Boxing

Edwin Valero’s blessing and curse

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on April 7, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

If there are still any doubts about Edwin Valero’s punching power and what he brings to the table in terms of fistic excitement, then perhaps his two-round demolition of Antonio Pitalua last Saturday night should erase all that.

Sure, Pitalua is not one of the top contenders in the stacked lightweight division. But he is by no means a slouch either. He has a decent professional record, he has been around the fight game for a while, and he is a knockout artist himself.

One would have expected Pitalua, a veteran, to have been more composed. One would have expected Pitalua to execute a game plan against the Venezuelan. Perhaps he could have jabbed more to keep Valero at bay? Maybe he could have used the ring to his advantage and boxed more?

Easy for us to say. We weren’t in the ring with someone whose single punch could send anyone to dreamland in an instant.

For most of the opening round, Pitalua’s body language said it all. He was somewhat tentative, and he seemed tense. He hardly threw a punch. And when Valero unloaded some of his wild swings, Pitalua could not capitalize on the counterpunch. Pitalua managed to connect a few of his shots before the bell sounded, but it hardly meant anything at all. Certainly not to Valero.

Especially since Valero already smelled and sensed fear.

In the second round it was just a matter of time – 49 seconds to be exact. Valero continued to pressure Pitalua, and El Inca hit pay dirt. A cracking right hook from Valero connected to Pitalua’s chin and the Colombian dropped like a sack of potatoes. Pitalua managed to get up but was smothered again by power punches from Valero. Pitalua went down for the second time, and again got up on wobbly legs. A third serving of punches from Valero put Pitalua down for good.

With the win, Valero claimed the WBC lightweight title vacated by pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.

Valero wants to face more noteworthy opponents. Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton are just a few of the big names that are currently in Valero’s sights.

“If Manny Pacquiao or Hatton give me an opportunity, I would consider moving up and fighting them,” said Valero. “This is the beginning of big things. No man can take my punch.”

And of course, there’s reigning lineal lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Marquez is a little better than any of the others,” said Valero. “If it was up to me, I would want that fight [Marquez], but it is up to [promoters] Bob Arum and Golden Boy to make it happen.”

Bob Arum tends to agree, and is keen on making the fight happen.

“Well, the son of a bitch can really bang, we know,” said Arum just minutes after Valero’s destruction of Pitalua. “Now, I don’t want to give him a long layoff. I want him to get back in action real quick. Any lightweight in the world. I’d like him to fight Marquez, that would be great, anybody, Diaz, Linares. He’ll fight anybody. I think he’s really something special.”

Valero’s statement that no man can take his punch is pretty hard to debate. So far, all 25 of his opponents didn’t manage to hear the final bell. Heck, more than 90 percent of his victims didn’t even reach the third round.

However, Valero’s statement that it could be the start of “big things” for him could still be argued.

Winning a title does not instantly guarantee a big paycheck. To get a bigger purse, you have to dance with the big boys. And there are a couple of things that might hamper Valero’s chances of landing a fight with the bigger names in boxing.

First, Valero is still somewhat of an enigma. His smashing win notwithstanding, Valero’s name doesn’t exactly ring a bell to the casual boxing fan. His last fight in the US prior to last Saturday’s win in Texas was six years ago when he knocked out unheralded Tomas Zambrano in one round. A fractured skull and blood clot suffered due to a motorcycle accident in the amateur ranks and a subsequent failed MRI in 2004 have hampered Valero from fighting in the US. That’s why he has been forced to ply his trade outside the US, mostly in Japan, in Venezuela, and in other countries. Valero has only been recently cleared to box in the state of Texas, and so far other states have yet to follow suit. This has contributed much to Valero’s relative obscurity. Realistically speaking, big names sell lots of tickets. Practically speaking, big names want to fight other big names.

Second, believe it or not, is Valero’s punching power. He packs one-punch knockout power in both fists, a rarity in the lower weight classes. So it might be a bit difficult to find a big-named fighter out there who would be willing to step up to the plate against a murderous puncher with a lot of pop, especially someone who does not bring in as much money to the table.

