Chalk up all this talk about Roy Jones Jr. and "The Spider" Anderson Silva participating in a boxing match to wishful thinking and fantasy. MMAjunkie.com has reported that Dana White, the UFC President, has made it public that he will not permit a Silva-Jones Jr. fight from taking place. So the salivating MMA and boxing fans have had their hearts crushed by the man who really had the say-so in this matter anyway.
You can report the Silva and Jones camps were negotiating deals all you want, but if the UFC wasn't involved then it doesn't mean squat. Anderson Silva is the UFC's current answer to boxing’s "Iron" Mike Tyson. The man that everyone in his profession regards as the "The Most Dangerous Man." Do you honestly think Dana White would let Silva engage in a pro boxing match and lose all the allure of being considered "The Most Dangerous MMA Fighter on The Planet?"
Anderson Silva has a 1-1 record in professional boxing. He's fared much better in MMA having amassed a record of 21 wins against 4 losses. But, more important than all that, Silva is currently at the top of most mythical MMA pound-for-pound lists. On the other side of the token, Roy Jones Jr. has a professional boxing record of 52 wins against 4 losses. He held the mythical distinction of boxing’s pound-for-pound best for a number of years and although past his prime would mop the floor with an inexperienced boxer like Silva under professional boxing rules. Jones Jr. has lightning fast hands, good power and is a master craftsman in the sport of boxing. He holds wins over notable fighters like James "Lights Out" Toney, John "The Quiet Man" Ruiz and Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins. He was selected as the Boxing Writers Association of America's "Fighter of The Decade" for the 90's, and has held title belts for the WBC, WBA, IBF and countless other boxing organizations at light heavyweight. Without being able to use his other fighting skills, fighting under professional boxing rules and in a professional boxing ring it doesn't sound like Silva has much of a chance even though Jones has aged and isn't the threat he was at the height of his career. I won't even consider Roy Jones Jr. going to the octagon and fighting Silva under MMA rules because the guy is too intelligent to put himself at that type of disadvantage against a MMA fighter with the skill and experience of "The Spider."
I motion that we close the book on which sport and which fighters are better between MMA and professional boxing. The truth is that both sports are vastly different and comparing their top fighters in matches against each other isn't fair. Anderson "The Spider" Silva is one of the best MMA fighters on the planet and I would pick him to defeat most people at light heavyweight and anyone around his weight class. Roy Jones Jr. isn't the best boxer on the planet, but as he proved this past January he still has enough in the tank to defeat most fighters except for the elite. Anderson Silva would get pounded by an aged, past his prime light heavyweight like Roy Jones Jr. and Roy Jones Jr. would probably get twisted, mangled and undressed on the ground in a UFC octagon by "The Spider." There's no shame in the fact that a man that is regarded as one of the truly best in his sport would manhandle and dominate a man from another sport. I wouldn't hold it against Peyton Manning if he couldn't strike out a Florida Marlin just as I wouldn't hold it against Nolan Ryan if he couldn't throw a completion in the NFL.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Silva vs. Tyson: Examination
There has been a lot of Internet chatter lately about whether or not Anderson Silva is the “new Mike Tyson.” Proponents of this comparison believe that Silva now has the invincible mystique that Tyson had, and that his opponents enter the ring already terrified and intimidated. They also compare the relative ease with which Silva has destroyed opponents with the way Tyson dispatched #1 contenders like they were amateurs. How valid is this comparison in terms of Silva’s current mystique, performance and relative domination of his weight class?
I watched in awe as Anderson Silva knocked Dan Henderson down with a flurry of punches and knees in the second round of UFC 82. Upon reviewing the footage of that exchange about a dozen times, I wasn’t stunned so much by the ferocity of his strikes—after all, it is no secret that Silva’s strikes are devastating—I was mostly shocked by the Silva’s calm demeanor. After knocking Henderson down he took his time in attacking-- waiting a fraction of a second before delivering follow-up blows. Then, with Henderson dazed and on the defensive, Silva aggressively but methodically tightened himself around Henderson like a python, eventually cinching a rear naked choke that forced the inestimable Dan Henderson to tap.
Back to the comparison: Mike Tyson came from rough beginnings, and never really changed his behavior. He wore a gold tooth, spoke in the vernacular of the streets, engaged in street fights, carried masses of muscle and tattoos and went about his business both inside and outside of the ring with brutish intensity. Tyson appeared riddled with self-doubt and hatred, and always seemed on the verge of committing criminal violence. He entered the ring burning with pure, primal animosity.
