It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on including episode 2 of Mayweather/Cotto 24/7 and Floyd Mayweather: Speaking Out, an analysis of Abner Mares' performance, Erislandy Lara's future, Jermain Taylor's comeback trail, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from The Boxing Observer.
- Timothy Bradley is making a great decision not trying to come into the Pacquiao fight at 147 pounds. In a recent interview, the public learned that Bradley will probably not come into the Manny Pacquiao fight, June 9th, at the welterweight limit. I personally think it's a brilliant move by Bradley. In his only other fight at 147, Bradley looked a bit sluggish against Luis Carlos Abregu, but also looked too bulked up. Chances are, Bradley will be the stronger man in the ring regardless of weight because Pacquiao will likely come in well below the welterweight limit as well. There is no reason for Bradley to unnecessarily come into the fight with Pacquiao at the maximum weight because Bradley is the naturally bigger man. Smart move that could pay off in the end.
- Only one word can sum up Mayweather/Cotto 24/7 in my opinion...BORING! The fact is that Mayweather has a public persona, but it hasn't been displayed on the small screen. Is it because he respects Miguel Cotto that much that he doesn't seem to want to talk trash? Who cares? The fans know what to expect from Cotto, a quiet, hard-working guy who does his talking with his fists. Cotto would be more than comfortable with no cameras around and HBO is doing its best to make 24/7 entertaining. Truth be told, you can't turn a snooze-fest into a box-office hit. If the chemistry isn't there, it isn't there. Even writing about this is making me yawn.
- On the other hand, Floyd Mayweather: Speaking Out was a huge success. The one-on-one discussion with Mayweather may not have taught fans anything new about "Money," but anytime a public figure gives an inside look into his or her psyche, it makes for entertaining television. Floyd opened himself up and let fans in on what makes him tick. Why is that important? It's important because the public persona has made Floyd Mayweather as famous as he is today, but everybody watching can relate to the story being told because we all have fought inner demons at some time in our lives. HBO and Showtime both need to take a page from this Speaking Out special and build up fighters in this way because airing the same fighters on 24/7 is getting old.
- Abner Mares should be taken seriously as a top-10 pound-for-pounder. Mares can brawl or box. You name it, he can do it. Never one to disappoint a crowd, Mares makes sure fans in the arena go home happy, and fans watching at home don't go to sleep thinking, "Why the hell did I stay up to watch that?" Everything I'm hearing is that UFC 8,785 [145] was a huge disappointment. I didn't watch it. I was busy watching Mares endear himself into the hearts of fans everywhere. No matter who Mares' next opponent is, my recommendation is make sure to watch because he will make it an exciting fight. I would love to see Mares fight Nonito Donaire next (and yes, he is ready for Donaire), but I wouldn't mind seeing him fight a pure boxer like Anselmo Moreno. A Mares fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will be one-sided in favor of Mares. I believe Jorge Arce would suffer the same fate. Either way, it's time to show some love to the little guys because they are sure as hell more exciting than the heavyweights. One more thing about Mares, he is only going to get better.
- Erislandy Lara may be the best 154-pound fighter on the planet outside of Miguel Cotto. I know he was fighting Ronald Hearns, but Lara proved he has the one-punch power to knock out 154-pound opponents to go along with his excellent counter-punching ability. I began lobbying for a fight between Lara and Canelo Alvarez before 2012 ends. Should Canelo get past Shane Mosley on May 5th, Lara would be the perfect opponent for Alvarez to prove he is ready for Floyd Mayweather. Lara said he wants Sergio Martinez, but I think Alvarez may be the better option for the Cuban in September. Bigger name, bigger payday, less risk, bigger reward.
- Jermain Taylor is not close to prime-time. Caleb Truax came to fight and showed Taylor is still very vulnerable to the overhand right hand. Old habits are hard to break. Lou DiBella said Taylor will not be taking any steps back, but Jermain is not ready for a top-10 middleweight. DiBella has to be thinking about matching Taylor with middleweight king Sergio Martinez down the road, but DiBella also has to know that Taylor is not ready for anything close to Maravilla. One thing to feel good about, however, is that if there is one promoter who will not risk a fighter's health for a payday, it's Lou DiBella. He's already proven it once with Taylor and you better believe he will do it again if he has to.
