It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the previous two weeks that were in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including a full recap of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, a sneak peek at the future for both Mayweather and Pacquiao, a preview of Canelo Alvarez's return against James Kirkland, the HBO debut of another boxing heavy hitter, Frankie Gomez, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
Are there any more questions as to who is the superior fighter between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao? I wrote last week that anyone expecting this to be an all-action affair was fooling themselves. This was about the event more than the fight. I predicted a decision victory for Mayweather because most of the signs and factors that play into a prizefight favored Mayweather. Nothing that happened in that fight was unexpected, except for Pacquiao's punch output, or lack thereof. Anyone you hear complaining that Mayweather ran all night knows absolutely nothing about boxing. Floyd Mayweather put on a boxing clinic and that is why he is now 48-0. Any more questions?
Pacquiao did not lose the fight because of a bum shoulder. Pacquiao says he re-aggravated the shoulder in the 3rd round of the fight, but what was the reason for the lack of punches in rounds 1 and 2? The fact of the matter is that anytime Floyd Mayweather out throws, not out lands, but out throws his opponents in a fight, that opponent just has no argument. Pacquiao landed less than 7 punches per round in the fight and only threw 35 punches per round. Mayweather not only out landed Pacquiao by 67 punches, but he threw 6 more total punches than Pacquiao. Even if Pacquiao's shoulder was bothering him, he could have thrown more punches with his one good arm than he did Saturday night. Pacquiao's 429 punches thrown were 134 less than he had ever thrown in a 12-round fight. All the credit goes to Mayweather on that one, not Manny's bum shoulder.
Pacquiao believing he won that fight was about as bad as when Glen Johnson thought he beat Lucian Bute. Lennox Lewis stated that sometimes, when the adrenaline is still pumping after a fight, a fighter doesn't always think clearly, but when he goes home and re-watches the fight, he has a more open mind. I sure hope that is the case with Pacquiao because, otherwise, Paulie Malignaggi said it best. Manny Pacquiao is a "sore loser." For as much as Pacquiao fans hate Mayweather, and as much as people are complaining Mayweather "ran" all night (I placed the word "ran" in quotations because I find it comical that people believe a boxing masterpiece is considered running), I have yet to see anybody, novice or hardcore boxing fans alike, score that fight for Pacquiao.
Not that it matters, but I scored the fight 117-111. I gave Pacquiao rounds 4, 6, and 10. Even in round 6, I had a difficult time scoring it for Pacquiao, but I felt Mayweather coasted in that round.
Who will Mayweather's final fight be against? Roy Jones Jr. named two guys who would be great fights for Mayweather, Keith Thurman and Amir Khan. However, neither guy is likely to be available. Khan's religious beliefs won't allow him enough time to train for a September comeback, and Mayweather is unlikely to move off of that September date. Thurman has stated he is likely back in the ring in late June or early July, so that wouldn't even be 2 months before September. The world would love to see a Mayweather vs. Gennady Golovkin match-up, but that's not happening. Danny Garcia seems the most logical candidate, and after his recent performances in the ring, I wouldn't be surprised if Al Haymon offered him big money since Garcia doesn't look like he will be keeping the "0" in his loss column for much longer. I believe Erislandy Lara would be a fantastic tactical match-up, but it wouldn't drum up enough interest in the sport to make it worthwhile. The guy I would love to see Mayweather fight is Terence Crawford, but he is signed with Top Rank. Don't think for one second that Bob Arum is going to risk a future superstar's unblemished record just to secure a fight with Mayweather. We'll just have to wait and see.
Did we just watch Manny Pacquiao's last fight? I highly doubt it, but don't be surprised if, with Pacquiao's impending shoulder surgery, he hangs up the gloves for good. If a 9-month rehabilitation is truly necessary, that's a lot of time to focus on other things. With this payday, Pacquiao should be rid of his financial issues, so I wouldn't be surprised if the 36-year-old, future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, called it a career.
I find it interesting that Oscar De La Hoya tweeted about the lack of action in the fight. If I'm not mistaken, De La Hoya was Mayweather's dance partner in what was arguably the most boring "mega-event" of all-time in boxing.
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares needs to happen right away! I have to give Jose Cayetano 100% credit. While he lost every round, the fact he made it all 10 rounds was remarkable. Cayetano brought the fight to Santa Cruz, and for that I give him all the credit in the world. I wouldn't mind seeing him on American television again. As far as Santa Cruz, he had decent power at bantamweight, but you could see his power was not as effective when he moved up to 122 lbs. Now, as a featherweight, his relentless style will not seem quite as daunting because he is fighting bigger, stronger opponents. The same went for Mares when he moved up and he was knocked out by Jhonny Gonzalez. I love both Mares and Santa Cruz, and a fight between the two would be magical, but both guys might best be served staying at 122 lbs for a while longer. Why not make the fight between them for Santa Cruz's 122 lb title belt on Floyd Mayweather's last pay-per-view event in September?
