Before I get to the Boxingtalk Daily Mailbag I would like to send my condolences to the entire Corrales Family. I had the privilege to meet Diego on a few occasions and he always conducted himself in a very gracious manner. My best memory of Corrales was after he lost the rematch to Castillo at the press conference. The press members were doing all they could to get Corrales to say Castillo’s extra weight was the reason for the loss and Diego kept saying, “I am not making any excuses, if they (referring to his promotional and management team) want to say that it was the weight, they can, but I’m not going to take anything away from his victory.” Corrales was a credit to the sport of boxing for both his activities inside and outside the ring. He will be greatly missed as there will never be another Diego “Chico” Corrales!
Now on to the Mailbag:
Hey man, I can totally agree with anyone who says that Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t the GOAT! But what I cannot agree with is the minimization of Floyd’s defeat of Oscar DeLaHoya which somewhat resembled Floyd’s win over Carlos Baldomir. Why the similarity, Oscar was UNABLE to hit Floyd cleanly over the whole fight all the while Floyd was standing right in front of him, Floyd landed the most significant punches of the fight, Oscars SPEED and stamina were non-existent. The so-called Oscar gameplan never came into fruition! But still two days after the fight, fans and critics are questioning the decision and some are even saying that Oscar should’ve won or been granted a draw, one judge even scored the fight in Oscar’s favor. What I saw Saturday nite was a masterpiece wherein the smaller man OUTCLASSED the bigger man and made him look like an amateur, but in some folks mind THIS WAS NOT SO and IF IT WAS SO, it still wasn’t ENOUGH! Floyd will NEVER get the respect he deserves for his accomplishments in the ring and I’ll be the first to ask the question, based on the negativity surrounding Floyd’s career is Floyd a lock as a first ballot ‘hall of famer’ or will the controversy continue as he attempts to confirm his legacy with admittance into boxing’s highest order?
Sweetchuck’s Response: I think Floyd will be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Floyd is one of the best of this generation and looking at some of the others in the Hall of Fame, there’s no way he will not be a first ballot. Oscar fought a good fight and was very competitive in the early rounds by using his jab and making it a rough fight on the ropes and on the inside. Oscar was working on hitting Floyd and not hurting him it seemed. I’ll admit the first time I watched I had Oscar winning. Second time around I had Floyd. Judging in this fight was subjective towards the style you liked. Floyd did come on and pretty much sweep 8-11. The first seven and the last round was subjective towards what you liked, the fact that Oscar was busy or that Floyd was more accurate. Reminds of Baldomir? Oscar kept fighting and wasn’t discouraged and Floyd kept punching, how was this fight even compared to the Baldomir fight? Funny how everyone jumped on the not the greatest of all time bandwagon.
What’s up G? I have to get this off my chest because it’s been really bothering me. The Super fight this past Saturday was everything I predicted it to be, a boxing clinic by the greatest fighter in the world. Unfortunately something else that I predicted came true, the interpretation of the fight by the casual fans. The interpretation of the fight is that it was a close fight that could’ve gone either way, when at fact it was a boxing virtuoso by the best in the business. The main source of this misinterpretation was created by not only the Vegas judges who scored it a split decision, but equally as butchered by the HBO commentators. Jim Lampley whom I love as a blow by blow man seemed to forget his boxing IQ in Rancho Santa Fe. Larry Merchant once again proved to the world that he is the undisputed pound for pound champion at misery and is absolutely the most grumpiest old man on television it almost saddens me that Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon are past away and unable to make another movie. Emanuel Stewart whom I consider to be one of the greatest trainers ever for some reason or another doesn’t seem to understand pure boxing. Merchant and Stewart and to a lesser part Lampley expressed their negativity about Mayweather and gave the overall outlook to the casual fans that Mayweather isn’t a great fighter, that he is just “good” explained by Stewart and that it was De La Hoya who was picking off the punches even though at the end of the fight it was Mayweather (by Compubox estimations) that landed 57% of his power punches to De La Hoya’s 20 something percent. Larry Merchant in the