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 the formation of TMT Promotions, the slow month of August in professional boxing, which should help the Olympic boxing ratings, Robert Guerrero's weekend performance, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from The Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
- Mixing business and friendship can sometimes have disastrous results. We all know the close bond that exists between Floyd Mayweather and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. It has been well documented through various media outlets, and has been on full display during the HBO series 24/7. Both have built household names through various business ventures. Mayweather in boxing. Jackson in music. With the announcement this past week that 50 Cent received his promoter's license in the state of New York, and is also seeking a license to promote in Nevada, it is all but a sure thing that he and Mayweather will be working solely on keeping all the profits within the aptly named TMT (The Money Team) Promotions. However, be warned, Floyd and 50. The fact remains that no matter how close the friendship, there have been many times throughout history where money tears people completely apart. If the two can work together and money is not an issue, the sky is the limit for TMT Promotions. But don't be so sure this partnership is a match made in heaven. Just remember, it was only a few weeks before Mayweather went to jail that he was reportedly involved in a scuffle with his best friend, 50 Cent. What was the reported cause of the fight? A bet where one man didn't pay up. Again, money changes people.
- 50 Cent needs to make sure not to ruffle too many feathers before Mayweather gets out of prison. On Wednesday night, during Fighthype Radio, a Twitter war erupted between 50 and Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De La Hoya. On Tuesday, when the announcement leaked about the formation of TMT Promotions, De La Hoya tweeted, "Everyone wanting to be a boxing promoter? Good luck. Easier said then done." Clearly, the first punch was thrown, and it certainly landed as 50 Cent responded on Wednesday night. 50 fired back on Twitter telling Oscar he would never promote Mayweather, and calling Oscar a "girl." Of course, this may be nothing more than a wonderful rouse to promote the next big event, but I wouldn't be so sure. The formation of TMT was meant for Mayweather to keep all the money in-house because Golden Boy was getting a large cut of the proftis for helping promote Mayweather fights. TMT is off to a great start, having signed Andre Dirrell, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and most recently, featherweight champion Billy Dib of Australia. But, the fact remains, currently TMT Promotions has zero welterweights signed, and the majority of potential opposition for Mayweather is in the Golden Boy Promotions stable. That means TMT may very well be working with GBP in the future.
- The month of August will be a big break in the action in the sport of boxing. With the August 11th postponement of Tavoris Cloud vs. Jean Pascal, there are no fights set to air on either HBO or Showtime during the upcoming month. That doesn't mean there will be no boxing programming at all. The 24/7 series for Andre Ward and Chad Dawson debuts in late August, and Showtime has a ShoBox card on the 24th. ESPN, Telefutura, Azteca America, and other networks that air boxing should reap the benefits of the lull in major bouts, but the biggest winner may be the amateurs. If fans haven't been paying attention to the amateur scene, there is no better time than now to not only support amateur boxing by watching it in the Olympics, but also it's a chance for fans everywhere to see the future of boxing. No matter what country you are rooting for, you will see a handful of fighters who will go on to win world championships in the next few years. It really is amazing to see the transformation of a fighter who makes a name in the amateurs, and makes his/her money as a pro.
- Robert Guerrero was impressive Saturday night, but he is nowhere near ready for Floyd Mayweather. Considering Guerrero just came off a 15-month layoff and moved up two weight divisions, I thought he was very impressive. However, Guerrero's win over Selcuk Aydin in no way qualifies him for a fight with the sport's pound-for-pound best. I would like to see Guerrero face the winner of the Devon Alexander vs. Randall Bailey fight. Another interesting match-up I would like to see is for Guerrero to face Victor Ortiz. Even though Ortiz is a train wreck waiting to happen, I believe he would provide the perfect test (other than the winner of Alexander vs. Bailey) to see if Guerrero is truly ready for the best at 147 pounds. However, if Guerrero signs with TMT Promotions, I will retract this entire paragraph. LOL!
- Shawn Porter took a tremendous step in the right direction Saturday night. The win over Alfonso Gomez proved Porter is ready to become more than just a promising prospect. Gomez is no slouch, as he proved against Saul Alvarez, and while Porter struggled at times against the veteran, he pulled through and cemented himself as a player in the welterweight division. He is still about three fights away from a legitimate title shot, and still has much more to prove, but Porter is no longer a prospect. From here on out, every fight for Porter should be the toughest fight of his career.
- Andre Berto looked like he was ready to get in the ring as he watched Porter vs. Gomez live. I know I have been critical of Berto in the past because he has not improved his craft since he was an amateur, but I will never criticize him for his effort in the ring. Berto is one of the most exciting, athletic, and electrifying fighters in the game. Even though he tested positive for a banned substance, I hope the issue gets resolved soon, and we can all see Berto back and entertaining in the ring some time in the near future, as long as he does it in a clean manner. Same goes for Lamont Peterson.
- Hank Lundy suffered the dreaded "looking ahead demise" on Friday night. Lundy had been calling out Adrien Broner, hoping to land Broner's first fight at lightweight. Unfortunately for "Hammerin" Hank, he wasn't fully prepared for the task at hand. Ray Beltran came to fight, and Lundy struggled mightily to make weight. In a very close fight, Beltran pulled off the upset handing Lundy his second loss as a pro. Lundy, who will surely be back on television soon, lost any chance he had at facing Broner with the loss. He will have a difficult time jumping back into the top 10 of the lightweight division. I do hope he works hard to get back in the rankings because Lundy is one of the most entertaining personalities in the sport.
- Please send your prayers to Star Boxing Promoter Joe Deguardia and his family. Deguardia was involved in a serious car accident following his show in Huntington, New York. Deguardia reportedly walked away from the accident with some bumps and bruises, but the other car involved in the accident, one person was killed. Deguardia was not at fault, but something like that can be a very traumatic experience. We wish not only the victim's family, but Deguardia and his family a speedy recovery.
- Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Marcus J. regarding the commentators on HBO...
"I think all of the HBO commentators need to be fired....They can't hold a candle to UK commentators. Hell, our commentators don't even call the damn fight they just babble about nonsense and stuff that has nothing to do with the match. IF you were listening to them call a fight on the radio, you wouldn't even know the fight was on....you'd still think it was a prefight show....Max I thought was going to be different but they have tuned him down and made him a drone as well."
Thanks for the comment, Marcus. I actually enjoy the UK commentators myself when I am watching a fight from across the pond. I find them highly entertaining and giving their honest opinion every time out. However, I will say, they are a bit of homers when it comes to rooting for the local guy rather than being unbiased. Recently, the Kell Brook vs. Carson Jones fight comes to mind. I do agree they are entertaining though.
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