Shay, In replying to some mailbaggers picking RJ over Floyd, you give RJ bad marks for getting knocked out by Tarver and Glen Johnson instead of staying at heavyweight and beating up the bums in that division. But look at it this way - Roy didn't finally meet his match until he was 35, and that was after he moved up to heavyweight and had success. Roy Jones was taking on his No. 1 contender at age 35 (Tarver), and shouldn't be punished or have credit taken AWAY from him for taking challenging fights late in his career, not until Floyd shows us that he can do better when he's that old. Likewise, you shouldn't reward Floyd for cutting his career short before he has to do what Roy did - take on good opponents after his prime. Do you think that Sugar Ray Leonard or Ali were any less great because they fought on past their prime? If not, then how can you say that RJ is inferior to Floyd for that reason? The great ones don't lose their luster just because they don't pack it in at the height of their powers.=Joe S.
Ishe Response: Joe thanks a lot for the email and I must admit you make a lot of good points, but in all honest I am still going to go with Floyd as the best in this era at the current Time. When Leonard, Ali, and Robinson declined it was a very slow process; Roy went from being the MJ of boxing to the guy coming off the bench after an MVP season. I am a big Roy Jones fan, but I truly believe that Roy cost himself dearly by those two knockouts; I have said it once and I will say it again; Greats do not get stopped by KO! Ali was never knocked out, Robinson technically was never knocked out, Hagler was never knocked out, Leonard was TKO’ed but we all know that story. Joe I could go on and on, I didn’t make the rules, ask any old timer and they will swear by the rule. Greats can only be subject to knockout, when they fight other greats; now ask yourself is Tarver and Johnson great fighters? I love Roy Jones and I am a big fan of the man; the debate is open for questioning, but as of right now if Jones was to retire and Mayweather was to stay retired I would go with Floyd by a slim margin. I will use this analogy: Mt Everest is the tallest peak in the world, 1 in 10 climbers die trying to reach the top. Roy scaled Mt Everest, the world’s tallest peak sitting at 29,035 feet in the air; once he reached the top he got bored and thought to himself, “What should I do Now, I have done what many thought couldn’t be done, I have scaled the worlds tallest peak, their is nothing else for me to accomplish, maybe I should just continue to climb the best mountains in the world.” The problem with that Joe is that there is only one Mt Everest, and the great Roy Jones succeeded in climbing that peak. He needed adventure and excitement, the great Roy Jones got so bored that he let an unknown climber get into his head; that climber always boasted, “Hey guys I can do the same thing this guy Jones has done, but I can do it a lot better. I am the next big climber on the block.” Jones hated the brash and flamboyant climber and he vowed to never compete against the novice; but all the talk started to get into his head and thus for he could let it rest anymore. Jones stated, “Saddle up young man, I will finally give you your shot; we will not do Everest, let’s do a mediocre peak, I have just scaled Everest and I am tired and weary but I will give you a chance young man.” The two men scaled up the mediocre peak, with Jones out in front, obviously feeling the effects from climbing Everest earlier. Jones won a close race up the small peak, highly disputed by the young climber; most observers did not know what the young man was talking about because most people did not feel the young man deserved to win, and with the lackluster performance he had given, most people wonder why he was making such claims. The young man was furious, and he demanded a rematch only this time he wanted to do Mt. Everest, see Joe this young man was infatuated with Jones, he wanted to be just like him, he was jealous and he envied Jones, he wanted a rematch but this time he wanted Everest. Jones once again fell for the ego of the young competitor and decided he would race up Everest against him. This time Jones wasn’t as lucky, the competitor quickly deposed Jones in record fashion; Jones went on to compete a couple more times never looking like the same fellow who scaled up Everest. Roy was on top Joe and if Tarver wanted a piece he should of climb Everest to get it (which is the heavyweight division), instead Roy decided to climb down and lower his standards and since then he has never looked the same. He tumbled so fast Joe, it looked as though he literally plunged from Everest head first, I respect Roy, but I will still give it to Floyd at the current time. I understand the debate, and should Floyd lose one or stay retired it is a debate worth arguing, because in all honesty it hasn’t been anyone better than Jones or Mayweather in this era. Whats up Ishe? I gotta tell you bud, you are great with the daily mailbag. Hatton is great, he is like a little Pit Bull, no doubt, but I really don't see him winning many rounds vs Floyd. Castillo was great, but you do not need to be a genius to see his better days were behind him on Saturday night. Fighting Floyd would be a totally different event. But, why would Hatton get that prize, he was lucky to get a decision the one time he fought at 47 (Collazo). I would much prefer see Floyd do battle with a Proven/Rugged Welter like Cotto, Margarito or Williams. Like I said, Hatton is a nasty little dude, but I think he is hand picked for Floyd. I am sure many will disagree, but I think Cotto is on his way to being the pound 4 pound elite. Hatton would be better off staying far away, and I am sure Floyd would demand something like 20 million to keep himself safe. That's just my own opinion.
