In today’s edition of Ask The Editor (ATE), we look closer at this weekend’s Wladimir Klitschko-Ruslan Chagaev fight, take a shovel to clean up the WBA heavyweight boxing title mess and play doctor to Money Mayweather’s injury. We scrutinise rising star Juan Manuel Lopez, wade into the Calzaghe-Froch verbal stoush, pick-up some gum shields off the canvas, look where Anthony Mundine is headed and much more.
Name : Ricky Porter Country : USA Your Question : I get the feeling that Wladimir Klitschko actually has a tougher fight now against Ruslan Chagaev than when he was fighting David Haye. How does the SecondsOut team see it?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Hi Ricky. Yes, I do as well. I’m in the minority that felt Wladimir would have completely controlled David Haye from start to finish. I think Wladimir beats Chagaev, but it could be controversial and by the tightest of margins. Not an ideal preparation for Klitschko with just a couple of weeks notice, but I think he scrapes home, just. Having said that, I keep getting this thought in the back of my mind that says Chagaev could fiddle Klitschko out of the title.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Ricky, with Haye, Klitschko had to be worried about getting nailed….with Chagaev, he has to worry about getting outworked. I think Klitschko had more to worry about fighting Haye - not to take nothing away from the accomplished Chagaev.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: I would have loved to see Haye land one of his bombs on Klitschko’s chin. How would Wladimir have handled that? Clive will tell you that Haye would not have got anywhere near Klitschko’s chin to test him. I’m not so sure. At least Haye would not have died wondering. Klitschko-Chagaev could be really ugly. I’m hoping that someone interesting happens instead.
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: The short answer is yes. Haye might like to think he’s a snarling, intimidating heavyweight, but I think Klitschko would have dismantled him in short order, Ricky. In saying that, Chagaev has been plagued by problems over the last couple of years and hasn’t looked that good in his last couple of contests. He’s a skilled boxer, however, and even though I favor Wladimir to win, Chagaev could have his moments.
Name : Tim Brown Country : USA Your Question : The WBA heavyweight world title has been a mess for a while. Will Chagaev fighting W.Klitschko sort out this mess? But please don’t tell me John Ruiz is going to get another title shot!
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I hope your right Tim. John Ruiz seems to have more lives than a cat. If Chagaev does win, then Valuev would be a natural fight in Germany. Then we can finally put the WBA nonsense to bed. If Chagaev loses, then we can expect his promoters to lobby the WBA to keep his Champion in Recess status. And yes, I am thinking what you’re thinking!
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Tim, injury problems for Chagaev have indeed made the WBA heavyweight title picture a mess. The WBA belt is not at stake for Klitschko-Chagaev, so the WBA drama will drag on. Ruiz is up to No.3 in the ratings. It’s not out of the question the Quiet Man gets another shot.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: A loss for Chagaev this weekend and you will see Nikolay Valuev, Don King and all Valuev’s team doing the Macarena. King will demand Chagaev be removed from the WBA heavyweight puzzle and yes, you picked it, Ruiz will be back in the mix. Of course, Evander Holyfield and Kali Meehan will have their hands up wanting a shot at Valuev. As I said – When I dance they call me Macarena, and the boys they say that I’m Buena, they all want me, they can’t have me, so they all come and dance beside me, move with me, jam with me and if your good (or in this case a bad boxer), I take you home with me...
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: If Chagaev beats Klitschko then that gives the champion in recess a fistful of credibility, Tim. I don’t see that happening, though, so I’m afraid that the WBA title is still going to be in the smelly stuff after this weekend. The fact that Ruiz is in line for a shot is laughable but true.
Name : Jose Mendez Country : Mexico Your Question : Has “Chicken” Floyd Mayweather Junior decided that his fight with the great Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez is too tough and is now faking it. Or is he really injured?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Who Knows, Jose. I did think though that Marquez was a tough fight to come back with. But who really knows? I hope the fight is re-scheduled.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Jose, I don’t think Mayweather is faking. I’ll agree that Marquez is a great fighter, but I don’t think Mayweather would fake an injury to delay fighting anyone unless he really thought it was going to jeopardize his preparation.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Jose, how dare you suggest that because tickets weren’t going so well and that more money could be made from a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, that Floyd would invent an injury! Then again....Actually, I think Mayweather’s injury just shows that he is getting older and is now 32 years of age.
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: I sincerely doubt that Mayweather is faking this injury, Jose. Marquez represents a very tough challenge but not one that Floyd would back away from at the last minute like this. If Floyd feared the Mexican warrior, then he would never have signed on to fight him in the first place – that’s the way he rolls.
