By Juan Angel Zurita (June 19, 2009) - Earlier this week I wrote an article where I stated that if Manny Pacquiao convinces established welterweights Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley to face him for their welterweight titles at any weight below 147 (welterweight limit), he should be criticized just like many have criticized Oscar De La Hoya throughout his career for performing similar catchweight tactics.

Apparently, the stance I took didn’t bode well with Pacquiao supporters.

A significant number of Pacquiao fanatics respectfully countered with arguments that Pacquiao is the exception because unlike those fighters he’s a smaller fighter tackling bigger challenges. Therefore, Pacquiao requiring the catchweight is simply a way to create a level playing field.

When De La Hoya fought Hopkins for middleweight supremacy, De La Hoya made Hopkins face him at a catchweight of 158 lbs. Hopkins was clearly the bigger man and De La Hoya hoped the agreed upon concession would weaken Hopkins thus giving him an advantage in the ring.

I had always been a De La Hoya supporter, but a part of me felt he was cheapening the intended accomplishment.

However, in light of recent reflection, I curbed my sentiment regarding this subject. Call it a vision, edification, confucius enlightenment.

After deep ponderance, I concluded that De La Hoya wasn’t cheapening the intended accomplishment. De La Hoya, the much smaller man, was just looking for peace of mind through having a perceived advantage going into the bout. Some of the greats have been known to do this. And honestly, it’s a very intelligent tactic to use. Not many fighters have had that type of wielding power and the few who have are some of the greatest fighters to ever come around.

In Pacquiao’s case, it’s not quite Armstrongesque, yet it’s still quite a feat considering that Pacquiao captured his first world title at flyweight.

All that said, it is extremely imperative that we take into consideration the level of opponent being fought at the catchweight.

Facing Miguel Cotto, a battle-tested, proven, top welterweight, at a catchweight is impressive either way you cut it. Anything over 140 is welterweight, right?

Further, Pacquiao is great, no question, but when is enough, enough?

He’s the only fighter in the history of boxing to ever prove himself as world class from flyweight to junior welterweight. The ride has got to begin to finally end somewhere, right? Why not be cautious?

He’s a rare breed indeed.

Despite the fact that he won his first title at flyweight, the smallest original eight divison of em’ all, in recent years Pacquiao has completely annhiliated the latter part of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s resume.

That’s scary impressive.

More impressively, by facing Cotto, he’ll once again upstage Mayweather by facing a fighter Mayweather previously avoided at all costs. If he wins in devastating fashion, will Mayweather even sign the contract if he gets by Marquez?

By the way, if Pacquiao is the new ‘Duran’, shouldn’t his Leonard, Hagler, and Hearns be out there? Perhaps he’s already faced a few of them? The names Barrera, Morales, Mayweather, Marquez, Mosley, and Cotto all sound extremely respectful, don’t they?

That’s definitely something to think about.

Bring on Pacquiao/Cotto.

Current unified IBF/WBO Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOS), was expecting to face Britain’s David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) this upcoming Saturday. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, the former cruiserweight champion wilted to injury thus dropping out of their scheduled fight.

Instead of postponing the bout altogether, Klitschko searched for a worthy replacement, and in stepped in undefeated, Ruslan Chagaev (25-0, 17 KOs).

If you aren’t a fan of the current crop of heavyweights, that’s understandable. But Wladimir Klitschko is still “The Man” in the division, and this bout against a top five heavyweight is relevant.

Interestingly HBO didn’t agree with that logic, therefore ESPN Classic picked up the bout.

Hence, the bout will be aired Saturday afternoon on ESPN Classic at 5PM ET/2PM PT.

It should be quite a nice lunch treat, something to hold the fanatics over for a few hours prior to UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Finale card.

By Juan Angel Zurita (May 14, 2009) - I know I may sound like a hater when it comes to Floyd Mayweather Jr., but let me make a few things clear.

I recognize he’s a great fighter. I simply want to see how great he really is. I feel that his most ardent fans unjustifiably overrate him while overlooking the facts.