Let me ask you, Who wins Wlad or Brewster. I kinda think Wlad is ready for Brewster this time, but you have to wonder about the fact of Brewster knocking him out before. I could see Wlad winning VERY easy, but what if there is some adversity, will he panic? Good talking to you Ishe. -Mike
Ishe Response: Wlad seems to perform very well in rematches, I don’t like Brewster in this one, the inactivity and the fact that the fight is overseas is going to spell trouble for Brewster. I would love to see Hatton face off against Paulie before he fights Floyd. I think Hatton should moved up gradually before he fights at welterweight again, I to believe that Hatton is tailor made for Mayweather. Cotto is definitely a star in the making and I would love to see him mix it up with Mayweather also. Let’s not forget that Brewster had eye surgery as well, which isn’t going to bode well for his chances.What`s good Shay, Great fight this past weekend... Loved that deadly kidney shot by Hatton. Castillo was just fighting the wrong fight. Castillo, considering his height and reach, shouldv`e been fighting hatton on the outside using his jabs, and timing hatton to later use his right cross hook or upper. I also hardly saw body shots from Castillo in order to slow him down a bit. I`ll tell ya this, I`m certainly not going to take any credit from Hatton because he did what he was supposed to do to beat castillo. People are already wanting to take some credit away from Hatton by stating that Castillo was a shot fighter...maybe he was, maybe he wasn`t... All I know is this, Shot or not he still wouldv`e gone down by that kidney shot..Period! After the fight, I loved the comment Hatton stated towards Mayweather, "There was more action in these 4rounds than in Mayweather`s whole career.."
LOL, how true. I can see now why that Mexican hat suited better on Hatton than on Mayweather. lol On a serious tip, I also loved the dedication he made to Corrales` wife...what a gentleman.
Anyway, Regarding Hatton`s next fight...if he`s going to fight at 140 one more time then it should be against Pauli. But, I really think he should move up to 147 to get the big ppv fights. I think it`s already his time. I know Hatton had some trouble fighting at 147 but Luis Collazo can give anyone trouble at that weight...he is a tough son of a bitch. The two kings of Body punching Hatton vs. Cotto now that`s something I would love to watch. ..but if that doesn`t happen then Hatton vs. Mosley. I definetly wouldn`t mind watching Hatton vs. Mayweather...it wouldn`t be as entertaining as a fight with Cotto or Mosley but still a good interesting fight. Mayweather would probably win due to his style.
Anyway Champ, keep it real...
~Joe from Dallas Tx
Ishe Response: I love Ricky Hatton; it would serve him well to stay at junior welterweight for a couple more fights. Fights against Cotto, Mayweather, and Paulie are great possibilities for Hatton, but moving up in weight at the current time does not seem like a viable option, especially since Louis almost scorched him up there. It’s funny how people want to call Castillo shot after Hatton deposed him in devastating fashion, it was Ricky’s night and I am not going to call Castillo shot. That would only be discrediting Ricky and what he accomplished, I will be no part of that either. Whats good Shay, I want to comment on the fight this past weekend. I was not surprised Castillo was put down with a body shot. From the opening bell he kept turning to his side for no real reason. I said he keep turning like that he is gonna get hit, and he sure did. He gave it to Ricky and Ricky took it, I cant be mad at that. I was happy that Kellerman got the ringside duties, and he keeps it 100. Castillo looked flat from the opening bell, and possibly may be shot. I didnt think hatton put on a great performance, this guy is worse than john ruiz. I actually had the fight going in castillo direction. Lets make this clear. CORRALES vs CASTILLO I is a perfect example on IN-FIGHTING. Not that Bull that hatton does. Then he got the nerve to put Floyds name in his mouth. I'm tired of boxers saying they will fight anybody, b/c bottom line, they trying to get paid. When Floyd offered to fight Hatton after the Gatti fight, he had every excuse to turn down the fight. Now that he feels he can get more money to fight floyd, he wanna call him out. The result of that fight is no different now then it would have been 2 years ago. Who has he fought since then to think he can beat floyd? NOBODY. Floyd wins that fight by K.O.
