by David P. Greisman
The attraction of boxing, beyond the action and drama of sanctioned violence, is what this Sweet Science says about life.
There are no advantages for those that come from money and social class. Success comes to those with discipline, those whose hard work molds their athleticism, power and skills into a pugilistic product.
There will be triumphs, times of celebration. There will be defeats, moments for commiseration.
Life is about what we do to keep winning. Life is about how we try to bounce back from losses.
In 2009, those losses were heartbreaking and all too frequent.
Death happens. It is one of those life lessons. Every year, we say goodbye to numerous names, be they boxers, trainers, managers, or writers, be they those who were in the forefront, those who never found fame, or those whose contributions came in the periphery but who are missed nonetheless.
This year, we bid so many premature farewells – to fallen fighters who suffered fatal injuries in the ring (Benjamin Flores, Marco Nazareth and Francisco Rodriguez, to name a few); to former fan favorites whose retirements ended abruptly and astonishingly in what have been ruled suicides (Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti); to champions in the ring (Vernon Forrest) and outside of it (HBO employee Arthur Curry).
We must take consolation in the idea that life is cyclical. Rodriguez, in death, had his organs donated to others. Vernon Forrest, through his charitable works, provided assistance for the developmentally disabled.
We remember their contributions, all while moving on.
As cold as it sounds, we always move on. There is always another generation, new life, new innovations, new faces, new stars.
Oscar De La Hoya, long boxing’s biggest star, retired. De La Hoya’s absence paved the way for Manny Pacquiao’s ascent. Joe Calzaghe, the longtime top super middleweight, retired. Six candidates for his throne are now in a tournament to replace him.
There continue to be great fights – Juan Manuel Marquez against Juan Diaz, Bernard Dunne against Ricardo Cordoba, Jean Pascal against Adrian Diaconu. There continue to be great sights – fans packing arenas in places such as California, Canada and Germany, millions tuning in for mega-matches in Japan and Poland.
We can reflect with heavy hearts, but we can also laugh at the lighter moments. We can rage at bad scorecards, and we can revel when all of that is forgotten amid the thrill, the action, and the drama of two men punching for superiority.
Next year, as with every year, will bring the sad and the silly, the lowlights of controversy and the highlights of competition. But before 2010 may begin, we must bring 2009 to its proper end. Without further delay, part one of this year’s Freewheeling Fighting Awards:
The “A-Rod Award,” for positive tests for performance enhancing drugs: to light heavyweight Jared Lovett and cruiserweight Cory Phelps.
The “Urine Trouble Award,” for a positive test for diuretic use: to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The “R. Kelly Award,” for the most disgusting moment involving a bodily fluid: to Juan Manuel Marquez, who, on an episode of “Mayweather-Marquez 24/7,” urinated into a jar… and then drank it.
The “ ‘You Got Any Excuses Tonight?’ Award,” for best trash-talk during referee instructions: to Kendall Holt and Carson Jones.
Holt, before his April junior-welterweight title fight with Timothy Bradley, taunted his opponent with: “You ready for this heart? You ready for this heart? Lemme know if you’re ready.”
Bradley won by decision. Apparently he was ready.
Things worked better in December for Jones, a junior middleweight who was facing Tyrone Brunson, a prospect with the record for most consecutive first-round knockouts. Jones warned his opponent: “You fighting a real fighter. You fighting a real fighter.”
Jones backed up his talk with actions, stopping Brunson in the third round.
The “Roy Jones Jr. Award,” for having excuses: to Roy Jones Jr., who had a laundry list of ‘em some two weeks following his December loss to Danny Green, which came by first-round technical knockout.
Jones, in an interview at BoxingTalk.com, started with “I peaked a little early on training camp,” then moved on to “They allowed him to wrap his hands two hours earlier, and they allowed him to use stuff that they not supposed to use. The gauze that you use isn’t supposed to have no adhesive nothing on it.”
