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 contract extension between Manny Pacquiao and Top Rank, the return of Adonis Stevenson, the mega-fight of the weekend, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
Forget about Mayweather vs. Pacquiao because it's never going to happen. Early last week, Manny Pacquiao and Top Rank announced a contract extension that will keep Pacquiao in the Top Rank stable until the end of 2016. Any hopes of a last ditch effort to make Mayweather vs. Pacquiao have pretty much gone out the window now because of Mayweather's refusal to work with Bob Arum. Unless Arum retires and hands the keys of the kingdom to his son-in-law, Todd DuBoef, you might as well stick a fork in boxing's ultimate mega-fight. This was the last straw. It was already bending, but it has now broken.
Who will Floyd Mayweather fight in September? I am of the opinion that Marcos Maidana will get the Mayweather rematch because the numbers for the May pay-per-view are probably going to be lower than 1 million buys (which is the first time that has happened for a Mayweather fight since Ricky Hatton). However, Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions CEO, insists that Mayweather has plenty of options. I'm not exactly sure what options he is talking about, unless he believes Keith Thurman or Shawn Porter are viable candidates for a September fight. I believe Ellerbe's comments are nothing more than a negotiation tactic to make sure Mayweather gets the best deal possible. I really don't see any other options available for September 13th at this point that make sense. Unless it's Maidana, the promotion would be last minute and unorganized once again.
Who, and when, will Manny Pacquiao be fighting next? Logical thinking says Juan Manuel Marquez is the ideal choice, but I'm not so sure he is going to accept a 5th fight. Marquez seems pretty content to allow their rivalry to remain shut with the lasting memory of Pacquiao flat on his face. Bob Arum is going to have to throw HUGE MONEY the way of Marquez or you can forget about a 5th fight. Unless Marquez makes at least $15 million, I doubt he accepts. I'm thinking that Ruslan Provodnikov will get the call as long as he gets past Chris Algieri on June 14th.
Adonis Stevenson had a bad night Saturday, but it may be to his benefit in the long run. Nobody in the world thought Stevenson was invincible by any means, but his 2013 campaign had most believing he was only getting better, even at the age of 36. However, his so-so performance against Andrzej Fonfara have people questioning his stamina, chin, and inability to adapt. A lot of the comments I've been reading are saying Stevenson is a one-dimensional fighter who only has a strong, straight left hand. While I'm not 100% sold on Stevenson being slick enough to dethrone Bernard Hopkins, I saw a lot of good things from him as well. Stevenson's body work was superb and he was landing cleanly at will. Stevenson faded towards the end because he expended most of his energy going for the knockout in the middle rounds (specifically rounds 5-7). When Stevenson was knocked down in round 9, it was due to fatigue more than anything else, and he came back strong in rounds 10 and 11. I still believe Stevenson has plenty left in the tank, and he won't be dumb enough to blow all of his energy when he faces Hopkins. Fighters who face Stevenson in the future are going to believe he lacks stamina and will try to be over-aggressive. That should lead to many more knockouts in the future for Stevenson. The fight Saturday night was nothing more than a learning experience for "Superman," and it's one he'll grow from moving forward.
Congratulations to featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez on successfully defending his title. Gonzalez defeated Clive Atwell, via technical decision, in Mexico on Saturday night. Gonzalez's team is now focused on scheduling a match-up with Mexican legend Jorge Arce. If you want to talk about Fight of the Year possibilities, that fight has to be at the top of the list. Make it happen!
More congratulations goes out to Willie Monroe Jr. and Petr Petrov for winning the Boxcino tournaments! They are not necessarily household names yet, but maybe this tournament is exactly what these fighters needed to place them into the national spotlight. Winning a one-and-done tournament is never easy, so hats off to both of these men.
