The Square Ring

The Lord of the Manor saw the fight as “Chagaeve doing nothing during the bout but get knocked down by a good right hand.” No problem. As Emanuel Steward has taught mentioned Klitschko,, the basic’s of boxing. Lead with a jab then throw the right. On the other hand none of today’s heavyweights, David Haye may be the exception, know even these basics. Heavyweights can make good money just being there. Kind of “Eye Candy” in the world of boxing. Looks good, looking good a relative term, but no substance. Chagaeve moved into the jab instead of away for it. This is rule cardinal rule. A boxer learns this the way a baby learns the alphabet on the way to learning to read. Simple stuff. In addition if you are implementing Plan “A” and it’s not working go to plan “B”. Chagaeve plan “A” did not work. Plan “A” was blocking jabs with his head. No plan “B”. Holyfield, Lewis, Holmes, Bowe and Tyson always had a Plan “B”. Tyson’s was to bite an ear but still a Plan “B”.

Of Mice and Men

It has oft quoted that “the best laid plans of mice and men: sometimes go astray.” For the record, the more accurate quote by poet Robert Burns is “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gand aft aglev.” They talked funny then. Therefore, it was with His Lordship. Plan “A” was to write about the today’s heavyweights with their lack of boxing skills. Then proceed to use two recent championship fights that were shown around the world on TV as examples of complete fighters. First on the list was the Chris John-Rocky Juarez rematch from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Chris John is the Lordships choice as the most complete boxer today. Good offensive, good defense without running moves well and has power. As is oft the case today, fight cancelled. John had some blood problems. Plan B was to use the companion fight between Marco Maidana (26-1) a super star in waiting Victor Ortiz (24-2). In the 6 rounds it took Maidana to removed the “star rating” from Ortiz there were 3 jabs thrown. Slug fest that showed heart and desire. Maidana had more getting the 6th round TKO.

At that point, plan C came into play. The Lordship would use the Arthur Abraham (30-0) defense of his IBF title against fellow resident of Germany Mahir Oral (25-2-1). Another brilliant plan of the Lord & Master foiled. Oral fought like Klitschko except with no power. Abraham played the part Chagaeve except when he decided to punch he knocked Oral about like a beanbag. Abraham decided to end it at 46 seconds of the 6th. Of the two fights Maidana –Ortiz was exciting with both fighters hitting the canvas in round one, Maidana twice in round two and Ortiz in round 6 to end the fight. Exciting. So you might ask how did the Lord of the Manor solve his problem. He went to plan “D”. “Jeeves how’d you like to next week’s column?” “Of course My Lord because that is what Manservant’s is for.

Yea Promoters

It is about time that His Lordship got his head out of his pint of lager to realize that boxing promoters are about the only thing that has kept the sport alive the last 20 years. Thanks to the likes of Bob Arum, Don King, Dan Goossen, Frank Warren, and Sauer land Events in Germany and Golden Boy (Oscar De La Hoya) the fight game if not “alive and well” at least is off life support. Top Ranks Bob Arum deserves special credit because he always seems to be just a step ahead of others while being able to reinvent him almost daily without a name heavyweight. He was the first to realize that there was gold to be mined in Latin boxers. Don King came up with great names for his promotions. “The Thrilla in Manila” to name one. Golden Boy gave famous boxers a piece of the action signing up Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton to name three. Tally Ho promoter’s job well done.

World’s Greatest Ever Boxers

Maybe the name Sterling Promotions will be added to those innovative promoters. On October 2-4, they are presenting a three-day boxing festival at the Paris Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. On October 3, his Lordships birthday with cards and expensive presents accepted, there is a professional fight card between Team USA versus Team Europe. Nothing new there as it has been done before. What hasn’t been done is worldwide voting on the Worlds Greatest Boxers. The list of boxers was complied by some of the most respected names in boxing. Another innovation is that boxing fans worldwide can vote and view those boxers nominated by going on the internet at www.GreatestEver. Com. Have a go.