Silva, on the other hand, is soft-spoken. He talks about respect, nobility and what it is to be a true champion. His chiseled features show no signs of having been in dozens of brutal MMA battles. He walks, punches, kicks and grapples with the grace of a dancer. His body is loose and sleek and not overly developed. He resembles those mystical Kung Fu teachers of the movies rather than modern-day bravado-filled martial artists. Self-possessed and spiritual, he seems like a nice guy even when he is smashing his knee into his opponent’s jaw.
The quantifiable statistics of Tyson’s career versus Silva’s can be debated; however, it is my opinion that Silva is far more frightening than Tyson ever was.
His ability to destroy and inflict damage is more insidious because it is not directly advertised. He doesn’t brag. He doesn’t have a massive physique, and he smiles. After the Henderson fight, he approached each member of Henderson’s corner team, grabbed their hand in both of his, and bowed. (Perhaps the only similarity he has to Tyson is his high-pitched voice, which, like Tyson, seems a little out of place for such a dominant combat athlete). Genuinely unruffled, his demeanor more closely resembles Tiger Wood’s on the golf course than Mike Tyson’s in the ring. Silva hasn’t assembled a façade to frighten, bludgeon or intimidate. He has cultivated an image of respect, dignity and pride. His innate power and self-possession is what makes him most terrifying because his strength comes from the inside, and it is difficult, verging on impossible, to defeat someone with unshakable self-belief.
I watched in awe as Anderson Silva knocked Dan Henderson down with a flurry of punches and knees in the second round of UFC 82. Upon reviewing the footage of that exchange about a dozen times, I wasn’t stunned so much by the ferocity of his strikes—after all, it is no secret that Silva’s strikes are devastating—I was mostly shocked by the Silva’s calm demeanor. After knocking Henderson down he took his time in attacking-- waiting a fraction of a second before delivering follow-up blows. Then, with Henderson dazed and on the defensive, Silva aggressively but methodically tightened himself around Henderson like a python, eventually cinching a rear naked choke that forced the inestimable Dan Henderson to tap.
Back to the comparison: Mike Tyson came from rough beginnings, and never really changed his behavior. He wore a gold tooth, spoke in the vernacular of the streets, engaged in street fights, carried masses of muscle and tattoos and went about his business both inside and outside of the ring with brutish intensity. Tyson appeared riddled with self-doubt and hatred, and always seemed on the verge of committing criminal violence. He entered the ring burning with pure, primal animosity.
Silva, on the other hand, is soft-spoken. He talks about respect, nobility and what it is to be a true champion. His chiseled features show no signs of having been in dozens of brutal MMA battles. He walks, punches, kicks and grapples with the grace of a dancer. His body is loose and sleek and not overly developed. He resembles those mystical Kung Fu teachers of the movies rather than modern-day bravado-filled martial artists. Self-possessed and spiritual, he seems like a nice guy even when he is smashing his knee into his opponent’s jaw.
The quantifiable statistics of Tyson’s career versus Silva’s can be debated; however, it is my opinion that Silva is far more frightening than Tyson ever was.
His ability to destroy and inflict damage is more insidious because it is not directly advertised. He doesn’t brag. He doesn’t have a massive physique, and he smiles. After the Henderson fight, he approached each member of Henderson’s corner team, grabbed their hand in both of his, and bowed. (Perhaps the only similarity he has to Tyson is his high-pitched voice, which, like Tyson, seems a little out of place for such a dominant combat athlete). Genuinely unruffled, his demeanor more closely resembles Tiger Wood’s on the golf course than Mike Tyson’s in the ring. Silva hasn’t assembled a façade to frighten, bludgeon or intimidate. He has cultivated an image of respect, dignity and pride. His innate power and self-possession is what makes him most terrifying because his strength comes from the inside, and it is difficult, verging on impossible, to defeat someone with unshakable self-belief.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Live Boxing at Pechanga Resort and Casino!!!!
The HBO "Boxing After Dark" series makes its way to Southern California when it televises the first title defense of new WBO welterweight champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams (33-0, 24 KOs) from the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA on Saturday, February 9th. His opponent will be Carlos "El Indio" Quintana (24-1, 19 KOs) of Moca, Puerto Rico. Williams, is a 6'1'', 147 lb welterweight who's most recent fight was his busy, workmanlike decision win over former champion Antonio Margarito. Quintana, is much shorter than Williams coming in at 5'9'', but is a good fighter with above average speed and enough power in his punch to keep most welterweights honest. However, Quintana will be giving a considerable advantage in height and most importantly, arm length and reach to the champion. This will make the fight interesting as well as the fact that Williams is an extremely busy fighter who is capable of throwing over 100 punches a round the length of the fight. For Quintana to win, he will have to find a way to neutralize the champions advantage in height and reach and slow the champions pace by not allowing him to dictate the pace of the rounds. Look for him to try and attack Williams narrow torso to slow down the champion and deny him from posting his usual gaudy punch counts.
