Controversies.

To some people, controversies spice up life or make the sport more interesting.
Well to me it depends on what kind of controversies we are talking about, if it is some trash talk or predictions like what Ali used to do, then it is perfectly OK, Some do it to boost ticket sales, that is also ok, so long as things are not carried too far, then it is acceptable.
However lately the antics of Derek Chisora seems to have crossed the line, slapping your opponent during weigh-in, spitting water at your opponent's corner, and worse fighting with another fighter who during the post news conference, the other fighter being David Haynes, another English boxer known for his childish antics.
What has happened to English boxers these days I wonder, gone were the days of that legend, the late Sir Henry Cooper, a true class gentleman, both in and out of the ring. well I guess there is only 1 Henry Cooper.

Is he the next big thing.

Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan, better known to the boxing world as Saul " Canelo " Alvarez.
Yes folks, mark that name down, he could be the next Golden boy, 
40 fights , 39 wins and 1 draw, zero defeat. how about that as a record.
Blessed with very good looks, baby face and movie star facial features, needless to say he is already a superstar in Mexico. ( actually it pays off any place anywhere if you are good looking )
I have seen him fought twice, and he's got a very exciting style, hits hard, and he welcome opponents to trade with him, just like the great Roberto Duran.
2 months ago, he ko Alfonso Gomez in brutal fashion.
Yesterday, Pueto Rican star Kermit Cintron was mercilessly beaten in 5 rounds before referee stop contest.
Cintron himself a fearful puncher was just outclassed completely.
So will Alvarez be the next big thing,  well time will tell.

Boxing movies.

I hate watching boxing movies, I find them horrible, with no resemblance to reality.
They are in fact an insult to this noble sport.
Much as I respect other's wish to choose what they like to watch,but what I do not understand is the logic and thinking when they made their choice,  take that horrible movie " Rocky " for example, I understand from my friend that the audience here actually clap and cheer when Sly made a comeback and start landing blows on his opponent.
In reality the way Sly stumbles and staggers and wobble around the ring, in a real match, the referee would have stopped the fight.
And yet the sport of boxing, in terms of interest is ranked very low here. I wonder why ???????????
I presume people are more interested in form rather than substance, as Abe Lincoln once said,
we think of the shadow more than the real thing.
Now you know why the statue of Rocky Balboa as a boxing icon is prefered to that of a real legend, Smoking Joe Frazier.
Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a speech earlier this week at the Joe Frazier's funeral service that the film Rocky never feel any pain or shed any blood.  Precisely. what a farce.
The only Rocky I know is Rocky Marciano, 43 fights, 43 wins. a true legend. RIP CHAMP.

Pacqiao vs Marquez. post fight comments.

Well well well, after 3 fights still as controversial as ever.
However much I like Manny, I cannot in all fairness agree with the verdict, at most it will be a draw.
I gave points for Manny's agression but then JMM lands the cleaner punches. It is clear that Manny has problems with counter punchers and JMM is an expert in this particular technique. He reminds me of that great Pueto Rican legend, Wifredo Benitez.
No way Manny won, a draw will be a fairer result, in fact a JMM victory is certainly not far fetched.
The alarming thing is Manny seems to grow old overnite, definitely declining at a very frightening rate.
Against Mayweather, I know I have said it before, my heart goes for Manny but my head says Mayweather, only this time, I will say it louder.  Definitely very much less than 50 % chance. 

A tribute to Joe Frazier.

Today was a lousy day at work, and it worsens with news on the death of Smoking Joe Frazier, one of my hottest favourite character in boxing. Joe was what I called a blue collar , honest , no frills fighter.
I always have a soft spot for small heavyweights like Joe, Rocky Marciano, David Tua, Floyd Patterson,Mike Tyson etc.( I leave that to further discussion )
Being small and having a short reach is a serious disadvantage, you have to eat some jabs and hits before you can unload your ammunition. I remember Joe at times need to take 3 punches before he can unlease his deadly left hook, Most of his opponents are much bigger and taller than him. Yet his record stands as 32 wins , 27 by KO and only 4 loses, only 2 men has managed to beat him, Ali and George Foreman. My first encounter with Joe was when he was an unknown fighting against Canadian George Chuvalo, who have went 15 rounds with Ali, and has never been stopped.
Joe scored a TKO in the 4th round. That year was  July 1967.
Of course the fight of the century on March 1971 against Ali was an eventful and unforgettable  occassion for me personally.
The fight was telecast live by TV Malaysia, a first in S'pore and Malaysia. but it was a schooling day at Ponggol VI. what I did was hide in the store room with a few classmates and listen to the radio broadcast, again radio Malaysia where you have great sports commentators like VijayaNathan, Lee Pak Kong, Vincent Fernandez and Reggie Augustine.
Anyway it was so eventful and I cheered the loudest when Joe scored a knockdown on round 15.
That same evening we watched the recorded telecast, oh boy, life was that simple in those days.
I have always supported Ali when he fights someone else, but Joe Frazier was and will  always be my man,
Everyone knows the movie Rocky, with Stallone punching a carcass in the abbatoir, well that is friction, Joe Frazier is the real thing, he works in the abbatoir and they actually get the idea from there, yet refusing to give credit where it is due. However the most sickening fact is in the city of
Philadelphia, a statue of that fictitious character, Rocky balboa was erected, definitely Joe deserved better treatment than that.
Well life is always full of ironies and paradox, but this one takes the cake.
Rest in peace, Smoking Joe Frazier, thank you very much for your tremendous contributions to the sport of boxing. You are a true great and as far as I am concerned, an IMMORTAL.
R.I.P.  Joe Frazier.

Boxing vs MMA, who will win.

This has been debated and argued many times and we can argue until the cows come home and we still will not have an answer.
Of course being a boxing fan, I will try and be as neutral as I possibly can.
In my opinion, I think we are actually talking about 2 different sports with 2 different sets of rules.
It's just like asking a Badminton champion to play in Wimbledon and a Tennis champ to play in the All England championship. It's basically comparing apples with durians, not even oranges, remember Mohd.Ali vs Antonio Inoki in a farcical contest held in Tokyo.
Well lately we have MMa stars trying their luck in boxing and they get thrashed by unranked boxers.
Mighty Mo, Ray Sefo among others come to mind.
Just a few months ago, boxing legend  James " Lights out " Toney faces former UFC champion Randy Couture, Oh goodness what an embarassment it was to boxing fans, Randy only need 3 minutes and 19 seconds  to choke James out, forcing him to surrender by tapping out.
I saw the fight and I feel Randy was being very merciful, he could have ground and pound James till his face become a pulp, but as ever, Randy is always a first class gentleman, in and out of the ring.
Actually a real thrashing would have done James a lot of good.
So my take is there will never be a clear cut answer to this question, maybe in time to come, some smart Alec can devise a so called in between rules and regulations that will be fair to both contestant.

Knowing when to hang up the gloves.

One of the most painful sights in boxing is watching old legends getting beaten up from pillar to post.
Their reflexes, speed, head movement,defense, power, they are not there anymore. Seeing Mohd Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, among others being beaten by opposition who would probably not even last a few rounds during their heydays. Of course one of the main reasons is always financial, it could also be pride and a loss of resemblance to reality.
2 Sundays ago, MMA Legends Mirko Crocop and BJ Penn announces their retirement from the ring and I think that was a right move. We should thank them for their contributions to the sport and surely it's time for them to take a dignified bow. May their future plans be just as successful.