Bleacher Report - Articles by Christian

The Fistic Top Ten: Can You Handle The Truth?

Christian — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:08:56 -0400

As we enter the dog days of summer boxing fans I ask you to come with me on a journey of boxing truth and justice.

It has been a somber pugilistic summer solace and I think that some good boxing banter and as always comical fresh boxing stupidity will give us the chance to block out what is currently hurting us all.

I have been quite reticent in recent months watching and hearing and reading the sport we all know and love. I have many beefs. Many things to say. Some of you will like it and of course some of you will not.

In arguing with the dumb f$$k’s of the world like captain fat or going back and forth with stoker the feuds, debates, and overall astute nature of my chats is something that I relish as a writer and I will continue to spit the truth.

As of late I have noticed that people who have no clue how boxing works have been getting bolder and bolder with each piece I write. It’s a laughable yet tragic trend that I will snuff out with logic and fact. Two powerful allies in the arena of boxing debate.

Feel free to weigh in where and if you can. I ask that those who don’t actually write or have any creative atoms in their respective beings to shut the f%$k up and learn from the best. I have prepared a three course meal of which you all can gorge on to your infinite delight. All systems go…

Boxing’s current Top Ten (take with water call me in the mourning)

10. King Arthur Abraham 30-0 Former IBF Middleweight champion

I have been involved in many arguments concerning this man as of late. The argument centers around if he passed Pavlik without actually FIGHTING pavlik. In a flash Arthur exited the 160 pound division to greener tourney laced Showtime pastures.

Kelly meanwhile is left with seemingly no one to fight. I think in some parts this is due to the fact that the Kings stock just keeps going up. It has not really stopped his whole career. He is the rare heavy handed puncher who couples his heavy digits with elegant speed.

He also appears to have a good beard although I am waiting to see how he deals with 168 pound body punching. His highness has a dash of top level boxing intuition to go along with that power. Tell me this fans.

What REALLY stopped Top rank from making the King/Kelly fight? I have the answer no worries. Risk. Bob arum is no dull knife. He saw an undefeated monster and he knew his emotionally shot fighter would not stand a chance.

It is this MAN who until a couple weeks ago was the real middleweight world champion. Screw ding. Screw HBO. This man was the man at 160 and that is why it was he not the ghost who was mailed a multi million dollar deal to fight in a very intriguing boxing promotion even though it is a Showtime presentation.

If the loquacious yet limited Carl Froch can beat down Jeannine Taylor then anyone with smart money would have to bet that Arthur knocks Taylor out with out problem or consequence.

I don’t see Arthur really getting tested for the first phase of this “classic” tourney so the deeper more penetrating questions about the King will have to be answered another day. Welcome to my rankings King. Anything you need while you are here let me know.

9.Chad Dawson 28-0 Light Heavyweight titlist

This is a tough call boxing fans. I as I type am wondering if this is a warranted selection. Why do I pontificate fans? Well this mans stock is not convincing me to buy multiple shares. He had a dreadful performance against Tarver and it exposed WHY he is not a bankable star.

He simply does not draw. I would suppose that it does not help that his consumer unfriendly handlers keep staging his fights five trillion miles from where his fan base resides. I went to college in CT and I can tell you there are three prime venues in which Dawson’s following plus interested mainstream CT’ers would come and pay money to get in.

You have the Hartford Civic Center which is gigantic. You have two amazing casinos. No Instead Russ Greenburg in all his glory stages the God da## fight at a desolate (for Vegas standards) boring venue that drew no fans whatsoever.

It looked the beginning of fight night round 3 where you fight in half filled ball rooms when you are still 10 fights away from the title. It was horrible. Not to mention the telecast was coupled with the fantastic Hatton/Pac tilt which incidentally amplified how badly Management and HBO Fu#ked up.

It is true that Chad’s lack of drawing power is hurting his rise. But maybe it also has something to do with the way his career is being sculpted from a consumer point of view. Back to the Macro.

Chad will get through this fight with the affable Glenn Johnson(who I love) I believe that he needs to chase a fight with Bernard Hopkins, or perhaps a cruiserweight title rematch with the rising TA. He needs a marquee attraction worse the Barack needs a black and mild.

He is undefeated, the best in his division, and a good guy yet he is bringing in tap dance recital gates. He needs to keep winning but no more trips to the land of b level fighters. For the next 2 years it has to be top level opponents and that’s it

8. Wladimir Klitschko 53-3 Unified/Ding Heavyweight champion

Wald. I have placed you even in about the same place I placed you last time my reason is about the same reason it was last time. I have to give you some credit before I undress you yet again.

The credit is the way you handled the David Haye situation. You were very graceful in your response to his “injury” and you were swift in choosing another opponent. You had the option of delaying the fight until mid July but in the midst of that decision you were informed of how that would affect the fans that had already paid.

You then chose to give the FANS a fight around the same date that you had stipulated months earlier. I have also noticed that you are now leaning towards fighting the surprising Eddie chambers because you believe that would be better for boxing and the American public. Here is my typed dap Wald. That’s a pretty darn cool sting of events on your part.

On the other hand you continue to be a horrible heavyweight champion. I think it’s insane that it’s gotten to the point where the only people who will televise your fights are ESPN classic. Come on Wald even I cracked regular ESPN when I was competing.

Wald’s style consist of getting a lead and then going into the four corners offense while the clock winds down (for those of you who don’t know what the four corners offense is don’t worry some things I type will be over your head) I can not stand the way he fights and Network head honchos would rather pay for the world hotdog eating contest then watch the Heavy weight champ defend his title.

I can not call DR Wald a disgrace, not only because that would make this a paradoxical sentence but more so because he does good things for the kids of the world and his fellow countrymen. He has a sense of history and a fabulous wardrobe.

He just is not cut out to be a boxing attraction. I am not slamming him fans I am describing him. He has a very difficult style to cope with but you name me a fighter who has tested that chin or heart in his last eight or nine fights.

In this day and age of boxing if a top level fighter wins two or three fights without being touched it is usually that 3rd or 4th fight in which they take risk. Fighters like Pacman or JMM take a risk every fight. They are champions. Warriors. Knights.

Wald is a weenie. He has beaten down at least 8 men in a row with ease and he REFUSES to step up his comp. don’t give me the he has “no one to fight” excuse. F^^k that.

He needs to display a lust for combat or quit. He is hurting the sport on a mass scale right now due to the infallible importance of the current heavyweight champion to the masses going back to the Model-T. Will a new heavyweight attraction please stand up?

7.Juan Manuel Lopez 26-0 WBO Super Bantamweight champion

I have been singing this kids praise for a year and running. I told the world that this kid had the skill set and the timing to become a huge star. By timing I mean that with the inevitable fall of Miguel Cotton that a new star from boxing’s best island was needed.

He has filled the void but in an unexpected turn of events Bob Arum is upsetting the potential this kid has as a mainstream star. WHY? Well I will take this chance to say I love Bob Arum. I have met him, interviewed him, shook his hand all that. But he has been undercutting boxing as a whole recently and the following events point to why

Making the Cotto/Pac fight as fast as he could even before contracts were inked when it was clear that Sugar/Pac was the better match up AND since Sugar is the lineal champ at 147 and Hatton was at 140 why not go after Shane,

Why go after Cotto who won his title by defeating Jennings? Why not go after the man who beat the man who beat your selected opponent and the man at the weight you’re trying to conquer?

Continuing to throw the undefeated joke of a club fighter JCC’jr on Latin Fury PPV cards as oppose to putting him on boxing after dark and seeing him really get tested

Attempting to match Pavlik with Mora or Forrest (RIP) before HBO asked him what he was smoking

All Arum cares about is money. In order to ensure that is makes money he is now either keeping fights in house or matching his most marketable names against plumbers and afterschool teachers. He does this to ensure that all cash cows keep squeezing out that green.

The problem is he shortchanges US the fans. Now try understanding the problem for Juana. CC who I will get to later (however if you want to get to him now scroll down the page) came out and addressed the 500 pound elephant in the room.

“Why does this guy continue to fight these nobodies, he is disgracing his fans and lying to them at the same time” I wont go THAT far but at its root the quote is on target. Bob Arum is padding this kid’s record begging the WBO for mandatories.

Most fighters take a break from fighting stipulated opponents and take a money fight. Esp hot champs like Juanma. No instead of that Arum is content to protect his asset and ignore us all. That is fine he is playing with an awesome force of nature’s career

6. Sugar Shane Mosley WBA/lineal Welterweight champion

If I am Sugar I am not smiling right now. I murdered the tornado, cemented my status as the best welterweight out here. And I can’t get anyone to fight me. No one of relevance. I was publicly ducked by the “best” fighter in the world.

I mean sugar gave Pacman everything he wanted. Bigger ring, punchers gloves, 140 pound limit, 60/40 split. I mean look at all those concessions. Sugar has a much longer history of success in this game yet he BOWED down and kissed Pac’s feet to get the fight.

Pac because of his prispercasity chose to fight the dwindling Cotton because of the cheap skate Bob arum AND of course because fighting Shane is too much of a risk right now. Shane has all the tools to beat Pacman, Speed, power, grace, stamina, and determined aggressive talent.

I am not sure how his understanding of the Philly shell has evolved or even diminished. But I know this. I interviewed his trainer NR at a fight last year and the first thing I took from his personality was the focus.

The army like approach to the brutal reckoning at hand. This man will have Shane READY for anyone and that includes Pretty Boy. I am eager to see Shane fight believe me but I am not eager to see him fight Kermit Citron or Andre Berto. That is a step back.

Peace to that bulls$$t. He is in line for a marquee name and fighting on a B level HBO card is not what he nor I had in mind. But the clock ticks. He has not fought since January and it looks like if he does fight this year it will be towards Christmas. But THAT promotion is in flux because of the low ball offer that they gave dibella and berto.

With berto taking a good look at turkey you have to wonder where that leaves Shane. JC? No way is Shane trying to make money not lose it. Paul Williams? No we have to assume that Al Haymon and Bob Arum will put their personal petty vendetta aside and make the darn PAV/PW fight already. Where does that leave him?

I would say the winner of Numero Uno would be his best bet. I wish him the best until the next time I type but to be honest that wont make a difference because he will not have FOUGHT by the next time I write

5. Juan Manuel Marquez 50-4-1 Unified/Ding Lightweight world champion

Dinmita! I will admit that I like this cerebral gladiator. I watched his fight with Juan Diaz prior to typing this entry and wow what a warrior. He has timeless resolve. I really know his story. I don’t know what drives him. I don’t know where he gets his grace.

But there is something special about Juan if you have not noticed already. He has a boxing wheel house that can shift in its form and most time the shift happens before the opponent can adjust. He has blinding speed on his counter punches.

Much quicker then his appearance would suggest. He focuses on the angles and sets up his shots. He is the only man as of now that I have seen make PAC wince in the middle of a fight. His Physical mastery of the sport is only matched by his mental toughness to remain true to his fundamentals in the face of extreme drama and pain.

He could have given up in February. He had every reason to reconsider his livelihood right there in Houston. He is everything you want in boxing. He is a hall of famer, champion, icon. But no. That was not enough.

He needs Mas. I believe that he is somewhat susceptible to speed and power. That is not a good trait to have when entering the lair of one FMJ. I think it would have been a good idea to take another fight before this one. I think that this is a very bad match up for JMM.

FMJ is a bad match up for everyone but esp for JMM. In light of this I believe that JMM’s chip on his shoulder has gotten even larger and more menacing. He knows that dumb writers like me are out their doubting him, making fun of him, seeing his demise.

I think he is pissed off. I think he is confident. I think if FMJ were to ever lose a fight it would take someone with the mental constitution of JMM. We shall see Homeboys but this is shaping up to be intriguing to say the least. Can’t wait (=

4. Edwin Valero 25-0 WBC lightweight world champion

Godzilla has been quite quiet and humble in recent months. He realized that realizing reality is always a good thing when money is at stake. Bob Arum is going to put him on the undercard Nov 14 which will give him a nice little public service announcement as he makes his awesome power known to the world.

It seems like he is going to be ok to fight in light of his documented health problems which is amazing news for boxing fans. This man matches up right now with the stars of the game. His knockout ratio is more about his mindset then his physical power or extension on his punches.

He has a Jack Dempsey type aggressiveness that makes him very hard to deal with in the early rounds. When PAC attacks you he does so still not wanting to get hit. When the terminator programs you into his tracking system he is willing to take punches to land punches. He really reminds me of Hands of stone.

Not in terms of merit of course, but more in terms of ring personality and pressure applied. I believe that there are only about 5 fighters in the world around that weight that could go the full 12 rounds with the light weight world champion.

I believe that he will win this bs fight that the frugal Arum has lined up for him and I also believe that he will take a big fight because as luck would have it he is only CO promoted by Cheap Mgee so he has veto rights from what I hear.

We will see. But I am excited for his entry into the pugilistic fold and I wait for his fistic assault on these fighters out here. Humberto Soto seems to be the person he will see in his first big money tilt. But how good is THAT guy? He has seven losses?!

What about a TB? Or even an Andre berto? This guy is a star in waiting and he needs viable names. Soto is promoted by whom?

3. Manny “Pacman” 49-3 Lineal/Ding Junior welterweight champ

The Number one HBO fighter in the world keeps the hits coming. Now he has set his sights on the dilapidated Cotto. Manny is doing it right now. He is going for the big fights but he is doing it with a certain attitude that is starting to raise questions.

His last three fights have been fought against guys that for different reasons were sitting ducks. I don’t need to go down the list but Manny seems to be interested in taking the fights that for one reason or another he SHOULD win.

Manny would not have fought Cotto 3 years ago before Cotto was having problems mentally. When Pac made the trek to MSG to observe Cotto in June he saw a fighter who was on Roller skates for the second half of the fight. He did not see a robot Pujols of a fighter that won’t stop until you are on the ground.

He did not see a pound for pound fighter. He saw a damaged goods fighter that was ripe for exposure. He SHOULD be fighting SSM. That is by far the more competive fight. Right now those monks in Vegas are putting ALL the money On Pac.

Taking a step back on paper that makes no sense. Cotto is younger, bigger, stronger, comfortable at that weight, experienced at that weight, yet men who know sports are putting all their money on PAC. This development is a reflection of the deterioration of Cotto not the rise of Pac.

Pac is going to win this fight going away. Since that is a forgone conclusion lets focus on 2010. I think that Valero, Money, Shane, Tim Bradley, are the pool of fighters he should select from.

Edwin Valero has Hagler/Hearns written all over it. PAC/Money is the transcendent fight of this decade. MP/SSM is an awesome tactical match up on paper, and I would have to say that Tim Bradley would present a legit unification although it’s a low possibility because the kid will not bring a lot of gate money or any money really to the table.

Manny has his options that’s for sure. I guess we can all sit back and savor the prime if his career. But anyone who thinks Manny is the best fighter in the world needs to chill with the mushrooms

2. FMJ 39-0

I have spoke to some people in boxing and they tell me FMJ is the best he has even looked. He is as clever, menacing, intuitive, and driven as he as ever been in his entire career.

FMJ is sitting on the cusp of Sugar ray L cereal box status. After he disposes of JMM you have to assume that he will go after Manny. If he does not the public will beat the drum and they will fight anyway. I think there are some things to consider in this situation.

First of all there is a good chance the fight will NOT happen. If you couple Floyd’s arrogance, the Haymon/ARUM feud, and of course the child like demeanor of Manny Between fights then you have a perfect storm for the fight not getting made.

The truth is Arum used to Promote FMJ and he is going to use his position at the table to stick it to AL and Pretty boy. It is a sad thing to foresee but it is inevitable. They already are going back and forth through the media on this very subject.

To me this is the biggest fight that can be made in boxing going back 15 to 20 years. If I really think about it you would have to go back to the golden era of the little men, the 80’s to find such an amazing match up with box office appeal.

The fighters want it. We want it. Make it happen. Don’t you wish boxing fans that fights were that easy? They are not so we should collectively prepare for the possibility that the fight will not happen. Since that is a possibility lets at least explore it.

Floyd could make some great fights. Shane Mosley is a tough tough fight. I would take Floyd but I would do it with a dash of trepidation. I think Paul Williams stands as FMJ’s true mountain. That is clubber lang.

That is the test. FMJ does more talking these days then before. I have heard it all.

-“I am greater then Ali”

- I am the most popular athlete in the world”

-“I am bigger then Oscar”

- “I will fight SM, MP, whoever”

Well he won’t mention Paul Williams. He will mention everything but the name of Jesus. But he won’t mention Paul Williams. You are an all time nasty fighter Money but the truth you there is more work to be done. Hurry up already so I can say I watched one of the greatest fighters ever cement his boxing throne

Fans for your entertainment….the best fighter in the world

1) Paul Williams 37-1 WBO interim Junior Middleweight champion

Paul W. is as filthy as filthy gets. His punch count according to my count counts as one of the most remarkable for someone of that size at that weight. Paul Williams is a true vergence in the force. He simply does not make any sense.

The speed and fluidity of his punches, his 6 foot 1 frame couple with those fire hose type arms. I would suppose that since he is so young that his craft will only improve. He seems to have a hint of immaturity but I noticed on the awesome HBO series ring life that yes he is young and immature but that is tempered by his humble nature and wonderful family.

He has the talent to rule this game for awhile. He has really destroyed the myth that a tall man can not be busy and accurate. I think the situation that Paul is currently in is not the product of his growing ego or the fact that HBO has gone cheap. REAL cheap.

Think about it. They paid an 8 million dollar license fee for Oscar/Forbes about 2 years ago. Yet they have an unreal promotion on their door step and they are only throwing 3 million!!!?Whats the f$$king deal. A PAV/PW tilt would be national news.

It could be on paper the best fight of the year. It would sell Board hall the f$$k out. It would get many PPV buys. It has all the makings. An undisputed American middleweight champ Yes I know what are you are thinking.

It does help that he is white and from a blue collar town on the rust belt. PW is am emerging boxing Giant who needs a marquee water shed moment to get the writers, broadcasters, fans and TV execs to see what has been in front of our face for a year.