For starters, I don’t believe he’s comparable to all-time greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Duran. At the moment, I don’t even believe he’s comparable to Julio Cesar Chavez, Thomas Hearns, and Alexis Arguello. These fighters grabbed the multiple titles too while defeating very good to great opponents consistently in original eight weight classes. Mayweather hasn’t always done that in the divisions he’s temporarily parked his Rolls Royce at.

Note: It’s my personal opinion that one of the most objective ways to compare today’s great fighters to the greats of yesteryear is to compare how the “New School” greats have faired in the original eight weight classes. You see, the “Old Schoolers” didn’t have the luxury of fighting for multiple titles in these “in-between” divisions. This is why today’s fighter’s accomplishments must accurately be put into perspective. Don’t get me wrong. I do believe some of the non-original eight weight classes have built up quality history in their own right. However, while success in these divisions should be factored into the equation, I believe the emphasis still needs to be placed on the original eight weight classes. This allows us to say for example compare how Pacquiao’s accomplishments stack up against Duran’s.

In Mayweather, I’d like to see the true caliber of his greatness. He’s faired ‘Ok’ in two original eight weight classes (lightweight and welterweight), but his two fights against Castillo at lightweight left a lot to be desired. They revealed a good amount of information as to how he would’ve faired against established lightweight modern day greats like Duran, Chavez, and Whittaker.

As far as his welterweight venture (2nd original weight class he decided to tackle) was concerned, he did not take on the best fighters in the division during that time. At junior welterweight, he chilled against subpar opposition while the English Polar Bear devoured the Russian Bear in his hometown with the ref aiding him on. His defining moment in this division was facing a past prime overrated fighter that had no business facing world class fighters at 140.

Finally, at welterweight, he didn’t fight the top welterweights. Instead, he faced off against mediocre opposition which could be sold to the public as a series of historically meaningful fights. In reality, instead of selling himself off as the Undisputed Welterweight Champion, he should’ve actually stepped up and proven it against the top welterweights of that time. No, the top names were not Mitchell, Judah and Baldomir. The top names were Mosley, Margarito, Williams, Cotto, and Cintron.

When we break down what all of this means, it means that Mayweather is a great fighter that has been successful in two original eight weight classes while not always facing the best fighters in and around those weight classes, particularly at welterweight.

Therefore, I opine that in terms of all-time greatness, he’s right there with Marquez. No, that wasn’t a typo. I’m talking about Juan Manuel Marquez. I’ll explain why in a minute.

Before we dive into that discussion, let’s discuss Pacquiao.

Pacquiao has gone from 112-147, while facing much better opposition than both fighters. During that span, he has had proven success in 4 original eight weight classes (flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight).

Now in all fairness, like Mayweather, Pacquiao’s accomplishments are open to criticism.

For example, Pacquiao didn’t prove himself to be a ‘great’ flyweight. In fact, he suffered his only two knockout losses in that weight class.

At featherweight, yes, he did impressively destroy the great Mexican Legend, Marco Antonio Barrera, but when he faced Marquez, another Mexican Legend, despite dropping him three times in the opening stanza, he couldn’t put him away. Marquez charged back to make it a debatable brawl, which to this day is still debated among hardcore boxing fanatics across the net. Nevermind who you think deserved to win that fight, we can all agree that it was a classic fight between two of the greatest featherweight fighters of our generation.

Fast-forward to super featherweight and we find these two facing off once again four years later. This time it’s much of the same. Pacquiao’s power vs Marquez’s superior counter-punching skills.
Flip another coin and take your pick.

We waited four more years to settle the seemingly never-ending debate and in turn we’re given another never-ending debate which is being argued on boxing message boards across the net right now, along with Pacquiao/Marquez 1.

Despite the demand to see a third and final fight, Bob Arum next decided to steer Pacquiao toward lightweight dominance, and matched him up against David Diaz, the weakest title holder of the bunch. No brainer. Pacquiao passed with flying colors and with that earned success in his third original eight weight class.

Next, we see Pacquiao batter a weight-drained De La Hoya at welterweight, a weight class De La Hadn’t fought at in ages. With that victory, he earned success at welterweight, his fourth original eight weight class.