Ishe Response: I don’t think Hatton’s performance had anything to do with Castillo being shot, it was a great body and a handful of fighters would have gone down from that shot. I think Hatton vs. Mayweather would be a great fight and do great ppv numbers, but I can honestly see it being a repeat of Gatti vs. Mayweather. Ishe, I just hope to see you in the ring sooner than later bro! I was at the fight between you and Sechew Powell at the Hammerstein Ballroom and I definitely thought you lost the fight, but you definitely could of done more and in my humble opinion even won it. I was there to see paulie fight, big fan I see him train everyday when I train at Gleasons in Brooklyn. Well My real question is this and please respond! I am a HUGE MIKE TYSON FAN! I don't think I am crazy either for saying this but in mike's prime he would of DESTROYED Lennox Lewis, put him to sleep in 6 rounds or less! Light Work! along with any other current heavyweight out there know and were talking about tyson here pre-buster douglass fiasco. Don't even get me started there on how much of a fluke win that was we all know what happened to douglass after his fight with Tyson he got knocked the F###K Out by Holyfield! My rankings are for the top ten all time greatest boxers here is my top ten list, please tell me what you think! 10 Mike Tyson 50 Wins (44 ko's) 6 losses draws o #9 (Big) George Foreman - Won 76 lost 5, 68 KO - # 8 8 - (Sugar) Ray Leonard - 36 Wins, 3 Loss, 1 Draw, 25 KO #7 7 - (Marvelous) Marvin Hagler - 62 Wins, 3 Losses, 2 Draws, 52 KO # 6 6 - Archie Moore - 181 wins, 24 losses, 9 draws and 1 no contest, 145 KO # 5 Roy Jones Jr. W 50 (38 ko's 4 losses # 4 4 - Joe (Brown Bomber) Louis - Won 68 Lost 3, 54 KO # 3 3 - Julio Cesar Chavez - Won 107 Lost 6, 2 draws, 86 KO's # 2 2 - Muhammed (Louisville Lip) Ali - won 56 Lost 5, 37 KO # 1 – (Sugar) Ray Robinson 179 wins, 19 losses, 6 draws, 2 no contests, 109 KO Honerable mentions
Floyd Mayweather Jr - 32 Wins, 0 Losses, 21 Knockouts
In my opinion without a doubt the best active pound for pound boxer
Roberto Duran - 103 Wins, 16 Loss, 69 Knockouts
forever scarred for his 8th round quit job on Sugar Ray Leonard.
Evander (Real Deal) Holyfield - 38 Wins, 7 Losses, 2 Draw, 25 KO
undisputed cruiserweight, and heavyweight champion of the world. Also was the man that destroyed the aura that was Mike Tyson but let's no forget not even a close to prime Tyson. He will have his place in boxing history, but not as one of the greatest ever.
(Smokin’) Joe Frazier - 32 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw, 27 KO
one of most feared fighters ever, but 2 losses to Ali and Foreman has him just off my list
Thomas Hearns - 59 wins 4 Loss 1 Draw, 46 KO
AKA "the Hit Man" and "the Motor City Cobra", Hearns won seven world championships in six weight classes during his 22 year pro career. But losses to Leonard (his first ever) and Hagler keeps him off my list by the way he would destroy mayweather!
Bernard Hopkins - 45 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, 1 NC, 32 KO
More so than Hagler, Hopkins had a slow start to his career. When he finally won the belt, he defended against the best of the 90’s and 2000. Well Take Care Much love your Fan! (Ben K) From Gleasons!