Name : Rob Murphy Country : United Kingdom Your Question : With Arthur Abraham now set to defend his crown against Mahir Oral, is anyone else worried that this hard as nails but skilled boxers career may be taking a backward step? I understand that there is two sides to every negotiation, but he now surely must have done enough to secure some career defining bouts against the worlds elite middleweights like Williams or Pavlik. I don’t think he will stay at middle for too much longer and he needs a massive fight. Do you guys think he’s been avoided, is he pricing himself of a deal? Or like Sven Ottke, is he too fond of his own backyard where he can guarantee a full house every fight?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Hi Rob. Of course we can only take a guess here. Personally, I think these fights, especially with Pavlik, have been discussed but both sides could be holding out for a bigger purse or even haggling over home advantage. I think the fight needs to happen sooner rather than later as they are both in their primes.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Rob, interesting analysis of Abraham’s career…although he did venture to the States to fight Miranda last year, I guess that victory didn’t garner the transplanted Armenian enough recognition amongst U.S fight fans to demand a Pavlik-Abraham unifier. There’s no way Pavlik goes to Germany to fight this guy, so Abraham probably remains a bit of an enigma for now and might stay that way because when he moves up to 168, there’s nothing but non-American champions.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Greg is correct. No way Bob Arum takes Pavlik to Germany. I think Kelly’s loss to Bernard Hopkins put plans to fight Abraham way back. If Abraham wants the fight, he will have to make the running, got to the USA and take the shorter pay cheque. I can’t see that happening anytime soon.
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: Abraham is definitely taking a backwards step, Rob. He opened a lot of eyeballs in America when he dismantled Edison Miranda in Florida last year and, after he stopped Raul Marquez a few months later, I was convinced that we would get exciting meaningful match-ups that would season the 160lbs division nicely. Not so, I guess.
Name : Maximiliano Herrera Country : Costa Rica Your Question : I would like to ask your opinion about Juan Manuel Lopez. This guy looks really impressive and even two stunning champions like Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez should start to worry about him. If Lopez beats one (or both) of these two guys, he could be a dominator in the bantam-super bantam-lightweight divisions for many years and maybe match the incredible career of Julio Cesar Chavez. Am I going too far or do you really see JM Lopez’s potential to become a great fighter for the coming years?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Maximiliano, Juan is certainly on a roll, > when you think he has only been a pro for just over four years and stopped 23 of 25 opponents he is certainly on the right road. But talk of emulating the incredible career of Julio Cesar Chavez is a bit premature at the moment.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Maximiliano, no argument here…so far, Lopez looks very good. I wouldn’t mind seeing a unifier against Celestino Caballero before possible future match-ups with Vazquez and Marquez.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Lopez is a great fight. Always looks forward to his fights now. Let’s see how he goes in the remainder of 2009, before putting him up there with Chavez. But I certainly agree that he has the chance to dominate, move weight classes and become a real pound for pound superstar.
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: I honestly believe that we are looking at a superstar here, Maximiliano. Only a special fighter can demolish someone like Gerry Penalosa and make him quit on his stool. Lopez puts it all together and in my opinion he’s ready for Vazquez and/or Marquez right now.
Name : Barnaby Chesterman Country : Italy Your Question : I was disappointed to see both father and son Calzaghe’s knocking Carl Froch after his Jermain Taylor win. Isn’t Froch exactly what boxing needs and wants? A throwback gypsy-style fighter with no defence, a jaw carved from the toughest granite, a huge heart and bombs in each hand. He may not be the most gifted fighter of all time but let’s face it, if he had Roy Jones or Floyd Mayweather’s skill and speed, he’d be untouchable. Instead he’s an all-action exciting fighter who fights with a last-man standing attitude. How do you beat the guy? You can’t knock him out and 15 seconds before the end of round 12, he’s still pounding you with bombs. Hats off to Froch as a fighter. Do you think he’ll get the respect he deserves now and will there be a big unification fight in the future? I personally think he should forget about Calzaghe and trying to establish himself off the Welshman and instead establish himself through his own right by beating the best there is to offer in the super middle division.
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Hi Barnaby. I do like Carl’s attitude. He really does want to fight the best and test himself. Lets not forget that Joe Calzaghe was only reacting to Carl’s goading of him. What choice did Joe have? After the win over Jermain Taylor, Carl will get his chance in another massive fight. He will get the chance to prove himself and the respect he deserves.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Barnaby, I think Calzaghe and his father are probably still in retirement-withdraw - uncomfortable with the spotlight beginning to dim a bit. In defense of Froch, Calzaghe never came to the States to fight an American in his their prime. Froch proved his mettle in the Taylor KO victory!
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: If Froch keeps knockjng them out in thrilling fights, he will quickly establish his own reputation and world wide fan base. Calzaghe had his time. Now it’s Froch’s turn to dominate. Agreed, give me more fighters like Carl Froch any day. If Frock gives Sakio Bika a shot, I’m there at ringside to see the smash-up-derby of a battle.
MICHAEL NORBY ANSWERS: Froch’s incessant pursuit of Calzaghe has led to a verbal punch up for years, Barnaby. Froch is a decent fighter and he did well against Taylor, but when he faces a polished boxer who doesn’t run habitually or run out of gas late in fights, then he’ll have trouble.