That wasn’t all.
“They first try to give me a pair of used gloves,” Jones said next. Then, when Jones got new gloves and complained about Green’s hand wraps, according to Jones, “They said, ‘No, you’re not fighting in used gloves now, so we’re going to let his hands stay wrapped just the way they are.’ ”
Was Jones done yet? Nope.
“Then he hits you with a shot behind the head with a cast on,” Jones said. And, apparently, during the time afterward when Green was pounding away at a Jones who wasn’t throwing back, “They stopped it too quick,” Jones said.
The “Tony Danza Award,” for a pro boxer trying to be an actor: to Manny Pacquiao, who – unlike Shannon Briggs in “Bad Boys 2” and “The Transporter 2,” and unlike Roy Jones in “The Matrix Reloaded” – was the leading role in “Wapakman.” Of course, it helps that “Wapakman” is a Filipino film…
The “Mickey Rourke Award,” for an actor trying to be a pro boxer: to Shawn McLean, who appeared on episodes of “Law and Order,” “New York Undercover” and “The Sopranos” before appearing in the ring.
McLean’s 2009 included a first-round knockout of 1-0 Rashad Minor and a fourth-round stoppage of a guy named Faruq Saleem, whose 38-0 record, needless to say, was more than a bit inflated. McLean did suffer a first-round technical knockout loss in November to the 8-0 Edmund Gerber. McLean’s record is now 4-5, with three wins by way of knockout.
The “Roger Mayweather vs. Zab Judah Award,” for best attack by a corner man on an opposing fighter: to Bernard Hopkins, who was working Oscar De La Hoya’s corner for his exhibition match with Shaquille O’Neal, then playfully jumped on the big man after the bout ended.
The “Mike Tyson Award,” for Bite of the Year: to Humberto Toledo and Derek Chisora.
Toledo was disqualified in February in the 10th round of a lightweight fight with Breidis Prescott after he put his head down during a clinch and tore flesh from between Prescott’s shoulder and neck.
Chisora, meanwhile, basically got away with it in his heavyweight bout against Paul Butlin. According to reports, Chisora committed the foul during the fifth round and went on to win an eight-round decision.
The “Tommy Gallagher ‘Don’t Scratch Them Toyotas!’ Award,” for most awkward combination of boxing and product placement: to boxer Nate Campbell and interviewer Jim Gray, who had this exchange prior to Campbell’s August bout with 140-pound titlist Timothy Bradley:
Gray: “Bradley made a lot of soup jokes about you before the fight, Nate. Did that get under your skin?”
Campbell: “No. He just said a few things about Campbell Soup. That stuff didn’t bother me.”
Gray: “Well, Nate, soup is good food.”
Campbell: “Real good food.”
The “George Carlin Award,” for learning what words you can’t say on television: to Chris Arreola, who dropped four variations of the F-word in a televised post-fight interview following his September stoppage loss to heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko.
The World Boxing Council suspended Chris Arreola from its rankings and from fighting for its world title for six months, all because of “his foul language in the ring,” according to the WBC’s press release.
In the press release, Jose Sulaiman, the WBC president with seemingly infinite wisdom, “clearly expressed his being upset […] when he stated that there is no way a boxer within the scope of the organization he leads can be let express himself [sic] in such a vulgar way without getting a penalty.”
The “Cow Pie Award,” for bulls**t everywhere you look: to the World Boxing Association, which has 31 “super,” “regular” and “interim” world champions in boxing’s 17 weight classes. Of course, the WBC has 25 champions, interim champions and emeritus champions. The World Boxing Organization has just 19 champions and interim champions, and the International Boxing Federation has only 15 champions.
The “Luis Resto Award,” for casting aside fair play: to Antonio Margarito, who was caught with tampered hand wraps prior to his January stoppage loss to Shane Mosley. Two pads had been inserted inside the wraps on each hand. Those pads looked wet and had a substance on them that looked like plaster of Paris. Tests on those pads found calcium and sulfur. Combine those two with oxygen and you have plaster of Paris.