In other action on the same card, exciting prospect and former Olympian Andre Berto (22-0, 17 KOs) will face Michel Trabant (43-2-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10 round fight. This is yet another step in the gradual maturation of the young Berto. Although his opponent has an impressive 43 wins, he is not supposed to cause much problems for Berto due to his perceived lack of power (which possibly explains the low knockout ratio 19 KOs in 46 fights) and quality of his past opponents. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to watch the young Berto continue his development as a talented welterweight prospect into possibly a strong contender by the middle or end of 2008.
Just in case you live in a different part of California and are interested in attending a live boxing event I've researched and put together a list of other cards scheduled for the month of February in California.
Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, CA (February 7th, 2008)
Holly Holm (20-1-2) vs Belinda Laracuente (23-19-3)
Chevelle Hallback (26-5-1) vs Melissa Hernandez (12-8-1)
Red Lion Hotel, Sacramento, CA February 7th, 2008
Michael Simms (19-7-1) vs Damian Norris (10-5)
Christian Cruz (12-8-1) vs Eernesto Castaneda (9-7-1)
Tachi Palace Casino, Lemoore, CA February 29th, 2008
(SHOWTIME) Robert Guerrero (21-1-1) vs Jason Litzau (23-1) (IBF Featherweight Belt)
Travis Walker (26-1-1) vs T.J. Wilson (12-1)
In other action on the same card, exciting prospect and former Olympian Andre Berto (22-0, 17 KOs) will face Michel Trabant (43-2-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10 round fight. This is yet another step in the gradual maturation of the young Berto. Although his opponent has an impressive 43 wins, he is not supposed to cause much problems for Berto due to his perceived lack of power (which possibly explains the low knockout ratio 19 KOs in 46 fights) and quality of his past opponents. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to watch the young Berto continue his development as a talented welterweight prospect into possibly a strong contender by the middle or end of 2008.
Just in case you live in a different part of California and are interested in attending a live boxing event I've researched and put together a list of other cards scheduled for the month of February in California.
Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, CA (February 7th, 2008)
Holly Holm (20-1-2) vs Belinda Laracuente (23-19-3)
Chevelle Hallback (26-5-1) vs Melissa Hernandez (12-8-1)
Red Lion Hotel, Sacramento, CA February 7th, 2008
Michael Simms (19-7-1) vs Damian Norris (10-5)
Christian Cruz (12-8-1) vs Eernesto Castaneda (9-7-1)
Tachi Palace Casino, Lemoore, CA February 29th, 2008
(SHOWTIME) Robert Guerrero (21-1-1) vs Jason Litzau (23-1) (IBF Featherweight Belt)
Travis Walker (26-1-1) vs T.J. Wilson (12-1)
Friday, January 25, 2008
2008 Shaping Up To Be an Exciting Year for Pro Boxing
For a large period of time the sport of professional boxing was said to be "dying" and losing relevance in the sports community. There was a long list of problems cited by casual sports fans and sports reporters. They said the best boxers in the world hardly ever fought each other, gave uninspired efforts during major events (which fans would have to pay $40-50 bucks a pop for the pleasure of witnessing) and the major casinos priced out the casual boxing fan with four or five figure ringside seats.
But it looks like professional boxing finally woke up in 2007 and started addressing at least some of the issues that have plagued the sport and alienated its fans in the process. Last year brought a number of world class fights which helped distinguish who some of the best boxers in the different weight classes were and the best boxers actually decided to face each other and made compelling fights. No doubt the pressure that came from the emergence and rapid success of MMA (mixed-martial arts) contributed greatly to the promoters and boxers finally waking up and listening to the fans.
Luckily for us boxing fans out there, the pace hasn't slowed down for the upcoming fight schedule for 2008 as we will be rewarded for our devotion to the "sweet science" with many major fights this year. Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II, Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III, Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe and a slew of other entertaining fights have already been signed for the first half 2008. Add to this the recent announcement by Oscar De La Hoya of his intentions to fight two times this year and pursue a second bout with Floyd Mayweather for September and us boxing fans are in for quite a treat. Here's a quick list of the three upcoming fights that I recommend any fight fan to mark on their calendar for this year.
1. Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III (SHOWTIME) - On March 1st, these two super bantamweight superstars will meet for the third time in less than a year to settle the score of who is the premiere boxer in this weight class. In the first bout between these excellent competitors it was Rafael Marquez who battered and bruised Vazquez into quitting on his stool in the middle of the fight due to a broken and busted nose. When the second fight came around most boxing experts feared Vazquez was taking the fight too soon considering the injury to his nose and that he'd possibly be bludgeoned by the new champ, Marquez. If Marquez listened to all the hype then he was sadly mistaken as Israel Vazquez was able to overcome another brilliant performance by Marquez to force the referee to stop the fight in the sixth round due to the overwhelming pressure and effective power punches Vazquez was applying to the champ. For me, this is the most anticipated fight of the year because the first two fights were classics and considered to be 2007 Fight of The Year candidates by most boxing authorities like Ring and Yahoo! as well as fans.
2. Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II (HBO PAY-PER-VIEW) - This fight will take place in the middle of March and is a rematch from the disputed draw that both men fought to in their first encounter. In the first fight, Manny Pacquiao blitzed JM Marquez in the first round and succeeded in putting the rugged Mexican on the mat three times! However, Marquez would regroup and take control of the later rounds which forced the judges to render the result of the bout a draw. No doubt, this will be a fight for the ages that I believe will either match the excitement of their first battle or surpass it. A Marquez win could possibly lead to a trilogy which would definitely satisfy the boxing masses.
3. Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II (HBO PAY-PER-VIEW) - Yes, this seems to be the year of the rematch so far. This is an example of another rematch of a classic first battle as Pavlik rose from a second round knockdown in the first fight to surprise and pummel the former champ/Bernard Hopkins conqueror in the corner until referee Steve Smoger mercifully stopped the fight. The loss shocked most of the boxing world and Jermain Taylor as well and the aftermath led to the firing of his hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward and Taylor executing his rematch clause. However, the fight will not be held at the 160 lb limit that the first contest was made at. Instead, Taylor opted to make the fight at a higher weight in the belief the extra weight will bring him more power and better endurance into this rematch. The interesting thing to see is how the extra weight will benefit the new champ Kelly Pavlik.
But it looks like professional boxing finally woke up in 2007 and started addressing at least some of the issues that have plagued the sport and alienated its fans in the process. Last year brought a number of world class fights which helped distinguish who some of the best boxers in the different weight classes were and the best boxers actually decided to face each other and made compelling fights. No doubt the pressure that came from the emergence and rapid success of MMA (mixed-martial arts) contributed greatly to the promoters and boxers finally waking up and listening to the fans.
Luckily for us boxing fans out there, the pace hasn't slowed down for the upcoming fight schedule for 2008 as we will be rewarded for our devotion to the "sweet science" with many major fights this year. Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II, Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III, Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe and a slew of other entertaining fights have already been signed for the first half 2008. Add to this the recent announcement by Oscar De La Hoya of his intentions to fight two times this year and pursue a second bout with Floyd Mayweather for September and us boxing fans are in for quite a treat. Here's a quick list of the three upcoming fights that I recommend any fight fan to mark on their calendar for this year.
1. Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III (SHOWTIME) - On March 1st, these two super bantamweight superstars will meet for the third time in less than a year to settle the score of who is the premiere boxer in this weight class. In the first bout between these excellent competitors it was Rafael Marquez who battered and bruised Vazquez into quitting on his stool in the middle of the fight due to a broken and busted nose. When the second fight came around most boxing experts feared Vazquez was taking the fight too soon considering the injury to his nose and that he'd possibly be bludgeoned by the new champ, Marquez. If Marquez listened to all the hype then he was sadly mistaken as Israel Vazquez was able to overcome another brilliant performance by Marquez to force the referee to stop the fight in the sixth round due to the overwhelming pressure and effective power punches Vazquez was applying to the champ. For me, this is the most anticipated fight of the year because the first two fights were classics and considered to be 2007 Fight of The Year candidates by most boxing authorities like Ring and Yahoo! as well as fans.
2. Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II (HBO PAY-PER-VIEW) - This fight will take place in the middle of March and is a rematch from the disputed draw that both men fought to in their first encounter. In the first fight, Manny Pacquiao blitzed JM Marquez in the first round and succeeded in putting the rugged Mexican on the mat three times! However, Marquez would regroup and take control of the later rounds which forced the judges to render the result of the bout a draw. No doubt, this will be a fight for the ages that I believe will either match the excitement of their first battle or surpass it. A Marquez win could possibly lead to a trilogy which would definitely satisfy the boxing masses.
3. Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II (HBO PAY-PER-VIEW) - Yes, this seems to be the year of the rematch so far. This is an example of another rematch of a classic first battle as Pavlik rose from a second round knockdown in the first fight to surprise and pummel the former champ/Bernard Hopkins conqueror in the corner until referee Steve Smoger mercifully stopped the fight. The loss shocked most of the boxing world and Jermain Taylor as well and the aftermath led to the firing of his hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward and Taylor executing his rematch clause. However, the fight will not be held at the 160 lb limit that the first contest was made at. Instead, Taylor opted to make the fight at a higher weight in the belief the extra weight will bring him more power and better endurance into this rematch. The interesting thing to see is how the extra weight will benefit the new champ Kelly Pavlik.
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