Paul is by a mile the biggest physical problem in the sport. They recently asked Boring Wald if he would go two rounds with Paul. “No way! I would not be able to catch him in only 2 rounds and I KNOW he would catch me” haha that says it all.

Even the 6" 6' Ivan Drago Heavyweight champ has reservations about engaging PW. I suspect that at heart arum does not want this fight. That’s why he is giving PW such a BS offer. They are going to give him 2 million but no gate??

You have got to be kidding me. That place and the promotion are going to sell. Top rank is on the black rock if they think that it is fair to offer PW and Al haymon a flat smaller percentage fee for their services.

It is Paul’s talent and rising star that makes this promotion what it would be. Pavlik is a good humble all American attraction. But he needs Apollo creed to elevate him. Believe me…PW is Apollo creed. He does not look like Carl Weathers but he def fights like that guys acts. What an amazing fighter. Enjoy him while we have him boxing fans

My belated Mid year awards

Fight of the year Toyota Center

JMM vs. Juan Diaz Houston Texas, Febuary 28th

What a fight! Ebb and flow, drama, intrigue, romance (haha just kidding just seeing if you are awake) the fight began with Juan Diaz going right to the proud veteran’s chest and testing him off jump street. I mean it was a tough three rounds for JMM in the beginning.

I watched him get pushed from pillar to post by a younger seemingly meaner man. As often does Juan Diaz ran out of gas and focus. The cut did not help either. But once JMM smelled a lapse in intensity and assertiveness he jumped RIGHT on JD.

This fight was not a lock and was def in doubt for dinimita for long periods during the bout and the drama really ramped up due to both fighters getting cut at around the same times a round apart if and I do stress If my memory serves me correct. Instant classic still saved on the dvr.

Round of the year

Round 1 Pac/Hatton May 2nd 2009 MGM Grand

This round took my breath away. I was so pumped up reeking of anticipation. I mean between 24/7 and the rare mainstream buildup I was about as pumped up as I could be for a fight. The first round was a blur. It was material evidence on why Manny is the most exciting fighter in the world. He did not jump right on Hatton. He let Hatton hang himself and then went in for the kill. The action and the pace of the round was so furious that I barley had time to text my boys which I usually do and they do back as we analyze the fights from different locations. No this fight we all had our mouths open watching the Hitman get outclassed on the world’s stage. It was very much like JMM/PAC one, except that JMM can adjust and had a better chin. One Pac Hit the hitman with a clean direct hit the fight changed and in retrospect was over. Over and done with. I loved it. I was disappointed because I wanted a more drawn out conclusion but the first 3 min were so electrifying that I was worth it

Fighter of the year(so far)

Celestino Caballero Unified super Bantamweight world champion

This very intriguing fighter unified titles within his division which is so rare these days. He then defended these titles and finds himself in line for a big money fight. He is just half a year removed from zero relevance or drawing power. But with so many name fighters within his distance and the very fact that he risen so fast, that, for the Juan Manuel’s of the world or the Vazquez’s or the Marquez’s the question is starting to get asked. Well why don’t you fight Caballero? Caballero 6 months ago had no where NEAR this status. He was just another prospect that had a chance to make an impact early in his career. He did. He is tall talented and mean. He also is not quiet. As mentioned earlier in the article he has begun called out JML. That’s a great fight. If Bob Arum were not so selfish we would have a great fight on our hands and that fight would give Caballero a real chance to be fighter of the whole year not the 6 month intermission fighter of the year . I will be watching as we move forward but man what a year for this young bull from Cuba

Story of the year

Margacheato. January 24th 2009

LA, Staples center

I have written far to much on this. If you don’t know the full story get the internet or turn on a TV. Instead of chronicling the story yet again I will simply pass judgment. The very fact that Shane Mosley is ok is the biggest thing here but let me point out some little things

- No one not golden boy, the CASC, or Shane Mosley himself brought civil action against tony and the LA DA has not uttered a peep and dodged all questions about issuing criminal charges, Resto and Panama Lewis Went to JAIL.

- His awful trainer came out and in the hearing admitted to all wrong doing. Now in the recent “Assault in the ring” picture you kinda get a sense for how a fighter should feel about a trainer/handler that tampers with the fight or the their respective gloves. So if captellio screwed him… if he has no idea there was plaster in his gloves then why is he still hanging out with him? Being seen with him?

-BOB Arum still promotes him???!!!!!What the f%%k is that all about? Then cotto inks an extension after everything that happened and was said. Cotto is a sell out

-Bob arum can be heard during the introduction of "Assualt in the ring" saying " there is no excuse for what they(Luis Resto and Panama lewis) did....they should have been banned for life" ????????? Bob Arum is saying one thing and doing another , that is not a 360, that is not a change of opinon, what arum said on that feature and then the way he handled an eerily similar situation is bulls%%t

Just some little things (=

Just shut up award

Lennox Lewis Commentator HBO after Dark

I can not be the only one who notices just how bad Lennox Lewis is at providing insight, carrying the broadcast, having proper diction and tone. You name it he sucks. Is HBO that materialistic that they would sell out there Journalistic integrity Just so the equally bad Bob P can say “and now we bring in former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis..” It’s as if they sacrifice our viewing experience as consumers just so they can get that blurb in. HBO has him there out of image and maybe pity. It’s sad. Bring back old George. Get Brian Kenny. Keep Max. All set

Hahaha boxing fans. I have sent this to some of my fellow writers and they ask have submitted very detailed arguments which are making me laugh as we speak. A fair warning…don’t speak with out thinking because if you have not noticed already you are dealing with a thinker. I wish you the best boxing fans and if you intend to engage tread carefully

ps...

I recently got in an arguement with big fat dan of ESPN in his chat, here is an exerpt

Christian (Nothern VA)

I think it is sell out city that you continue to rank B-hop #1....I know you have to see him due to his ESPN duties coupled with your own but why dont you grow a pair, stop being afraid, and tell B-hop that getting ranked at all let alone #1 is only possible if you actually fight

Dan Rafael
(12:55 PM)

You're an idiot. I rank BHop 1 at 175 because he deserves it now that Calzaghe has retired. I couldn't care less if we both appear on Friday Night Fights whatsoever.

Who do you agree with? (=

For those that may challange this chat took place on Thusday August 6th

Just wanted to clear this up

I have dropped B-Hop from my list because the old man simply does not fight

Shane Mosley is actually 4 but I guess in my creative delirium I accidentally did his entry first. No matter

The Top Ten Fighters On Earth

Christian — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:38:54 -0400

I have missed you boxing fans. It has been much to long since I last dipped my toes into the unmatched passion of bleacher report fandom.

After the massive feed back I received last time I wanted to make sure that I did not cut any corners and attempt any short cuts. I have sat back over the last couple months boxing fans watching the game take shape.

I laughed when Paul Will proved me right. I gasped when Manny sent Richard into temporary Paralysis, I cheered when Cory Spinks despite a smattering of hometown Boo’s found it within himself to win yet another JR middleweight strap, and I buzzed when FMJ confirmed what has been rumored for months.

It has been 6 months since I last rated the Top ten fighters in the world. Much has moved and shaked since. No matter what anyone says these are objective rankings. This is it my fight brothers.

In case you have been wondering what the true top ten are in boxing fear not. Upon watching a colossal amount of fight tape I have yet again come up with a true account of the boxing landscape.

This list is devoid of generalizations and Heart felt politics. Strap in good luck I will see you on the other side

10. Vakhtang Darchinyan, 32-1, 26 knock outs

Mighty Mouse comes to mind when I watch this fireball perform. He has swagger that would make hulk Hogan jump for joy. I think he may be the most confident fighter on earth right now.

To be honest I have never been too eager to include fighters so small into my rankings due to the lack of real tangible seat selling names. That ends now. HBO however seems to share my previous view because Vic Remains in boxing witness protection with Showtime. Vic’ style and charisma make for a potential huge draw given the right circumstances.

He is flawed as a pure boxer which is understandable because he is a pure puncher. He absolutely laid waste to Christian Mjarries.

Straight murdered him. He is the only champion in boxing that holds all of his respective divisional belts but his problem is there is no one of note for him to fight.

He can knock out all the pedestrian alphabet titleholders he wants until he can match up with a big name at a higher weight he will remain on the second tier of P4P fighters but make no mistake. The cannibal from the land of the Kangaroos is getting ever close to true super stardom.

9. Edwin Valero 25-0, 25 knockouts

On a day when the Terminator franchise breaks us off with the newest installment I am going to break you guys off with some information on the man they call ‘El Terminator.

This hurricane of a fighter may have unmatched passion in the ring and that includes Pacman. His Knock out ratio is something out of FIGHT Night career mode.

Twenty-five wins and 25 knockouts and that’s it. He is in my mind the true current light weight world champion because it’s a safe Bet that JMM wont be venturing to the 135 pound weight class ever again so at this moment the man at 135 is the aforementioned.

A cruel twist of fate stalled this stallion’s career but now that he is being cleared to box again I truly believe that this man might not be stopped until he moves up in weight.

I don’t see anyone below 140 pounds that would last 3 rounds with the liquidator. I would like to mention that while I am fascinated with this Monster he seems to be somewhat of a head case.

He recently turned down 200,000 dollars to fight a chopping block opponent on FMJ/JMM Pay per view undercard. He thumbed his nose at it because he wants “bigger fights”. How the f@@k does he think fights like that happen? You have to take those undercard showcase fights when you’re building up your public profile.

Outside of that Jackass move I wish to warn all Jr welterweights and welterweights out there…..There is a truth machine brewing in our midst and his name is Edwin Valero

8. Waldimir Klitschko 55-3, 46 knockouts

I have watched Vlad Slide down my rankings. I don’t know if it’s because he is such a boring incumbent or if its because he lacks a defining win of relative relevance. I would say it’s a little of both.

I may get stung for this but what has he done? In the only three times he has been tested he lost twice and escaped a third time. He would rather fight mandatories then search for a true dangerous opponent.

Haye while having tasteful hand speed and a mouth for the ages does not really serve as a true heavyweight litmus test. A win over David Haye would serve as personal retribution not as career defining vindication.

Vlad for his part has improved as a Craftsman but at heart does not really have a lust for combat. He is the Universally recognized heavy weight champion so yes that means something but it certainly means less then it did 35 years ago.

Vlad is the ultimate paradox…a big strong soft heavyweight champion who no matter what he does may go down as the worst heavyweight champion of all time

7. Juan Manuel Lopez 25-0, 25 knockouts

When I touted this man as a P4P fighter last September haterade rained down upon me from all of my friends and some of my fellow writers. How you like me now? I said he would rise to the P4P status, he did, I said he would supplant His fellow countrymen Miguel Cotto as the hottest fighter on the island, he did.

Confirmation of my prognostication came when I watched the crowd in PR go nuts when the WBO super bantamweight champ walked down to ringside. I have rarely seen such a potent mix of astute defense and calculated brutal offense.

He is the ultimate perfectionist. I actually speak Spanish and every time Juan returned to his corner during his most recent bout he always was asking what he could do better. “Am I jabbing enough”,” Am I moving my head enough?”

He was dominating the fight in all phases just mugging his man and all he can think about is any flaws that may be on display. He has the talent, work ethic and the fortitude. He just does not seem to have the wind at his back. He currently fights in a division that is so bare with talent it makes him seem like Jack f%%%kin Dempsey.

He has to move up in weight or his career will remain in neutral. He has Bob arum and Russ green burg on his side so the future holds hope for Junama but this writer is beginning to get annoyed with the lack of love that people are giving this Spark plug of a world champion

6. Bernard Hopkins 49-5, 32 knockouts

I was very close to omitting Hopkins for this list due to some fight making decisions that he has made in recent weeks. His behavior during talks with cruiserweight world champ TA was stressful to say the least. He had the perfect curtain call to end his distinguished career.

Instead he gave TA a low-ball offer and robbed us all of a huge summer promotion. I must say that at age 44 I think it is beyond time for this freak of nature to hang em up, however, How can I argue against his eminent return after bearing first hand witness to his last boxing excursion.

At this point and I have this from hard-core gamblers…When B-Hop returns he would be a betting favorite over anyone between 168 and 200 pounds. That is mind blowing for a fighter that is chronically inactive and 44 years old.

That could an over reactions to his hell bent destruction of Kelly Pavlik, whatever the case may be he remains the best light heavy weight in the world and for my money would beat anyone at 168 or 200….with ease

5. Juan Manuel Marquez 50-4 37 knockouts

Dinmita has talked himself into a real fight. I am not sure if he had a shot of 151 or if he was hype off his awesome knockout victory of Juan Diaz. Whatever the chemical imbalance JMM decided to call out FMJ.

Much to the chagrin of this writer, "Money" accepted the challenge and the biggest fight of the summer is set. This fight was not amongst my calls a year ago but in hindsight it was the perfect fight at this point in time.

Juan god bless him seems to think he can actually win. Outside of this newest promotion it is simply dumb to pick against JMM. He has a rare ability that Jermain Taylor would give his left nut for…the ability to adjust. I have watched time and time again this chess player take in,size up, and get rid of unsuspecting opponents.

JMM has underrated power for a “little” man and has serene timing on his counters shots. He is with out a doubt the second best counter puncher in boxing. He has boxing intuition that his fellow country men EM and MAB lacked. While being an advocate of not being hit while hitting he from what I can tell does not mind getting hit.

I think he is a legendary warrior who believes in himself and in this game of boxing that combination can prove to be unbeatable. The problem is his next opponent is not Juan Diaz, he will not be there to be hit, he will not tire, he will not lose focus, he is going to throw more junk at JMM then the star ship enterprise could muster.

I hope he is ready.

4. “Sugar” Shane Mosley 46-5, 39 Knockouts

The current welterweight world champion has been missing in action. I cannot blame him. In destroying AM with a clever mix of the Philly shell and classic sugar the Stud from Cali has cemented himself as a great fighter.

He does not need FMJ or Manny to define him. He has defined himself in convincing fashion. I have heard from people who have seen that he is even more in tune with the Philly shell and seems to be on the road to creating a style of fighting that is completely new to the sport of boxing.

The biggest question for Shane is where does he go now? Cotto who has no balls ducked him; Manny wants nothing to do with Shane Mosley. FMJ as we all know currently has a full dance card. Where does this leave Shane?

It leaves him in the dark for now. You have to assume that if Cotto wins that Manny will sign to fight him for reasons that we will get into later So there goes that Pay Day.

If you are Shane you are praying that that Cotto does in fact lose SO the only person left for Manny to fight this year is Shane. FMJ/MP will take place in 2010 so for Shane that is the golden ticket that is being dangled from the heavens at the moment.

I think that with shane’x mix of counterpunching, speed, and shocking power that Manny may be the betting underdog if a super fight was to take place in November.

I hope it works out for Shane. Ever since I interviewed him I have rooted for him to make it back to the top. A punch here and some luck there he will have his chance

3. Manny Pacquiao 49-3, 37 knockouts

I may be in the minority on this. But that’s only because I am a firm believer in the truth. The truth is Manny is a fearsome creation that seems to be improving with every second that passes and seems to get hungrier with each mountain he climbs. He outside of FMJ is the most focused fighter in the sport.

He has found a way to expand his skill set without losing his fire to hurt human beings in the ring. What I saw on may 2nd was outrageous movement head and feet. I saw a man slipping punches while landing jarring right hooks.

I saw a man that was not afraid to use his jab despite the danger of a Hatton left hook. I saw a complete fighter that will stop at nothing to become the best in the world. He right now is HBOS’s number one fighter but he is not the world’s best fighter and here is why. He has fought three sitting ducks in a row.

I want you to take his last three opponents and I could name 10 fighters that could do the same thing. Diaz was a joke, Oscar a shadow of his old self, and of course Ricky Hatton who went after manny like it was a bar fight.

These wins were against Taylor made comp that really could not throw anything back at Manny. Manny has been given the HBO throne so for now we will let him bask in his glory but with his growing ego and expectations Manny biting off more then he can chew seems more and more like a distinct possibility and with the world craving $/Pac that possibility is starting to take shape.My best friend and fellow boxing fan DH thinks that Pacman is the best fighter in the world, here is what I think

I think manny is a credit to boxing, I think he is among the worlds most exciting fighters, but anyone that would say he would beat the two men below in the ring are either crazy or starved for attention

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. 39-0 Who cares how many knockouts he is perfect

I cannot believe this day has come. I never thought the day would come in which I would rank FMJ anything but first... We can get into that a little further down but this is something new for me let me tell you. Boxing’s biggest draw is back and not a moment too soon.

On may 2nd when he announced that he was coming back it seemed like boxing got a jolt in the arm. It was like a long lost sibling had come home from being kidnapped. Even though they hate Floyd’s guts the commentators over at HBO could not hide their giddiness during the telecast.

I think that we may be standing on the cusp of a golden age in the Welterweight division. Assuming FLOYD manhandles JMM in July and then shuts it down for the year his next 3 fights could look like this Cotto, Mosley, Valero.

I don’t need to say much more then that. As for why I put him above Manny. Well the main reason is that FMJ has fought at a higher level for a longer amount of time and has yet to be beaten, Manny has been stopped twice to the body and knocked out very much the same way he knocked out Hatton.

Manny has proven to have vitality in the ring where as pretty boy has not. When they do meet in the ring I would like to leave you with two things to think about

1. The perfect foil for a Southpaw for the last 100 years is the straight right hand and you could argue Floyd has the purest right hand in this history of boxing.

2.MManny does not do well with cerebral fighters, he is much more effective against spent fighters like Oscar or organized freight trains like Ricky

AND THE KING OF THE BOXING RING IS.......

1. Paul Will 37-1, 27 knockouts

About 3 months ago I wrote that Paul WILL was the biggest threat to Floyd ‘s vacated position. I would like to now revise that statement. Paul Will is the biggest threat in boxing period. His length, strength, and athletic ability are beyond comprehension for his weight class of 154 pounds.

He has infinite work rate for a man his size and he seems to hit even harder now then he did at 147. Paul Will ‘s offensive wheelhouse is staggering. He can throw the right jab, the right cross, left to the body, right to the body, strafing uppercuts, side to side movement, and most of all a 6 foot 3 frame with a 72 inch reach.

