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 a breakdown of Mayweather vs. Ortiz, HBO's subjective reporting, a potential welterweight tournmament, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from The Boxing Observer.
- Victor Ortiz's headbutt plus his post-fight reaction and commentary shows he knew he couldn't beat Mayweather. Anyone who believes Ortiz was doing well in the fight clearly wasn't paying attention to the shots he was absorbing. Those punches were accumulating and his face was already getting puffy. Ortiz's headbutt, followed by his apology, proved the stage was too big, and yet again, when times started getting rough, he folded under pressure. The headbutt was unnecessary and his effort to get back up from the knockdown was lackluster at best. Then during all the post-fight hoopla, Ortiz didn't seem too distraught. Have you ever seen a champion lose the way Ortiz did and not be very pissed off about it? If Ortiz feels he got an unfair decision, it sure didn't show. Ortiz acted as if he won the fight by the way he was smiling and congratulating everyone on Team Mayweather. What's next, Victor? Are we going to hear that you didn't know what was going on, and that because you were unaware, it's not a part of your memory anymore? If so, spare us all the BS because we've all heard that song and dance before. This wasn't the Maidana fight.
- Larry Merchant acted in an amateur, unprofessional manner. When Max Kellerman was interviewing Paul Williams' trainer DURING the fight with Erislandy Lara, I shook my head because I thought you could not get much more unprofessional than asking a trainer about whether his fighter should retire while the fight is in progress. And then came last night. I'm not condoning what Mayweather did (even though it was legal). I believe Mayweather's emotions got the best of him. Nor do I think Larry Merchant was attacking Floyd Mayweather with his questioning in the post-fight interview. Again, I believe Mayweather let his emotions get the best of him. But as reporters and journalists, one of the first things we are taught is to remain professional at all times. As soon as Larry Merchant got in Floyd Mayweather's face saying, "I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass," he lost some credibility. You should NEVER try to become bigger than the event you are covering. Plain and simple! Larry Merchant put himself on the same level as Jim Gray with his antics. Jim Gray is known for trying to make himself bigger than the event. Remember the Pete Rose interview?
- The rest of HBO's broadcast team wasn't much better. Let's take a minute to remember back 16 months when Floyd Mayweather fought Shane Mosley. In Round 8, Mosley tried to roughhouse Mayweather in the ring. Referee Kenny Bayless gave Mosley a hard warning, the two men touched gloves, and the fight was back on. Shane apparently didn't feel as if he apologized enough, and was trying to touch gloves again when Mayweather popped him with, what else, but a left hook and a straight right. While this was happening, Emanuel Steward said, "That's what he should have done. This isn't time to have a conversation," with which Jim Lampley responded, "Absolutely right. This isn't time to talk." If that was the case 16 months ago, why was it not okay for Floyd to throw the exact same left hook, straight right combination Saturday night? Was it because Ortiz didn't have his gloves up while Mosley did? Either way, the punches were legal and fighters must protect themselves at all time. Lampley and Steward both acknowledged the punches were legal, but somehow the situation was different this time. Maybe because Ortiz was knocked out and the fight was over, but it shouldn't change the way the fight is being reported on.
- We may see the Mayweather versus Pacquiao fight sooner than later. From a strictly technical standpoint, Mayweather looks about a half-step slower than was the case the five years ago. Not that it isn't to be expected. People slow down as they age. Floyd is still the quickest fighter at welterweight, but he is definitely not as quick as he once was. Manny Pacquiao's last couple of performances have shown his vulnerability as well. Pacquiao's aggresive fighting style can only last for so long. Both fighters are still far and away the two best in the world, and are still in the primes of their respective careers, but there are some subtle signs beginning to show that their primes are coming to an end. After Pacquiao's fight again Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th, one in which Pacquiao should win, I believe both fighters teams should sit down and evaluate how many more chances each man can take against other opposition before finally agreeing to terms on a fight. Fact is, if the two fight each other now, they are each looking at potentially $75 million minimum, and possibly over 4 million pay-per-view buys. I think the buildup for this fight may even net over 5 million pay-per-view buys. Both guys could possibly make over $100 million when all is said and done. But if one fighter loses along the way, the fight loses its momentum and the money goes out the window. That being said, I could see this fight being made for the Fall of 2012. Let's hope that's the case.
- Golden Boy Promotions' idea for a welterweight tournament is genius! During a press conference Saturday afternoon to introduce Devon Alexander as Golden Boy's newest addition, Richard Schaefer stated he is going to present the idea of a welterweight tournament to HBO and Showtime. We've all seen the success the super middleweight tournament has brought, and the bantamweight tournament made some noise as well. The word "tournament" brings a sense of excitement. The welterweight division is the most talent-rich in boxing and it only makes sense to separate one man from the pack. This would be a great way for boxing to breed a new superstar to replace Mayweather and Pacquiao. Here are the 8 fighters I believe should be in this tournament: Andre Berto, Victor Ortiz, Marcos Maidana, Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, and Mike Jones. Make it a single elimination, winner take all tournament. Boxing has become a sport where one loss can kill your career so a single elimination format only makes sense. These 8 were chosen in particular because they are all young, up-and-coming potential superstars. Make no mistake, there are plenty of other men who could easily be on this list, but these 8 have the most marketability potential for a long time to come.
- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is not ready for primetime. Though he did stop Alfonso Gomez in the 6th round Saturday night, it was a very unimpressive performance for the 21-year-old. Eventually, his style will bite him in the rear-end. "Canelo" may be ready for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but he would get eaten alive by the likes of Miguel Cotto, Alfredo Angulo, Antonio Margarito, or Erislandy Lara. I have been critical before of Golden Boy for moving Alvarez along too slowly, but after watching his performance Saturday night, they are moving him at just the right pace.
- Erik Morales only has 2 or 3 fights left in his career. Morales did show his experience against Pablo Cesar Cano, but Cano exposed Morales' age early on in the fight. Cano was the much quicker fighter who simply ran out of gas and was eventually worn down by the older Morales. Against a more experienced fighter, Morales would not have come away the victor.
- Was anyone impressed by either of Mayweather Promotions fighters, Said Ouali or Jessie Vargas? Ouali took a beating and was stopped by Carson Jones while Vargas won a split-decision over Josesito Lopez. Neither fighter looked like they had world-class potential. I could be proven wrong in the future, but I wasn't impressed.
- Tyson Fury is the most exciting heavyweight since Mike Tyson. While he doesn't bring the menacing persona "Iron" Mike brought to the ring, Fury is a 6'9" all-action fighter. Only 23-years-old, Fury has shown some great boxing skills, but is still a raw talent. He likes to mix it up and is susceptible to being hurt. I would love to see a matchup between Fury and Chris Arreola. Believe me when I say that would be a fight of the year candidate.
- Tim Bradley may turn out to be the smartest man in boxing. Bradley's absence since his January 29th victory over Devon Alexander has come under much scrutiny. He was said to have made about $1.8 million for a fight with Amir Khan but he turned that down. He is currently involved in a legal battle with Gary Shaw and Thompson Boxing over lost wages. Rumor now has it that once Bradley's legal issure are straightened out, Bob Arum will put Bradley on the Pacquiao-Marquez III undercard. Word is that Bradley will make $1.2 million to fight a lesser opponent. Sounds like a pretty smart business move. The only issue that remains is whether Bradley's legal struggles will be finished in time for the fight. We are less than 2 months away.
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