Boxing

Boxing - The Sweet Science

Fights The ROS 
Would Love To See

 Featherweight
Leo Santa Cruz vs Gary Russell Jr
Josh Warrington vs Gary Russell Jr
Shakur Stevenson vs Carl Frampton

 Lightweight
Gervonta Davis vs Devin Haney
Mikey Garcia vs Vasiliy Lomachenko
Gervonta Davis vs Vasiliy Lomachenko

 Welterweight
Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr
Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter 2
Terence Crawford vs. Keith Thurman
Keith Thurman vs. Errol Spence Jr
Terence Crawford vs. Danny Garcia
Errol Spence Jr vs Danny Garcia
Danny Garcia vs Mikey Garcia
Shawn Porter vs Terence Crawford
Manny Pacquiao vs Mikey Garcia

 Junior Middleweight
Jermell Charlo vs Erislandy Lara
Jermell Charlo vs Jarrett Hurd
Julian Williams vs Erislandy Lara
Tony Harrison vs Erickson Lubin 
Middleweight
 Saul Canelo Alvarez vs Jermall Charlo
Jermall Charlo vs Gennady Golovkin
Daniel Jacobs vs Billy Joe Saunders
Daniel Jacobs vs Jermall Charlo
Callum Smith vs Caleb Plant
David Benavidez vs Billy Joe Saunders
Canelo Alvarez vs Demetrius Andrade
 Demetrius Andrade vs Gennady Golovkin
Jamie Munguia vs Chris Eubank Jr.
 Light Heavyweight
Adonis Stevenson vs. Sergey Kovalev
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
Jean Pascal vs Joe Smith Jr
Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal

 Heavyweight
Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua vs Luis Ortiz
Luis Ortiz vs Joseph Parker
Povetkin Alexander vs Andy Ruiz 
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Joseph Parker
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Luis Ortiz
Boxing articles archive
"FIGHT OF THE CENTURY" LEFT MANY WITH A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTHS ABOUT BOXING
By Charles Farmer

The boxing matchup between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was the fight many sports fans waited impatiently for many years to see.  Once the two sides agreed to face off, the event became a corporate event designed to generate as much money as possible for the parties involved, which meant the average boxing fan would have to pay a heavy price tag to witness the festivities.

 Some may call it greed, but the actions of the parties' involved in planning this event, showed from the start that their goal was to reap a huge financial payday.

 Pay-per-view purchases were projected to account for the largest part of the event's estimated sales. The suggested price was $100, with the potential for 3 million pay per view buys or more which could generate $300 million plus.  

Tickets for the fight at the MGM Grand were expected to generate a total of $70 million, according to The New York Times. International broadcasts were projected to bring in $35 million, and licensing fees for closed-circuit broadcasts could produce another $13 million.

 Sponsorship revenue was expected to reach $12 million, and another $1 million was expected from merchandise sales.

The fighters were expected to receive massive paydays, with early estimates placing Mayweather and Pacquiao's combined pay at $200 million prior to fight week.

 During a fight week press conference, Mayweather said the fight could earn him $200 million overall.

Even the pre fight weigh in, which has offered free admission in the past on a first come first serve basis, had a price tag of $10, with the proceeds scheduled to go to charity. On the secondary ticket market, the same $10 weigh in ticket sold for between $200 to $400 prior to the event. 

 According to various reports, the release of tickets for sell to the general public was delayed and in a limited capacity, with only 500 to 1,000 out of about 17,000 seats being made available and that allotment reportedly sold out in 60 seconds.

Despite the hype and increased financial cost, boxing fans still wanted to see the fight, the corporate event feel continued on fight night as a number of celebrities made the trek to Las Vegas, including Robert Deniro, Jon Voight, Jay Z and Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Michael J Fox, Denzel Washington, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Tom Brady, Shawn Combs and many others.

 Many boxing fans thought the fight happened five years too late, with both fighters past their prime, but Mayweather had his own idea on the timing of the fight.

 "Why won't you guys just say that Floyd was the smart one?" Mayweather was quoted as saying. "Five years ago this was a $50 million fight for me and a $20 million fight for him (Pacquiao)."

 If his calculation is correct, then waiting for five years made Floyd Mayweather an additional $150 million. 

 Then there was the angle that various media types took to promote the fight, "Good (Pacquiao vs. Evil (Mayweather).

Prior to the fight, many members of the press scrutinized Mayweather's life and career inside and outside the ring including his past which has incidents of domestic abuse and incarceration.  