This is not a heavy weight I am talking about but a former welterweight. And don’t jump the gun just yet fans. He still may drop to 147 for the right name and pay check. He is physically unmatched in the sport of boxing. He does not have an equal. You would have to make him the betting favorite over anyone at 147,154,160 and 168.

He has a chance to become stalwart of the game for at least 6 to 8 years it just depends on his focus and how he handles success. The good news for Paul is he has already suffered his hic up so its not as of he has an unrealistic view of himself. The question is now what.

I think a unification (even though Paul is an interim champ) with WBC 154 pound champ Sergio Martinez is a great fight and a solid test. I don’t see Sugar,FMJ,JMM, or MP calling out PW.

Cotto got asked about Paul last week and you know what he said? “No way too big” But that’s actually BS though because Paul would drop down to Welterweight for a Cotto fight in a heartbeat.

And let me remind you he would only be dropping one weight class. Boxing writers ,some fans, and a lot of people in boxing TV try to paint Paul Will as being to heavy for those men I have just mentioned. Not so.

He was a welterweight and all of those men have designs on fighting at or just under 147 pounds this year yet NONE of them want Paul…go ahead try to finesse the answer to that question but your wasting your time. Paul Will is king and the soft behavior towards him is proof of why

Man! It feel good to be doing what we all love doing fans. I am glad to be back in the bleacher report fold and I look forward to great fights and the stories that precede them.

I will be around and in touch so if you have a beef with my top ten good I like people with differing opinions but remember that if you don’t know what your talking about you may get fried…. happy hunting (=

The Pound-for-Pound Discussion: Click Here If You Are a Boxing Fan

Christian — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:24:26 -0400

Yes, boxing fans, I come to you while our great sport is in the midst of a nice winning streak. The night of Feb. 28 in Houston was a comprehensive tilt, the likes of which we have not seen in half a decade. It warmed my heart as a boxing fan to watch the drama and action of the JMM/JD fight.

I was watching the post fight interviews and the one thing that got a rise out of me and my friends was the fact that HBO Kept referring to JMM as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world at the very least two.

Of course, I will share my opinion subsequently but my boxing passion was aroused by the current state of the pound for pound discussion. Now, the P4P discussion is the BCS of boxing.

There are a certain number of fighters that can make a case, it is always subject to change, and finally is an extremely fickle situation.

Now it is a mythical being, however, it is perpetrated by human beings therefore it is subject to human feelings and error as oppose to absolute objectivity.

This makes for endless debate when determining who belongs. I think there are four fighters who have a case for being the No. 1 fighter out there.

I will present them and their cases and you the fans, my friends, can make your pick, I should say that since I consider FMJ Far and way the best fighter in the world I am going to omit him from this list because Floyd does not need to make his case where as these other combatants in different ways do.

In no particular order...

Juan Manuel Marquez

The super dangerous boxer puncher is currently in the final editing stages of a hall of fame resume He has displayed grit, technical brilliance, and the ability to pick himself off the mat, mentally and physically.

If we just look at his pugilistic merit and the strange but amazing arc of his career their be no doubt that we are entering the climax of a great warrior’s journey. I began watching him years ago when he lost to Manny in their epic first clash.

Now what happened next is interesting, because instead of taking a lucrative deal for a rematch with Manny, JMM handlers, for reason that defy logic and collective reasoning turned down the fight to go fight an unknown peach can named Chris John.

This decision set JMM back about three to five years. His emergence as a true boxing superstar is upon us, but the situation is dipped in irony because it is coming about four years late.

Even in light of the black hole that his stupid handlers threw him in he has come out of it cleaner then a preachers sheets. He has beaten Manny twice. Now I know officially it’s a draw and a SPDL, however:

1. Manny knocked him down THREE times in the first round and could only manage a draw in the first fight. Do the math fans that means for 11 rounds JMM was the better man.

2. JMM was knocked down again early in the second fight a knockdown that proved to be the difference But, I have never seen Manny look as shaky as he did down the strech of that fight.

So based on those two points and a few others JMM has effectively gotten the best of everyone’s No. 1. He beat Morales and RJ and many other decent to top-notch fighters but the fight that put him in the conversation was Feb. 28.

Correct, He entered the fight as the Ring Mag “Man” at 135 pounds; however, the way in which he cemented his status is sublime. He was getting pushed around by a younger bigger ad at times hungrier man.

The fight reminded me so much of Oscar’s dramatic victory over Vargas. You had the decorated veteran who exemplifies the sweet science, and, you had a young brutish warrior who can box as well.

The fight was a spectacular celebration of the traits that make JMM a cost effective buy in the pound for pound discussion. I have not always been the first one to give him dap but major league dap is in order per the last eight months.

I am not totally enthralled with dinamita, His extravagant claims after the fight concerning FMJ were slightly out of line at the very least over the top. He also got hit quite a bit by a lets face it pedestrian technician in Juan Diaz.

His problem with fighting Manny was the simple fact he took flush shots at inopportune times. Against Joel C. he was exposed at times by quick sharp counter punching. Another thing I noticed was his propensity to be overwhelmed physically.

That is a facet of his wheelhouse that must be corrected or contained as he moves up in weight. We shall see but at this point it is hard to argue against the guy.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao

What words can I distribute that have not yet circulated amongst the masses? Boxing’s most exciting supernova is in his prime. Right now, this very second, I believe that this is something that slightly distances him from the list of nominees.

Manny is at the height of his powers at the moment where as most of the other fighters in this conversation have yet to reach that point or have already passed it to some degree.

Freddie Roach, the amazing man who fights a battle just to live every day has evolved Manny’s skill set to shocking dimensions.

Per his early career he first burst on to the boxing scene with his overwhelming hands of stone style. As he began taking on the boxing gods of Mexico he modified his style because of the amount of punches he was taking.

I think the fight that convinced Manny it was time for a change was the first Erik Morales tussle. He got beat up very badly and while he did dish out punishment I think the period between that fight and the rematch was the turning point that lead to now.

I think Manny said to himself that simply being crazier then your opponent was not going to take him to rarefied air.

I saw on film that he began to evolve from a wild brawler to a precision boxer puncher. The defining moment of this new style was not the Oscar victory. Instead, it was the David Diaz promotion.

That night I saw a man quicker then grease lightning, amazingly accurate with his shots, and a man that had made a commitment to side-to-side movement. Against Oscar, as I predicted three months in advance, he again showed that he is no longer a fighter.

He is not a skillful boxer who would give anyone active or inactive a fight to the death. He also has shown due diligence in his commitment to the teams game plan. He is not a prima dona in the gym (certainly outside of it) from what I can tell which is key to his technical improvement.

What is fabulous about Manny right now is that he still could get better. Yes, I said he is at the height of his powers but those heights can always be adjusted. I stated in September that somewhere in the last year he made the decision that he wants to be the preeminent fighter of his generation.

I cannot give him that mantle, not yet. But, Look at the resume, multiple wins over Morales and Barrera, and three lineal titles. Amongst his five world-title belts. His weight ascent is mesmerizing.

He started at 108 pounds and over time and hard work has come all the way up to 140 pounds but already fought at 147. With all that said there is work to be done. He must first dispense with Manchester’s finest which by the way will be no easy task.

Ricky is not a pure boxer like Oscar, nor is he a paper champion like Diaz. He is a big puncher at 140 pounds and with FMS in tow looks to have better movement head and feet. He also will learn how to clinch and presumably will display a higher level of ring intelligence then in recent years.

Manny better think about this fight and only this fight. Yes there is money to made literally and figuratively (=, but, he faces his toughest test in Richard Hatton in May. If he can win this fight which is very possible that would give him his forth Lineal title and sixth world title belt overall.

This would force FMJ to put up or shut up. If he does it, Pulls it off I mean. The conversation may be a moot point no matter what the exploits of JMM or FMJ may be.

Paul Williams

Paulie Williams. Let me first apologize for all the blind writers, fans, and promoters that actually hesitate to put you in this debate. I am not sure if they don’t have HBO or simply don’t understand the sport.

You, right now, are the most physically gifted fighter in the sport. You didn’t know it at the time, but I stood next to you at an event recently, and while I have read you are 6'2", I know for a fact that your closer to 6'3". I myself am 6'8" and have spent my entire life playing basketball.

I know height. You are for sure taller than that. I also noticed your arms hung out at your sides like an orangutan. You have demonstrated the ability to fight at an absurdly high level in multiple weight classes.

He has a worker-bee punch output, long straight heat-seeking jab. Punches down at smaller opponents something that is actually tough to do. His biggest ally outside of his tremendous power is his hand speed He can put together five and six punches before the other man can get off, again and again over the last four fights.

I would also venture that being a tall active southpaw is something somewhat difficult to cope with. One thing that jumped out to me when he adjudicated Verno Phillips was the massive relationship he established to Verno’s body.

In boxing, tall men have a given predisposition to become head hunters. Not because they can’t dig to the body, but more because they are simply above a smaller opponents head level.

So, in effect, Paul punches down to deliver HEAD shots...that said, it is a marvel to watch this Redwood crouch down and do straight thug damage to another mans body.

Verno was not stopped. He quit. A proud veteran who is no one to sneeze at could not stomach Paul Williams for 12 rounds more due to the body punching. Just loud smacking shots. Paulie at this point is 34-1 loss avenged.

He was a welterweight champion but gave that up because everyone was ducking him. He next assignment is something that could upset the apple cart. I am not sure where wink is right now.

But his style, arrogance, and stubborn refusal to back down could spell doom for Paul Williams.

Winky has something to prove homeys He sued HBO and as part of the settlement he got this April Date. This is Dinky’s last chance at super star status. Winky also resides in Las Vegas, which, to me, matters.

Paulie must stay true to his physical gifts and make an effort to not get caught up in Winkys inevitable antics. If he can win this fight I cant think of anyone in boxing 160 and under that would fight this man.

I pray that he does not become to big for his britches and push the envelope to 168. I find it funny that Kelly Pavlik turned down millions to fight Paulie. I fid it funny that M. Cotto’s English is getting markedly better yet, he still has yet to pronounce the word Paul Williams.

Marga, before he was exposed, turned down $4 million to fight this man. Shane Mosley has yet to respond to trash talk spewed his way by Paul’s camp. No one wants anything to do with this man and that tends to be a sign of just where Paul stands at the moment

Shane Mosley

It is hard to be a fighter in two acts. Only two fighters have done it to my eye to a tee. Ali after his draft defection and subsequent layoff came back to win the title twice in the '70s and become a Massive global figure.

George Forman, after being ousted from his perch by the like of ALI and Jimmy Young returned to have a legendary run back to his coveted position. Now we have Shane Mosley.

In the first act, he was the second greatest lightweight of all time. He had knockout power in both fist and ran through the 135-pound division like a hot knife through butter.

He then stepped up and ousted Oscar in a modern day super fight. The rest is history of course but when he lost to Cotto, a lot of people wrote and postulated on the end of his career and how it had been a great run.

What mystified me at the time was the fact that he didn’t get beat up, pressured the ultimate pressure fighter (at the time), and dominated the action down the stretch with the exception of the 11th round.

He then moved on to stop a very game El’ Matador knocking him out in the waning seconds of a tough fight. I don’t need to again detail the events of Jan. 24 but this much is clear.

Shane Mosley is as strong and as fast as ever. He has modified his style many thanks to NR. He has gone from a boxer with punching power to a puncher who fights out of the Philly shell.

You could see it during the Margarita fight that he was cupping his arms close to his body, ducking and weaving but getting together with his man at the same time. If you couple the Philly shell with a masterful understanding of counter punching you have a new breed of fighter.

One that I have not seen before. AM was not prepared for what he saw that night. I don’t think anyone was. The thing that makes me laugh is that no one is stepping up to fight this guy this side of Paul Williams.

I think he would over power some of the men on this list and he has the mental toughness to negotiate a potential fight with Mr. Williams. That said the time is now.

He has been ducked by Cotto officially who is opting to fight JC. Ricky Hatton and Manny both have in a roundabout way turned their shoulders to a potential fight with Shane. Shane’s best bet is to hope that Paul Williams takes care of his end of the deal next month.

Shane could have a fantastic chance to cement his claim to the throne. At this point fighting B level fighters is no longer an option. With an amazing trainer and a dominant resurgence in the welterweight division one has to wonder...just who is better than Shane Mosley?

Christian’s Pick: Paul Williams

It just so happens that the top four fighters in the world today have all fought near or around welterweight. When deciding whom my current pick was in this discussion I closed my eyes and imagined a round robin tournament. A tournament contested at welterweight.

I pictured all four fighters fighting each other.

After thinking about it for a good while I came to one conclusion. Paul Williams would whup everyone’s ass on this list. He would Evaporate Manny with length strength and athletic ability.

He would be too big and strong for JMM. And with his proven boxing prowess and ACC two guard stature he would be way too much for Shane Mosley to overcome. I stated that this is a fickle situation.

One fight or one punch for that matter can take this argument for a ride at any moment.

But right now the biggest threat to Floyd's vacated position is Paul Williams. Now fans with generic opinions will argue that the other men have more tangible boxing accolades, however, that’s nonsense to me because right now, in the ring, I take Paul over any of the other three, head to head.

I thought about doing an honorable mention list. But after thinking about it, I decided that there was no need. This is not fourth-grade softball. Not everyone can win.

This is the top men in a certain field each with an argument to be the best at what they do. I may catch heat for weight bias, FMJ positivity, and as always not putting every fighter in boxing on a very short list.

The upside of this though is I learn more about boxing and you. Feel free to give me your vote although I would rather you voice a specific opinion with me rather then hitting up the poll.

I will banter back I promise but be forewarned. If you don’t know boxing, at least do some research before you jump out there.

I would love to leave you guys with random thoughts, but I recently noticed that fat DR of ESPN has been using the words “random thoughts” for a while now so while I think of a new name for my loose thoughts.

I hope you enjoy my effort and I thank everyone for their kind words.

Peace

Top Five Fights of All Time

Christian — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 07:37:58 -0500

Hi fans… its me again. In light of the lighting rod Debate that took place on bleacher report concerning the top ten boxers of all time I have decided to evolve the debate.

The ironic thing is I was planning on making this a two-part piece on who the top fighters were and finally what fights were the all time best. A lot goes into an all time contest. It has to have ebb and flow, an intriguing storyline, and of course crowd pleasing action. It also helps if it is a title tilt.

A common misconception is the length a fight needs to be to make such a list, The truth is the length is not a pertinent issue. A fight on this list only went three rounds but took the breath out of the sports world not just tbe boxing world.

Fights that have social impact outside of sports are always keepers because the drama of the fight is enhanced and the fighters themselves become causes a tradition that is sometimes incidental but always a joyful sight for promoters.

As some of you know I have spoken to some of the oldest most respected people in the game in relation to this topic. I also recently did an epic fight film session that gave me the chance to watch boxing across many generations and presidents.

From conversations I have had with my dad to films I have watched I have compiled the second half of my all time look at the best sport there is. Ladies and gents I present the top five fights of all time.

The debate last week was great and while it is unrealistic to inspire that type of reaction twice I am eager to hear what my fellow writers think about this topic. I learned that many of you have informed views and I encourage you to share it with all of us, Lets go…..

5.Evander Holyfield Vs Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe

Undisputed heavyweight title (200 +)

November 13th 1992

This fight was something that touched the hearts of a lot of boxing fans. It satisfied people on a lot of levels and that was somewhat unexpected heading into the fight. Evander Holyfield at the time was a champion that the boxing public was not infatuated with.

Mike Tyson was still the champ in a lot of people’s eyes and the Pit bull from ATL was viewed as a blown up cruiserweight and not a traditional heavyweight. He found his litmus test in a tall highly talented Olympian from Brownsville New York.

Big daddy had taken the silver medal in 1988 in S/K and shot up the heavy weight ranks with unusual hand speed for a guy his size and an affable persona that made him a media darling. Riddick also was a tall imposing heavyweight in his prime a combination that the “unproven“ Holyfield had yet to encounter in his initial reign as heavyweight King pin.

There were two major question entering the fight. One would Riddick(who’s mental toughness has been questioned up to that point) be able to weather the type of fury that a young Holyfield could generate. Two would Evander be able to topple a “real” heavyweight. The resulting clash was one for the ages.

Evander started with courageous aggression determined to test Riddicks heart and resolve. Daddy responded with punishing accurate combinations that stalled the Holyfield express over the middle rounds. The 10th round(considered on of the great in history) defined ebb and flow in boxing.

Riddick landed a tremendous upper cut and then proceeded to batter Evander from pillar to post. It looked to be over but Evander reversed the tide in that very SAME round and almost knocked Bowe out. They fought after the bell. Bowe took a deserved decision and affirmation that he was a true tough heavyweight champion.

Evander was not disgraced in the fight. He proved that he could hang with anyone in the heavy weight division despite his perceived physical disadvantages. They needed each other and together they mutually elevated their careers even though there could only be one winner

4.”Marvalous” Marvin Hagler Vs Thomas “Hitman” Hearn’s

Undisputed middleweight title (160 pounds)

April 15th 1985

My father attended this fight and too this day he tells me that’ this fight is the greatest thing that he has ever seen as a boxing fan. Marvin haggler was the Larry Holmes of his division. He was an extensively tenured middleweight champion putting up 15-title defenses in all. But something was missing. He was not embraced by mainstream America the way Ray Charles was at the time; he was through out his career a man who had to fight and claw every inch of the way.

He had the tangible boxing accolades but he didn’t have public adulation. He was seeking his defining moment as he entered the latter part of a hall of fame career. It all fell into place when the word got out that Sugar was going to retire due to a detached retina suffered at the hands of the motor city cobra during their 1981 tilt.

Thomas Hearns in wake of his epic stoppage loss to Ray moved up to 154 pounds and began to pick up the pieces. It all crystallized when Thomas Hearns smoked Roberto Duran in scary fashion inside of three rounds. The same Roberto Duran who had given Marvin all he could handle in two tough prize fights.

With Ray fishing the two turned their attention towards each other and the public seeing how the two styles would clash jumped right on the band wagon. After some initial drama and a “pinkie” injury of which I don’t have the time to write about the fight was finally made and the trash talking began.