The “Panama Lewis Award,” for a corner man who should be banned from the sport: to Javier Capetillo, Margarito’s trainer.
The “Three Wise Monkeys, Three Blind Mice Award,” for either seeing no evil or just being dangerously incompetent: to the California State Athletic Commission, which had an inspector in the room as Capetillo wrapped Margarito’s hands and yet noticed no illegal activity.
Earlier this year, we also found out that the California commission let a boxer with HIV get in the ring in June 2005 before said boxer’s blood test results came in. The referee for that bout, Ray Corona, has sued the commission for negligence.
The “Balloon Boy Award,” for biggest lie of the year involving a bunch of hot air: to American Dream Promotions (whoever they are) and Fernando Vargas’ VEP Promotions, for the absolute bull they put forth in a November press release.
The press release claimed the November pay-per-view featuring Zab Judah (against a journeyman named Ubaldo Hernandez) and Joel Casamayor (against some dude named Jason Davis) had a buy rate that “exceeded 100,000.”
ESPN.com scribe Dan Rafael did some digging into just how poorly the pay-per-view really did. A person in the business told Rafael the fight only sold about 1,000 buys on DirecTV, and from that number, including sales from other cable and satellite systems, “they will be lucky to do 5,000 buys.”
The “Tiger Woods Award,” for best lie of the year involving other women: to former 140-pound contender Jan Bergman, who was arrested about a year ago and charged with assaulting his fiancée after she found him with two women carrying overnight bags, according to South African newspaper The Sowetan.
The incident allegedly began when Bergman’s fiancée came with their two children for a Christmas visit. Bergman wasn’t there, so she let herself in with a spare key. Bergman apparently didn’t think she would be there until days later. He soon arrived with the other women.
“When I asked him about the two women, he claimed that they were his sisters,” Bergman’s fiancée said. “But I know all his sisters.”
The “Kendall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres 2 Award,” for most damaging head butts: to Noe Bolanos, Victor Fonseca and Rodel Mayol.
Bolanos clashed heads with junior welterweight Vivian Harris in August. Harris collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital, though he was more shaken up, unlike the injuries suffered by Fonseca’s and Mayol’s opponents.
Fonseca hurt junior featherweight Al Seeger in October with a clash of heads in the second round. After a ninth-round stoppage loss, Seeger was hospitalized with bleeding on the brain.
Mayol hurt 108-pound titlist Edgar Sosa in November with a butt, putting Sosa down on all fours. Soon thereafter, Mayol finished Sosa, sending him to the hospital, where he had screws and two titanium plates inserted into his face.
The “Corrales-Castillo Award,” for in-fight comeback of the year: to Carl Froch, for his 12th-round technical knockout win in April over Jermain Taylor.
Froch was 14 seconds away from losing his super-middleweight title. He had been knocked down in the third round and had battled back, but going into the final round, he was behind 106-102 on two scorecards, ahead 106-102 on the third. He could not win the fight with one knockdown, or two, or even three. He needed the fight to end before the round did.
And so it went.
In the final round, Froch hurt Taylor, knocked him down and then finished him soon thereafter against the ropes. The referee waved the fight off with just those 14 seconds left on the clock.
Coincidentally, last year’s winner of this award, Rogers Mtagwa (who earned it with his win over Tomas Villa), nearly got himself a second-straight “Corrales-Castillo Award,” but his comeback against Juan Manuel Lopez in October fell short.
The “Kanye West Award,” for best crashing of someone else’s moment: to Shane Mosley, who got into a verbal altercation with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September after Mayweather’s decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez.
The “ ‘Duck’ Award,” for the most-overused term of the year: “Quitter,” a word often spoken with derisive venom, be it about Robert Guerrero against Daud Yordan, about Victor Ortiz against Marcos Maidana, or about Nate Campbell against Timothy Bradley. It was sad enough that some used the term in 2008 to label Miguel Cotto after his loss to Antonio Margarito.
