Bleacher Report - Articles by Jake Shaw

The Five Fights I Most Want To See in 2009

Jake Shaw — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:15:11 -0500

'Sugar' Shane Mosley vs. Floyd 'Money' Mayweather

When Mayweather walked away he was the best welterweight in the world, and right now in his absence that title has fallen around the waist of Shane Mosley. This fight was originally mentioned a few years ago, but never quite came off.

Back then, Mosley was a contender though, now he is numero uno, the big dog. The only true way for Mayweather's imminent return to be a success would be for him to come back and show he's the bigger dog and take back his yard.

Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao vs. Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton

Luckily for me, and for fight fans all around the world, this fight looks like it will happen. After weeks off negotiation, this on-again off-again affair was inked for May 2nd. Both men love to come forward and apply pressure and both men hold shattering power in their shots.

This has all the ingredients to become a modern classic. It's one of those fights were you get the idea that neither man will be the same when they leave the ring. It's the kind of fight which has you glued to the edge of your seat. This could be the best fight since Corrales/Castillo I.

Miguel 'Junito' Cotto vs. 'The Tijuana Tornado' Antonio Margarito II

When these two went at it last time, they both endured incredible punishment. The two men dished out a beating to each other. But when all was said and done it was Margarito who got the win when referee Kenny Bayless intervened with 55 seconds left in the 11th round.

If that isn't reason enough to see a rematch, Margarito's recent hand wrap debacle has stoked the fire. Margarito was found to have plaster-of-paris pads in his wraps before his fight with Shane Mosley, and has since been fined for cheating, although the Mexican continues to plead innocence.

This prompts the question, did Margarito cheat against Cotto, too? This question means a rematch has become a must. Whether 'The Tornado' cheated or not isn't important, all that is important is that Cotto gets his chance for redemption. Hopefully he, and we, won't have to wait for too long.

Chris 'The Nightmare' Arreola vs. David 'The Hayemaker' Haye

In a relatively weak Heavyweight division, this is the only clash of the giants which catches my interest. Both men have explosive power: Arreola has finished 23 of 26 opponents early, compared to Haye's also impressive ledger of 21 KO's in 22 fights. Both me also have question marks surrounding their punch resistance with both finding themselves in trouble in recent fights.

This fight most likely wouldn't last long, but it would be explosive while it did. This could be the fight to return the glamour back to the heavyweight division.

Israel 'Magnifico' Vazquez vs. Juan Manuel 'Juanma' Lopez

This is the kind of fight you see in the movies. A tough, battle-hardened warrior champion clashing with a hungry, powerful, undefeated challenger. It's the irresistible force vs. the immovable object.

This fight is so intriguing because of the questions it raises. Can Vazquez's adamantium jaw hold up against the vicious bombs of Lopez? Will Vazquez's experience and toughness be too much?

How much did the epic trilogy with Rafael Marquez take out of Vazquez? Questions need answers, and we need this fight.

Thanks for reading!

MMA Predictions: 15 Things That WILL Happen in 2009

Jake Shaw — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:34:02 -0500

1. Ken Shamrock WILL fight again.

2. And Ken Shamrock WILL lose, while looking totally shot, again.

3. Experts and fans WILL doubt Fedor Emelianenko.

4. And, once again, he WILL shut them all up (at least temporarily).

5. Grandma Dee WILL support GSP, no matter what.

6. And we WILL all still love her for it.

7. We WILL get to see another Tito Ortiz fight shirt.

8. And he WILL also show how good of a commentator he has the potential to become.

9. Lyoto Machida WILL remain undefeated, despite never actually fighting properly.

10. Joe Rogan WILL break his own record by shouting out "Ohh!" 265,789 times in a single night.

11. Brock Lesnar WILL defeat Frank Mir

12. And the haters WILL still hate on him.

13. UFC WILL, in general, keep getting better, while everything else goes downhill.

14. Tim Sylvia WILL fight again.

15. And absolutely nobody WILL care.

I know this is a bit different from what I usually do, but I wanted to give it a try. Thanks for reading.

Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn: Analysis and Prediction

Jake Shaw — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:19:20 -0500

On the 31st January, the most hotly anticipated rematch in UFC history will take place. French-Canadian "Rush" St. Pierre emerged victorious from their first fight in a hotly disputed decision, which many saw Penn as unlucky to lose. A rematch seemed natural, but for various reasons, things didn’t quite work out that way and the two men’s path wandered away from the others.