In his most recent fight, he scored a scintillating knockout over Ricky Hatton, a good champion fighting in his optimal weight class who was simply tailor made for Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Marquez, the fighter whom has troubled Pacquiao the most, a fighter whom many believe won both fights, made some history of his own when he became the first man to knockout the top two proven lightweights around in Juan Diaz, and future hall of famer, Joel Casamayor. With this newfound “lightweight” success, Marquez became a proven champion in two original eight weight classes. By doing so, he tied Floyd Mayweather Jr. (lightweight, welterweight) with (featherweight, lightweight). However, these two fall short to Pacquiao’s (flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight).

Now if we look closely at Marquez’s accomplishments, they too can be diminished.

Marquez detractors argue that he wasted most of his “key” prime featherweight years facing nobodies until he finally got his shot against Pacquiao. Marquez was dropped three times in the first and although he battled back courageously, he only drew with Pacquiao because of a judge’s scorecard error. Marquez was then given another opportunity at Pacquiao, but again failed to convincingly separate himself from the ‘Pac Monster.’ He followed that up by defeating a shot Barrera, shot Casamayor, and the light-punching, inexperienced, Juan Diaz.

Do you see how easy it is to diminish each of their accomplishments?

Therefore, whose perception is the most accurate? How great are these guys? How do they rate historically when stacked up against one another? 

The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and at the moment, their positions in boxing history have yet to be etched in stone because they’re still actively fighting today.

As boxing fans, we tend to overrate those we adore and underrate those that rub us the wrong way for one reason or another. We’re all guilty of it.

Simply put, the quality of each fighter’s greatness rests on our subjective interpretations of what they’ve each accomplished. As we’ve seen, anyone’s resume can be picked apart.

So how do we figure out this mess?

First off, as I’ve already mentioned, we need to focus on their success in the original eight weight classes. Secondly, without question, we must focus on the quality of their opposition. Thirdly, we must assess intangibles such as Pacquiao’s claim to being the only fighter in boxing history to have success from 112-147, Marquez’s ability to tame (if you think Pacquiao is a legend, what does that say about Marquez?) the ‘Great Beast,’ Marquez’s ability to remain at such a high level although he’s been clearly fighting past his prime for several years now, Mayweather’s success from 130-154 while remaining “officially” undefeated, etc.

Wouldn’t it just be easier if they fought so we can get a better clue and sort this out?

Thus, the round robbin begins with Mayweather/Marquez on July 18.

Now some will argue that Mayweather defeating Marquez and Pacquiao will only prove that he can defeat “great” little guys.

Is this true?

Again, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but let’s state a few truths.

These aren’t just any little guys. These are two fellow greats who’ve proven they’re world class in the two original eight weight classes (featherweight, lightweight) right below welterweight.

And honestly, Mayweather has never truly proven he’s a top welterweight.

Perhaps he’s really a great 135-140 lber that took a stab at welterweight and bailed when he figured out the best guys were much too big and strong for his defense to overcome. If this was truly the case as many Mayweather fans claim, I wish they’d stop exclaiming that ‘Money’ would’ve beaten Margarito, Cotto, Mosley, Cintron, and Williams, based how he faired against Judah, Baldomir, and De La Hoya. It’s clearly unwarranted.

In Pacquiao’s case, his star is shining so bright right now that many think he’s currently world class at welterweight, although like Mayeather, he’s yet to defeat a top fighter in that weight class himself.

If one considers Mayweather a junior welterweight-welterweight, is it then really that outlandish for the best featherweight/lightweight combo to come around in awhile to face him?

A lot of the old timers tried to do the unthinkable. Why not Pacquiao and Marquez?

This is where it gets fun.

We will soon be provided with more answers to these questions. We will soon learn how these three greats stack up against one another historically, and when it’s all said and done, we’ll finally learn how they stack up against boxing’s all-time greats.

It’s going to be a wild ride these next few years.  Each has the opportunity to elevate himself to a higher level from where they currently stand today.

Let the chips fall where they may.

By Juan Angel Zurita (May 8, 2009) - For the most part, boxing fanatics that caught the first fight in Fall 2008, are probably not very excited about the rematch.  Dawson, 26, just simply proved to be too young, fast, and hungry for Tarver, 40, the former light heavyweight king. In fact, Tarver managed to win only a few rounds throughout the bout.