Welcome back to the spotlight David Lemieux! Back in 2010, the Canadian-born middleweight was seen as a can't miss prospect. That was until he ran into Marco Antonio Rubio. Lemieux was stunningly knocked out and was subsequently defeated by a faded Joachim Alcine in his next fight. Lemieux has since resurrected his career, winning his last 7 fights, 6 by knockout. His brutal, 3rd-round knockout win over Fernando Guerrero on Saturday was stunning in many ways. Even though all 3 of Guerrero's losses have come via knockout, he has never been as thoroughly dominated as he was by Lemieux. Also, I'm not sure anyone thought Lemieux still had that killer instinct against a quality opponent anymore. Lemieux looks re-focused and ready to get back into title contention. He says he wants to fight anyone in the world, but I would love to see him try to avenge his loss to Rubio. That would at least earn him an interim title and become a viable candidate to face any of the world champions at middleweight.
The boxing event of the year takes place this Saturday, and it doesn't involve Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. The highly anticipated rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves will happen in front of approximately 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in England. The fight, between two Brits, is drawing so much attention that HBO has decided to pick it up as an afternoon broadcast. The first fight was controversially stopped (prematurely I might add), and Groves is looking for revenge. It will be the best atmosphere boxing has offered this year, and I would be hard-pressed to find another event, in 2014, that will match it. This is one you won't want to miss!
The "Filipino Flash" returns this weekend as well. Nonito Donaire takes on Simpiwe Vetkeya, who dethroned long-reigning champion Chris John in December. The fight will take place in Macau, China, as part of HBO Network's boxing bundle on Saturday. The network will air the triple-header from Macau, the big fight in London, and HBO2 will air a bout, from Las Vegas, featuring rising junior lightweight star-in-the-making Javier Fortuna. As a matter of fact, there are a ton of world title bouts on the slate this weekend, so I'll be in front of my television and computer following all the action.
What was rapper T.I. thinking going after Floyd Mayweather? Over the weekend, T.I. approached Mayweather at a Fatburger in Las Vegas and started trouble with the champion. Mayweather has come out publicly and stated the fight was over T.I.'s wife (though Mayweather is not romantically involved with her). Even though bodyguards stepped in to break up the melee, I would take Mayweather in a one-on-one battle. Don't get me wrong, T.I. is one bad dude having spent time in prison for major crimes, but if the two were standing toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring, I have no doubts that Mayweather would take it.
Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Osman Khan regarding the possibility of a Mayweather vs. Gennady Golovkin fight at 154 lbs...
"I am sure you receive many emails a day but it would certainly make my day if someone like you responded to me on this topic. I do understand that Golovkin is a heavy dude but he has expressed publicly that he is willing to drop a significant amount of weight for this fight to happen. I feel that this fight is a hell of a show down especially with Golovkin's pressure style and Mayweather's counter-punching ability. This fight is definately one that could prove to the world what Mayweather is really worth or who the new king of the throne is. I guess what I am truly asking you is if you think the fight will get made in the future? And who do you feel wins if the fight takes place at 154. Sincerely: Fighthype's Biggest Fan"
We appreciate the support. Honestly, I don't see this fight ever being made. Golovkin is signed with HBO and Mayweather is Showtime. GGG is very happy with HBO and isn't going anywhere because they are giving him a huge push. Mayweather is obviously a Showtime fighter the rest of his career. However, if the fight were to take place at 154, I would say this fight is a push. Mayweather would try to pot-shot GGG all night because there is no way he could KO him. Mayweather's best chance to win would be to use his legs. I don't think any 154lb. can withstand a 12-round beating from GGG, so if Mayweather was careful (and in some people's eyes, boring) he would win. However, GGG is a quick, accurate puncher and would get to Mayweather. I believe that it would be a decision win for Mayweather, or a KO win for GGG. I've spoken with guys in the industry who have sparred with GGG, and they all say he hits like a heavyweight. The thing that separates GGG is his amateur background, which makes him a technically sound fighter, and his chin. Nobody gives GGG credit, but he has one of the best chins in boxing. I believe it was either Roger Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather Sr. who said the only man who can beat Mayweather is a bigger fighter with boxing skills who can overpower him. Somebody like Andre Ward. I believe Golovkin fits that category as well. It's a great fight, unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see it.
That's all I've got for this week. Email any questions or comments to dkassel@fighthype.com and I will answer them throughout the week. Your email may be featured in the next "Observe and Fight." Follow me on Twitter @BoxingObserver, and be sure to "Like" The Boxing Observer on Facebook.
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