A Message from the Unfriendly Media

by Howie Reed

One of the most popular sports radio chat shows is ESPN’s Colin Cowherd heard Monday thru Friday.

Last week in a moment of brilliance he may just have focused a laser-like beam on boxing’s problem. “A friendly media is a sport’s worst enemy. A media that takes an adversarial role can be a sport’s best friend. The media that questions and demands is the best that a sport can hope for.”

Cowherd was actually speaking about an individual team in a sport but there is no reasons not to believe that the same premise isn’t the “pie are squared and cake are round” for all sports.

Most local papers disdain a local boxing beat reporter which leaves boxing covered only on websites, “bloggers” and or employees of media that have a vested commercial interest in boxing.

ESPN, HBO and Showtime cover boxing but they all have a vested interest. Of the three, ESPN seems to take that responsibility most seriously. Boxing websites are beholden to boxing interests for revenue. Lose favor with a cable network or a promoter and kiss that revenue goodbye.

Bloggers, should they print a discouraging word, will find themselves on the outside looking in when it’s credential time. HBO, Showtime and ESPN can hold boxing’s feet to the fire should they choose. They have the money the power but usually not the will.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum said after Antonio Margarito was suspended for a year by the California Athletic Commission, “We’ll fight in Mexico.” That may be true but they won’t fight for big dollars if HBO or Showtime says “No way Jose”. Without cable or PPV dollars, boxing joins the world economy in “deep doo doo”.

HBO and Showtime are the only entities that can use their economic molars to put some bite in the California action. Actually all boxing commissions in the world should use the California ruling to send a message to boxers, managers, trainers and promoters. “Break the rules and go directly to the sin bin.” Will they? “Shirley you jest.”

Out of the Sin Bin

One of the best kept secrets in boxing is Edwin Valero whose record of 24-0 includes all 24 big wins by KO. Valero, trained by TSR’s pal “The Sgt.” Kenny Adams, has been absent from boxing in the USA since December of ’03 when he KO’d Tomas Zambrano in one.

In February of ’01 Valero was involved in a severe motorcycle accident where he suffered various injuries along with a fractured skull. Following surgery to remove a blood clot, a Venezuelan doctor cleared him to fight.

He turned pro in ’02, ran up a record of 11-0 when he ran into trouble by failing an MRI in New York. They denied him a boxing license, which other USA Commissions respected.

He’s now been cleared to fight and makes his return to the USA against Antonio Pitalua (46-3) on a double-dipper PPV for Golden Boy Promotions on April 4.

As Valero is the #1 WBC and Pitalua is the #2 lightweight contender they could fight for the title. Manny Pacquiao surrendered the WBC title to fight at super lightweight against Ricky Hatton. It would be a Lawrence Welk fight “A one…ana…two”

Pitalua and Valero have combined for 64 KO’s from 70 wins. The “leather will fly.”
 
Sounds from the Pond

Sir Frog contributes his take on Cotto-Jennings and Pavlik-Rubio.

“Great fight Cotto vs. Jennings, Jennings was quick but not strong enough for the hard hitting Cotto. Back to the gym for Jennings and keep away from boxing out of the UK for a while. A great fight would be Cotto vs. Mosley II.

Leading up to the Cotto-Jenkins, ESPN’s Teddy Atlas said, “Jennings came across the pond. He’s going to get wet.” TSR advised that Jennings was in deep water and he didn’t have a life vest. Cotto’s future plans are up in the air.
 

As ESPN’s Dan Rafael reported the Cotto Camp is furious with Top Rank’s Bob Arum for his defense of Antonio Margarito. Cotto cleverly side-stepped the subject at his post fight new conference.  “I’ve been saying all along I’m a clean fighter. I do my best. I don’t know what they did. What they did, that’s on them.” Top Rank’s Bob Arum wasn’t at the Cotto fight but rather sent step-son Todd duBoef. When the subject of a Mosley rematch came up deBoef answered, “I believe we already beat Shane Mosley.” “We already beat Mosley?” Kind of like “Me and Pa killed a bear.” Cotto won a UD (116-113,115-113 twice) over Mosley in November of 07.