They say fate is a cruel mistress, but it worked to all our advantage here, as these two warriors seemed destined to meet again. Both men went away, improved and dominated, and now it’s time! The two will clash at UFC 94 in what might by the biggest fight in MMA history. But who will win? Here are my views:

Stand-Up:Got to give GSP the advantage here, his background in Kyokushin Karate means that his high kicks are some of the fiercest in the game. Penn’s stand-up has improved considerably since we first saw him, but he’s not at the level of "Rush." GSP’s Muay Thai gives him the advantage here.

Ground:In a fight featuring two Brazilian ju-jitsu black belts, the ground game has to be considered as a major factor. St Pierrewon his lack belt in September and is not a man to be messed with when the fight goes to the canvas, but he’s not got the advantage here for once.

BJ Penn is one of, if not the best BJJ Practitioner in the sport today with 5 of his 13 wins coming from submissions. He’s also the only non-Brazilian to win the BJJ World Championships in the black belt category. BJ all the way.

Conditioning: Both men appear to be in good shape, but when you mention the word athleticism, the name St. Pierre immediately comes to mind. The guy is an absolute machine compared to unreliable Penn. No contest in this category.

Desire: In recent interviews GSP has said he’s 100% focused on BJ Penn, but I’m not so sure. Maybe 99%, but it seems to me like he’s already thinking about Thiago Alves and Anderson Silva. And, no matter how good you are, you can’t go into a fight with BJ Penn any less than 100% focused. However, Penn seems incredibly focused. He’s said we will see anew man in that Octagon and looks to be all geared up mentally to win the fight.

Takedowns: We’ve already mentioned what happens on the ground, but not how they’re going to get there. Both men are good at taking their man down and have good defence against any attempts on them. It’s a close category, but Penn’s BJJ experience makes me lean towards him, especially with the amount of leg kicks GSP will be throwing, providing plenty of opportunities.

Big Fight Experience:Both men know what it’s like to fight championship fights and in my head I couldn’t divide them in this category. So I looked up some numbers, but they didn’t help either: Penn has gone the distance 6 times, with GSP doing it five, and each have competed in fought in seven UFC Title fights (including interim). There’s not much to split the two here, so why do it. Draw.

Support: Who do you root for? It’s not an easy question? GSP’s boyish good looks and huge French-Canadian following make him one of the most well-supported fighters in the game. But Penn is the archetypal nice guy who always works hard and battles until the end.

Both are true warriors who the fans love to watch. The splitting difference here is that in the build-up to this fight, Penn has given several passionate interviews, actually once saying he wants to kill St. Pierre. Is he playing the bad guy or does he really feel that way? Who knows? But it’s enough to make more people turn to GSP.

Advantage from the first fight:This might seem a bit obvious – GSP won the first fight so he knows he can beat Penn.That is a valid point but it’s not the whole story. Penn was inches away from victory and has improved greatly since UFC 58. Also, if BJ would have won that first fight, would the hunger he’s showing now still be there?

Penn is determined to win; he’s said he would literally die to win. I don’t think GSP would, knowing that he has beaten Penn before. Georges will be prepared, but after the first fight, I think Penn wants it more.

My Prediction: You can’t really blame anyone who gets this fight wrong, because it truly is a pick ‘em affair, where either guy could win at any moment. I see it being a classic war where both men lay everything on the line, giving everything they have to win. I think it’ll go to the judges with Penn…I mean GSP….I mean Penn… I mean GSP…Penn…GSP…Penn!

That’s how difficult picking a winner here is, it’s going to be close, but I’m backing The Prodigy winning a razor thin split decision. And then we can do it all over again.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: What Is Frank Mir Thinking?

Jake Shaw — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:26:06 -0500

2 days after Christmas the future of UFC’s heavyweight division will be decided. Champion Brock Lesnar will be incredibly interested as his next opponent will be decided inside the Octagon. But for this fight, the name "The Jui-Jitsu Jungle" would be a far more apt moniker for the setting.

Two of the greatest practitioners of the Brazilian art of submission will clash in the "Jungle." That name fits so well because both Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir will have to be tentative, or face a vicious strike from a wild animal. The only question going in to this showdown is who will take the role of the predator, and who will become the helpless prey.

