When Freddie Roach was a recent guest on the "Jim Rome is Burning" show, he had hinted that if Mayweather would drop his pursuit for stringent drug testing, Pacquiao would drop the defamation lawsuit in turn. That's like trading Peyton Manning for a sixth round draft pick! Mayweather is going to demand the same testing as well as a bigger split of the purse should he defeat Shane Mosley on May 1. Mayweather clearly isn't concerned about going to court. And why should he be? Judging from Pacquiao's ability to draw 51,000 fans and 700,000 PPV buys without having a decent dance partner, it doesn't appear as though his career has taken a hit, despite what anyone has said.
Dirrell's Shining Moment Obscured by Abraham's Incredible Gaffe
What an odd finish to the Arthur Abraham-Andre Dirrell match last weekend, right? On top of the match being very poorly officiated by the usually on point Laurence Cole, the finish was absolutely frightful, with Abraham earning a disqualification when he nailed Dirrell as he slipped to the canvas. While the talk of the town is going to be about Abraham's foul, the real story should be about Dirrell's masterpiece of a performance, exposing the undefeated fighter and finally performing at the level many thought he could.
Clottey Full of Shit...No Pun Intended
Joshua Clottey recently went on record to give his explanation on why he performed so poorly against Manny Pacquiao and it's a doozey. Clottey claims he had diarrhea, stating, "When I ate after the [weigh-in] I was 'running;' then midnight, I went to toilet almost like four times; in the morning, I went to toilet almost like three times; when we went to the dressing room, I went to toilet like three times." Had that been the case, then he shouldn't have looked so happy making weight. Personally, I think he's just full of shit.
Potshot Picks
Roy Jones Jr. (54-6, 40 KO) vs. Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KO)
While Hopkins is the clear favorite here, people need to remember that he is fighting somebody who is bigger than him and will move a lot around the ring, a style he has struggled against in the past. Jones is nowhere near as good as he once was, but he's not an undersized, flat-footed middleweight, like Hopkins' last couple of opponents. Hopkins is just too methodical and will be fighting at a slow pace, like always, which will play right into the hands of Jones. Give me Jones by decision in a shocker.
Potshot Picks for the year: 5-1
Parting Shots
Since Lennox Lewis retired, the heavyweight division has been hell for the past five years; the worst it has ever been, right? Well, the other day, I had a heated debate on which era of heavyweights was worse, 1980-85 or 2005-Present. While the 80s had Larry Holmes, they also had revolving champions like Michael Doakes, Mike Weaver, Trevor Berbick and whatnot. Without any noticeable stars, it was in the pits. So loyal FightHype fans, I ask you, which era of heavyweights was the darkest: A pre-Tyson 1980s or the current state of the division?
Send me your thoughts and commentaries to dhoward@fighthype.com and I'll pick my favorite responses on next week's "Pillar to Post."