Regardless the original plan of Cotto-Margarito in the Garden on the Saturday of Puerto Rico Day is off.

One more croak from Sir Frog, “Also the fight with Duddy, I never saw him box so good and smart. It’s probably caused by his new trainer.”

Duddy may have been impressive boxing but Matt Vanda is somewhat damaged goods. After his loss to Duddy, he’s 4-7 over the last 11. Two of Vanda’s wins in that 11 fight run were against guy’s that were 0-10 and 0-8 since their last wins.  

“Pavlik vs. Rubio: this Rubio kid can take a punch. Pavlik was back to his normal routine and out-boxed Rubio big time. Pavlik, stay at that weight, don't do stupid things again!” … Sir Frog with some sage advice for Pavlik. He went up in weight and got his fanny handed to him by Bernard Hopkins.

Another Cuban Boxer Flies the Coop
 
German promoters ARENA have snared yet another top flight boxer who has escaped from the worker’s paradise called Cuba. This time it’s twice Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux, who joins fellow Cubans Yuriorkis Gamboa and Erislandy and Odlanier Soliis in the ARENA stable. 

For Rigondeaux, the journey was anything but smooth. He first tried to defect in 2007 during the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janiro. As he was awaiting a flight to Germany, both he and Lara were found at the Carbo Frio Hotel. They were arrested and returned to Cuba where both were kicked off the Cuban team. Lara was the first to escape while Rigondeaux followed last week.

All the ARENA boxers are training in Miami where they should feel right at home.
 
Results
 

Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez

Indonesia’s Chris John, (42-0-2), came to Rocky Juarez’s (28-4-1) hometown of Houston, Texas, to defend WBA featherweight title.

In honor of the occasion, the Texas boxing authorities assembled three judges with Stevie Wonder-like qualities and referee Larry “The Clown” Cole.

They were better suited to being under the Ringling Big Top as opposed to the roof of the Toyota Center. After 12 rounds of almost constant action, the judges gave Juarez a gift-wrapped draw that defies logic or knowledge of boxing. There was no controversy. It stunk.  

HBO’s Harold Lederman had the fight 116-112 for John while TSR had it 117-112 for John. HBO’s Jim Lampley, of course, after announcing a blowout for 12 rounds said, “Well, maybe it’s fair.”

Juarez probably fought the best fight of his life, but that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the boxing skill of John. At fight’s end, Juarez’s face was bloody and swollen from the steady stream of laser like punches that rarely missed the mark. Juarez was “out-quicked”, out punched and out worked. “I dominated the fight. He was a tough fighter but what can I say?” Rocky stated “I thought I won the fight.” He did.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz

Too many casual fans judge Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1) by his two loses to Manny Pacquiao. That is a grievous error.

JMM may just be the best all-around boxer in the pro ranks today. He displayed those talents against Juan Diaz (34-2) Saturday night. Diaz comes forward, throws punches and constantly applies pressure. That’s what he did Saturday night in his hometown of Houston.

Through the early rounds, Marquez answered each bull rush by Diaz with the skill of a matador leading the bull to the ultimate fate. In the seventh and eighth rounds, Marquez, while mostly counter punching, changed the tone of the fight.

In the ninth, a right followed by a left sent Diaz down on all fours, his head under the bottom rope. Diaz was able to beat the count, but just moments later Matador Marquez applied the coup de grace that left Juan “the Baby Bull”  Diaz flat on his back out colder than the John McCain election message.

The time was 2:40

Jeeves Time

“Your Lordship I have a question. What is this “linear championship” that HBO keeps talking about?”

“Jeeves it’s a bunch of bull. HBO feels they are “above” the various sanctioning organizations. Those organizations, HBO feels, are the root of all evil in boxing, which is “bushwa”.

Then, being the hypocrites they are, HBO uses the Ring Magazine rankings.

Ring magazine? Owned by Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar de La Hoya?

That aside, Cheewit dee khrup.”