 There seemed to be a split amongst boxing fans when it relates to Mayweather's episodes with domestic abuse, some do not condone his actions but consider the issue to be in the past and not related to his boxing skills. While others are simply disgusted with him being connected with domestic abuse at all and refuse to support Mayweather in any fashion. 

 While the media's focus on Pacquiao was about his ongoing declaration about his Faith in God and how he has rededicated himself as a Christian. The Philippine legend seemed to fit the bill as the right man to finally take down to take Mayweather and his evil empire.

 What many do not take into account is that when two fighters step into the ring, the burden of proof falls on the athletes.   

 While people were looking for the old Pacquiao to appear, he was actually a shell of his former self. Now it has been reported that Pacquiao entered the ring with an injured shoulder, but his group checked ''no'' a day before the fight on a Nevada Athletic Commission questionnaire asking if he had a shoulder injury.

 Mayweather's style of boxing may not be the most exciting, he knows how to dissect an opponent and find a way to win. He showed that ability once again on May 2, for the 48th consecutive time.

 Is he the best ever, perhaps not, but his body of work has shown that he has to be considered perhaps the best of his generation.

 The question has to be asked as additional details continue to be released about what took place behind the scenes, can all of the blame to dupe the general public to buy into this colossal hype machine be placed on one man, Floyd Mayweather? Or were there additional parties involved prepared to run to the bank and cash their check as well? Take a moment to ponder that thought and get back to me.
The Real One – Floyd Mayweather Does It Again 45-0
By Charles Farmer

 It was supposed to be the ultimate challenge for boxer Floyd Mayweather, facing a younger (by 13 years), bigger (outweighing Mayweather by 15 pounds on fight night) and an undefeated fighter in Saul Canelo Alvarez, who also had an entire country (Mexico), supporting him.

 The promoters of the fight, Mayweather Promotions did an excellent job of building the hype, from the multiple city publicity tour, to securing a lucrative pay day when the decision was made to schedule the bout on Mexican Independence Day, September 14, featuring Alvarez, an undefeated Mexican opponent.

 Previously 44 others had attempted what Alvarez planned on accomplishing, handing Mayweather his first professional defeat. From the start Mayweather (age 36) was the aggressor and while he may exude a certain flashy type of personality outside the ring that maybe annoying to some, once he enters the squared circle , he is all about taking care of the business at hand.

 In the 45th bout of his professional career at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Mayweather's approach would be no different, as he sprung his trademark tagline of ,"Hard work and Dedication" into action, providing Alvarez with a boxing lesson that the 23 year old will not soon forget, handing the young boxer his first loss as well.

 With a yeoman type Midwestern effort, the Michigan native dominated the fight by landing 46 percent of his punches compared to Alvarez's 22 percent punch landing average and earned the unified Super Welterweight Titles in the process. 

The one true farce connected to the bout proved to be Judge CJ Ross' scorecard which read 114-114 at end of 12 rounds declaring the fight a draw, which led to Mayweather being awarded a majority decision instead of a unanimous one.

Ross previously served as a judge for the Manny Pacquiao/Timothy Bradley bout, where she ruled in favor of the Bradley, which was the first of two controversial decisions she made in 15 months.

 Each professional boxing judge is paid to provide their opinion at bouts, but Ross' decisions during the two bouts have gained her a lot of criticism and she has since stepped down from the position she served in for more than 20 years.

Mayweather's success is allowing the sport of boxing to return back to a certain level of popularity it once enjoyed before and as long as he remains and continues to win, the fan base should continue to grow.

 The real question is who will be next to face Mayweather, maybe Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez or perhaps even Adrien Broner?

 Perhaps Father Time will be Mayweather's worst enemy, as he has suffered a few injuries to his hand and shoulder in his last two fights. He has clearly earned the right to be called the world's best Pound For Pound fighter today and is considered the true Pay per View King.

 The $150 million in pay-per-view revenue from this fight broke the record set by Mayweather's decision victory against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the sellout crowd of 16,146 generated an all-time record gate of over $20 million topping the $18.4 million generated by Mayweather-De La Hoya.

 Mayweather-Alvarez also set a Las Vegas closed-circuit record, selling out 26,163 tickets for a gross of over $2. 6 million. The fight was the second of the 30-month deal for up to six fights that Mayweather signed earlier this year with Showtime/CBS.

 Mayweather is a true entertainer and every time he fights it is a weekend event and he makes certain to promote the event as such. He allows for fans to experience what it was like back in the days of having fight parties and are sure to get their money's worth.