There is no doubt that Edwin Valero brings heaps of excitement in every fight. There is no doubt that El Inca is supremely talented in terms of raw punching power.

It is just a shame that his talent, his blessing, might prove to be his curse as well.

Mosley Strips off Margarito’s Air of Invincibility

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on January 27, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

It’s already been a few days since Shane Mosley’s one-sided beat down of the supposedly resilient, durable, and granite-chinned Antonio Margarito but the aftermath has left boxing fans and pundits alike abuzz and asking the same question: What happened?

For those who didn’t give the 4-1 underdog Mosley a sliver of a chance against Margarito, the result still seems to be a paradox. And for good reason. At the very least– in Mosley’s last fight prior to Margarito – although he gamely dispatched perennial cannon fodder Ricardo Mayorga with one second left in the final round, it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk for Sugar. The hittable and predictable Mayorga, a self-confessed cigarette smoker even while on training, gave Mosley all he could handle in the course of the fight. In fact, entering the 12th round, Mayorga had a one-point lead in one of the judges’ scorecards.

At the very most, Margarito looked absolutely stellar, nay, invincible, when he demolished Miguel Cotto last July 2008. Cotto fought an almost perfect fight– using combinations in the early rounds and frequently landing, while utilizing superb footwork to avoid danger. But Margarito seemed to shrug off Cotto’s best shots– add to this the Tijuana Tornado’s constant offensive pressure—and the onslaught proved too much to handle for Cotto. The end came in the eleventh round as Cotto wilted under a barrage of punches.

So, based on the aforementioned instances, to say that it was a surprise that Mosley dismantled Margarito the way he did, is a severe understatement.

Since the beginning of the first round, it was clear that Margarito wouldn’t be able to smother Mosley with his relentless pressure. True, Margarito is a slow starter and he picks up his game in the middle rounds. But in this fight, Mosley’s hand speed showed from the outset and Margarito seemed flustered, getting trapped a few times against the ropes without any answer for Mosley’s attacks.

From the second round until the middle rounds, it was clear that Margarito had bitten off more than he could chew. Mosley kept pumping the jab, throwing lightning combinations, and kept hitting Margarito with his overhand right. Sure, it was Margarito who kept on pressing forward to take the fight to Mosley. Sure it was Margarito who was the aggressor. But it was also Margarito who frequently got tagged with shots to the face. And body. One could also notice that Margarito’s timing was off, and he was just a few punches too late; he couldn’t retaliate and he was being overwhelmed by the human dynamo that was Shane Mosley.

By the later rounds, the severe beating that Mosley dished off took its toll on Margarito. The fighter that had once shrugged off Miguel Cotto’s best shots had visibly slowed down, and his punches didn’t have enough sting anymore to hurt Mosley. Margarito didn’t seem to have his legs anymore. In the eighth round, a Mosley left hook staggered Margarito and drove him to the ropes. Mosley followed up with a barrage of punches and dropped Margarito. Margarito managed to get up at the count of nine and staggered toward his corner. The temporary respite came to an end for Margarito 43 seconds into the ninth round, after a blitzkrieg courtesy of Mosley prompted the referee to stop the fight. Margarito’s corner threw in the towel almost simultaneous with the stoppage.

So what happened?

First off, before trying to answer that question, let’s try to get a couple of issues out of the way. Before the fight, it was reported that Margarito had to re-wrap his hands several times because Mosley’s camp found out that Margarito had tried to wrap his hands illegally. There is also some talk that Margarito had

some weight problems prior to the fight and might have drained himself making weight. Did Antonio Margarito’s camp try to gain undue advantage by using illegal hand wraps on purpose? Is there any truth to the unverified reports that Margarito was weight-drained, thus affecting his stamina and performance? The first question can only be answered by a proper investigation and in the case of the second, we could only speculate; best to take in all the talks with a grain of salt.