Thomas Hearn’s was no longer the quiet quaint kid from Detroit. He now was the loud antagonizing figure and it only poured gasoline one the fire that was Hagler’s determination. Some say that Thomas Hearn’s was seen in the casino gambling and drinking the night before the fight.

He was oozing with confidence and was convinced that Hagler’s straight ahead style was taylor made for him. Marvin on the other hand saw this as his biggest chance to get the acclaim he so badly wanted. That coupled with Tommey’s antics had Hagler in a violent state of mind in the lead up the fight. He was always seen wearing shirts with war on them and what not.

He truly wanted to hurt TH based on comments I have read and that was necessary to get what we got. Usually in boxing a fight takes some time to get going and flowing.

This fight was not a boxing match it was a fight. They met in the center of the ring and began dropping every single punch they could throw. It was like watching a tough man contest.

There was no boxing whats so ever. Thomas with his long arms and straight as an arrow form on his right hand kept Marvin at bay cutting him badly on the head. Marvin in turn hurt The Hitman with sublime stomach head combinations in the final min.

They slugged it out in the final min with sweat flying into the TV cameras and Barry t of HBO screaming into the Mike” THIS IS STILL THE FIRST ROUND”. Al Michaels who we all know and love said that was the greatest three min in boxing history.

The fight did not slow down but it did get complicated. Moving into the second round when connecting with a right hand Thomas Hearn’s broke his right hand in the first round. He then proceeded to not quit but fight harder.

The crescendo blasted off in the third round with a determined Marvin catching up to and stopping Thomas with a slick right hand right next to the ear. Thomas was shot….he had nothing. He was either over trained or under trained. Either way he was not right. The fight was an action movie battle.

Like rocky and sh##t, I loved watching it and it is with out question worth of this very honorable list. Thomas fought valiantly but again suffered a career defining defeat. Marvin finally got what he had coveted for years and years. Respect and love. And endorsements.

He became a fixture in the American commercial scene in wake of the fight. Marvin became so popular after the fight that Sugar Ray would eventually come back to fight him due to his need for the spotlight that MARVIN now had.

3.Alexis Argulleo Vs Aryon Pryor

Undisputed Jr welterweight championship (140 pounds)

11/12/1982

What you had here was polar opposites. Prince Charming and Grendel. AA was everything you love about the sport of boxing. Bert Sugar called him the most gracious man he has ever covered in and out of the ring.

He became an American hero in wake of the Sandinista government taking occupation of his home country. Due to this event and the fact that the SG attempted to freeze his assets AA grabbed his family and fled to America where he settled in Miami. In wake of his defection the American public gravitated towards him.

His touching gesture to Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini after their fight in front of a national audience didn’t hurt either. He was Oscar del hoya before there was Oscar Del hoya. He won 3 world titles and with his good looks and charm wanted to cement his boxing legacy with one more title/career defining victory.

The Hawk on the other hand was not from the sunnier side of the tracks. He was born in a Cincinnati ghetto one of many children. He did not have a father figure growing up and that coupled with his innate aggression gravitated him towards boxing He didn’t make the 1976 Olympics despite an established Amateur pedigree.

He missed out on the paydays and network contracts that Ray Charles and the Spinks brothers were handed in wake of their respective Olympic successes. Ray Charles moved up to Welterweight in my mind to get away from the aforementioned. Aryon ran off a string of impressive victory’s displaying all time talent and endless Versatility.

He cleaned out his division and since he was in able to secure a fight with Ray need a big name to put him on the road to national stardom. He found that golden ticket Willy Wonka style in AA; the fight was slated to be in the orange bowl in Miami. AA had become a local hero to the Cuban population in Miami because of the connection between the SG and Castro.

What you got the night of the fight was a tremendous celebration of boxing as we all wish it to be. It was abundantly clear who the hometown favorite was because of several factors One even though Pryor was the champ he entered first, was introduced first and was introduced by just his name where as AA was introduced with the term “Mr: in front of his name.

The images I have seen of Pryor before the fight are somewhat troubling to look at. He has a look in his eyes that no one on earth is going to beat him tonight. “A man intense” Barry T on the call mentioned before the bell rang. He was already an insecure guy to begin with and the dis respect that was shown to him on a night when it WAS he who was the champion Fueled the fire to a raging inferno by the time the bell sounded. Right from the on set AP Pressured AA all over the ring landing filthy combinations in conjunction with improvised movement.

They both set an iron man pace in the very first round. It was clear that AP did not respect AA vaunted punching power. That belief was quickly tempered by the crisp clean straight shots thrown by AA.

He tagged AP to the point where Pryor realized that getting knocked out was a distinct possibility if he continued upon his charted course of action He then begin to move and throw from all angles but leaning more towards boxing.

One unfortunate aspect of this as stipulated by a fellow writer last time was the Black bottle that AP drank from twice during the course of the tilt. Panama Lewis (who also was tied into a plaster incident in the 80’s that arguably lead to another mans death) asked his assistants in the corner to hand him “not the water the one I mixed”.

At one point in the fight Ray Charles on the call asked the question” where is AP getting these spread out energy burst from?” He took a sip in the second and final round of the fight. After his second sip he caught AA with two handed combinations that sent AA sprawling into the ropes were AP rushed him and took the fight that was about to be taken from him.

In light of Panama Lewis spilling the beans, allegations arose here, there and everywhere. The “Mix” lead to a re match which AP won in even more brutal fashion. This much is clear though,,,,,their fight was an all time struggle, A true fight to the death at times. If you have not seen this fight check it out…breath taking

Ray Charles Lenard vs. Thomas Hearn’s

Unified Welterweight title (147 pounds)

September 16th 1981

The height of both these hall of famers careers crystallized in 1981 amid years of anticipation and hype. Sugar Ray in all his glory had emerged from his “No Mas” rematch with Duran as maybe the best pound for pound fighter out there.

He was garnering tremendous momentum. Ray was getting endorsement deals out the wazoo, making friends in high places, and most importantly of all having a big role in his financial dealings and affairs where as most boxers actually hire a promoter and a manager to do it for them.

He was Americas champ and the one thing he needed to be considered a great fighter was simple beat Thomas Hearn’s The motor city cobra won a legit piece of the welterweight title when he knocked out highly respected champ PC.

This shockingly dominant victory put ray and the public on notice. Rays camp deferred the fight for a good amount of time in order to build interest and by the time the fight came off in 1981 it was a Mainstream event.

People from DET poured into Las Vegas to see their hero try and elevate himself to marvelous heights. Thomas was the betting favorite due to that glock of a right hand that could emerge any second.

It was on this night that they both would become boxing deities. The fight began with Ray being a little surprised with TH reach and fluidity. Ray would change the course of the fight when he landed a big right hand in the middle rounds and had TH in BIG trouble. The fight then did a complete 360. Ray became the stalker and TH became the boxer.

Ray had his moments but oh man did TH box those middle/late rounds. It was pretty to see on tape. Angelou Dundee kept his cool and kept it real in the face of being down on the cards and Rays eye getting fatter by the second,” Your blowin it son….your blowin it” Ray jumped off the stool and beat TH into submission the ref calling the fight when it was clear he was in danger of getting hurt.

If TH stays on his feet he wins the unified welterweight championship of the world. He knew that, Ray knew that, everyone knew that. Yet, Ray found a way to pull out his defining moment against most odds makers and maybe his own belief. He became a boxing icon on that night and TH,the great warrior, was elevated to new heights in defeat. That’s what makes a great fight

Ali Vs Frazier 1

Undisputed Heavy weight title

March 8th 1971

Ladies and gents I present the most fantastic, dramatic, socially impactful, action packed, worldwide event fight ever in the history of boxing. A lot of people may point out other fights but this fight is the most complete combination of worldwide event AND earth shattering fight. This fight took place during a time of social change in America.

It also took place during Americas offensive in Vietnam. Ali as we all know had come out against the war “No Viet Kong ever called me N$$$er” He refused to be inducted into the draft and was stripped of his titles at the height of his powers. Ali ‘s emerging political stance provoked white America.

He had joined the highly combative Black Muslims and then proceeded to not fight for his country. This cut across many lines. Veterans of the establishment vilified Ali while college students, hippies, and African Americans identified with Ali and took up his cause. Joe Frazier was far from a politician or an orator. He was the son of a sharecropper from SC.

He came from humble beginnings and remained humble even after taking the heavy weight title. The Anti Ali establishment gravivatated towards him because of his soft spoken nature and perceived all American stance. When it came time for the two to meet in Madison SA garden the two men had become causes. Ali, the defiant civil activist who also happened to be the greatest heavyweight that ever lived.

Then we had the soft-spoken Joe Frazier who wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but a good man nonetheless. This particular dynamic would prove disastrous for Ali. Ali taunted Joe up and down the block calling everything from “dumb and ugly”to an “uncle Tom” to a “pure n@@@ger”. Since Ali had such power in the black community Joe and his family went through a lot in the lead up to the fight. This really hurt Joe really hurt him. Still hurts him. He would say years later” the antics built up an anger” that festered the night of the fight. Every now and then we refer to certain fights as events. Events are generally fights that Mainstream America picks up on and gravitates too. Joe Louis Vs Max S. 2, Ali vs. Foreman, and as bob arum told me when I interviewed him Hagler vs. SRL. These fights were the talk of the nation when they finally dropped and of course there is more but there is none that really approached the level of this “event”. Ali was by public distinction a symbol for anti Vietnam sentiment where’s Frazier was adopted by the establishment simply because he was the anti Ali. I have seen images of him in congress and so on so it got pretty dramatic in the lead up. This fight was broadcast all over the world the first such fight to have such a gigantic pay per view live telecast. This was the first true Pay per view event. Burt Lancaster BURT LANCASTER was on the call with Archie Moore. Frank S. was ringside taking pictures for Life magazine. Every pimp, Gangster (including an American one (= ) actor, actress, singer, noble blood, athlete, and sportswriter that mattered was there. No one missed this fight. When they fighters came down for their introductions they walked onto the world’s stage the only fight that had come close to generating this type of sizzle was Louis/Sch 2. The fight began with Joe taking some tremendous shots as their style’s clashed with pugilistic fury. Ali almost knocked out in the first round and skated to a 3-0 lead through three rounds. Joe then began to start smoking attacking the rib cage adopting Balboa’s Philosophy of taking 2 to get 1. He would not be denied on this night. Ali then began to take over in the middle to late rounds pulling closer on the scorecards.

The fight began to take a massive physical toll on both fighters. Ali had a broken jaw and bruised ribs. Joe’s Face was a swollen car wreck the likes of which we have not seen. He was having trouble with his internal organs and would become a resident at a hospital for an extended amount of time as result.

At one point there was even a rumor that he had died. In the 15th round the all time tilt hit a fever pitch with Frazier throwing the left hook of his life. Ali was in the process of moving out of range, and then suddenly, Joe (who had very long arms for a shorter man) lunged forward and caught ALI with a picture perfect left hook right on the chin. Down goes ALI. The crowd rises. So does ALI.

They fight to the bell with Joe Frazier embracing his defining moment.. Joe took every sizzling accurate shot that Ali threw. He took all the taunts, questions about his intelligence, attacks on his status as a true black man, and his lack of vernacular.

He took all of that heat and the fact that he had an all time fighter in his way and he did not he wilt, he did not give in, he smiled every time he was humiliated and in the end…..he persevered. Now the irony button got pressed after the fight because Joe in light of his biggest victory seemed to get smaller and Ali as history shows became bigger. A global icon.

Bert Sugar said it best” that night winner was the loser and the loser was the winner”.. The party that didn’t lose on that oh so great night was us the fans. They gave us something that will last forever. Thank you

Yeah Yeah!, I am catching heat from my friend for making this to long. He and anyone else will have to get over it. If one is going to remember greatness then that greatness must be treated with respect.

I gave my best effort to capture several aspects of each fight for your Sunday consumption.. I want to applaud all of you the fans of bleacher report…we know our fu###ing our boxing, here are some random thoughts in wake of last nights better then expected presentation

Random thoughts

- Yes Cotto was impressive and yes Pavlik broke down Rubio but two things that are glaring to me that can not be ignored, One Cotto was facing highly pedestrian competition, two Yes Kelly got the Knockout but it was not the dynamic knock out win that Cotto delivered and that Pavlik’s team was aiming for

- Slow down with all of the talk about King Authur Abraham as Kelly’s next opponent. After a somewhat Lacking performance one can’t be sure if Kelly is ready for a step up like that

- Top Rank did a decent job with the cards they were given and this development will affect how HBO and top rank do buiness..Thats if they got a decent amount of buys numbers pending

- Josh Clottey is having troubling coping with the fact that no one wants to fight him, I think he somehow thought that Zab Judah was a career defining fight and that should entitle him to big names and big fights….poor guy

- I was the first boxing reporter I know of to report the Kelly Pav’Rubio fight. I know that because Jack told me on the phone that they had just made the fight earlier that day. That was about 4 months ago and to see the fight come off that I first reported was awesome, take care fans

Peace

Ps for you viewing pleasure here is a link to my interview with Bob Arum on this same subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDDHoS1Vc-w

The Top 10 Boxers of All Time

Christian — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:46:58 -0500

Hola, boxing fans. It has been a dark first quarter of the year in terms of sports and with our heroes falling like dominos it is always nice to manufacture some nostalgia and good debate.

The agenda today, ladies and gents, is the age-old debate of just who is the greatest. It is very difficult as I found out to name the greatest fighter of all time due to an array of interesting factors.

I initially wanted to do a piece on the No. 1 fighter all time pound for pound but after doing my research I concluded that in order to off set the difficulty of naming one man I have reformed my initial Plan and will now name the top 10 greatest fighters of all time.

Please don’t take my judgment lightly. I spent a combined 10 hours at an old friends house watching fight film going back to the Pf flyers and based on what I saw I compiled this very gaudy list.

Keep in mind fans that each fighter is being rated thus according to work done in their prime. I don’t want any dumb fans complaining that certain fighters have too many losses or fought too long.

These rankings are based on these men being in their primes and at the height of their powers. Another important component is the fighter’s best weight.

Within the eminent analysis you will find fighters that excelled in various weights, however, I have ranked them based on how they did in their premier division and I rank them against others who were great that fought in the same division. Dive in and enjoy try and keep the arguing to a minimum (=

10. ”Sugar” Shane Mosley Lightweight 46-5

The case can be made that Shane Mosley is the greatest lightweight that ever lived. He Went to war 34 times and emerged a winner all 34 times.

Shane today has tremendous power at welterweight, as evidenced by his recent shut down of you know who. His power at 135 pounds may be unmatched in the history of boxing.

Larry Merchant calls Shane the most physically dominant lightweight he has ever covered. I cannot go that far but the numbers do not lie.

He matches up with any lightweight who has ever laced them up, therefore he is easily one of the greatest fighters of all time due to the high profile patronage that has visited the division through out the years.

9. Larry Holmes Heavyweight 69-6

The numbers that Larry amassed in boxing’s greatest division are staggering. He made 20 title defenses, second only to Joe Louis. He fought anybody and everybody while ducking nobody.

Ernie Shavers, Ken Norton, Michael Spinks, looking at his record there is really no one of any relevance who DIDN’T fight Larry Holmes in the late '70s and early '80s.

He was the ultimate tactician. The Easton assassin had the full offensive kitchen. His Jab was numbing and his straight right was about as textbook as it gets.

He is shortchanged by history due to his reign being in the wake of ALI but he is truly one of the greatest Professional prize fighters of all time.

8. Joe Louis Heavyweight 69-3

I must say that I am basing this on what he did in the ring and not his impact on America or the African-American community. If that were the case then Joseph Barrow Louis would be number one.

The Brown Bomber was so very dominant during his reign as the champ of the world. He shattered the myth that Jack Johnson created that a black man could not be champion and be dignified. He had awesome power in both fists.

It was evident when he made Max S. shriek like a damsel in distress during their historic second tilt. It was evident when you see Billy Conn evaporate after a brown-spiced combination.

He is one of the top three greatest power punchers who ever lived. My only fault with him is that he seemed to have a suspect chin and sometimes fought down to his competition.

All in all though, it does not get much better then Joe due to his record as the longest tenured heavyweight champion in history.

7. Roberto Duran Lightweight 103-16

Manos de Piedra! I pontificated on whether Shane Mosley was the greatest lightweight of all time. However that is impossible to confirm, due to Roberto Duran and his sustained onslaught on the lightweight division in the 70s.

Physically in his prime was the most punishing fighters that ever lived. He was a tornado of a fighter, overwhelming his opponents with tact and speed. He also had a gung-ho attitude that made him even more dangerous.

He knew how to box, of course, but he actually preferred to fight. A high-class brawler if you will. He really does not have an equal outside of Sugar in the history of this division. He was Manny before there was Manny.

His career spanned 40 years and saw him take titles in 4 different weight classes. He is already a Hall of Famer and he can rest at night knowing that everyone considers him the greatest lightweight world champion...ever.

6. Jack Dempsey Heavyweight 66-6

Since this is not a popularity contest, I cannot rank the second most popular man in boxing history at No. 2. Instead, I would rather look at him, the fighter. The man I saw on tape was a straight monster.

He also had a swagger that made his power and aggression even that much more enhanced. He was in so many words, a white Mike Tyson.

He held the title for seven years, and I know there was inactivity during that tenure, but his dominance of the heavyweight division cannot be refuted or ignored. I guess it helps him a little that he is the biggest "butts in seats" draw in boxing history.

It’s not even close. I mean just massive amounts of people as far as the eye can see. It makes sense in retrospect though. If you have a fighter who is a matinee idol outside of the ring and an animal of a world champion in it, I would pay to see that, too.

5. Guglielmo Papaleo Featherweight 230-11

Yes you read that amazing record correctly. The speedster from CT (YEAH QU!) was on paper the most dominant fighter ever during the forties and early fifties.

"Willie Pep” was the most graceful and fluid of the fighters that I saw. His power and hand speed was almost breathtaking at times. The “Wisp” compiled over 200 victories in the featherweight division.

That is pretty hard to get your mind around, right? Well on top of that it is speculated that he fought in even more fights then the record states.