Ishe Response: I respect your opinion and I feel like I could have done more myself, but if you feel I didn’t do enough, what exactly did Sechew do more than me? Let’s not even get into that, its not about me, it’s about this list so lets dive right into it. You left out a lot of great names, Jones is too high for me, Foreman at 9 is a stretch, Archie at 6 is far fetched, and Tyson at 10 is just crazy. The top 2 are correctly placed; if I had a top 10 list it would kind of look like this:Ray Robinson
Muhammad Ali
Henry Armstrong
Larry Holmes
Willie Pep
Ray Leonard
Joe Louis
Gene Fullmer
Pernell Whitaker
Jack JohnsonI know that I will probably take some flack over my list, but it is my opinion and we all have them. Thanks for the email. Ishe,
I have a 5 questions for you.
1. Do you think you can defeat Antonio Margarito?
2. Do you think you can do a better job than Tony against Joshua Clottey?
3. When are you going to fight a top ten fighter?
4. Do you plan on getting in the ring soon or do you plan on anwsering mailbag for a while?
5. Why didn't you want to fight Kassim Ouma? do you think you blew it by not accepting the fight. it could be a while before you fight against a name fighter.
ISHE'S RESPONSE: This email was kind of funny to me, I was deciding what to do with it, and I finally came to the conclusion to answer this person’s questions.
I almost don’t want to dignify this with an answer, and I have stated time and time again if you believe you can’t beat someone you’ve already lost. Clottey lost right? Isn’t that every athlete’s goal, to do better than the next man. Uhhhhhh hmmmmmmm lets see….. I don’t know if you read or not but I am currently searching for a promoter. Another classic question, hold on let me copy and paste number 3 for you….. Uhhhhhh hmmmmmmm lets see….. I don’t know if you read or not but I am currently searching for a promoter. That’s the million dollar question for Eirc Gomez at Golden Boy, not me. I accepted the fight and agreed to all the terms and a week later we were discussing some type of release. I don’t know what happen to be honest.
Ishe you were in the running to be Kassim Ouma's next opponent. Shortly after that fell apart you left Golden Boy. Are those two events connected? Now Sergio Mora has stepped in to face Ouma; what is your opinion on how that fight will play out? There having been some tension between you and Mora in the past, how do you feel about him landing this fight? -Vik
Ishe Response: Vik finally a sophisticated email let me give you a run down of events. I never left Golden Boy, why wouldn’t a fighter want to be with the best promoters in the business who are going to change boxing…….. Lets just say I was offered the Ouma fight last Monday; I accepted the fight immediately, and starting preparing myself mentally and physically. I preceded setting up camp in Las Vegas at Top Rank boxing gym, I was then told by the managers of the gym that I could not train there because I was a Golden Boy fighter. I was getting sparring prepared and everything was looking bright, and today I get a call from my wife and attorney that a release had been negotiated. I have no idea what happen, or why they offered me the fight in the first place. I pleaded to get a fight in, and they kept me on the shelf for months while my wife gave birth, and finally we’re here. In my eyes I was Ouma’s next opponent, I don’t know what happened Vik. I think Sergio will do very well against Kassim, and I think Forbes will blast Bojado, you know Golden Boy probably has options on Mora and Forbes because both of their fighters can lose these matches. I am happy that Mora is getting the opportunity to fight on HBO, it is a winnable fight for him, and Mora should definitely size the moment. Vik I have no hard feelings towards anybody at Golden Boy and at least I can train at Top Rank now. Lol, and I think someone said it best when they told me something yesterday that I had never thought of before, its hard to be great or become great amongst a lot of great fighters, I just never fit in Vik. I still feel very blessed Vik, I have a lot of my sponsors still in place, and I am going to be completely honest after Golden Boy I was scared I was going to lose a lot of them, but I let them all know what happened and they’ve been so supportive. One company even went on to say that they weren’t sponsoring me because I was with Golden Boy, that was great to hear Vik, and we just added a popular beverage company to the roster. After a fight is set my sponsors are the first people I call, so to say I felt dumb when I had to tell them about the situation would be an understatement. Especially after the beverage company dropped off cases of water and sport drinks at my house after I called them. Just thank God I still have a lot of them supporting me, now if I can just get a fight in. Lol, thanks for the email Vik. The only thing is, though, in regard to RJ's standing on the list, if he loses to Hanshaw it wont have any bearing on his standing compared to Floyd or anyone else the same way Ray losing to Camacho and Ali losing to Holmes, Spinks and Berbick didn't have any negative impact on theirs. You have to guy according to what a guy does in his prime years. Anything before or after is kind of a wash. (IMO)