The point is, trying to pass off the hand-wrap fiasco as something that might have affected Margarito’s concentration and trying to use the weight-drain issue as an excuse is just plainly taking away all the hard work that Mosley put in. It is plainly taking away a legendary and dazzling performance showcased by the brilliant Sugar Shane Mosley.

But to go back. What really happened?

What happened — as thousands of spectators at the Staples Center and millions of viewers around the world witnessed – was Margarito getting schooled by the savvy veteran. What happened was Mosley’s team formulating a game plan and their fighter following it to the hilt. What happened was Margarito painfully learning the old boxing adage that speed kills. What happened was Mosley turning back Father Time and giving a performance for the ages, something that will be talked about for years to come.

To put it simply, Sugar Shane Mosley effectively stripped off Antonio Margarito’s air of invincibility. And he did that by chipping away at Margarito’s granite chin one punch at a time, one round at a time for nine agonizing (for Margarito) and spectacular (for Mosley) rounds.

Nothing could be more convincing than that.

Another year for Pacquiao, Silva to prove doubters wrong

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on January 9, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

After three successful fights in as many weight classes last year (first when he eked out a split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez, second when he annihilated David Diaz to win the WBC world lightweight title, and third, his eight round drubbing of Oscar De La Hoya) Manny Pacquiao is the consensus 2008 fighter of the year among boxing writers and pundits.

Thanks to his fantastic showing, Pacquiao is in perfect position to enjoy even more lucrative fights this year. First on the list is Ricky Hatton, who has been salivating at the prospect of fighting the Filipino ever since the Pacquiao — De La Hoya fight pushed through. Should Pacquiao defeat Hatton, the most logical opponent would be Floyd Mayweather Jr. And if Pacquiao chooses to fight three times this year– win or lose against Floyd Jr. — he can have a farewell bout at the end of the year (perhaps a third fight with Marquez at Jr. Welterweight?) before hanging up his gloves.

Of course when we say fighter of the year, we should also look beyond prizefighting and take a look at the best among the practitioners of Mixed Martial Arts.

I don’t know if Anderson Silva is the consensus MMA fighter of the year, but I do know that in my book he is. The Spider showed that he is still the man to beat at middleweight when he won via submission over Dan Henderson in March. A lot of people believed that Silva’s reign as UFC Middleweight Champion would come to an end against a dangerous, skilled, and experienced fighter such as Henderson. But Silva once again proved his critics wrong.

Silva then climbed up to light heavyweight and took on James Irvin. Not a few wondered how Silva would handle the extra weight, not to mention how he would fare against a bigger opponent. Silva knocked out Irvin in 61 seconds.

However, Silva’s last fight for 2008 against Patrick Cote left a bad taste in some fans’ mouths. Instead of going for the kill early, Silva appeared to be toying with Cote. He didn’t show his usual deadly form, much to Dana White’s chagrin. The fight ended quite unfortunately when Cote blew out his knee and the referee was forced to put an end to the fight.

I attribute Silva’s less-than-stellar showing in his last outing to boredom. He has fought every possible contender in his weight class, annihilated every one of them, and he needs to step it up. Maybe Dana White should consider putting Chuck Liddell in the Octagon opposite Silva? Or how about the winner of the upcoming George St.-Pierre – BJ Penn fight? The point is, as good a fighter as Silva is, he needs to be fighting top contenders instead of tomato cans for him to be challenged. Give him an opponent who he knows could hurt him and even take him out, and Silva wouldn’t even think of toying with the other guy. I guarantee you’ll see the old Silva back in action.

In Pacquiao’s case, it has always been and will always be, proving other people wrong. Nobody gave him a shot to beat Lehlo Ledwaba, everyone thought Marco Antonio Barrera would school him in their first fight, boxing experts thought Erik Morales’s length and reach would be too much for him, and lastly, majority of the sports and boxing media thought the Dream Match was a farce and a huge mismatch.

Of course Pacquiao, as recent history has told us, cut through all of these opponents (and then some) like a hot knife through butter. Or, more appropriately, like a violent, ravaging Pacific storm through a sleepy seaside town.