He is the greatest featherweight in boxing history and with that elegant movement that I saw when viewing his fights, I can see why so many people have told me he is the greatest ever.

I don’t go that far but he is on the Mt. Rushmore make no bones about it.

4. Ray Charles Leonard Welterweight 36-3

“Sugar” was a mini Ali. With the boring Larry Holmes supplanting Ali, boxing needed a spark. A revolution. They got it from the super talented kid from Palmer Park, Md.

Ray emerged from the Montreal Olympics as boxing's sure bet. He delivered and he ushered in a golden era in Boxing’s little divisions. He ran through the welterweight division minus the speed bump against the formidable Duran.

After disposing of Roberto in their rematch, he would go on to the unify the titles against the Motor City Cobra in 1981. Look that that welterweight division. Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benitez.

Ray was great during a time of great fighters and he did in a glamour division. His talent and smile saved boxing in a time when the country needed a new fighter to grab onto and follow. He legacy is sealed.

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Welterweight 39-0

I would assume I might hear some music over this selection. However anyone that would argue is letting this personal bias get in the way of the facts.

Again I sat there on a Saturday recently and watched hours upon hours of tape and I had trouble finding even three fighters who had the physical talents of FMJ.

His radar like senses, lightning quick reflexes, and Boxing intuition are virtually unmatched to my eye.

It is very difficult to find someone who has more PURE talent then FMJ. He is not a reader of how to win friends and influence people but that does not give all these people the right to discout his merit.

That is unacceptable and I wont have it. Floyd is the only pound-for-pound fighter with out a loss. I don’t know how it’s possible to refute that but I am sure that some of you will try.

2. Muhammad Ali Heavyweight 56-5

What can I say? He is the undisputed peoples champion. In his prime before the draft and name change he was a true work of art. At 6 foot three he has the movement of a dancer, the height of a two guard, the power of a heavyweight but the skill tact and speed of a light Middleweight.

His boxing skills are hard to compare. He utilized the jab to dimensions not since visited and he also knew where to hit you hence the second Liston fight. He won the title three different times and took on anyone that stepped up.

I don’t think anyone fought a wider range of heavyweights due his traveling the world over the course of his career.

He is the greatest heavyweight that ever lived and if you ask him that same question I am sure he would concur, haha.

1. Sugar Ray Robinson Welterweight 175-19

I present to you the Greatest Pound for Pound fighter that ever lived. Never mind the fact that he won titles at lightweight and light heavyweight. It’s more due to his service in the welterweight division.

A smooth as ice Prizefighter with super duper talent, the dimensions to his skill set were without limits. I saw him throw every kind of punch the craft can possibly allow. I saw glide across the canvas with ease and land those speed-of-sound accurate shots.

He was the total Package and while Many others can claim that same notion, few have demonstrated it and none if any have done it like this man.

If God, whoever you believe him to be, could create the ultimate fighting machine this is exactly the product that he would pop out. I wish I would have seen his pugilistic wheelhouse, I wish I could have seen the music that was his fighting style.

I saw it on tape, but in person, I am sure it was even more impressive. He is the greatest fighter of all time and I now know for sure.

Thanks, boxing fans. I hope my rankings were up to the task. I will get at you guys soon, I am going to leave you guys with some random thoughts, be well!

Random thoughts

-It was truly disheartening to hear about former lightweight world champ Nate Cam and his weight troubles. In an age of interim and super champions he was a very real unified champion in a glamour division. He blew that tremendous position and all talk about 140 is nice but it seemed like a convenient out to a major league screw up.

-The administrative contingent really blew it last night. From the refs to the judges to the promoter….what a disaster.

- How bout my 2008 prospect of the year? I spoke of his brutality two months ago and last night he manifested it

-Lennox Lewis is the worst boxing commentator of all time, why do they continue to indulge him? At this point, it is bordering on unprofessional to have Lennox and his lacking vernacular present in the announcers' booth.

-Strap in fans, in wake of the seventh round of the Sergio-Kermit fight boxing now will have to address the concept of instant replay…..this debate will get louder and louder until commissions address it.

thanks fans

Canastota Will Have to Wait: Margacheato Suspended for a Year

Christian — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:06:48 -0500

Good Evening boxing fans and fellow sribes. I want to give some props to the boxing writers here on bleacher report. I find myself surfing to this site for my boxing fix as oppose to the more mainstream boxing sites. I come back to the fold friends to try and make sense of the historic and tragic events that unfolded in california today.

Today the California State Athletic Commission suspended Antonio Margarito from fighting in the United States of America for at least a year and most likely longer. Accompanying our knight in plaster armor will be his disgraced trainer Mr Capetillo who was the apparant mastermind in all this.

The "plaster like substance in question has yet to be identified with an ETA on that information guesstimated at about early to mid March. The reason he was suspended on top of the Plaster was the inserts that actually had a blood stain on them. These inserts were a little softer then a rock according to the doctors assigned to the detail.

One of the women on the panel argued at length that these were used in the Cotto fight a notion quickly dismissed by her fellow panel members.The Vote was 7-0 nothing in favor of Tony gettin the boot and the margin of the vote is what is disturbing. I will raise and answer four quick questions that are looming in wake of this disaster of a story.

1. What was Tony's explanation and does it hold weight?

Tony took a page out of Barry Bonds book and stated he had no clue that his hands were literally hands of stone the night of the 24th. His claim was strongly dismissed by the panel and upon circulation will be dismissed by the boxing public. I hold his trainer responsible to some degree but Tony in my mind attempted to cheat his way to big money fights AND he was cavelier with a human life in the process.

Sorry Tony actually trying to sell the dog ate my homework excuse makes you even more of a disgrace to the sport then you were before the hearing

2. Does Tony face more action from parties involved in the fight?

Well the ball is officially in Shane's/Goldenboy's court. What Tony did crosses moral lines that I dont think we have fully realized here. He in so many words put concrete in his gloves and tryed to fight another man. He could have Killed Shane Mosley. He put another human life in danger, he put another man's ability to ever work again in danger.

These actions I have stipulated violate civil and criminal laws in all fifty states including Cali. Tony now is open for civil litigation from not just Shane but the Cotto's and Citrons of the world. He may be open to a civil action from HBO pending the language in the fight contract.

He may be facing criminal charges in cali due to the fact that the JUSTICE department is handling the test. You feel that Tony? Thats your seat getting hotter by the Second.

3. What's the ripple affect of the pending announcement?

Where do I begin? For starters who will Cotto fight in June? Fighting Miguel the day before the Puerto Rican parade is always and will be a MEGA promotion. I have heard Berto but it appears the yellow brick road has been laid for Mr Shane to get his coveted rematch. This also takes Mayweather's sights off of Shane and Back on the winner of Hatton/Pac tilt in May.

Berto might be the biggest winner in all of this because thats one more veteran welterweight that he will not have to deal with and it moves him into position to actually get a multi million dollar purse. In terms of fandom I dont see this hurting anyone but Tony. Through out the hundred plus years of boxing history there is awful stories and names.

Aryon Prior drinking the "mix" that seemingly gave him the energy to overwhelm alexis down the strech of their classic, There is Jack Demp and his hands of stone fiasco against the then champion Jess Willard.

Boxing fans have a short memory when it comes to Scum bags like Tony. If anything a side affect of the sobering information given to us today is that one less cheater is in the game

4. Hall of fame for Tony?

NO way. The funny thing is that Shane Mosley will get into the hall of fame even though he took performance enhancing drugs before one of his marquee wins. What Tony did and the way he behaved in wake of it will lead most boxing writers to black ball him from ever taking a summer trip to upstate New York.

Tony was not as of yet a hall of famer but he close. He was mabye two or three marquee wins away. But the fact that he cheated boxing in an age of information and CSI technology his F@@up is broadcast on a far wider scale then any of the past crimes I outlined in the last stanza.

Because of that fact and the fact that it can be argued this was one of many times Mr tony will not sniff the hall of fame. He may fight again in the US. But when he does it will be to a chorus of boos. The adulation and honor that boxing placed upon him in the last five months seems like 50 years ago.

Larry Merchant called Tony a "truth Machine in the ring...can you stand with him? Can you take his punches?" Well Larry, your truth Machine in the ring is the dumbest man alive outside of it.

I am sad for boxing. I am sad for Mexican Boxing fans. I am sad for those that invested their hearts in Tony's career and building popularity. One person who is not sorry is Tony. In wake of the decision the word on the street is that he brushed it off and began plotting his next fight in Mexico. To me that is disgraceful. It is not acceptable.

He should call a press conference and address the allegations, the panels decision, and boxing fans who have endeared themselves to this Spineless jelly fish in the last year. I am glad he is gone and I am oh so happy to turn my attention to the honest pugilist that we know and love. Be well fans and have no fear...the cheater is gone.

Boxing's State Of The Union Pt 2:Plus Margacheato Update

Christian — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:21:06 -0500

Greetings and salutations boxing fans. I return to the boxing spectrum to put the finishing touches on my state of the ring address.

I have many beefs with the sports current administration and I outlined some of these problems in the first article of my comprehensive look at the termites that are eating the soft under belly of the sport.

I wish to point out before we turn the ignition on this latest work that all three of my points I made last week were realized in some fashion in the subsequent days. The Staples Center was rockin' last Saturday night a nice respite from the dead late arriving casino crowd.

The case is closed on last week’s argument that big venues serve as a structural emissary to the mainstream sports fan. The point that got the most reaction with out question is my view on the crime wave called the “interim champion”.

Just a few days after writing that the interim champion was decaying boxing the WBO set up a purse bid for an interim cruiserweight title bout when the WBO cruiserweight title was already vacant.

So what they are going to do is set up two different bouts to crown two different champions that can coexist together while both claiming the mantle of champion…..what a sham...organized bally hoo.

MMA this past weekend had two cards that I know of and let me point out that it was only ONE card last weekend that had everyone talking. For some reason I could not seem to find a quote from Dana White concerning the fact that his PPV card was out-performed by a free cable network television event. Ahh it feels good to be right.

Now that we have completed our review let’s move forward with the second half of my state of the union. Two last questions I will answer as we enter what looks to be an earthquake-sized year in the boxing world.

4.When will network television come back into the fold?

That is the question that has plagued boxing in recent years. The biggest absolute purest draw that any sport can ask for is open source network television. 100 million people watched Eli’s Giants slay the mighty undefeated Pats in last years super bowl.

The No. 1 way that boxing could tap the mainstream would be to stage Sat night fights on an ABC or NBC platform. The exposure would be with out limits when compared to the subscription-based viewership.

I watched an old Mike Tyson fight broadcast on ABC and while primitive in its presentation the concept gave it power. The power it possesses is the power of precedence. The people who run boxing can’t say that network television would never work because it HAS worked and has been implemented.

The next problem is where does the money come from. Boxing does not have a union or players association that could negotiate an exclusive deal with any given network. The only way it could work would be for the brass at the networks to get involved in purse bids for B level cards and then to assure high octane cards secure 2 or three dates a year with the major promotional companies.

HBO could still be HBO with this infrastructure and at the same time Joe the plumber would still have the chance to catch quality prize fighting on his kitchen TV. The other upside to this prospective model is the automatic mandate by sports fans to feature expansive venues.

The domino effect would lead to a throw back time in the sport where Sports Illustrated covers and cereal commercials are the norm

5. Who are the people who are hurting boxing with their actions?

Many names come to mind for this stanza fans so I will try to list the prominent ones with haste. Don King should not serve as a surprise lead off to this topic. His business practices are hurting the games mainstream image while hurting the fighters he promotes as well.

I was watching ESPN and I was excited to see “boxing” on the side bar because it was a rare moment when boxing was tapping the mainstream. The story ended being about don king and how he didn’t pay Unified lightweight champion Nate Cam a dime after his most recent fight because the OTHER guy did not make weight.

The story went on to also chronicle the fact that Don has a high profile card on HBO Feb 14th and it was not until LAST week that he had a site. This is the type of thing that keeps boxing in neutral.

I will not say their names but the two Heavyweight Brothers are killing boxing. The glamour position in all of sports is the world’s heavyweight champion (by definition that is a unified champion). The brothers have three of the four belts, but understandably won’t fight each other, and seem to be basking in the fact that there is no one really to stop them.

Vitali makes me sick with his repeated overtures to a retired comfortable Lennox Lewis. It is clear he is trying to take advantage of the fact that Lewis is done and he really comes off as that whiny girlfriend that wont let the relationship go.

Wald, to his credit is slightly more tight lipped but the conundrum remains. As long as these two jointly occupy sports most coveted position the sport will continue suffer due to the vacuum left by an irrelevant heavyweight division.

One person who is indirectly hurting boxing is Floyd Mayweather Jr. From what I can tell Floyd got so fed up with people questioning his eventual legacy that he said f&&k it and quit. In Floyd's mind we should be happy just too witness his mastery over the sport let alone question it.

To Floyd, his talent is a privilege and right now we are not entitled to it. No matter what these idiots say on my message boards no one sells like FMJ. When he fights America re sets the dial.

He is mad at the media and now we are all suffering because we cant see the intrigue of a FMJ promotion. Mark it down when he returns to the ring it will be a mainstream event. The problem is when. Boxing needs as many “events” as possible at this point.

Random thoughts

-You got to be sh&&&&& me…. I know that Sugar is not eyeing a unification with Josh Clot as his cash-in fight right?....This must be a game of chicken to annoy FMJ, because it has been reported that Golden Boy reached out to Floyd's camp on Monday…they must not have liked the number he threw out.

-The people that keep sensationalizing these Holyfield/Tyson rumors should be ashamed of themselves writers included,

-Margacheato's Manager Francisco Espinoza has come out and given an official statement on handwrap-gate:

the “plaster-like” substances in question were actually gauzes that had been prepared two weeks before the fight with a wet cloth that caused the gauze to become humid and then hard.

Are you buyin that? I’m not, that comment will only fuel the skeptics

- I love you Paul will but the time has come to stop reading your own press clippings....your comments are going from confident and clever to off the reservation

Whew! Fans thank you for tuning in for Part two of my state of the union. I want to wish all my fellow writers the best and I will be in touch.

Tony Gets Plastered: Plus Interview with Sugar Shane Mosley

Christian — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:22:05 -0500

Margarito gets plastered: weekend commentary

Howdy, boxing fans! It is a joyful Sunday afternoon and I come to you to offer my humble perspective of the weekend that was.

Boxing celebrated an unofficial holiday of sorts last night. The albatross-sized irony of that is the event was a free network-based subscription presentation. The venue was electric, truly the purest boxing scene I have seen since Mr. Money’s tilt with Ricky Hatton.

I said it last week, and I will say it again. When you place an American pastime like boxing in an extravagant venue like the Staples Center, one could see that it’s a glamour event. It brings out the people of noble blood as well the casual sports fan.

I spoke to someone who was at the fight ringside, and they told me that the celebrity toll was as a fever pitch. I had some questions that were raised in wake of the shift that occurred last night, and I will try my best to answer those questions.

1.Why was Sugar able to slay Godzilla in a way that no one has during this three-title run?

The answer is simple yet complex. The simple answer is he had a fabulous game plan mixed with pinpoint accuracy. He also displayed the proper mix of mauling and boxing, doing just enough to keep the Tornado Express from getting the momentum he needs to start smokin'.

Shane also did something that no one has really asked of Tony in his recent fights. Shane made a sustained investment to the body. He attacked the body on several different platforms: Jab to the body, left hook to the body, looping right to the body.

I noticed in the middle rounds that Tony kept fixing his trunks, and to the trained eye that tells me that the investment is starting to make cents.

Once Shane got Marg to favor the rib cage, the super highway express opened for every type of right hand the pugilistic craft has to offer: Straight right hand, Looping right hand, throwing it over the jab.

Once Tony's body gave up, the head was sure to follow and the manner in which Shane finished him was shocking. I never thought I would see Shane decimate Tony like I did last night, but if you look at the game plan, it was inevitable.

2.What was wrong with Tony last night?

When Tony took off his robe I remarked to my buddy that he looked thin. Almost parched. He reminded me of Oscar and how sapped he looked last month. He also did not seem to have the punching power that he displayed in June.

We will get to that in a second, but his punches were not snippy snappy. I had heard rumors that Tony was overweight in the lead up to the fight but slimmed down in the last three weeks to make the weight. That type of fluctuation would affect anyone and I can help but think that maybe that was a factor.

The other thing that could have been wrong was his mental state. Again, I will address this shortly but if you watched him last night he almost fought like a man who was going to jail after the final bell. Almost like he was guilty of something.

3.How did HBO do?

Great. Tremendous. Truly the best piece of Boxing programming I have seen since Taylor vs. Pavlik. They re-did the basic visual platform of the program and added some highlight elements to the introductions that had a very nice touch.

They also bit the bullet and manned up on Shane/BALCO/Victor Conte fiasco and covered it without restraint. I applaud them for informing the viewers but not really passing any significant judgment against any of the involved parties.

The one thing I did not understand was Larry Merchant not posing the question to Tony concerning pre-fight indulgences that he is accused of. My question is thus…if Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been even accused of the same thing would Larry have asked the question??? YES.

4. What is the f***ing deal with the “plaster-like substance?”

WOW. When this broke in the first round I was in shock. I was busy texting everyone buzzing about what this could do to Tony’s legacy.

When he came out to the roar of thousands, I noticed that he had a strange almost apprehensive look about him. I liken it to the way Kobe looked during the whole Colorado debacle. He looked so tentative that I thought he was sick or hurt.

But as more comes out about this situation, it seems that Tony knew that he was going to face the fire when the lights went out.

After his loss to Paul Williams, I noticed that his power grew in large measure. He knocked out Golden Johnson in the first round in his very next fight, which was out of character because he has never been a one-punch puncher.

He shut down Kermit Citron brutally with almost death bringing power and fury. And then finally if you look at Cotto’s face at the end of their classic...that is the most beaten up I have ever seen a prize fighter and if Marg would be DUMB enough to do this on the biggest of stages what’s to stop him from doing it when his career and legacy are stake.

I am done judging until more comes out, but if this is true at the very least it is an actionable offense. Civil and criminal.

5. What now for Shane?

Sunny beaches and good laughs. Shane does not have to do anything. He can sit back and let the fight scene play itself out over the next couple of months. He turned in his greatest performance last night and I could not be happier for the guy.