For me, that question has an easy answer. In my mind the scenario is clear; it will be "Minotauro" who hops onto the top on the cage to celebrate, amidst the heart roars of his South American fans.

I do not for one second doubt Mir’s ability. He has pure, ruthless power and he already has a win over current champ Lesnar. But the words of a very famous song come to mind when I think of this fight: "Anything you can do, I can do better."

In every aspect of the sport, Nogueira has the advantage. His stand-up is significantly superior to Mir’s. The Brazilian’s quick combinations have the ability to wreak havoc on Mir. And after that famed shot from Lesnar a few months back, will Mir be mentally ready to take Nog’s biggest shots and keep coming forward? Who knows?

But it is worth noting that Mir did beat Lesnar. Another thing of importance was that Mir won that fight on the ground via submission. So it makes sense for Mir to go to the ground then, yes?

Well, no. Mir’s jui-jitsu is good, but again it is dwarfed when compared to Minotauro’s ground game. If the fight does go to the canvas, Nogueira has a distinct advantage. One mistake, no matter how small, could result in Mir tapping out, something he as never done before

My Prediction: If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m going for Nogueira. His overall superiority means that the only chance I’m giving Mir is that of the puncher. Expect the fight to go to the ground sometime, probably relatively early in the second.

From there I see Minotauro slapping on an arm bar and becoming the first man to make Mir submit. Like a Brazilian Indiana Jones, Nogueira will exit the jungle unscathed. But unlike the Harrison Ford movies, don’t expect a sequel.

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather: Why Pac-Man Can’t Win

Jake Shaw — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:25:15 -0500

I’ll be the first to admit that I have written Manny Pacquiao off plenty of times in the past, and, to his credit, he has always proved me wrong. I thought that Barrera was too good, Marquez was too stylish and De La Hoya was too big. But every time, Pacquiao overcame those obstacles and had his hand raised in victory, to the delight of his Filipino fans.

And now Pacquiao is drawing closer to securing another major fight, this time against the impeccable Floyd Mayweather Jr. After my previous botched predictions I’m always cautious in forecasting a Pacquiao fight outcome, but this is a fight were I can’t see Pacquiao getting the win at all.

In the aforementioned fights I saw a Pacquiao win as improbable, but against "Money" Mayweather the task is almost impossible. And here’s why.

Look at which fighter handed Manny has last loss: Erik Morales. Now you may not automatically see the connection with Mayweather. But that night in the MGM Grand, Morales elected to box from range and catch Pacquiao on the way in. It worked. Morales took a unanimous decision with scores of 115-113 on all three cards.

There’s no reason Mayweather can’t use the same strategy. Mayweather is quick enough to find the holes in Pac-Man’s defence with his jab and straights and he would have a reach advantage too. Could Mayweather nullify and negate Pacquiao pressure with this strategy? Maybe, but what is certain is that it would give Mayweather a sizeable advantage.

Don’t want to keep Pacquiao at range, Floyd? No problem, use the Juan Manuel Approach, counter punching. Marquez has held Pacquiao to a draw and then lost a razor thin decision. The only reason he didn’t win both fights is because in total Pacquiao has knocked him down 4 times over the two fights.

But can you really see Mayweather getting floored three times in the first round. The artist formerly known as "Pretty Boy" defence is so impeccable that it would be unlikely Pacquiao could find a way past the longer arms of Mayweather. And even if he does, he’s got Floyd’s wonderful head movement and elusiveness to contend with.

Additionally, who was Mayweather’s last opponent? Ricky Hatton. A come forward boxer with huge support, who loves to through punches and get inside. Sound familiar? Hatton and Pacquiao style have huge similarities And Hatton got knocked out. Could the same fate befall Pac-Man? We don’t even know if Pacquiao punch resistance will hold up at 147lbs because De La Hoya never landed a flush shot.

That was because De La Hoya was too slow. The word "slow" doesn’t belong in the same sentence as Mayweather’s name. Floyd would hit him, and hit him hard.

Need further proof; let’s look at Floyd’s record against pressure fighters on the whole. Arturo Gatti, Ricky Hatton, Diego Corrales were all knocked out and Jose Luis Castillo was beaten on points, twice! You can even put De La Hoya in this category if you like, and guess what, Mayweather beat him too.

As of now the fight has not be signed. For Pac-Man’s sake, I hope it stays that way.