Do I hear Erik Morales recently making noises about how Ricky Hatton will flatten Pacquiao? What, Pacquiao will go down in the sixth or seventh round because he will tire and lose steam?

With all due respect to Morales, a great champion and future hall-of-famer, since when did anyone of us see Pacquiao tire? Heck, the Pacman can easily give the Energizer Bunny a run for its money. Hatton, on the other hand, has had stamina problems in the past, of which, perhaps can be attributed to his hard living in between fights. Hatton is tough, a strong body puncher, and he has knockout power in both fists. But stamina is not one of his strong suits. He is a good pressure fighter for the early to middle rounds but for the rest of the fight he plods along and holds. Whether Hatton can outhustle, outwork, and finally overpower Pacquiao remains to be seen. But I dare go on the record here and say that I highly doubt it. I believe it will be the other way around.

For Pacquiao and Silva, the year 2009 will be one of the most important years of their careers. And it is not just because it is another year to earn more money through the hurt business. More importantly, another year is upon them to show to the world that they can continue to fight the best, stay on top, and prove the critics wrong.

Again.

Hatton vs. Pacquiao: A Question of Excess and Overindulgence?

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on December 24, 2008)

by Mark Lorenzana

Barring any unexpected hitches, it seems that Ricky Hatton is the opponent that looms closest on the horizon for Manny Pacquiao.

This early, reports are coming in that Freddie Roach thinks Hatton – unlike Oscar De La Hoya – can indeed pull the trigger. Roach believes that while Hatton is beatable (as evidenced by his lone loss by knockout to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year), he has a style that can give Pacquiao fits. The Englishman is a rough and tumble pressure fighter, and he only knows one direction – forward. He bulls and bores into his opponent, utilizing clinches and holds to tire him out. And then the man known as the Hitman softens his adversary with crippling body blows before he finishes him up. Hatton also has enough knockout power in his fists to finish the fight at any moment. Out of Hatton’s 45 wins, 32 fights did not last the distance.

If Pacquiao thinks that he can take Hatton lightly, he’d better think again. Sure, he destroyed Oscar De La Hoya, but Ricky Hatton may prove to be a tougher customer. Which is why Roach wants Pacquiao to fly to Hollywood early, and he expects the Filipino to put in the usual hard work at the Wild Card for at least eight weeks.

Right now it’s safe to say that Pacquiao is still enjoying the fruits of his labors. He still has several weeks to enjoy the good life before he buckles down to work.

With this (but I could be wrong, of course), expect alarm bells to sound on how Pacquiao might enjoy his respite too much and give in to indulgence and excess.

As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But if there’s any effect of the purported hard-living by Pacquiao between fights, it remains to be seen. Performance-wise, Pacquiao has yet to lose since his close defeat to Erik Morales in their first fight. And with his recent destruction of De La Hoya, Pacquiao showed his deadliest form to date. Perhaps Team Pacquiao has a point when they ask the media to give the Filipino a fair shake especially when reporting about the boxer’s extra-curricular activities.

Ironically, if there’s a fighter that is also reported to give in to indulgence and excess, it’s Hatton. Christened Ricky “Fatton” for his penchant to put on the pounds when he’s not training, Hatton is known to guzzle pints and pints of his favorite brew, Guinness beer. He also enjoys fatty food, and admits that his favorite pre-fight meal is a fry-up, a full English breakfast.

A full English breakfast comprises several fried foods that include bacon, eggs, sausages, black pudding, potatoes, and beans. A sumptuous feast indeed, but you’d be hard put to find any sports nutritionist who’d be willing to prescribe this diet to any athlete, let alone a boxer. Especially one who enjoys wolfing down a fry-up prior to what may be one of the biggest fights of his career.

Of course, Hatton’s choice of food and drink is nobody’s business as long as he can make the weight come weigh-in and he can put on a good show come fight night. And Hatton has won his last two fights since his loss to Mayweather Jr.

Will Hatton cut down the chow and booze if a Pacquiao fight pushes through?

Who knows? But if Hatton loses, he’d better not blame it on the fish and chips.