As many of you know, I interviewed Shane in October and besides being such a nice guy he also was very eloquent in his answers and took more than enough time for my team and me.

During the interview, he told me about his plan to take this fight and in my heart I was concerned because of what Tony had done to Cotto. I didn’t want to see the same thing happen to Shane and to watch him last night, with black clouds thicker then Daytona swirling around him…wow.

He has entered himself in the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes, and I can assure you that Hatton or Pac wants nothing to do with the sweetest of them all. I am going to include a link to my interview with Shane for those of you that missed it.

Thank you for joining me boxing fans I will be back soon to present Part 2 of Boxing’s state of the union, take care and go Redskins.

P.S.: Here is the link to my interview with Sugar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ADq1jl0zbc

Boxing State of The Union: Real Talk From a Real Dude

Christian — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:31:54 -0500

Hei Kuinka Voit, Boxing fans! It is my pleasure to come back to you free of charge and short on drama.

Before we get started down the road of boxing scrutiny, let me first extend a muchas gracias to the boxing fans that have commented on my work and seem to really care about the pugilistic art.

Today’s agenda, ladies and gentlemen, is boxing as it stands today. This scribe has made relationships in the industry because of interviews and promotions and in becoming friends with such folk, I am starting to understand the sport.

I have several things that need to be examined. This examination is not just mine fans, it is yours as well. This sport like this great country belongs to the people.

We the fans and I believe that those who control the direction of the sport are currently not hitting on all cylinders. It has gotten to the point where people are trying to question boxing’s place in America.

I am not sure about you, my friends, but this sport means the world to me and the overall direction of the industry concerns me.

Not just the financial side of the equation. Now in the following Egzamin I will present some questions that have been plaguing me and then I will try my best to answer those questions.

I am going to warn you fans…..stay the course as you read this article kids, because some things I say might not appeal to you.

1. Why is MMA closing the gap and in some people's eyes, passing boxing?

Well, let’s be honest and lets not carried away. For 120 years, prize fighting has been in play, no matter how primitive the form, boxing goes back to Reconstruction.

For anyone to suggest that MMA is swallowing boxing constitutes a Pompous prisoner of the moment statement.

From the model T to the PF flyers, boxing has been in the backdrop before during and after. MMA is a growing fetus in relation to boxing when it comes to time served. Baseball, horse racing, boxing and golf I will say are true American pastimes.

MMA is not and never will be. EVER. I want to also take this chance to tell Dana White to shove it. Here he is in all his glory with his sport doing so well and growing and every time a microphone is in his face he trashes boxing.

It’s not enough that he is raking in the dough like few others. Its not enough because in his heart of hearts he wants to become boxing. He wants to replace it. The problem is, it won't happen in this lifetime or the next.

2.What is the interim title in boxing and why is it becoming so abundant in Boxing?

Ce qui me rend tellement fou! I can’t tell you how many times I talk to people in boxing who hate this concept.

In layman's terms, an interim title is a glorified mandatory mandate. It simply means that the current champion is mandated to fight you and until that happens you are the interim titlist.

What they DON’T talk about is the fact that this is simply a ploy to make money by the evil sanctioning bodies. They in so many words appoint two champions and make double the money.

Sergio Martinez is the 154-pound WBC “Interim” champion. Now the real WBC 154 pound champion Mr. Forrest is not hurt, he is not dead; he is just fine coming off a nice comeback victory to regain his title. Now if you use the term interim it should mean that the incumbent whatever the field is unable to work or has been fired.

In the NFL when a coach gets fired in mid season and the GM names an Interim head coach they don’t keep they guy they fired along side with the interim guy.

That’s exactly what these sanctioning bodies are doing. It like having two head coaches when traditionally there is only one. The problem is they ARE making more money, which is only going to tilskynde the awful practice of the Interim champion.

This is a shameful trend in the boxing world and it is pushing away mainstream fans, because they simply don’t know who the f&&&&&&ing champion is in any given division.

They also are driving away potential fans because this concept that is emerging is going to make a unified champion obsolete.

3.What happened to the Big Live gates?

Before he died, my grandfather in all his splendor spoke to me of a time when 100,000 people would pack horse tracks and baseball stadiums to watch boxing. Dempsey vs. Willard, Joe Vs Max.

Boxing used to be an attraction that was nothing short of a spectacle. Wrigley Field, Yankee stadium were regular sites and incredible draws. Imagine a packed Rose Bowl for a mega fight. That used to be the way of things.

The man who promoted Jack Dempsey (his name evades me; sorry, fans) once set up 100,000 chairs in a field and put on a boxing promotion. Even though that is somewhat over the top the point is the live gates are way too low.

The MGM Grand holds what? Maybe 18,000? I could be wrong. How amazing would it be to have Mayweather/PAC at Ford Field in Detroit?

It would be a watershed moment in the sport. It would change the perspective of the average consumer that boxing is now a clandestine art. And it would uplift promoters and the Greenburg’s of the world to understand that it is possible to make boxing a mainstream major sport again.

This is all me being nostalgic. It will never happen. They will continue to ignore the fans and do what’s best for business. The problem is they are taking huge hits at the box office so either they must figure it out or the overall purses of the combatants will continue to suffer.

Coming soon: Part 2

Random thoughts

- I think what the WBA did to lightweight world champion Nate Cam is a disgrace. He worked his whole career to finally become the unified 135 pound champion, and then the WBA did everything they could to force his hand. As stated above, sanctioning bodies are spineless jellyfish.

- Let's be honest..Andre Berto’s comments after the fight that he was going to give Collaz a rematch is with out question colored bubbles. It does not mean anything. It was the right thing to say, but why go over the same stepping-stone twice?

- How bad was Bob Papa on HBO. He repeatedly called Berto’s first round stumble a knockdown. I mean not just a round or two after, but the WHOLE fight. He also mispronounced Lou’s name throughout the fight. MEMO to HBO: Fire that guy and hire Brian Kenny.

- Why in the world would that Justice not use notes when giving Obama the oath? That was easily one of the biggest goofs in American history.

-Today was amazing but there was one thing missing….well one person. Lyndon B Johnson was not mentioned and let me point out it was HE who pushed the civil rights bill through legislation.

-Bis Zum Nachsten Mal, Fans!

Basketball's Real Top Ten 2.0: Back By Popular Demand

Christian — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:37:36 -0500

Hi Basketball fans. It’s me again. My name is CJ Vick and I come back to you due to popular demand to present the latest edition of my basketball power rankings. My last rankings while controversial was the most highly read basketball rankings on this site in recent months and with all the emails and facebooks I received, it only makes sense to dip my toes in the basketball section yet again.

I, as many of you know am an active professional basketball player and in generating these rankings I have a perspective that the fan does not. I have played in Madison Square Garden, Europe and Asia, been on SportsCenter(dunking I might add) and much more.

So before you jump down my throat as some of you will, remember that the chances are remote that anything on your basketball resume spells CJ Vick.

1. Lebron James

When I ranked him No. 1 on the planet three months ago I drew tremendous ire and attitude from dumb fans that don’t know the game.

How do you feel now? He has comfortably separated himself from any one player with his growing understanding of what it takes to be a title contender in the NBA. It thus far has been a comprehensive, virtuoso, season for Lebron James. Say the case is closed, Lebron James is the king of the jungle

2. Dwayne ”Flash” Wade

He’s baaaack. As stipulated by me three months ago Mr. Wade had returned with a snarl and a swagger that has his opponents shook beyond belief. I think he really took it personally when the one hit wonder rumor started to float and now he is taking it out on the league.

He to this point has surpassed Kobe Bryant as the best true two-guard in the league. I hope he keeps it up and stay healthy because he is truly great for game.

3. Kobe Bryant

Please don’t be mad at me Kobe. If I should one day make it to the NBA please don’t direct your offensive devastation towards me. The truth is that I was going to project you No. 2 until I watched your matchup with Flash a couple weeks ago. It was high-speed chess between two basketball genius' but clearly the speedier was Mr. Wade.

4. Dwight Howard

His skill set needs major reform but his statistical dominance makes is very difficult to keep him out of the top 10. I carefully studied his recent matchup with Tim Duncan (TEVO is the Sh**) and upon meticulous review I noticed that when Timmy was locked up with Howard one-on-one with out help, he was eaten every single time.

With Shaq and Duncan fading into their respective twilights, Dwight Howard is America's new big man. By the way, please watch the dunk contest, his humor and athletic ability will make for crowd pleasing stuff come All Star weekend.

5. Chris Paul

The world's best point guard is in the preliminary stages of building his basketball kingdom, and what an extravagant foundation he has built. The dilapidation of the Hornets is the reason I am dropping him. I know it seems unfair, however it all starts with the QB and right now his team is behind their projected curb. He is the best PG in the game, but his team, as a whole must step-up their play.

6. Dirk Nowitzki

I left Dirk out of my top 10 three months ago because he seems to go soft in times of high stress for his ball club. His number cannot be refuted. He again is a top 10 scorer and his stepped up his play on the defensive end.

I have also noticed that he box’s out on the OFFENSIVE end. A neat trick that great scorers use to add to their offensive production I like his current state of mind but since he does not seem to have the horses to make a title run it will be hard to rank him in the top five per my plans.

7. Paul Pierce

The self-proclaimed worlds best player has not don’t anything to hurt his rep although his scoring is down. He has truly bought into the team concept and while I don’t like some of his verbal antics on the court he remains quite possibly the single biggest half court problem in the NBA.

He tends to pick up his assault as the game goes on which has proven to be a gargantuan problem for opposing ball clubs. Even though his “new” Celtics are currently hitting below the mark I see the ship being righted and this man will be at the steering wheel.

8.Chris Bosh

I really gave Chris a hard time in my blog for another site before the China games but since that day he has shoved my words in my mouth. He is without question one of the preeminent big men of his generation but I don’t think his career will crystallize in Toronto. When free agency runs amuck during the reformation of 2010 I am eager to see where this highly skilled big man ends up.

9.Tim Duncan

TIMMY…. The hall of fame center despite his faded skills is a 20 and 10 a night sure bet. His use of angles, the back board, sweet footwork, and championship determination makes it clear that to win the west at some point you will have to go through Tim Duncan and his band of merry men no question.

10.Devin Harris

This marks his first appearance is any of my rankings and I want to extend him a warm welcome. In transition he is one of the best players in the game today. He court vision coupled with that speed make him a terror with basketball sneakers.

I saw him at a shooting camp that we both attended in college and at the time I was surprised at how short he was but OVB I had no idea the type of animal I was looking at. I would take him over Jason Kidd any day of the week and in retrospect how dumb does Mark Cuban look in giving up all that young talent including Mr. Harris. At this point I would also take him over the guy from Utah.

There you have it basketball fans. My rankings have already sparked heated debate between me and my friends I can only hope that it does the same here on our great site. I hope you enjoy and since I am currently active I will not be writing about basketball for the remainder of the year. Be well and God bless

Exclusive B/R Interview with Famed Boxing Scribe Thomas Hauser

Christian — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:52:32 -0500

Hello, boxing fans. This boxing scribe is delighted to provide an exclusive Bleacher Report interview with world-famous boxing scribe Thomas Hauser. He defines the word “boxing insider.” His articles not only send shock waves through fans like me, they also send waves through the people that run boxing.

He recently published a number of articles on how HBO conducts business and what needs to change in order to ensure a prosperous future for boxing. These articles are amazing reads and really provide insight to fans and even those that work at HBO.

Hauser has published over 30 books in his career and is without question at the top of his field. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed upon him the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism.

He was the first Internet writer ever to receive the honor. He is everything I can only hope to become as a writer, and I hope you fans at Bleacher Report enjoy his insight at much as I do.

I recently reached out to Hauser because his work inspired me so much, and he was kind enough to grant us an interview. Enjoy this exclusive, fans! At the bottom of this article I will provide links to some of his work, and I promise you will know more about boxing than you did before reading.

Bleacher Report: Hey Thomas! There has been Rumblings all over the place that Oscar Del Hoya intends to fight again and that Chavez Jr seems to be everyone's choice. Then yesterday I read that Richard Schaefer said that this is "Untrue" and "who has he (Chavez) fought". What do you think about this whole situation?

Thomas Hauser: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. IS A CLUB FIGHTER WITH A NAME. IF OSCAR DOESN'T THINK HE HAS ENOUGH LEFT TO FIGHT AND BEAT A WORLD-CLASS FIGHTER, HE SHOULD RETIRE.

B/R: I have heard that Kelly Pavlik is grumbling about the "strain" of getting down to 160. Since he has not been at his best 160 and above where is his career headed if he no longer wants to make 160?

TH: KELLY CAN BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE BEST AT 168 IF THAT'S WHERE HE CHOOSES TO FIGHT.

B/R: What is the best and worst part of being a writer with such an intense viewership? (Including the brass at HBO.)

TH: THE BEST PART IS THE REALIZATION THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ WHAT I WRITE. THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE TO IT.

B/R: What is the best fight you have ever covered?

TH: I COULDN'T PICK OUT ONE. THE MOST INTENSE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES FOR ME WERE THE FIRST TAYLOR-HOPKINS FIGHT AND LEWIS-TYSON.

B/R: What are the odds that HBO picks up Larry Merchants 2 year Option when it comes time to decide. Do they really think that going with Max K. full time will appeal to HBO Boxing's die-hard viewers?

TH: I HOPE THAT HBO PICKS UP LARRY'S OPTION. IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR HBO AND GOOD FOR BOXING. BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ROSS GREENBURG WILL CHOOSE TO DO.

Wow, fans—how lucky are we? One of boxing’s biggest names gave us some of his time and it was well worth it. It was such a tremendous opportunity to get some of this scribes thoughts and present it to you the fans.

I strongly encourage you to follow the link below because the piece is well worth the click. I will leave you fans with some random thoughts and, as we move forward, I will do what I can to bring boxing titans like Thomas Hauser to B/R.

Random thoughts

This whole heavyweight title picture needs to crystallize already. Every day it is something else. I have heard David Haye is now is in talks with Wladimir Klitschko in response to older brother Klitschko taking a mandatory with Juan Gomez, which is great for boxing because now we don’t have to see our No. 1 hope, Cristobal Arreola, go down in flames because he went for the money
Live boxing is back tonight on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights! Make sure you check it out because one of boxing’s young stars, Yuriorkis Gamboa, is in action and needs to be impressive because his Boxing After Dark victory in the fall, while exciting, was highly shaky.
Someone from England emailed me and asked me why I dropped David Haye out of my top 10 despite the fact that he won his last fight. My answer to you, John Ames, is because, even though he won by knockout, his victory was far from impressive and miles from dominant.
Manny opening as the favorite over Ricky is fine with me, though Ricky may be the most live underdog in the history of boxing.
How about Don King, boxing fans?...He has a Boxing After Dark date with HBO Feb. 14 that features my 2008 prospect of the year, Alfredo Angullo, and word is he doesn't even have a site?!...What a piece of work that dude is.

Take care, fans.

Click here for some of Thomas Hauser's work.

Boxings Real Top 10 2.0 Plus Fighter of the Year and Other Awards

Christian — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:33:09 -0500

Holiday greetings boxing fans! This Boxing writer wishes all those who tune in a Merry Christmas and all that jazz. I Want to first say thank you to the many fans, promoters, and people in boxing who have commented on me and my team's work in this past year. We are planning big things for 2009 and we already have the ball rolling on covering fights and reporting news exclusive to bleacher report in the coming year.

I come to you my friends to bring you the newest edition of my tri annual power rankings as well as my year end awards for the greatest sport on earth. In order to understand my rankings you must first understand the formula. To see this formula simply refer to my First power rankings I published in September as I don't have the time to go through it twice.

I wish to point out that Super Joe from the Wales has been forever banished from my rankings due to his comments "Boxing is a dying sport." Yeah Joe tell that to the 1.4 million people that tuned in for the "dream match" while well under 300,000 people tuned in for the "battle of the super powers."

I hope you fans enjoy this Holiday double I am offering up and as the fight scene crystalizes in the coming weeks I will keep you informed on what fights I will be covering and blogging from. Until then fans be well and stay safe

Tri Annual Power Rankings December 19th 2009

1. Floyd Mayweather (38-0)

The best fighter in the world is biding his time...There has been alot of conflicting reports on just what is going on in camp Mayweather but the bottom line is evident...Mayweather is eyeing the winner of this single elimination tournament that has taken shape in the last year. By the way I called it

2.Manny Pacquaio (48-3)

I know why number two after his watershed moment. I will get into this later in this article but we need to keep perspective and not get carried away with what happend two weeks ago. In my rankings three months ago I stated, "Once Manny decimates a spent oscar."

Again I was right but the point is that Oscar was and is spent. I knew it and now everyone does therefore just how impressive is it that he beat up on a shot old fighter? It wasn't. He beat the biggest "name" in the sport and thats what driving the "Manny is the best in the world bandwagon" right now

3.Wladimir Klitschko (52-3)

As I said before this situation is hurting boxing. I don't think Wlad realizes just how much Americans hate watching him fight. Not just because he is always beating on hapless hopless American challengers, Its more because he is not a polarizing figure, he doesn't not appear on sportcenter or nike commercials.

He is the most boring dude in sports right now but he is the unified heavyweight champion. What a paradox....It hurts me to say it because I hear that he is a great person...there has not been a more irrelevant world heavyweight champion since Larry Holmes.

4.Paul Williams (36-1)

Since I touted this man one of the most dangerous men on the planet he has not let me down. He registered two wins, impressive wins, in TWO different weight classes while being a alphabet welterweight title holder. Astonishing. He barely broke a sweat in his one round trip to middle weight and then Distroyed Verno Phillps On route to a 154 pound interim title(the concept of the interim title and the role it is taking in boxing disgust me). Paul is in the drivers seat for big money fights I just hope someone with a name has the you know what to engage him.

5.Chris John (42-0)

As usual the Indonesian sensation scored a victory in his most recent bout and with his resume and the fact that he has held the WBA Featherweight title for six years next year means that he is super ripe to get super payed.