- Adrien Broner is being spoon-fed opponents early in his career. For the man some believe will be the next Floyd Mayweather, Broner certainly isn't moving at the same pace Mayweather did. In 23 fights thus far, Broner's toughest foes have been Daniel Ponce De Leon (whom Broner struggled against) and Eloy Perez (whom he looked spectacular against). In Mayweather's 19th pro fight, at the age of 21, he thoroughly dominated champion Genaro Hernandez, which put Mayweather on the map. The announcement this week that Broner will face European Gary Sykes is a joke of a fight. After the announcement of the fight, 126-pound champion Orlando Salido said he would step up in the fall to face Broner. That would no doubt be a fantastic fight in which Broner would face a truly tough opponent. A win over a game Salido would be the proper step in Broner's progression. He certainly has the talent to be the next Mayweather, but if he is not tested properly, he will never be the best of the best.
- Speaking of the super featherweight division (130 lbs), how in the hell is Yuriorkis Gamboa ranked #1 in the 130-pound rankings according to Boxrec.com? I am a big fan of Boxrec's rankings system, but Gamboa has been fighting at 126 pounds since 2008, with the exception of one fight in 2009. I know the division is lacking star power, with the exception of Broner, but I believe you have to prove yourself against the best in the division before being handed a #1 rating. We're not talking about the WBC or the WBA here. Boxrec's ratings are based on a complicated, calculated formula. I'm still not sure how Gamboa is in the top spot though.
- Adonis Stevenson is ready for the big stage, but not yet ready for the big fight. Stevenson scored a spectacular win on Friday Night Fights and is now under the guidance of Emanuel Steward. Stevenson seems to be on an advanced path to a title shot due to the fact that he didn't turn pro until he was 29 years old and is now 34 years old. He is still a bit raw and needs at least 3 more fights before being ready for the best in the super middleweight division, but if he continues to improve with Steward in his corner, he could eventually become the man at 168 pounds. I'll be hard-pressed to find someone who packs a more powerful punch than Stevenson at 168, and he is the most dynamic personality in the super middleweight division.
- Paging Andre Dirrell! I know you've been working in camp with Floyd Mayweather, but are we ever going to see you in the ring again? It's been long enough and your December performance didn't really answer any questions as to whether you are back or not.
- I don't know about you, but I am not the least bit excited about the rematch Saturday night between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson. Nothing about the fight card on HBO excites me. Don't get me wrong, I will be watching, but Hopkins isn't in his prime anymore, and Dawson is so hit or miss. Should Hopkins win, who does he fight next? If Dawson wins, will it be spectacular enough to make anyone care about him again? This fight card seems like it should have more hype, especially with American heavyweight Seth Mitchell on the undercard, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get excited for this one. Maybe it's all the great fight cards we have coming up in May, but I hope this fight card proves me wrong.
- What does interest me, however, is the fight Sunday between Paulie Malignaggi and Vyacheslav Senchenko. Devon Alexander is looking for an opponent on August 18th, and should Malignaggi win the WBA welterweight title, Showtime may be more willing to approve Paulie as an opponent for Alexander because a world title would be on the line. Both Alexander and Malignaggi have traded words back and forth for over a year now, and stylistically, the fight matches up well. Alexander would bring the action to Malignaggi and Paulie would try to use his foot speed and quickness to outwork Alexander. First things first though, Paulie needs to go to the Ukraine and win a decision on enemy territory against Senchenko, because let's be honest, Paulie ain't knocking anyone out.
- Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Irv H regarding a potential match-up between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr...
"Whats up Dave. I have been watching Maravilla's up coming rise to the top of his division. But with his want for a big fight & payday. Why does he not turn to the money fighter & also middle weight champion JCC'jr? I can see how this fight can't benefit both fighters as well as boxing fans. Both would be face a legitimate opponent at a comfortable weight. In a fight necessary for the weight class, and also the demonstration of the sweet science when the two styles face off... But hey.... Im just saying."
What's up Irv. Sergio has been calling out JCC Jr. for almost a year now. Sergio is the mandatory challenger for the belt, but the WBC keeps pushing it back. Now supposedly, if JCC Jr. beats Andy Lee in June, Sergio will fight him in September, but we'll see about that. Top Rank and the WBC have been doing everything in their power to keep JCC Jr. out of the ring with Martinez. Hopefully it does happen. Make no mistake though, Sergio has been trying to get that fight for a long while now and Top Rank keeps avoiding it.
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