Vasyl Lomachenko continues to amaze me. This guy has what it takes to be at the top of the boxing world. By that, I mean that Lomachenko has the goods to become the pound-for-pound king of boxing in a few years. Obviously, a lot needs to happen, and he has a long way to go, but what skill does this guy not possess? It's hard to find. Max Kellerman asked him about a possible Nicolas Walters featherweight unification fight, but, in my opinion, that fight is no contest. Lomachenko will dominate Walters. The fight I would love to see is Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux. Two 2-time Olympic gold medalists going to head-to-head. You want to talk about the ultimate chess match. That fight needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Ray Beltran blew a fantastic opportunity to win a world title. The man who used to be known as Manny Pacquiao's chief sparring partner has blossomed into one of the best lightweights in the world. However, after fighting for the WBO lightweight title in 2 of his last 3 fights (and losing both contests), Beltran had what most believed was a sure fire victory to win the belt against Takashi Ao, Friday night. However, Beltran came in overweight and lost any chance to win the belt. It's a shame because most fighters don't get a 3rd opportunity after 2 failed attempts to win a world title. I hope Beltran doesn't regret this down the road because he would have been crowned the WBO lightweight champion after his dominating performance against Ao.
Color me impressed by Konstantin Ponomarev. Even though he and Mikael Zewski both came in undefeated, Zewski was the favorite in the eyes of most media. I have to be honest, I had never seen Ponomarev fight before Friday night, but considering he was supposed to be the inferior boxer of the two, the 22-year-old dominated Zewski from the opening bell and boxed beautifully. He just took himself from major prospect to solid contender. I know the color analyst for the fight, Timothy Bradley, was paying close attention because he could be a future Pomomarev opponent by as early as 2016.
I think it's safe to say Billy Dib's career as a top flight fighter is through. Dib, a former featherweight champion who signed with 50 Cent's SMS Promotions, was absolutely destroyed by 130 lb champion, Takashi Miura, Wednesday in Japan. It only lasted 3 rounds, but it was clear that Dib was overmatched from the start. On the other hand, Miura is still anxiously awaiting 130 lb kingpin Takashi Uchiyama to accept his rematch challenge. If Uchiyama wins his fight this coming Wednesday against 9-0 Jomthong Chuwatana, I see no reason these fighters shouldn't unify their 130 lb belts.
What happened to ESPN Friday Night Fights showcasing world class boxing cards? 2014 and 2015 were not exactly banner years for ESPN boxing, after a fantastic 2013 lineup. At this point, I believe ESPN is just biding it's time until July when Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions takes over the ESPN/ABC airwaves with boxing content.
Mercito Gesta vs. Carlos Molina was a fantastic style match-up, and I wish a winner would have come from that fight. Not that there is anything wrong with a draw, but boxing needs to implement a rule that if a fight goes to the scorecards and ends in a draw, much like the Boxcino tournament, the fight will go one extra round. A draw is like kissing your sister. It should never happen.
Mayweather/Pacquiao may be over, but another boxing superstar returns Saturday night. HBO features an all-action main event with the return of Canelo Alvarez taking on the heavy-handed, James Kirkland. While this fight seems fairly even on paper, the truth is that this is a showcase fight for Canelo. Kirkland is a complete enigma, and without trainer Ann Wolfe, his career has been highly unsuccessful. Guess what, Wolfe is not in his corner once again. Look for Canelo to complete dominate this fight, frustrating Kirkland in the process, en route to a mid-late round stoppage victory.
Frankie Gomez makes his much anticipated HBO debut as the co-feature to Canelo/Kirkland. The 23-year-old East Los Angeles native has had a tumultuous start to his career, and it has had nothing to do with his in-ring performance. Gomez, 18-0 with 13KO's, is a power punching machine with the ability to end any fight with one punch. However, he has had numerous spells of inactivity because of his legal troubles. He has a very tough test against rugged veteran, Humberto Soto, and it should be non-stop bombs from the start. If Gomez can stay out of trouble out of the ring, he can cause major problems for just about any opponent he faces in the ring. Expect a spectacular performance by Gomez, Saturday, if he is focused.
There's plenty more boxing on this weekend including the return of the PBC! A potential Fight of the Year candidate could take place Saturday afternoon, on CBS, as 2 former lightweight titlists do battle. All action stars, Omar Figueroa and Ricky Burns square off from Hidalgo, Texas. In the co-feature, Jamie McDonell puts his bantamweight title on the line against the extremely dangerous, Tomoki Kameda. I predict a Kameda victory in this one. And, in the televised opener, former world champions, Austin Trout and Anthony Mundine do battle. The action actually starts on Wednesday with a fight card from Japan as 130 lb champion, undefeated Takashi Uchiyama defends his title. The action continues Thursday on Fox Sports 1. Friday Night Fights returns on ESPN2 featuring Amir Mansour, while, over on TruTV, Glen Tapia returns to the ring. It's another crazy-busy week of boxing action. I promise it will deliver more excitement in the ring than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao did in case any novice boxing fans are still upset about Saturday night.
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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