Perhaps Tarver can land the same left hand that crushed the Roy Jones Jr. Express several years back? 

If I had to bet, I’d bet that won’t happen. 

Dawson should again dominate the bout over this past prime version of Tarver, perhaps even becoming the first man to stop him. 

This bout is in fact a mere formality. 

Dawson beats Tarver again in even more impressive fashion than the first, and will hopefully move on to bigger and better things in the near future.  He can face off against Glen Johnson once again to clear the controversy surrounding their first bout, challenge Hopkins, or maybe even rematch Adamek at Cruiserweight. 

Dawson is young and seems to be peaking at just the right time. Saturday night should be another ‘Bad Chad’ showcase.

By Juan Angel Zurita (May 3, 2009) – I was definitely off in my assessment that Ricky Hatton would provide Manny Pacquiao with the type of test he hadn’t had since his last fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Last night Manny drove home the point that you aren’t going to defeat him if you have a porous defense and zero Plan B. Pacquiao simply made Hatton appear unworthy of being in the same ring as him. Pacquiao was just on another level. 

Manny Pacquiao is a phenom, one of the best fighters you’ll ever see. I’ve known this for quite awhile, yet I’ve continuously underestimated him throughout his career. Perhaps, this stems from my opinion that Juan Manuel Marquez has defeated him in both of their meetings. And that’s not to detract from Pacquiao. Marquez is a great fighter in his own right. The Mexico-City born boxer’s intelligent counter-punching style has simply been the only formula to consistently make Superman look vulnerable, human.

One cannot deny the facts though. When Pacquiao is not fighting Juan Manuel Marquez, he looks as dangerous and as powerful as a young prime Mike Tyson. It’s truly a great pleasure to watch him at work.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Juan Manuel Marquez Set for July 18

Marquez is now set to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a great battle of boxing technicians. Marquez will be looking to pull off the monumental upset vs the ‘Pretty Boy’ to force a third fight with Pacquiao. On the other hand, Mayweather looks to get through The Ring Magazine’s current #2 p4per leading to a Fight of the Decade matchup against The Ring Magazine’s current #1 p4p fighter, Manny Pacquiao.

Initially I hated this fight. I hated it because I saw it as a cheap way for Mayweather Jr. to get back to the top. Instead of facing off against the world’s top welterweights like he’s never done, he’s going after a 35 year old fighter who was just a featherweight a few years ago. 

I no longer feel that way though. I think it’s a good fight for Mayweather if he’s serious about taking on the most compelling matchups around. Sure, Marquez isn’t a young natural junior welterweight, but he’s still considered by many as one of the top two fighters in the world. It just depends on whom you ask. Many rate Pacquiao as the top fighter, but others rate Marquez at the top because in their eyes they saw Marquez defeat Pacquiao in their last encounter. In fact the same Ring Magazine that rates Pacquiao #1 in the world, had Marquez winning their second fight by the slightest margin. 

For Marquez this is also a smart move because he will again put himself in a situation to one-up Pacquiao, and many will argue that a victory over Floyd Mayweather Jr., would be bigger than defeating Manny Paquiao “officially.” At 35 years of age, Marquez really has no choice. Aside from a third fight with Pacquiao, what other fight would earn him as much dough and recognition? Pacquiao has already attempted what we thought was impossible several times and prevailed.  It’s now Marquez’s turn again.

By Juan Angel Zurita (May 1, 2009) - We are but a day away from the big event between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.  We’ve probably been so focused on the main event that we’ve forgotten there’s actually an undercard.  Therefore, let us take a look at the product that Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions are presenting to boxing fanatics on Saturday night.

Co-Main-Event

WBC Super Featherweight Champ, Humberto Soto (47-7-2, 30 KOs), from Mexico, takes on Canada’s Benoit Gaudet (20-1, 7 KOs).  Soto will look for another dominant win to ensure his future leads to another big time fight.  This will be the second defense of his title in the last 5 weeks.