Bobby Pacquiao Is a Shadow Compared to His Brother Manny Pacquiao

Jake Shaw — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:17:46 -0500

Over the years, we have seen brothers enter the sport together. It has happened for years and will continue to happen. Today, the Klitschko’s are the top two heavyweights in the world and the Marquez family have been given a lot to celebrate over the years by Rafael and Juan Manuel.

But, after watching Manny Pacquiao pick up another huge win this weekend, I couldn’t help but spare a thought for a much- malignant, forgotten sibling, Bobby Pacquiao. This weekend saw Manny demolish Oscar De La Hoya and solidify his position as the best fighter in the world. He was masterful and hardly put a foot wrong in handing "The Golden Boy" his second knockout loss and probably the worst beating of his career.

Manny is now a global megastar and demands multi-million dollar purses. But, just three weeks earlier, his brother Bobby lost a comprehensive decision to Robert Frankel in the HP Pavilion, California. That was the youngest of the Pacquiao’s 15th loss and eight of those have seen him get knocked out.

Bobby’s style is similar to his more successful big brother. For those of you who have never seen him fight, imagine Manny but with less speed, less power, less ability, and no killer left hook. What you get is Bobby Pacquiao. Bobby has actually beaten a few decent fighters, but he has been exposed far too many times against second, third, and even fourth tier fighters.

He’s won the WBC Continental Americas super featherweight title and the WBO Asia Pacific lightweight title, but it must be hard looking at his brother’s monumental achievements. A tinge of jealousy must surely exist. The smiles and hugs can’t hide its existent. It’s only natural for it to exist. Bobby must curse his genetics in comparison to his brothers.

And now with both men more than likely in their respective primes, the void in ability has become even clearer. Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world and has blazed a trail through five weight divisions, winning world title belts in four of them. Poor Bobby has lost four of his last six, including a demolition job inflicted by Humberto Soto, and of his two wins, one of them came against a 39-year old Kevin Kelley.

The other win was against Fernando Trejo, who was injured in the fourth, forcing a stoppage. If you need more proof, look at their knockout percentages. The uber-powerful Manny has finished 67.92 percent of his opponents early, where as Bobby only packs a measly 29.79 percent ratio. It’s more than clear that the powerful pressure which has catapulted Manny to the top is non-existent in Bobby’s arsenal.

The love between brothers maybe strong, but the envy is there. Bobby must know he will never reach the heights his big brother has. Hopefully, Bobby can put his pride first and not succumb to the jealousy. But please, for a second, spare a thought for Bobby, the Pac-Man who got caught by the ghosts far too often.

Jack Johnson: The Legend That Was.

Jake Shaw — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 06:30:55 -0500

(I know the picture above isn't Jack Johnson, but I couldn't find a picture of him. So, I just used this one to represent the boxing genre, rather than the actual content of this article.)

Imagine fighting the same crop of fighters over and over again, month after month. It would be pretty frustrating. Then, imagine being the best of the bunch, well that's what Jack Johnson had to contend with for almost the whole of his career.

It must have been incredibly frustrating for Johnson having to just watch less-talented, lumbering, white heavyweights take all the glory while he out slicked great fighters like Sam Langford and Joe Jeanette.

However, unlike those other men, Johnson was eventually granted the chance to fight for the "real" heavyweight title. It was the original super fight, the "colored" heavyweight champion, Johnson locking horns with the other more-accepted world champion, Tommy Burns, in front of thousands of racist, blood-thirsty fight fans.

After 14 rounds, the police intervened and Johnson was awarded the decision, thus becoming the first ever black heavyweight champion. The man broke boundaries and put himself in the record books for eternity.

Johnson's career after that fabled night was one of up's and down's. From the extreme highs of knocking out Stanley Ketchal, James J Jeffries, and Fireman Jim Flynn, to the extreme low of being knocked out in the 26th of a scheduled 45 rounds to Jess Willard.

Some say Johnson threw that fight, others disrepute this claim, saying that if Johnson was going to throw the fight why wait 26 rounds? That is something we'll never know. Without Johnson, the infamous term "Great White Hope" may never have been coined and the fact that this phrase is still a fixture in most boxing fans vocabulary shows the profound effect Johnson crossing of the color line had.

Johnson led an extravagant life, almost as flashy as his in ring style. He sported gold teeth and was often spotted in public with white women. He blew money without thought on everything just because he could, and became the first in the line of many of these kinds of fighters.