Some of the best fighters have retired in their corners or refused to continue. And while warriors such as Arturo Gatti and Diego Corrales always went out on their shields, it is unfair to expect everyone else to live up to those standards.
The “Al Capone Award,” for the taxman interrupteth : to Julio Cesar Chavez, Thomas Hearns, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Kelly Pavlik.
As of September, the Internal Revenue Service had a pair of liens against Chavez, one for more than $12.4 million for income taxes due from between 1993 and 1998, the other for more than $366,000 for income taxes due from 1999.
Also in September, the talk was about money Mayweather owed the IRS. Mayweather had paid off IRS liens in previous years, and this time he reportedly owed the agency $6.17 million in unpaid taxes from 2007.
In April, Thomas Hearns was reported to owe $448,190 in back taxes to the federal government and the state of Michigan.
As for Pacquiao, he held his training camp for the Miguel Cotto fight outside of the United States because remaining in America for too many days would mean he would owe taxes on his earnings.
And earlier in the year, talk about a proposed bout between Pavlik and Sergio Mora included staging the fight in Cleveland, Ohio. The problem with that was Pavlik’s promoter was turned off by the city’s gate tax, which would take 8 percent of gross sales in addition to the state’s 5 percent admission tax, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Robbery of the Year: There were so many to choose from, unfortunately. This was a year that brought plenty of questionable or just plain bad decisions, and a year in which Sergio Martinez was robbed of a victory against Kermit Cintron not once, but twice in the same night.
But the biggest robbery of the year came in September in an over-the-limit bantamweight bout between Fernando Montiel and Alejandro Valdez.
The story of the three-round fight: Montiel dropped Valdez a minute into the first round. Valdez cut Montiel over the left eye less than a minute into the second round. The cut seemed to come from a punch, not a head butt, and there was never any ruling otherwise.
Valdez dropped Montiel with an uppercut in the last minute of the second round. The referee gave Montiel time to recover by having a ringside physician check on his eye. The bout went one more round. At the end of the third, the fight was stopped. A “No contest” was announced.
Here’s what happened next, according to BoxingScene’s very own Jake Donovan:
“Chaos ensued in the ring, with Valdez’s team refusing to leave until they received an explanation as to why their fighter wasn’t ruled a knockout winner. Their persistence paid off; nobody at ringside could offer a valid reason, overturning the verdict in Valdez’s favor.
“However, that overturned verdict didn’t stick. Sometime after the camera finished rolling, the inept Mexican boxing commission once again changed the verdict back to a technical draw. This, despite the fact that no evidence existed of a head butt or any other accidental foul causing the cut over Montiel’s left eye, or a ruling of any kind by the third man.”
Knockout of the Year: This year, as with most years, there were numerous highlight-reel-worthy knockouts. Handing out this award depends on subjective criteria; for this scribe, the knockout of the year goes to the most notable single punch of the year, the moment that shocks every time you see it. A lot of this has to do with the right camera angle perfectly catching both the impact and the aftermath.
Manny Pacquiao’s second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in May was both beautiful and brutal.
Pacquiao set up the shot by letting Hatton come toward him. He drew Hatton in with a jab that fell short, seemingly intentionally, then took a step back and planted his feet for the final left hand. The punch connected low on Hatton’s jaw, right on the button.
Hatton fell down and to the left, the side of his head crashing to the mat. His body turned involuntarily, his arms above his head, his eyes unfocused and glaring at the lights. There was no need for the referee to count.
This was yet another “Wow” moment provided by Manny Pacquiao. And that “Wow” factor does not seem to diminish no matter how many times this knockout is shown.
Part Two of the “Freewheeling Fighting Awards” will run Monday, Dec. 28.
The 10 Count will return next year.
Source: boxingscene.com
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