The problem is two fold though....one, no one wants to go to his native country to fight him, two, he some what strays from really gettting tested and I think the big lights of vegas make him unsure to some degree. Never the less it is time so we as boxing fans can only hope he bites the bullet.

6.Benard Hopkins (49-5)

I will stick my foot in my mouth on this one. I would have never believed that father time could shoot up my rankings with such haste but after being an eye witness October 18th I must say you can not have a top ten with out Bernard Hopkins. There is more to follow about Mr Hopkins so we will focus on him later in the piece.

7.Juan Manuel Marquez (49-4)

Three months ago I was close but opted not to put him My top ten because of Chris John and Manny already occupying spots at around the same weight. But after thinking about it and watching his fight with Joel Cass I can no longer in good honesty not have this man in the top 10.

He cemented his hall of fame induction by seizing Linear Lightweight Championship(which is nothing to sneeze at) and putting Manny on notice that he is not out of the woods yet. I hear he is going to fight Juan diaz which is ok I guess but there has to be better fights then THAT out there right?Remember....Manny is being hailed as the best fighter in the world but according to Ding magazine he is not even the best fighter in the lightweight division

8.Juan Manuel Lopes 24-0

What a monster. Since I dubbed him "fire in a bottle" all he has done is produce two first round knockouts. I mean brutal knock outs. This man has not seen the second round in three fights at a world championship level. The only reason I dont rank him higher is because he needs to establish a more solid line of credit before I see him as a top tier P4P fighter

9.Chad Dawson (27-0)

The young vibrant light heavy weight champion steps onto the big stage next year. He recently finalized a two fight deal with HBO the first of which will be a yawner against Antonio Tarver. I am glad he is finally getting his shine after years in boxing witness protection with Showtime.

Speaking of the Showtimers how steamed are they at HBO. They spent butt loads (at least 8 to ten million dollars) of cash putting Tarver and dawson on the same cards building up to their clash and then HBO comes right in and takes over...unreal

10.Ricky Hatton (45-1)

I keep doubting the hitman but quietly he has gotten his career back on track. Although he was sluggish on Versus last May he was very fun to watch in his de facto 140 pound unification with Paulie Malignaggi (who by the way fought so soft that night...he is a disgrace to boxing) He looked sharp and appears motivated to right the wrong in his career. His diet and his lack of head movement is what makes me nervous and I can see Manny smashing him on May 2nd.

CJ Vicks Year End Awards

Prospect of the Year

Alfredo Angulo (13-0)

By far the most impressive up and comer I saw this year. He is in so many words a bigger Antonio Marg. He has an work rate that see him throw 100 punches a round and his commitment to body punching almost ended a man's life earlier this year.He is also technically well schooled and very eclectic with his punch distribution.

He is a rough tough super welterweight that is going to win win win. Did I mention he spars with Antonio Marg as well? Next up a showcase fight against the affable Ricardo Mayorga and then hopefully this star can find his place in the sky.

Fight of the year

Manny Pacquaio vs JMM for the WBC Super featherweight title

March 15th 2008: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada

Now fans that really know boxing wil try and argue with me that the fight 14 days before this was the fight of the year but thats hog wash. This fight had it all. Since their disputed draw in their first fight boxing had clamored for this match and they didn't let us down.

Manny physically imposed his will more often then not but Juan pushed manny to limits he has not seen as a fighter even in defeat. The picture perfect left hand shot that put JMM on the seat of his pants was the difference. I as many others feel that JMM won the fight but thats another story for another day

Fighter of the year

Benard Hopkins (49-5)

I know how can this be? Well after thinking about it and looking at the year in true retrospect its not even close. If you look at the who people are fighting you can get a good sense how good they really are. In the year 2008 hopkins took on the toughest comp in the sport and came out a winner. I feel as many others do that he beat super Joe in april...landed the louder meaner effective blows.

He did not get the decision but he was not BEATEN. He then dismantled Kelly Pavlik with relative ease. Joe was the undefeated unified super middle weight champion of the world and Mr. Pavlik was the in his prime undefeated unified middle weight champion. No one in boxing has defeated tougher comp this year then Mr Hopkins. I present to you the fighter of the year

Ps...Manny did not win because he lost to JMM in my mind...beat a paper champion at 135 pounds...and then beat a fighter past his prime...not cuttin it Manny sorry.

Random thoughts to end the year

-Cheers to the channel versus. They have been providing excellent boxing action for fans free of charge and it is paying dividends.More and more fans flock to their broadcasts and boxing officially has a new venue for World class cards.

-Poor Oscar...I called it but that does not mean I enjoyed it.

-How bout sugar shane? When I interviewed him I told him he was a class act and a hall of famer(check the interview on you tube) then I come to find out he is a cheater...I won't slam him because I did look up to him but it killed me to hear that.

-Cotto needs to be impressive in the first part of 2009,because, HBO not picking up his come back fight is a clear sign that people in the industry see him as damaged goods

-How funny was the track altercation on HBO's 24/7? I was dyin watching that.

-I want to personally thank Jack Loew for granting me interviews and being extremely graceful to me and my team at the Hopkins/Pavlk promotion.

-I want to thank the man who filmed all my interviews Dave burns and my tech crew in New Jersey headed by John Ness.

Ok boxing fans I am back to what I do for a while but I will appear again soon to provide some updates and fill you guys in on what fights we will be covering for bleacher report in the new year...take care and happy holidays!

BREAKING NEWS: Interview with Jack Loew, Kelly Pavlik Update

Christian — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:39:45 -0500

Hey there Boxing fans! Yet again, I have the pleasure of breaking news that is first being reported here on Bleacher Report.

When I began, I simply wrote pieces that consisted of my opinions, but to be reporting news that none of the major boxing writers are reporting, and to have relationships with Jack Loew and other titans in the sport is truly a joy.

Today, I called Jack (which was wicked cool by the way) and asked him some questions about Kelly Pavlik and the future.

Bleacher Report: Hey Jack, how is everyone in Youngstown? Do they see (Kelly's) loss as spilled milk or a major setback?

Jack Loew:The loss actually showed a lot about Kelly's fans. I myself, got so many messages of support and everyone is still extremely positive. It is great for Kelly how the people around here have rallied around him.

B/R: Has Kelly moved on to focusing on future fights?

JL: Yes, he has in fact. I spoke to Cameron Dunkin (Kelly's Manager) and it appears that we will be fighting Marco Rubio. He is the WBC no. 1 ranked contender and in wake of his victory on October 18, he is Kelly's mandatory.

B/R: Yeah I heard that...it seems fuzzy on when and where. Could you shed any light on that?

JL: Yes, CJ, I can. We will be fighting on February (21) in Youngstown, Ohio. The fight will be on HBO and we are currently deciding between two venues.

B/R: WOW! That's great, Jack! What are the venues?

JL: Either (in) the Youngstown State (University) Campus or (at) the Chevy Center, which holds about 6,700. We will sell that place out in no time.

B/R: Jack, the boxing fans at Bleacher Report thank you for this great information and we want to wish you and Kelly the best.

JL: Any time CJ I look forward to talking to you soon and good luck this week.

Jack is such a chill dude, and the fact that he took a break to give me some time and to share this information with us is proof of the down to earth mentality of Youngstown, Ohio.

I think its a great move to stage Kelly's next fight in his hometown. He has earned a homecoming, and it will go a long way to restoring his confidence.

This was my second interview with Jack, my first one can be seen here.

I want to leave you fans with some random thoughts and thanks again for tuning in.

Julio Chavez Jr. is the most protected fighter in the history of boxing. This man is a 38-0 junior middleweight with no world title, and is not even a mandatory for any of the "alphabet titles." 38 fights is a tremendous amount of fights, and to be honest the time for record padding is at an end. I cannot believe they actually threw this guy on a pay-per-view card. $39.95...I laughed out loud when the cable operator told me that.

Evander Holyfield is destined to become a tragic figure. He is 46-years-old, and is going to fight again. I do not care that it is for a world title again and I don't care that he wants to make history. He has so many problems out of the ring and inside of his head that the last thing he needs to do is risk his life. I think it is UNREAL that sanctioning bodies are condoning this farce.

If Winky Wright can win in December, I look forward to seeing him test a world champion early next year. He did himself a huge disservice by demanding way more money then he was worth for over a year straight. His time for redemption is at hand.

Take care Boxing fans.

ps I would like to thank fellow bleacher report writer David Burns who is a contributer to my reports and actually is my camera man too

Floyd Mayweather Update: Exclusive Bleacher Report Interview with Sam Watson

Christian — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:35:43 -0400

Floyd Mayweather update

Hello boxing fans, as promised I am back to put forth the latest on "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather. This information came to light while I was covering the Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins weigh in.

As many of you know, I had the tremendous opportunity to interview various boxing gods. Even with all of the good feedback that my team and I are getting, there is more we wish to share with you.

As I was leaving the weigh-in I ran into Sam Watson. I know boxing fans are thinking “who is that?”

Allow me to educate you, this man is by far one of the most important people in the sport. He is a direct agent of Al Haymon, who according to Yahoo! sports, is the fifthmost powerful man in boxing.

More importantly, Al Haymon Productions is the only promotional company affiliated with Floyd Mayweather. If you watched the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton fight, you would see Sam Watson in Mayweather’s entourage during the introductions.

You saw him two weeks ago in Antonio Tarver’s corner during introductions and he currently advises and helps Paul Williams. When I met him, he actually wanted to know more about me and my other career. It was quite flattering. Here is how the interview went after we got past me.

Bleacher Report: In your experience, what is the best fight you have ever seen past and present?

Sam Watson: Ali-Frazier! In the gold ole days…now? Floyd-Oscar (De La Hoya)…Oscar hit him with some shots that no one knows about.

B/R: If you could have it your way, would you rather see Floyd in a rematch with Oscar or would you rather see him fight Manny Pacquaio, should be beat Oscar in December?

Watson: He is going to fight Oscar, and he is going fight Manny Pacquaio, and he is going to fight Ricky Hatton.

B/R: Really? Is he going to go to England to fight Hatton? I mean the pound out weighs the dollar (haha.)

Watson: Oh yeah.

B/R: If you had your way, what is the biggest fight that can be made in boxing…if you had it your way?

Watson: Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito is the biggest fight that can be made right now.

B/R: In a return match? I think he would beat him again.

Watson: Oh yeah.

B/R: Last question, I am sorry I know you are busy…you saw Chad Dawson last week…what do you think of him?

Watson: (The) Jury is still out…he gets tired too easily and it showed against Glenn Johnson…jury is still out.

Now there is more but because the host of the weigh in was so loud, they are difficult to hear, so there is no reason to publish that portion.

Now in this interview, there is amazing information. It seems by his comments that Oscar hurt Floyd in their fight more then we know. As of now though, Floyd is simply lying in wait according the only Promoter/Manager that I see walk Floyd down to the ring these days.

Not Bob Arum, or Don King, Gary Shaw, Lou Diebella, or Dan Goosen. It is this man and who he represents who are affiliated with Floyd and his people.

This sounds like hear-say but check out the video interview with the transcript that I have outlined for you. He seems to think that Paul Williams vs Antonio Margartio is the biggest promotion that can be made in boxing.

That can be argued, and lets not forget that he is also in with Paul Williams and his people so it makes sense from a business prospective to say that.

I totally agree with him on the Chad Dawson front. He needs more marquee wins before he gets the chance to get big money fights.

It is my pleasure to bring you this Bleacher Report exclusive and I hope you enjoy the video, please excuse the noise.

Take care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qPZX60Ogmw

Updates On Floyd Mayweather, Jack Loew, and Shane Mosley

Christian — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:53:34 -0400

News notes and quotes from the weekend

WOW! Hello boxing fans, I have come back to give you an exclusive report that you won’t find on ESPN or Maxboxing.com.

I have direct quotes from the stalwarts of boxing regarding the future and the past.

I started doing this because I love writing about boxing and the people involved in it, however, after covering the fight and speaking to some of the biggest people in the sport, I know that I now have a need to report what I heard and saw during the best boxing weekend in years.

The Fight

I picked Bernard Hopkins to win this fight by decision about two months ago, and to be in attendance for one of the most transcendent performances in boxing history, is truly a gift from above.

I sat there with my friends and took in the breath-taking display that Hopkins put on. He came out in that dope mask and my friend looked at me and said, “This is not going to be an easy fight for Kelly." He was right— Bernard stole the drama and the crowd in the very first round. I had him winning every single round and the throng of Pavlik supporters in attendance were quiet and in shock. It was like being at a wake.

In round 11 a lot of Kelly’s fans LEFT the arena. Boxing royalty was all over the place at this fight. Roy Jones Jr. was walking around with a cane and top hat. Football players, actors, singers, mayors, producers, and socialites from all four corners. When the fight was over, Bernard stared at the press row and took in the watershed moment of a great career. I knew at that moment I was watching REAL history. The stuff of legend.

I knew at that moment, I wanted to see more history. This fight was what boxing was all about.

Jack Loew

As seen on my blog, I had an interview with Jack Loew. It can be seen on Youtube. During this interview, several things came to light, One Bob Arum knows and understands that Jack Loew is on his way to training established champs. They are set to meet early next month to discuss what plans Bob Arum has for him as Top Rank moves forward.

I would assume that this means Bob wants to give Jack a nice offer that would give him an expanded chance to train other fighters and become a top-tier trainer for years to come.

The interview with Jack also featured more little tid-bits that I will not write. Watch the interview instead...great stuff.

More Mayweather?

I spoke to a big time promoter close to "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather and I got some amazing news about Floyd’s future.

According to my source, Floyd wants to fight three more times! In Money Where Art Thou, I speculated on who Floyd should fight. When presenting these names to this man, he told me that yes “Floyd will fight Ricky Hatton, Oscar (De La Hoya), and Manny Pacquaio. He will fight three more times.”

Many fans will say these claims I am making are unfounded, but stay tuned to bleacher report because this is a video interview. I will release it in the next couple of days. The man on tap is definitely a widely respected and well known man in the game.

More helpings of “Sugar”

If you have not seen my interview with “Sugar” Shane Mosley, check it out because he gives us some insight into his plans and who he wants to fight in the welterweight division.

During the interview, he told said “I want to fight Andre Berto or (Antonio) Margarito.” This was shocking to me because I didn’t think he wanted to fight Berto—not because he was scared, but because it’s not really a big money fight.

Nevertheless, that is what he wants—check out the interview.

I spoke to Al Bernstein on Sat. night and I shared this with him and he told me “the fight makes sense,” Al Bernstein is a deity when it comes to these things so if he buys it, so do I.

I have much more from the weekend in terms of footage and inside information and as we move forward, I will be sharing it. I want to thank all of those that tuned in to my blog and I want to give all the respect in the world to Bernard Hopkins. I have been hard on him and right in front of my face he put my former opinion to rest.

Take care boxing fans.

P.S. Kelly Pavlik's fans are a lot of fun to share a weekend with. They had a passion and an energy that was on par with the Ricky Hatton fans...great stuff. I also got the chance to interview Bob arum, Naseem Richardson,Dana Bolish from NBC Youngstown and the funniest interview by far was the Richard Schaffer(CEO Golden Boy Promotions)interview,If you go to youtube and search CJ Vick you can see these interviews...stay tuned for the exclusive video interview concerning Floyd Mayweather's future

Basketball's Real Top Ten

Christian — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:27:25 -0400

Hello there, basketball fans!

My name is CJ Vick and I actually write for the fabulous boxing section of this website. However, I have been getting a lot of Facebook/e-mail messages about my recent piece on the true landscape of boxing.

Generally, my fans have been asking me why I don’t weigh in on the game of basketball, seeing as it is my profession. To appease my friends and fans, I will give you the top ten players in the game of basketball.

Let’s make one thing clear—this is my craft. I love boxing but I play basketball. In putting these rankings together, I have looked at it from a basketball players prospective. I am going to imagine who right now would present huge problems should I have to scheme a half-court defense.

However, I also am going to place high emphasis on the defensive end of the floor. I am telling you first-hand that the most annoying guy to compete against is the guy that does it at both ends.

I will try to refrain from heavy verbal abuse, seeing as I am now an employee of the other league. I proudly introduce the best the game has to offer:

1. LeBron James Pos: Everything Age: 23

Two things were abundantly clear in wake of America’s rampant destruction of the world in the Olympic tournament:

America has now refuted all claims that anyone is even in comparable with the USA in terms of just who is the best basketball country on the planet.
LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world.

Kobe pushers have been put on notice by King James and his electrifying Olympic Games. He was hitting the three-point jumpers—the shorter FIBA line helps, I know—which in turn cut the rest of his awesome talent loose.

He took shots off the backboard on defense with two hands, 12 feet in the air—not rebounding, but blocking someone’s shot. 6'8", 250 pounds, 40-inch vert, breathtaking speed, handle, touch, vision—'nuff said.

2. Kobe Bryant Pos: Shooting Guard Age: 30

I am going to get killed by all of my boys for putting the Black Mamba at number two. However, we have to keep it real.

Kobe—as legendary as he is—had a sub-par Olympics.

The beauty of the China games is I could compare the players down to a tee. Kobe struggled to score while some of the other players thrived.

I know first-hand that FIBA basketball is hard to adjust to. The refs are very liberal, there is no goaltending, traveling rules are different, and so forth—but it is what it is.

Kobe has a magical skill set that is beyond comprehension. If it weren’t for LeBron, he would be number one by a mile. I hope now, with Andrew Bynum in tow, he can get the very heavy, smelly, annoying, never-ending, Shaq monkey off his back.

Good luck, Kobe.

3. Dwayne Wade Pos: Shooting Guard Age: 26

For about a year there, I was very worried that this great player with his tremendous talent would never again duplicate his performance in the NBA finals two seasons ago. He—not the others—was VERY Jordanesque in his climb to the top of the league.

When he got worn down by his run in the playoffs and the following competition in the world championships, it led to his injury and temporary decline. But after watching the games in China there is no doubt that “Flash” is BACK.

He lef the team in scoring coming off the bench. He had by far the best games on paper. He was slashing, showing great touch from three. And the competitive mettle he displayed energized the entire squad through the duration of the games.

Watch out—this guy is coming to wreck this season.