Name : Jim Bremner Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Hello Gentlemen. Jon Thaxton recently lost the European lightweight title to Anthony Mezaache on points, after the Frenchman spat out his gum shield to prevent John from finishing him after a 1st round knockdown. This seems very unfair to me - as the rule should surely be that to remove your gum shield under such circumstances should be regarded as a sign of capitulation.
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Hello Jim, nice to hear from you again. These things can seem unfair, but what we have to remember is that the referee is in charge and if he thinks Mezaache spat out his gum shield on purpose he should have punished him for it by either taking a point off him or allowing the action to continue until there is a natural break in the fight. OK, it was probably a bit of gamesmanship on Mezaache’s part but he got away with it.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Jim, spitting out the mouthpiece to create a stop in the action is one of the oldest tricks in the book. It’s up the referee to determine whether or not it’s a deliberate action and if it happens multiple times, I agree that the offender should by DQ’d or declared the loser via TKO.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Inconsistency in rulings from referees around the world causes confusion. If it is blatantly deliberate, let’s see a point taken off.
Name : Oli Howard Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Is Roman Greenberg done? When he was KO’d by Cedric Boswell last year, I thought he’d either regroup quickly or or disappear forever. It’s been about eight months, so the later looks likely. If that is the case, I think it’s a shame - he really showed a lot of promise at the start of his career. The break never seemed to come though and he began to look increasingly unmotivated. What do the team think? Will we see him again?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Hi Oli. I’m hearing Greenberg does intend to fight again, but I’m not holding my breath. In my opinion if any boxer does not get back in the gym and intend to fight right away after a first defeat then he lacks real dedication and ambition. For the record, I thought he was an incredible talent that could have gone all the way. Sometimes fighters are protected too much to the detriment of their progress. I believe the aforementioned harmed him big time.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Oli, I think we’ll see Greenberg again, but for some boxers, a loss...as in the case with Boswell can be difficult to come back from mentally. Greenberg is only 27. If he’s taken this long to decide what to do next with his boxing career, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see him again until 2010.
Name : Alex Pacey Country : Australia Your Question : Anthony Mundine. What is going on with his career? He seems to think he’s Indigenous Australia’s answer to Ali and he talks and talks about legacy, but really I’m not sure he’s backed it up. Don’t get me wrong, he appears to be very skilful, but the kind of fights he’s fighting are hardly legacy building. How respected is he globally? What’s lined up in terms of future fights?
CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I think Paul’s the best placed to answer this. I actually think Mundine is a very good fighter and achieved a hell of a lot considering he started boxing following a successful rugby league career. As far as respect goes, as a boxer because of the remarks/statements he has made publicly over the years, have not endeared him to fight fans and Australians alike.
GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Alex, Mundine is 34 and probably isn’t going to take a high-risk fight outside of Australia unless it’s for big money, which isn’t going to happen because he has little following in the States and/or in Europe. The Man is probably happy just being the man in his homeland at this point.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Reverse back to May 2006 when Mundine defeated arch rival Danny Green on points outdoors in front of 30,000 people at the Sydney Football Stadium and no one was doubting his talent. Since then, Mundine has defeated Ruben Acosta, Sam Soliman, Pablo Nievas, Jose Clavero, Nader Hamdan, Sam Soliman (again), Crazy Kim, Rafael Pintos, Shannan Taylor and Daniel Geale. The first Soliman fight had some intrigue because of their controversial first fight. Hamdan gave some good rounds. Taylor is past his best. The Geale fight was the best match I have seen Mundine involved in for years. There certainly has been an absence of a really big fight with an overseas star in recent times. The one thing people always tell me, even Mundine fans, is that they want to see him go and fight in the USA. The biggest fight for Mundine in the USA is Kelly Pavlik. Mundine would have to give up home ground advantage and money to get it. Time is running out. Mundine is 34 and if he is going to conquer the world, it has to happen now. Mundine has time for a couple of more fights in 2009. His upcoming choices will indicate where his career is headed.
Name : Keith Beck Country : Australia Your Question : I’ve followed boxing for 30 yrs, so I’m sure I’m worthy of an opinion. There is no doubt the Geale-Mundine fight could have gone either way, but Geale was the champion and did not resort to any dirty tactics to win. I hope Daniel goes on to be very successful, Australia desperately needs more like him. My question Paul, who do you honestly think should have got the decision. PS. one thing for sure on popularity, Geale won every round.
PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Keith, I reviewed the Mundine-Geale fight and subsequent scoring controversy in-depth in a story at SecondsOut HERE!. Scoring at ringside while calling the fight for television, I had Mundine winning 114-113. Six rounds for each boxer and one point less for Geale for the knockdown in round 2. I don’t have a problem with anyone who had Geale winning the fight. It was an official split decision. Rounds 4 and 5 were extremely close. I agree we need more of Daniel Geale. What a great representative for the sport of boxing. I hope Geale uses this fight to move further ahead with his career. He proved his talent against Mundine.
Subscribe to feed