post fight interview showed of his hating skills and stepped it up a notch to full throttle and hit Mayweather with the best combinations Floyd was hit with all night. “you said it would be a massacre Floyd, why wasn’t it”? “If you clearly won why was it a split decision”? Also Merchant didn’t start off with his “congratulations Floyd” as he normally does almost out of disrespect. It was as if he couldn’t wait to bring down Floyds spirits starting the interview off with a manipulating “you seem agitated Floyd”. I remember after I think 8 or 9 rounds Emanuel Stewart said that he sees Oscar pulling ahead in this fight, which lead to my eyes rolling in simultaneous directions in ways I had once considered impossible, I was wrong. How can someone be so knowledgeable in boxing yet when faced by it can’t understand it? How can you not see that Floyd either slipped, rolled or ducked 80 percent of Oscars attacks? I’d just like to say in closing that Max Kellerman was the only HBO broadcaster that was watching the same fight I was, a boxing masterpiece by todays best pugilist.---Jayson Charpied New York---
Sweetchuck’s Response: Refer to my last comment about the scoring. Merchant’s days are numbered on HBO so it really didn’t matter if he pissed Mayweather off in the post fight interview. Merchant sometimes cracks me up when he gets disgusted with what’s going on in boxing. You might be right about him being a “Grumpy Old Man,” but consider all the fights he has covered over the last ten years that were supposed to “save boxing” or be the “the next great fight” and have them turn into what we saw on Saturday Night. Don’t get me wrong it was a good fight, but it wasn’t the dramatic fight they built it up to be. I guess after having to be part of the build up for all of the fights similar to Saturday without them living up to the bill would make several people crack after all the decades under the influence.
Greg whats good??? Greg I hope Mayweather gets his respect now. I know he was universally considered the best pound for pound figther in the sport but you always had people criticizing his choice of opponents. People always seemed reluctant to praise him as an all time great.....Personally, I thought Delahoya was going to get to him. In part because I thought he would fight Mayweather the same way he fought Mosley the second time around. Keeping him at the end of the jab and throwing combos here and their, then landing his left hook. BUT..we all saw what happened. Mayweather did what he had to do to win the fight. He hit Delahoya with 57% of his punches. (FIFTY SEVEN PERCENT) of his punches landed, enough said. DeLaHoya is a hall of fame fighter and floyd did him in. Another point that I've always made about Floyd. Mayweather is at his best at 140 pounds. Saturday night it was visible how much smaller he looked and he didn't marathon around the ring, he did his thing within range of Oscar's punches. Floyd is the best pound for pounder on the planet. As of now, he says he's retired. If that is so, greg my question to you is: Where do you rank Floyd on your ALL-TIME pound for pound list? later Cesar
Sweetchuck’s Response: I cannot speak for Greg, but on my list I would put him a step behind Roy Jones which is three steps behind Bernard Hopkins. I would put him in my top 40 all time greats, but not better than that, if that. Floyd has the potential to move into the top 30 with wins over Mosley, Margarito-Williams winner, and Winky Wright (especially if Wright beats Hopkins as he would have won titles from 130-175). If Spinks beats Taylor, that would be an excellent fight for Floyd as well.
Yo what's up Charles, I just have little something to say about The Golden Girl (Oscar De la Hoya)! I have never seen such a COWARD in my life! Every time he looses he accuses someone of cheating! Look, Oscar you got your ass handed to you last Saturday night and nobody cheated you, you just LOST! I will say this, when you fought Tito that was bullshit I had you winning the first 8 rounds! But! You gave up your right to complain by running like the COWARD you are for the last 4 rounds! You have no room to complain when you fought Pernell Whitaker, Sweet Pea made you look like a FOOL and we all know what happened that night! Shane kicked your ass both times the second fight was kind of close but I think you still lost! The first fight was so one sided that it was not even funny, can you say over hand right all night long? We can't forget about Felix Sturm, everybody and their mama's including your BABIES MAMA'S know you lost that fight! So Oscar STOP crying and saying that you have been cheated because you have not! So Charles let me know your thoughts on what I had to say, this is Daniel from Colorado Springs, CO Boxingtalk.com my Bible of boxing!