Ishe Response: Look at the first question; Roy fell harder and faster than any of the boxers you named. I love Roy, but at the current time I give Floyd a slim margin. What’s happening, Shay! Great job on the mailbag. You seem to be getting to everybody’s questions, and that’s real cool. Also, I rooted for you on the Contender. You’re a great talent and I wish you the best in your career. I just want to say, first off, that it’s funny how the biggest topic of the mailbag has been PBF. People write in constantly trying to persuasively argue that he isn’t the greatest of our era. In my opinion, if he wasn’t, why so much hater mail? It’s not even a discussion that requires a lot of in depth thought. There’s no one in our era that has accomplished as much, and is as naturally talented as Floyd. The only one clse is Roy. Period. It’s not rocket science. Look at talent and accomplishments. It’s not even a question. I just think it’s funny that we’ve had many big matchups since then. Judah vs. Cotto, Paulie just got a belt, Hatton fought this weekend, then we have a bunch of big fights coming up. Margarito and Williams, Cintron, Gomes and Gatti, Klitschko is about to fight again. But here we are, almost 2 months after the Floyd/Oscar fight, and PBF is still the topic of the day! Hmmm, reminds me of all the Ali haters. People tried to say that he wasn’t the greatest when he was around. Now look at him! It’s the same thing, just a different fighter. But, anyway. What’s up with you? Another mailbagger mentioned you getting with Mayweather promotions. I actually thought about that too. I mean, it couldn’t hurt. You’ve already done Golden Boy, and I think you said that you were with DiBella at one point as well. You’re a free agent now. Why not MP? I think you and the wife should look into that possibility. You’ve known Floyd for a long time. Besides that “spy” incident, I’d imagine you’re on speaking terms LOL!!! But, for real, I think it would be a good move. I’d like to see you fight Jose Antonio Rivera, Oumma, then go after Travis Simms. That would be a really good matchup for you. One more thing. Hatton did his thing against Castillo. Shot or not, Hatton did what he had to do to win. He fought HIS fight and won using HIS style. His style is hook and hold. That’s what he does. He mauls you, hooks off once or twice, and grabs you before you can react. Nobody criticizes that. But, they criticize Floyd’s style. He fights his fight, like Hatton fights his fight. They both do what they have to do to win. You can’t say that Hatton’s style is anymore entertaining than Floyds, because his style doesn’t allow for two-way action. People can’t really get at Hatton because he grabs. People can’t get at Floyd because he moves. It’s kind of hypocritical. What do you think?
Mike
Ishe Response: I totally agree with your assessment, Roy is the only one close to Floyd. I have had talks with DBE and Gossen in the past and I am open to have discussions with anyone, from the biggest promoters to the smallest, I don’t have any type of agenda. Hatton did what he had to do, and I find it very shocking that so many people are calling Castillo shot now, no one was mentioning that before the fight. Every one was focused on the weight issues, but after Hatton beat him so convincingly, now people want to play the shot card. Bad move in my book and it is totally disrespectful to Hatton and what he accomplished. I wouldn’t mind fighting any of the fighters you mentioned, first I need a promoter and then we can definitely revisit the topic. Ishe.. I've heard enough about Hatton.. I will be the first to admit that I was wrong, and I thought Castillo was going to beat him.. I still don't think Hatton is that good though.. I think he won more so because Castillo just wasn't the same Castillo, you know.. From the first round, you could see that he just wasn't right.. I've never seen Castillo's balance look so shitty, his punches look so dull, they had no snap to them or meaning behind them.. I don't know if it's from the punches he's taken throughout his career, or from killing himself to make weight when he was still fighting at 135, or a combination of all that with the fact that he's been boxing professionally for literally more than half his life.. All I know is this.. Jose Luis Castillo that fought Diego Corrales either of the 2 times, would have crushed Ricky Hatton.. It's gonna take a lot more than beating a clearly shot Jose Luis Castillo to convince me that Hatton is anything special.. The guy holds more than John Ruiz! And how can he