 While Mayweather may not be the Greatest of all time, he certainly has to be considered the best of his time. Mayweather is a true technician in the ring and it his ability to adapt during a fight and execute a plan of attack is what makes him great. Who's next?
MAYWEATHER WINS AGAIN AND IS FORCED TO TAKE SOME TIME OFF
 By Charles Farmer

 Saturday, May 5, 2012 marked the regional holiday of Cinco De Mayo, which commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862.

 The date also featured one of the biggest sports weekends this year and Las Vegas, Nevada played host to one of those featured events when Floyd Mayweather , the self proclaimed “Boxing Pay per View King” challenged the tough and well respected Miguel Cotto for his World Boxing Association junior middleweight Title at the MGM Grand Arena.

Cotto was the latest in a long run of opponents Mayweather has faced after an inability to secure a match with the very popular Philippine fighter Manny Pacquiao; in a match-up boxing fans are eager to see.

 Instead boxing fans had to settle for Mayweather vs. Cotto, which was projected to be an intriguing bout because Cotto is known as a formidable opponent who puts it all on the line when he enters the ring.

 Mayweather is scheduled to enter jail in less than a month to begin a 87-day sentence at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas for a domestic battery conviction, the Grand Rapids, Michigan native still approached this fight with his business as usual mindset.

After the pre fight hype was over, Mayweather once again for the 43rd consecutive time took care of business in the ring and secured a unanimous decision win over Cotto and earned the WBA Junior Middleweight Title.

 Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) mentioned prior to the fight that he would not run from his opponent, instead he planned to fight in close quarters with Cotto, (37-3, 30 KOs), exchange punches with him frequently, instead of eluding him often and score points by boxing, which in the past has allowed him to score easy victories, something he has done so many times before against others.

 This time Mayweather engaged in some actual toe to toe action with Cotto and provided fans with a more exciting fight, and the bumps and bruises on his face afterwards were the result of his decision to do so.

The thought that this could be Mayweather’s last fight certainly crossed the minds of those in attendance, particularly with the champion’s immediate future including jail time. Despite whether boxing fans love or hate him, the sport would suffer greatly if Mayweather decides to retire after this fight and the biggest disappointment would be that people never had a chance to see the Ultimate Showdown with Pacquiao.

 Perhaps one day the two men can come to terms and agree to fight before they are old and gray but I would not hold my breath waiting on that happen and that is the true tragedy, where fans are concerned. Let’s check back on the situation in 90 days after Mayweather is scheduled to be a free man again.
Maidana close but no cigar vs. Mayweather
By Charles Farmer

At 37 years old, Floyd Mayweather according to some appears to be slowing down or is not as an effective a fighter as he was in the past. Many have been looking for the blueprint in how to defeat Mayweather and for awhile Marcos Maidana thought he had the answer during their recent welterweight fight in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Arena.

A number of Maidana fans thought he won the early rounds, but Mayweather found a way to rally late as he often does to secure another victory (46-0), only this time he was took more punches than usual. Certain media members have called this fight Mayweather's greatest challenge to date and are screaming for a rematch.

Having watched this fight from the upper tier of the MGM Grand Arena, I could only go off the movement, punches and action I could catch on the arena big screens.

After watching the replay to get the up close effect, I thought Mayweather clearly did enough to win despite being challenged by Maidana. Some people even thought the fight was a draw or that Maidana actually won, but from what I viewed there was no way the fight was even, but may have been closer that scores provided by the judges who delivered the majority decision.

The biggest issue for me was that Maidana connected on only 25 percent of the 858 punches he threw (221 of 858), being overly aggressive does not always guarantee a boxer will land a lot of punches.

Maidana tried to use the same style he applied in a win against Adrien Broner , applying a matador style, with a no holds barred street fight where everything goes, from holding and hitting on the break, to kicking, head butting etc., you get the message.

The biggest issue Mayweather often faces is to choose between using his impeccable boxing skills and defense to win fights or try to please fans by standing toe to toe with an opponent or retreat to a corner to fight close, implementing a modern day version of Muhammad Ali's Rope A Dope.

When Mayweather does the latter and takes more punishment, then the critics jump on him immediately.

Singer Ricky Nelson had a great hit called Garden Party and the premise behind was that he once performed a concert in Madison Square Garden and tried to please the crowd by playing songs he thought they wanted to hear. Instead he received some resistance to his presentation and decided to play the songs he preferred, which produced this classic verse.

"I am alright now I learned my lesson well, you can't please everyone so you have to please yourself," Ricky Nelson.

 Floyd Mayweather is known for his defense and ability to box , but when he tries to engage in more toe to toe combat, he is criticized, so perhaps he should heed the message from above verse and just worry about pleasing himself.
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