I personally believe he loved to be hated, and would act so flamboyantly to fit in with his persona as "The ****** Champion." Johnson's lifestyle and character puts today's spoiled cry-baby’s, e.g. Floyd Mayweather Jr., to shame.

He brought the stereotypical "black" style to the masses. The bobbing and the weaving, the head movement were all part of this. The outslicking opponents rather than outslugging them. Even the most rampant racists must have, at least for a second, realized the brilliance their hate figure possessed.

From most accounts, Johnson was actually a kind man. From all accounts, he was a great fighter. Johnson will hopefully be looking down on us all now, seeing how he is remembered, revered amongst all races. You can almost picture him, flashing his gold teeth in a big smile. He broke records, he broke faces, and he broke the color line.

Manny Pacquaio: The Exit Strategy

Jake Shaw — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:37:25 -0500

What Manny Pacquiao did on December 6 will go down in history as one of the greatest performances of the decade. To waltz up two weight classes and not only beat, but methodically dismantle and outclass boxing’s "Golden Boy," Oscar De La Hoya is an incredible feat. Combined with his previous accomplishments in lower weight classes and Pac-Man has to be one of the, if not the most dangerous fighter.

Why would anyone want to fight this man? Well actually, there are quite a few reasons. Pacquiao is the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and if anyone were to beat him they could stake a great claim to that intangible yet much-sought-after title.

Also, Pacquiao has become one of the sport’s true "mega-draws." The man has become more than just a sports star in his native Philippines; he’s now a bonafide Filipino Icon. And after wins against over Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and De La Hoya, he’s on the brink of global stardom. Fighting him is a nice pay day for any opponent.

And, finally Pacquiao is now established into of the strongest weight divisions in boxing, lightweight and welterweight. The amount of world-class pugilists in these weights is bound to cause congestion, and some people can very easily get forgotten about. Enter Pacquiao, with a "name" like Manny’s an opponent could propel themselves into the title picture with a respectable, competitive loss and even join the division’s elite with a win.

Pac-Man’s ability to move between weight-classes means he’s got a lot of ways to go, so many fights available to him. But with his 30th birthday closing in and a new baby on the way, Pacquiao must start planning his exit strategy. With a ferocious pressure style he has, fighter’s can burn out overnight so Manny’s probably got about three fights left. He and Bob Arum have to pick them wisely. Here’s how I believe they should do it.

First up…Ricky Hatton (45—1). Hatton has already called out Pacquiao and rumours of a fight in Dubai have been swirling around internet forums for days now. A fight between these two would be huge, as they possess two of the most loyal followings in the world as well as being big draws.

The atmosphere would be incredible, Pacquiao’s fantastic Filipino fans along with Hatton’s mad Mancunian’s. It doesn’t get much better. And the in-ring action wouldn’t be bad either. Both men come forward and throw punches, and if their aggressive styles gel, we could witness a true classic.

Then…Juan Manuel Marquez (49—4—1). This probably the most demanded rubber match out there. The first fight was a draw and left many questions and the rematch didn’t give us any real answers. These two must fight again, it’s probably one of the most obvious fights to make right now. Pacquiao demolished David Diaz at 130lbs, and Marquez is The Ring champion at the same weight so it would be a true mega-fight.

After De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao, relations between Golden Boy and Top Rank have improved too, which means there shouldn’t be any problems putting this fight together. Rival vs. Rival, Mexico vs. Philippines, Pacquiao vs. Marquez, one more time!

And finally…Ricardo Torres (32—2). Pacquiao has always prided himself on being a man of the people, so it makes sense that he should give the people a great fight for his final bout. They could do it in Macau where the interest would be huge; it could literally bring the country to a stand still. And, Torres is probably the perfect opponent. He comes forward and is easy to hit but has good power in both hands.

The fight would almost certainly be a war. Torres is flawed enough for it to be a fight Pacquiao would most likely win, but his style means that it would be wildly entertaining. Pacquiao could go out with a bang and with a victory. It would be the perfect exclamation mark on what has been a near-perfect career.

The plan I have outlined may be challenging and it will certainly test Manny’s ability to the full. But he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge and the talent is there for him to overcome all of these obstacles. And then five years from the Torres fight would come the last step of the master plan. In Canastota, New York, the Filipino Icon will have a new title: Manny Pacquiao—Hall of Famer.