the argument is then made that Tyson "would have destroyed Lewis back then", well, why didn't he? It would have saved him some hassle and a severe beating years later. Early on, prior to Tyson winning a title, he was offered a fight with Earnie Shavers, which would have been a great test for a young Mike Tyson. The same redundant argument is made once again by Tyson fanatics, "He would have destroyed Shavers", again, if that is true, why didn't he? What if's don't count in boxing, although it is great to ponder what could have been, this is not a logical argument to make. Tyson also had opportunities to face the like of Bowe, Tua, Moorer, and a few other fighters but never did. The other great fighters that Tyson fought, he lost to, both Lewis and Holyfield, and neither fight was really competitive, aside from the first Holyfield fight maybe.

This is the problem that I have with ranking Tyson as an all time great, who did he fight? What makes him an all time great? The fact that he would have beaten all these guys had they fought him in his prime? The fact is, Tyson beat an old Larry Holmes that was retired for two year prior and a great light heavyweight in Michael Spinks. He did not fight other fighters that fought during his era that were more than willing, and lost when he stepped up in competition.

So what is it that makes Tyson so great? Would haves and what ifs? No offense to Mike Tyson, but it is disrespectful to the all time greats like Ray Robinson or Henry Armstrong to push them aside for Tyson. Armstrong ruled three divisions at a time when there were a total of eight, mind you, he ruled them at the same time! So, while Tyson certainly has his place in boxing history, nobody can deny that, he has not earned a place among the all time greats. 

Manny Pacquiao Vs Juan Manuel Marquez (2012) - Brothers Bound In War

Highlights from the four fights between Pacquiao and Marquez

Video provided by Mr. X

Angulo vs Silva, In Perspective

On the undercard of Khan vs Molina, Alfredo Angulo took on unknown Jorge Silva. While it was a fan friendly fight the whole way through, it was not so good for Angulo. Silva has fought his whole career below 154lbs, starting his career at 135lbs. This was his first fight at 154, against hard punching Angulo. I was not expecting much so I did not even bother to post any predictions on the fight. Silva has been knocked out twice before and has fought virtually nobody of real note. To me this smelled of early knockout, however, we got a war. Whenever Silva threw, he pretty much landed, the problem was, he doesn't have the power to hurt Angulo, and Angulo's work rate was far higher most of the fight.

I know Angulo is coming off a long layoff and has only had one first round knockout prior to that long layoff, but Silva was tailor made for Angulo. He is smaller, has a suspect chin, and is not all that powerful. If Silva was a big puncher, I could not see how Angulo would have been able to stand up, he took several clean shots to the chin, and he has a good chin, but can obviously be hurt.

This fight was very telling to me, Angulo is clearly not the same fighter since being all but completely demolished in six rounds by James Kirkland. Silva was able to back Angulo up and was seemingly unfazed by most of Angulo's punches. While we may have seen the best of Angulo, he still should be fun to watch while he is around, but in perspective, he doesn't seem to be the same "perro" he was before.

Deontay Wilder, In Perspective

On December 15th Deontay Wilder took on unbeaten Kelvin Price. This was the a step up for both fighters as each has had limited opposition. Price actually has fought the better fighters having beaten heavyweight hopeful Tor Hamer, so he certainly was a big step up in class for Wilder who has fought virtually nobody of note.

Now, I have been critical of Wilder and his very soft competition, I do realize that he came to the game late and his people are moving him slowly, I get that. However it seems as if he is being protected. There are plenty of heavyweights out there that he could get some rounds in against, there are plenty of guys he could be put in against so we, as fans, can see just how good Wilder is. We know he can punch, and that is about it.

I have to say that I was somewhat impressed by Wilder's performance in this fight. He was fighting a very awkward fighter who has more experience than him and he fought at a much slower pace than before, possibly losing the first two rounds. For me this showed that he is maturing. He did not rush in looking for a knockout, instead he took his time figuring out the awkward Price, staggered him in the third round and calmly and patiently followed up with a jab, that clearly blinded Price from the right hand bomb that followed and abruptly ended Price's night.

Granted, Price is not a top ten heavyweight, but he was undefeated and is a decent fighter. Price gave Hamer all he could handle and Hamer had a tough time finding Price due to his unorthodox style. So this fight did tell us something about Wilder, he is not just a face first brawler, a guy looking to come out bombing. He was clearly thinking in there, studying his opponent and patiently waited for the right opening. In the past when he had his man hurt, Wilder would seemingly lose his cool and flail until something landed and the fight ended. So to see him as calm as he was really impressed me because it graphically shows me that he is improving and trying to work out the kinks, smooth those rough edges I have previously spoken of.

In perspective, this is a good win for Wilder and a gives us fans a small glimpse into Deontay Wilder as a fighter, we know he is serious and he is improving, and I love to see that in a fighter. Now I think its time they start moving him up to the trial horses and gatekeepers. For anyone who has followed my posts they know I am always critical of Wilder, so for me to be impressed is saying something.

Khan in Perspective (Khan v. Molina Post Fight)

Amir Khan won his comeback fight against unbeaten, and limited, Carlos Molina. What does this fight tell us about Khan? Molina was chosen as an opponent, granted he came to fight and is tough as nails, but lets be honest, he cannot punch and has very limited experience.

What did Khan do right?
Khan used his superior handspeed and power to bust Molina up all night. He was relying on his jab to measure distance and he used his legs to keep Molina from getting set. To put it in another way, Khan used his assets to the best of his ability and they got him the win as Molina quit on his stool.

What did Khan do wrong?
Khan does not seem to be any different than before. He still clearly has defensive lapses and Molina showed this as he caught Khan on several occasions with the same punch Garcia knocked him out with, as well as a variety of other punches. The difference is that Molina has little to no punching power and is not nearly as fast as Khan. Even though he was able, at times, to take advantage of Khans defensive flaws, he did not have the power to dent Khans soft chin. I know Khan thinks his move to his new trainer in Virgil Hill is good but all fighters say that. They want to think they are better to boost their confidence. Truth be told, Khan looked like Khan. This isn't bad, Khan is an exciting fighter. He has fast hands and explosive power with a glass chin, that makes for exciting fights! I don't see him doing much more than he has already done or getting better than he already is.

Donaire vs Arce Post Fight Thoughts

Well, it was exciting while it lasted...all three rounds. I had predicted a Donaire win either by stoppage or flat knockout. Little did I know that he would completely out class Arce and obliterate him within three rounds. Arce did exactly what I said he would do, stood right in front of Donaire, probably thinking that Donaire couldn't hurt him. Sadly for Arce, he never made an adjustment to get the hell out of the way or attempt to box a bit.

Donaire seemed to be a man on a mission, to try and somehow make up for the brutal fashion in which his countryman, Pacquiao, lost recently. Donaire solidified his claim of being the heir apparent to the Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao. Prior to this fight his power was questioned but as I pointed out it was probably due to his last few opponents doing everything to avoid his power and not an actual lack of punching power. Arce, a normally durable warrior, was crushed under the weight of Donaires power, in fact I cannot remember a time when Arce was beaten up this badly and violently knocked out. Arce promptly retired after this fight, his legacy as a blood and guts warrior is not in question, even after this blowout.