The Square Ring

From Hemingway to Schulberg the best have tried to explain the allure of the sport breaking down its’ many segments to form a complete picture. Walter Mosley, an author of more than 20 books published in as many languages, in his novel The Long Fall describes a boxer throwing a punch. “Throwing a punch is the yang of a boxer’s life. The yin is being able to avoid getting hit. “ He continues, “a good punch comes first from the foot, moves in a circular motion around the hips, and only then connects to the arm, fist and if lucky the opponents jaw or rib cage.” Good stuff.

The Boxing Cornucopia
Boxing around the world is a cornucopia comprised of a blend of the good, the bad and the ugly. There are those times when one knows that ugly is on the menu just waiting for the opening bell. That will surely be the case in Nürnberg on November 7 when Nikolai Valuev (50-1) defends his WBA Heavy title for the second and last time against David “El Polio” Haye (22-1). This has ugly written all over it like the Old Geezer in Pattaya two weeks before his next pension check.

Then there is the Blue Plate Special that will be served up between Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2) and Miguel Cotto (34-1) in Las Vegas on November 14. The two will be fighting for the WBO Welterweight title where this time the “O” doesn’t mean ordinary. This matchup brings into play “plots within plots”. Pacquiao’s training was delayed by the deadly weather in his native Philippines. Trainer Freddie Roach had more trouble than usual with the sometimes temperamental Pacquiao and his posse’. For the first time Pacquiao will be fighting at 147 having started his career at 112. At what point does added weight became a minus in the boxing equation?

Cotto has been in training for a much longer time than Pacquiao, is he likely to show up stale? Are there still lingering effects from the sever beating Cotto took at the “loaded fists” of Antonio Margarito? Has Cotto learned how to defend against the body attack, of which he is venerable, that will be major part of the Pacquiao offense? Will fighting at his natural weight, 147, prove the Cotto advantage that many think? Does he have the tools to if not stop then at least counter Pacquiao’s speed?

The only sure thing is that this will be a great fight. The fans of the two will come dressed to the nine’s with more “eye candy” around than the chorus line at Tim’s. The “convention wisdom”, which sometimes isn’t, and the betting public has made Pacquiao a rather substantial betting choice. TSR is never afraid to go out on the limb with a prediction. Referee Kenny Bayless will have the best view in the house for a fight that will either be a knockout or not…maybe.

A Corncopia of Results
Yes tis a bountiful buffet with treats from almost every corner of the world. Fahsang 3K Battery (59- 10-2) was a world class boxer. He took Manny Pacquiao four rounds back in ’04. In ‘07 he went a full 12 against Steve Molitor for the IBF super bantam title. He lost but fought well. As 35 age has finally caught up with a now dead “3K Battery”. He was “vaporized’ while suffering a 22 second “first-round annihilation” from a left uppercut from the fists of Dmitry Ganiev (11- 0) in Russia. Ganiev is dining at the Thailand table as this makes two in a row over Thai boxers.

Stopping at the Rijsttafel table world ranked Indonesia Roy Mukhlis( 23-2-2) had a helping of Thailand’s Vacharakrit Senahan (15-2-2) forcing him to quit between rounds nine and ten. Senahan is a masters marketing student at a Bangkok university so when he got knocked down in the 8th decided to hit the books after the 9th. At the German table was South African Francois “The White Buffalo” Botha (48- 4-2) who like Old Man River “just keeps rolling along.” This time he got a Majority Draw against Pedro Carrion (8-2) to keep his WBF heavyweight title. WBF? “We Be Fake”. You had to ask.

No buffet would be complete without a polish dish maybe with a little age. Andrew “The Foul Pole” Golota fits that description. He was almost a “real” heavyweight world champion twice against Riddock Bowe. Alas he had some wiring mixup in the cranium. DQ’d both times. In the city of Lodz, Poland he took on Tomasz Adamek who was born in Poland but now lives in New Jersey USA. Some would think that’s a lateral move. Adamek with a record of 39-1 improve his heavyweight record to 8-0 with a 5th round KO of Golota. “I will never forget this moment, fighting in front of almost 17 thousand Polish fans against a Polish legend that went through many great battles. It was a meaningful night for me. By beating Andrew Golota I made a statement about my power. I wanted to show how good I can be as a heavyweight. I got hit couple of times pretty hard, but I was never in danger. Looks like my iron chin will work for me in a higher weight class also.

Best Light Heavy Ever…
Boxing writers are free with their opinion of the best ever. “Greatest Ever Enterprises” has the goal of finding the “World’s Greatest Ever Boxer”. The result will be announced December 13 in Las Vegas. Picking the best “boxer” at any weight is impossible let alone the best ever but TSR never shies away from a challenge. So here goes our list of best light heavy’s. Numero Uno is Archie “The Old Mongoose” Moore (183-24-10) but just by a smidgen over Ezzard Charles (96-25-1) who beat Moore three times. OK then why isn’t Charles number one? Moore’s total body of work puts him in the top spot. He recorded 131 career KO’s a record or yes his daughter Jayne Marie is a friend of His Lordship and he’s a scaredy cat.