have the nerve to say the shit he said about Mayweather after his fight.. That there was more action in those 4 rounds than Mayweather's whole career or whatever.. Floyd had it absolutely right when he said Ricky Hatton did more holding in those four rounds than he has in his whole career, and THAT is the truth. Let's start with this.. People are saying that the only big fight for Hatton at 140 now is Paulie Malignaggi.. A lot of people will probably pick Hatton to stop him, but let me ask you this, If Miguel Cotto didn't stop Paulie, what makes anyone think Hatton can?? I think Paulie could outbox him, but even if he didn't, I'm just saying, if Cotto couldn't stop him, neither can Hatton.. Joel Casamayor called out Ricky Hatton, and personally I think Casamayor would make him look stupid.. Vivian Harris called him out, I'm not totally convinced that Harris could beat Hatton, but I do think he has a shot.. I wouldn't bet on him though.. Even though he's not a huge name, I'd pick Kendall Holt to beat Ricky Hatton.. So let's say Ricky does fight Paulie, and he beats him.. Then what? If he fights Casamayor, he will lose. He won't fight Holt, because his name isn't big enough.. so then what, move up to 147? Let's analyze that for a second.. His options at 147 would be Mayweather, Mosley, Cotto, Margarito, Williams, Cintron, Clottey, Collazo, maybe even Berto.. Let's start at the bottom of that list.. Andre Berto, in my opinion, would crush Ricky Hatton in less time than Hatton did Castillo.. Next? Collazo, I think he would outbox him just like he did the first time, but this time convincingly enough not to get robbed.. Clottey would hurt Hatton pretty bad and probably stop him.. Cintron, I think he's just way too big for Hatton and the same goes for Margarito and Williams.. I personally don't like Antonio Margarito, but I still think he could beat him.. Cotto? I think Cotto would basically do what a non-shot Castillo WOULD HAVE done.. He would rough his ass up and hurt him bad, eventually taking him out in the middle-later rounds.. Mosley and Mayweather are both just on another level compared to Hatton and would make him look stupid.. On another note, who do you pick in the Ouma vs Mora fight?? Mora sucks, and I think Ouma will have an easier than expected night, winning 7 or 8 of the 10 scheduled rounds.. Any news on what's next for you? Still waiting..
Ishe Response: I am giving Mora a slight edge in the fight, I think he is too awkward for Ouma. I think Hatton performed very well, and I am not going to take anything away from him. Mayweather is in a different league though and it would be hard for me not to picture Gatti vs. Mayweather all over again. It will be in Hatton’s best interest if he stayed at 140lbs for awhile, I think the guys at 147lbs are too big for him.whats up Ishe, i just wanted to lay down my picks of some of the upcoming or hopeful upcoming future fights. i pick Paul Williams over Margarito. Margarito has super flaws in his defense and punches too wide. i think Paul will beat him with volume of punches and work rate. next pick bhop over winky. lots of people only remember the Trinidad and later fights bhop. i remember the rough and tough before Trinidad bring the last super then execute em bhop. just ask Robert Allen and Antwon Echols. bhop needs to set a grinding pace, fight alot on the inside, hook around the guard to the body and throw hooks to the head, ala Shane Mosley against Wright. ocasional straight punches up the middle will work too, ala J.C Candello.
i thought Hatton looked good this weekend but i pick Floyd to give him angles and beat him should they ever fight. 147 is the division right now and Floyd is the man but he cant retire witout facing some of the young talent this division has to offer. last but not least look for Joshua Clottey to be ducked by most of the top welters for some time to come. this guy will give any welter a tough fight including Floyd Mayweather! IKE FROM DELAWARE
Ishe Response: I would love to see Clottey vs. Mosley, great match up in my eyes. I pick Williams over Antonio, Bernard over Wright, and Gomez over Gatti. This summer is going to be great for boxing fans; I can’t wait until the triple header on July 14. Boxing is very much alive and it’s not just one promoter keeping it a live, all of the promoters have stepped up their games up, kudos to them. If I had to give someone a slight edge, that would have to be Bob Arum, he has done some terrific shows so far this year. Also it was a brilliant idea for HBO to open up the mic for the fans; I think they should continue to do that on all of the cards.Closing thoughts: I am going to keep this short and sweet, I got to go workout so I will give some closing comments tonight. Boxingtalk.com will be hosting a poll for a week, and we will let the fans decided that was the best of this era. God Bless
M
Send questions and comments to: sugarshay702@aol.com