4. Chris Paul Pos: Point Guard Age: 23

The super-brilliant and very young point guard is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. Right now, I would take him over any point guard in the world.

He is a floor general with a disdain for selfishness. He has supplanted long-time heroes Jason Kidd and Steve Nash as the best point guard in basketball.

What impresses me so much about this guy is his vision. He sees the world faster then everyone else. His basketball intuition is on par with Kobe’s, and his good guy image will light up this league for years to come.

5. Paul Pierce Pos: Shooting Guard Age: 30

The current world champion need to chill with all this "I am the best player in the world" talk. Outside of that, his game and merit are currently at marvelous heights.

I lived in Boston when the Celtics won their newest family jewel, and I can tell you he truly is an assassin of the highest order. He is skillful enough to play the two, but his strength and ability to draw fouls make him a colossal problem in the half-court defense.

What really has put The Truth in my top five is his newfound commitment to the defensive end of the floor. They need a trade to compensate for Posey, but his team should again be champions of the world—and this guy will be the hero who delivers it.

6. Kevin Garnett Pos: Everything Age: 32

My idol checks in at number six. Three years ago he would been my number two—maybe even my number one. But playing with two other superstars, his dominant 25-point, 24-rebound nights are over—not because he is incapable, but because he is the Ultimate team player.

Never disgracing himself or the league, and playing defense in a way that has old-school players like my dad raving, this man is basketball personified. He was the defensive player of the year and was a main catalyst in the one of the biggest single season turnarounds in sports history—in any league or any decadem, ever.

KG is now a legend.

7. Tim Duncan Pos: Power Forward Age: 32

Again, we have a league icon who a couple a years ago would never check in this low. While watching the playoffs, I could tell that Mr. Timmy is entering the home stretch of his career. He is not done—I won't say that—but his explosion and ability to finish seemed have to fallen off a little bit.

Don’t get me wrong. He still commands a double team, and is a headache for any opposing head coach. He has great touch out to 18 feet and has the best footwork in the history of basketball.

He is a top ten player no doubt—but he is NOT the Tim Duncan of 2003. I hope he can win another one as he closes up shop.

8. Tracy McGrady Pos: Shooting Guard Age: 29

When I played in college, I used to watch tapes of this guy before my home games. He is the new generation of basketball player. His talent is immense, on par with a Paul or Bryant—however, he can not seem to translate it into playoff wins.

I know it is not right to blame one guy. But just like a Peyton Manning or John Elway, the American Media will hang a black cloud over everything you do until you win in May and June.

It stinks—but that is the system and way of thinking that we as a people have cultivated.

I hate it and I love T-Mac, but he needs to take that next step to move up this ladder.

9. Steve Nash Pos: Point Guard Age:34

The annual stat-sheet stuffer is finding a way to play at a higher level every single year. On paper, he actually played better last year than he did when he won the MVP. I know you fans will double check that, but the stats I am talking about will most likely escape you at first.

Nash is amazing to watch. He is dangerous at all times from all points of the floor. He can deliver any pass and finish any opportunity. Now with the Big Aristotle in tow, I hope he can win a 'ship before it’s too late and his chance flies by the boards.

10. Joe Johnson Pos: Shooting Guard Age:27

When Joey left an up-and-coming Suns team to play for the dreadful Atlanta Hawks, I could not believe what I was seeing. Why would you leave such a great team for a team going nowhere?

This past April, Joe provided a big time answer. He woke up the sleeping basketball hotbed of Atlanta, and gave the mighty Celtics a BIG TIME run for their money.

He is dangerous out to 22.9 feet. He is a pure shooter. He has truly one of the nicest releases in the game. When the rock rotates off his fingers, you can literally read the writing on the ball.

He is at the center of a basketball revolution in that city, and his evolving skill set will help to underwrite the Hawks' claim to legitimacy in the Eastern conference.

Whew! I left some guys out—and for very good reason, I assure you. I don’t really have enough space to type all of the guys that should be on this list, but feel free to weigh in and I may reply.

But understand that this is my life’s work and I know this game better then I know anything. These rankings are based on me imagining who would drive me nuts if I and my team had to stop them for 48 minutes. That’s it in a nutshell folks.

I also want to take this chance to say that Skip Bayless of "First and Ten" does not know basketball. I checked into his basketball past, and there is nothing to suggest that he has the right or the knowledge to slam some of the greatest players of this game.

I would also like to suggest that Josh Howard hire a life coach. Someone to teach him social grace and to remind him of his standing and influence in this society.

I am actually prepping for the NBDL draft right now, so I won’t be writing about basketball until next year—but I want to thank you fans for giving me this chance. I also want to thank the thousands of people that have written me about my writing.

Good luck and God Bless.

Boxing's Real Top 10: A Politics-Free Account

Christian — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:23:38 -0400

Welcome back boxing fans! I, CJ Vick, would like to introduce my tri-annual power rankings.

Every three months I will study and interpret the current landscape of the pugilist craft. These rankings are objective and the truth. I also wish to point out that it is absolutely insane to have weekly rankings like ESPN or even monthly rankings like ding magazine.

What is the point updating pound for pound rankings if the combatants are only active maybe two or three times a year.

If a boxer is considered a top-tier fighter, he usually fights two to three times a year depending on an array of mitigating factors such as age, health, and promoters. The point is that by assembling pound-for-pound lists every three months there is a good chance that there may be something to actually update(imagine that ESPN!)

In closing, I wish to say that this is a win/loss sport. It is a black and white situation, plain and simple.

Each man is judged by his own merit, and he if starts to slip, we as real fight fans must call it what it is.

Lastly, I may catch some heat for this, but due to my own personal bias and the simple fact they are short on high profile promotions, I won’t be including 108 pounders in my power rankings.

See you next week for reaction to the HBO PPV card this weekend. If you don’t know what I am talking about don’t feel bad...many people are in your boat

The Top 10

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr (39-0, 25 KOs)

I know he is not active, but anyone who has cable has seen this man’s work ethic don’t think for a second that this man is not working on his craft in his spare time which by the way is ALL the time.

Just because we don’t see Floyd box does not mean he has stopped boxing. Besides with Mr. Manny’s prospective victory over a spent Oscar gives him the perfect reason to rake in another 20 million. Oh yeah just in case you find the $7 million in jewels that were taken from Joy Sinclair’s room, make sure you return it!

He has come out and said that he will issue a $100,000 finders fee...right so I am going to give you $7 million and get $100,000 in return…no doubt “money.”

2. Manny Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs)

I have heard time and time again that this man is the number one. A case can be made for sure, but his skill set is not on par with the man above of course we will have the chance to see that notion through to its conclusion.

Manny is an awesome force of nature with a Prince Hamed type of popularity in his native country.

At some point in the last year, Manny made the choice that he wants to be the preeminent fighter of his generation. When he beats Oscar in December, and then decimates a shot Ricky Hatton in May, the stage will be set.

3. Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs)

In Boxing’s most glamorous division, he is a very real unified title holder.

His passive style is awful, but he has avenged his once tainted rep with a string of wins be it against peach cans or not.

I give him his respect, although his style mixed with no-name opponents has our poor friend Wald in danger of being ignored by history.

The time has come for him to clean up the division, not dust it. When is HBO going to admit that he is great for the boxing community, but not the American viewing public? Nevertheless, he is the unified heavyweight champion so I can't keep him out of the top three.

4. Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs)

I am catching heat from my boys for putting Joe down to four, but lets keep it real—this man did not start fighting stiff competition, in my opinion, until he met Mikkel Kessler in the Super Middleweight unification.

So that would mean that has only fought 2 fights against established champions, and while he outclassed Kessler, he was exposed in some ways by the ageless, funless Bernard Hopkins.

Again I have to follow the principles of ranking someone, and while I think he is ripe for a fall he checks in at number four simply because he currently holds belts in two different weight classes.

I believe he is the only man in boxing that can say that. I guess HBO's Jim Lampley was right there is "no one in boxing just like Joe Calzaghe."

5. Kelly Pavilk (34-0, 30 KOs)

I will be in attendance October 18^th to see America’s bright new confident champion.

The only reason he is not higher is based on merit. He has to pay some dues and register some big time wins against big time prize fighters NOT big time talents such as Jermain Taylor or Edison Miranda.

The kid has it all, and at this rate he will have it all before it’s all said and done.

My one problem with the Ghost is his ducking of Arthur Abraham. Outside of that, he is a real golden boy in skill, not name.

He will see a different kind of animal next month and how he reacts will go a long way towards defining him as a fighter right now. Good luck Kelly.

6. Paul Williams (34-1, 25 KOs)

This man is 6 foot 2 with a stiff jab and an endless work rate. He avenged his only loss in spectacular fashion.

He beat Margarito, who is the linear champion, and which is highly arguable.

Williams is a dangerous two time champion who is having a hard time lining up opponents. He should take it as a compliment because the sky is the limit for this kid as long, as he can avoid brain farts like the egg he laid against Carlos Quintana.

Moving forward, he has been compared to Thomas Hearns, which is crazy, but his ambition to campaign at higher weights could give him titles in several classes like The “Hitman.”

7. Chris John (41-0, 22 KOs)

I know what you're thinking: who is that?

Let me break it down for you boxing fans, this man is simply one of the longest tenured champs in boxing.

He has held and defended the WBA featherweight title since 2003, and he is undefeated.

John is from Indonesia and is largely unheralded, but his merit is to be respected.

His lone blemish is a draw, so he is not perfect but he is as close to perfect in boxing as you can get.

My problem with this guy is that he has no ambition to go after big money fights in the states although he did BEAT Juan Manuel Marquez, who for crazy reasons, is seen as a top five fighter by respected boxing scribes.

The point is, until someone proves otherwise this guy is the goods and it's time he got paid. I should also point out that Mr. Manny Pacquiao cleaned up at featherweight but didn’t seem to chase this fight. That should tell you something about Chris John.

8. David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs)

The former unified Cruiserweight champion is in the midst of trying to burst onto the boxing scene. He has a nice head start.

He made the traditionally lackluster division worth following and asking about.

He isn't a dancer or a technician—he comes to knock you OUT. Haye is moving to heavyweight and thank god, boxing needs it.

He is confident and a little cocky, but good! The fact that he is promoted by Golden Boy means that he needs two wins at heavyweight to be in line for a title shot.

Maybe three, but with his drawing potential and Oscar's check book, two solid wins in any fashion will net this guy a mandate for a title shot.

I am very excited about what this Heavyweight prospect could bring to the sport. He lost to Brit Journeyman Carl Thompson early in his career, but since then has been a straight wrecking machine.

9. Sergio Mora (21-0,1, 5 KOs)

I know…how can I rank this guy in the top ten? Because I am using the formula that should be used; although he only has fought 21 fights, he has not lost, and he is the WBC 154 pound champion.

He has a little glamour to him based on the contender and just had a bit of a watershed moment in his conquest of Vernon Forest.

Mora is someone that people will pay to see if he can get through this rematch. We must give him his respect if he comes out of this fight unbeaten.

He opted to fight a mandatory against a dangerous veteran a second time even though he had three big money fights on the table at different weights.

He seems to be a good guy, and his record can not be refuted. Neither can his world champion status. I see him fighting at middleweight, and if the money is right super middleweight.

A fight with Jermain Taylor has been discussed for years should Jermain claim a piece of the Super Middleweight title in a fight makes sense.

10. Juan Lopez (22-0, 20 KOs)

One of boxing’s youngest brightest stars continues his rise to superstar status. This guy is fire in a bottle.

A smooth, quick boxer, who, is going to supplant Miguel Cotto as the best fighter from the great island of Puerto Rico. He also hits like a truck and has an infectious personality that can be seen in his style and interviews.

I can't wait for him to campaign at higher weights and with Bob Arum’s zest for loot that step shouldn't be far away. A good thing for him to do would be to clean up at Super Bantamweight (he already has the WBO title in tow) and then market himself to fight a Humberto Soto or Juan Diaz. That is a couple of years from now, but hey, its fun to speculate.

Why They Did Not Crack the Top 10

Oscar De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs)

Please…he got tattooed by a guy that has no pop in his punches and seemed diminished for the first time that I can remember.

"The Golden Boy" has lost every fight that could elevate him to becoming a great fighter going on 9 years now. He can bring them out, no doubt, but his loss total coupled with no world title makes it impossible to justify putting him in the top ten.

Bernard "B-Hop" Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs)

He looked…well old, to be frank, in his last fight. He got hit more then ever and that is alarming for him to say the least. Too many losses and no world title, I guess it’s a “Golden” theme this go round.

Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs)

His loss was so bad that it really hurt him and his status.

He isn't going to fight for the rest of the year, which is nothing short of a shocker.

He is really emotionally scarred by the loss. I liken it to Rocky getting knocked out by Mr T in part three. Not only was Rocky physically beat up, but it took him months to get his head right.

This is no different.

He needs a peach can, and then a title fight to get his "mojo" back. Until then, no world title means he is on the outside looking in.

I am sure I am missing someone and feel free to step up and comment, however this is boxing as it stands today, Sept. 9, 2008. You might not like what I have to say but based on my formula it is the truth.

These are the top ten fighters in the game today and I will argue with anyone who says otherwise. They are champs with great records and impeccable credentials.

This is always subject to change but take these guys in, they are the best that this great sport has to offer. If you don’t recognize some of the names its okay, look em up because they are doing work right under your nose. Until next week kids.

Boxing's Fall from Grace

Christian — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:16:03 -0400

The boxing fan of today craves big money fights with crowd pleasing styles. The problem with having a craving is you don’t always get satisfied. For example the schedule of cards that HBO has lined up for the fall is going to leave fans everywhere wanting and not getting more.

Last fall we had one great thrill ride after another. I don’t mean in terms of PPV money generated but instead with the throw-back style of the promotions. The fall was kicked off in spectacular fashion with Kelly Pavlik’s rise to glory as he picked himself off the mat in the second round to come back and score a sensational knockout over Jermain Taylor, the then-unbeaten middleweight champ.

After this fight people were not gossiping about how many people tuned in (one has to point out it was world championship boxing and not HBO PPV so viewers mattered a little less anyway) but instead were giddy about the combat and the fighters themselves.

Then there was Mr. Miguel Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley. Cotto had a universal reputation for his iron will, granite chin, and a painful commitment to body punching. “Sugar” on the other hand already had cemented his Hall of Fame status and was in the midst of a rebirth of sorts due to his amazing knockout of a still viable Fernando Vargas.

Yes the fight was on HBO PPV but the ebb and flow is what carried the day. Miguel surprised many with his speed and Mosley did the same with his will. In the end a 12 round war that left no one unsatisfied. The year ended with Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton. It was a throw back that had a "Rocky" feel to it. You have the humble working class club fighter in Hatton. A true man of the people, heck he even has his own song. Then you have the super brilliant Floyd Mayweather. A filthy rich six time undefeated world champion. The fight was a throwback in itself with the classy boxer and the determined brawler. In the end this was not the movies and Floyd’s style was too much for Hatton to cope with. However it left the boxing world entertained and even touched upon the mainstream with the famous people that could be seen at ringside or heard with their opinions on the two fighters.

There are about five fights I did not go over but if you look at just those three anyone of those fights kept us tuned in and on our sofas. Now, if we take a look at this fall, it leaves something to be desired.

The one that jumps out at me is the Pavlik vs. Hopkins promotion. Not only is it not for a title, but it marks the second time in three fights that Kelly will not defend his undisputed middleweight championship. On top of that Hopkins has an awful style that is meant to frustrate the other fighter not to mention us, the fans.

For anyone that has been paying attention, Arthur Abraham is a very viable opponent with a world title to boot. I think I should mention he is also a MIDDLEWIGHT. HBO for whatever reason is making it a PPV card and losing fans in the process. The second fight that jumps out at me is Juan Manuel vs. Joel Casamayor card. These are two great fighters who have world titles and great resumes. However Joel opted to not fight Nate Campbell for his three alphabet titles.

If the two of them had fought we would have had four belt unification. Joel however in this situation has all the marbles because he is the “Linear” world champion which is such a bogus notion it’s insane. So in the end we have a bogus world champion and a guy who is living off his reputation of having pushed Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao to the limit. This is 49.95? Give me a break. The only part of this card that matters is the undercard and in my next article I will explain why.

Last but not least, we have the highly undesirable card Mosley Vs Carlos Mayorga. Why in the world is this fight being made? Mosley has a great reputation right now and deserves a big money fight. Mayorga is years removed from a significant win and doesn’t even have a world title. Not to mention the fight is being fought at 154 pounds even with Shane’s mid thirties welterweight renaissance. The card is awful and the matchup is awful. Why not have Shane challenge Andre Berto for his world title? Or even Paul Williams. Seeing Mosley test a young champion in his best weight class is a much better move. These fights make no sense and are going to set boxing back if certain people don’t get over themselves and make great fights.

Mayweather and Cotto remain unbooked and I hope they make the right decision because as of right now, I take a look at the fall lineup and as a boxing fan, my first reaction is a long drawn out yawn.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Christian

The Fistic Top Ten: Can You Handle The Truth?

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Dan Rafael (12:55 PM)

The Top Ten Fighters On Earth

The Pound-for-Pound Discussion: Click Here If You Are a Boxing Fan

Top Five Fights of All Time

The Top 10 Boxers of All Time

Canastota Will Have to Wait: Margacheato Suspended for a Year

Boxing's State Of The Union Pt 2:Plus Margacheato Update

Tony Gets Plastered: Plus Interview with Sugar Shane Mosley

Boxing State of The Union: Real Talk From a Real Dude

Basketball's Real Top Ten 2.0: Back By Popular Demand

Exclusive B/R Interview with Famed Boxing Scribe Thomas Hauser

Boxings Real Top 10 2.0 Plus Fighter of the Year and Other Awards

BREAKING NEWS: Interview with Jack Loew, Kelly Pavlik Update

Floyd Mayweather Update: Exclusive Bleacher Report Interview with Sam Watson

Updates On Floyd Mayweather, Jack Loew, and Shane Mosley

Basketball's Real Top Ten

Boxing's Real Top 10: A Politics-Free Account

Boxing's Fall from Grace

Dan Rafael
(12:55 PM)