The Bell Toll’s

This time Boxing’s 10 counts is for the all time great Champion Alexis Arguello who apparently committed suicide at his home in Managua. The 57-year-old Arguello retired from the ring in 1995 with a record of 82-8 with 65 KO’s. He is probably best remembered for his two fights with Aaron ‘The Hawk” Pryor. The first was held outdoors at the now demolished Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Pryor was ahead on 2 cards 127- 124 entering the 14th round when he score a TKO at 1:06. Many felt that between rounds 13 and 14 Pryor’s trainer, the now disgraced and banned Panama Lewis, gave Pryor a drink of some “illegal substance”. Hence the TKO. Ten months later, they would meet in a rematch in Las Vegas with Pryor getting a 10^th round KO. Both these fights were at 140. Arguello never lost at 130. Boxing gadfly Burt Sugar gave the best description of Arguello. “There are few real gentlemen. Alex Arguello was a real gentleman.”

Mindless Blather

Mindless Blather is a lot like “copious verbiage” which is how Pattaya resident UnTallPaul, a professionally retired “nardowell” person referred to His Lordships writings. The main difference is that “copious verbiage” pays better than mindless blather. Most would agree that Freddie Roach is one of the best boxing trainer’s. Learning at the knee of the late Eddie Futch, he ply is his trade with skill, confidence and intelligence. The same cannot be said then he is talking instead of training. His latest outburst involves “pulling the trigger” to silence critics of Manny Pacquiao’s one-side win over Oscar de La Hoya. One could also toss in his win over Ricky Hatton. “When we fought Oscar before the fight they said he’s going to kill Manny and then afterwards they say he was old.” No idea who “they” were but Oscar was old and over the hill. Hatton had not won a meaningful fight since Kostya Tszyu on June 4, 2005. Roach asked, “So after we beat (Miguel) Cotto what are they going to say?” They will say that the Miguel Cotto on November 7, 2009 is not the Miguel Cotto before he was brutally beaten up at the “loaded hands” of Antonio Margarito in July of 2008. As Shakespeare wrote, “I think he doth protest too much.”

Recently caught up with my fellow countryman and 14-time world dart champion Phil Taylor. He attended the Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu fight at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. “Russell Crowe was just a few rows behind me. He was introduced and invited into the ring. Crowe took the mike and said ‘Tszyu will destroy Hatton.” The crowd booed him out of the ring. Hatton destroyed Tszyu in 11. Tszyu would never fight again. Three days later Crowe would toss a mobile phone at a hotel employee in New York City and are invited to visit the “Nick” by a New York Bill. Not a good week for Crowe.

Khan Tries for Redemption

The boxing landscape, like the space between his Lordships ears, is devoid of anything interesting for the next two weeks. The exception may be the Amir Khan (20-1) - Andriv Kotelnik (31-2-1) tussle at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester Saturday the 18th. This would be a good time for Khan to regain some of the star power he lost when KO’d by Breidis Prescott last September in 58 seconds of the opening stanza. Kotelnik would seem to be perfect fit for Khan to regain that luster. Kotelnik has a little power with 13 KO’s but only 2 in his last 15 fights. Khan’s win against Barrera last out was fine and dandy but it was not the same Barrera that took out Eric Morales twice and Nassem Hammed. Barrera came into the Khan fight losing 2 of his last 4.

Jeeves Time

“Well Your Lordship how did you like the column?”

“Nice effort my good man. You should though of mentioned the alleged tax problems of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like many boxers before him May weather has the Internal Revenue Service on his tail. In 2007, the IRS filed a tax lien against him for $6.17 million for unpaid taxes, which you will agree, is more than chump change even for Mr. Bling. His manager, Leonard Ellerbe, disputes the claim saying, “Floyd doesn’t have a problem with the IRS.” Jeeves take a note to Mr. Ellerbe, ‘That’s not the way it works.’ Floyd may not have a problem with the IRS but they definitely have one with him. Jeeves bring out the lager, cigars and music videos so the celebration can begin.”

“Your Lordship you would be celebrating what?”

“My good senses to have you do the column because… Cheewit Dee Khrup