Sweetchuck’s Response: Daniel, you sound like an agitated Larry Merchant! LOL, just messing with you. You’re right Oscar did lose those fights, but being a fighter myself who has lost close decisions as an amateur I will always feel like I won the fight. The fighter doesn’t perhaps feel cheated, but there are just some fights that you feel in your heart you won. That’s how Oscar feels about Tito. The Mosley losses he now admits he lost. Yes I thought Pernell beat DLH, but he won that fight and I honestly never cared about the Sturm fight because I just don’t like the overhyped Sturm. Speaking of Sturm, it isn’t a great accomplishment for him to become a three time middleweight champion without ever really beating a champion (the WBO he beat an interim champion, then won the WBA “Regular” title and then Castillejo lost the fight before Sturm but the decision was overturned by drug test).
Floyd is full of shit....He was landing punches one at a time....When he wanted to combined Oscar with a 1,2,3 or 1,2,3,4, Oscar was making him miss like hell, by giving Floyd a taste of his own soup, ducking, weaving, bobbing, dudging...It's true that Oscar's approach to the fight was a lot different by grabbing and punching, but it was pretty obvious that he intimidated Mayweather, and knowing that Oscar pack a punch, we know that floyd felt it, in his ribs and on top and sides of his coconut little head...He forgot to jab and was to close to Floyd for his own good, and not doing much, but neither Mayweather and his nervous jumpy ass...Oscar wins the rematch by going back to his old plan...staying in the middle distance and working that sucker from the jab...
Sweetchuck’s Response: I really don’t think the fight warrants a rematch. Think about it, do you really want to spend another $55 to see a tactical battle with an ESPN quality undercard? Lets give it to both fighters, they did well and at times they both exercised their game plan. Oscar’s a smart businessman and he was the real winner, him and Golden Boy and all the money made. Floyd received a career high purse and if a similar purse was offered to fight Mosley, Wright, Cotto, Williams or Margarito he will have a short retirement.
Since you agree with the writer from Colorado that Judah is beating Cotto via TKO in the 6th or 7th rounds, because he has superior skills and power than Cotto, do not sell Cotto short when he beats the shit out of Judah on June 9th. Judah could not do anything with Baldomir, but here he is more skilled and has more power than Cotto? Man, are you guys biased or what? Give the man some credit, for a change!
Sweetchuck’s Response: Cotto is a good exciting fighter, but you have to admit that he was getting hit too much towards the end of his last fight. He was dropped by Ricardo Torres and hurt badly by Corley so do I think Judah has the superior skills, power and speed than Cotto…Yes I do, it’s not hating, it’s telling it how I see it.
Mr Presnell, Hi, I just wanted to let you guys know how disgusted I am with peoples reactions after the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight. It looked like people were so surprised with the decision when Mayweather clearly won the fight... I don't want to sound biased because I'm neither white, black or spanish, I'm asian! Even guys like Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant hate to see a guy like Mayweather win, its disgusting! I don't even know how a respectable judge like Kazmareck had the fight for De La Hoya, he should be under investigation! What people don't know is Floyd had to put up with a bunch of Oscar's demands, coming up in weight, using the smaller ring and gloves Oscar wanted and he still won and proved that he is the greatest fighter in this era.. Floyd said it best "Tonight you saw a welterweight beat up on a middleweight!" I'm sick of guys like Lampley and Merchant saying there wasn't enough action, appreciate the art and the sweet science! HBO needs to hire honest guys like Max Kellermen and Harold Lederman to actually commentate the fights so the general public isn't brainwashed into thinking what Oscar did was enough to win.. From a true boxing fan's perspective May 5th, 2007 has been officially altered to "CINCO DE MAY-weather" Mike
Sweetchuck’s Word: Preach on my Asian Brother. I really don’t think there were any racial references or bias. Oscar was competitive for the first 7 rounds, but 8-11 were swept by Mayweather. Harold Lederman is a good at what he does and I don’t think he’d want to switch seats anytime soon. Patience, Merchant is supposed to be stepping down soon.
M
Send questions and comments to: presnellcharles@yahoo.com