Eight Round Middleweight Bout

Golden Child” Jacobs (15-0, 14 KOs), of Brooklyn, enters the ring for the second time in just eight days.  He steps up in class in an eight round middleweight bout against Chicago’s Michael Walker (19-1-2, 12 KOs).   Walker should prove quite the test.  Walker’s only loss is a decision loss to Ring Top Ten Middleweight, David Lopez, last June, and in his last fight he scored a majority decision over former title challenger, Antwun Echols. 

Televised 4 Round Bouts

Russian middleweight, Matt Korobov (4-0, 4 KOs) faces Anthony Bartinelli (15-12-2, 13 KOs), of Phoenix, Ariz.

Cuban junior middleweight, Erislandy Lara (4-0, 3 KOs) faces Chris Gray (11-7, 1 KO), of Baton Rouge, La.

Review

Honestly, it’s not the worst undercard I’ve seen.  It should keep us entertained before we become nervous balls of energy during the Main Event.  Watching Humberto Soto fight will provide us with an entertaining treat.  Aside from his bout with the crafty Cuban, Joan Guzman, Soto always puts on a good show for the fans.  I don’t expect this night to be any different. 

Undercard Rating: C -

By Juan Angel Zurita (April 30, 2009) - Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with many people about this fight. It didn’t matter whether they were Filipino, Mexican, African-American, White, etc. 8 out of 10 of them typically predicted a resounding Pacquiao victory.  I found their perception quite intriguing considering the fact that the sportsbooks see it as a much closer fight as do many boxing insiders.

That brings us to the question. Does Ricky Hatton really stand a chance?

On paper he does stand ‘a’ chance, but based on recent performances, one would have to agree with the general public’s perception that Pacquiao will just be too fast and powerful.

That said, the general public’s perception doesn’t always accurately forecast the correct result. Remember not too long ago when Pacquiao was the overwhelming underdog against De La Hoya?

So what does this really all mean? It means that Hatton does stand more of a chance than most of the public is giving him credit for. Pacquiao isn’t unbeatable as Morales and Marquez have shown, and too much emphasis has been placed on Hatton’s heartbreaking TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather. 

Below are some points I keep in mind when analzying this bout.

1.  Like many great fighters, Pacquiao will eventually hit the wall at some point and this may very well be the bout where it happens. Would anyone really be surprised if it turns out Pacquiao isn’t the same fighter at 140 that he was at 126-135?

2.  Manny Pacquiao isn’t Floyd Mayweather Jr. Don’t get me wrong. Pacquiao is a great fighter in his own right, but Mayweather is the type of guy who has at least proven he can defeat a welterweight contender, albeit the lower tier contenders. Pacquiao’s best and lone victory at 147 came against the corpse of De La Hoya.  Does anyone recall De La Hoya even having the strength to throw a combination in that bout? Further, Mayweather defeated Hatton at 147, a weight class Hatton had no business in. Want further proof? Refer to Hatton’s other welterweight bout against Luis Collazo, a close bout that could’ve arguably gone either way. Hatton is simply at his best at 140 and should provide quite the test this Saturday night.

I’m definitely in the minority on this one, and I’ll probably get tons of “eat your crow” type emails after this fight.   Believe me, a part of me wants to jump on the bandwagon and support Pacquiao. However, something in my gut tells me that Hatton will somehow pull it off.  Despite what we saw in the De La Hoya fight, I know what I saw when he fought guys that actually fought back. 

At this very moment, I envision Pacquiao being handily ahead after 5-6 rounds before getting caught with a body shot that sends him tumbling to the canvas. I see him rising but getting halted several seconds later. 

Like both of these great fighters, I’m putting it all on the line for this one. Enjoy the fight.

By Juan Angel Zurita (April 26, 2009) - I believe that Jermain Taylor will be looking to prove something tonight when he faces off against Britain’s Carl Froch.  I believe he’ll be well prepared for this bout.  However, although I foresee him getting off to a great start, I envision him fading sometime towards the end.  Since the fight is in the United States, I don’t expect Froch to get the benefit of the doubt in any close rounds.  Taylor wins a UD over the late-charging Brit.   At the end of the night, I won’t be the least bit surprised if a small minority claim Froch deserved the victory.