The Square Ring

BOXING FANS
All boxing and sports fan will have to wait until either March 13 for their main Christmas present. Santa as portrayed by “Buffalo” Bob Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, are currently wrapping up the match of the decade between Floyd Mayweather jr. and Manny Pacquiao. It has been agree that the fight will be at 147lbs. a slight step up for Pacquiao. As TSR reported last issue the fight will probably be in Las Vegas but Jerry Jones , the Dallas Cowboy’s owner, has offered $25 million up front to stage the fight in the new Cowboys Stadium. The Los Angeles Staples Arena offered $20 million ehich was greeted with a “no mas”. . Schaefer, representing Mayweather jr., wants the fight in Vegas at a major casino. It will be in Vegas. The match will provide the biggest purse for a boxing match ever. You can bet that Manny Pacquiao is saying “Maligayan Pasko!. and Manigong Bagong Taon.”

JAPAN
According to Joe Koizumi, the ultimate authority on all things boxing in the Land of The Rising Sun- Falling Yen, local fans got an early surprise under the tree. Daisuke Naito (35-3-3) was defending his WBC fly belt for the 6th time against undefeated “portsider” Koki Kameda. Naito had won the crown via a UD beating of Thailand’s Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in “Ought 7”. Surprise, Kameda won by a wide margin on all cards, 117-111 twice and 116- 112. Koizuma disagrees , “It may sound strange that many spectators, including such exworld champs as Hideyuki Ohashi, insisted on Naito’s triumph despite such a wide margin as tallied by the officials. Throughout the contest, Naito threw at least twice as many punches as Kameda refused to mix it up toe-to-toe and kept averting the champ’s assault with his peek-a-boo guard and backpedaling footwork.” That’s what happens when you open presents early. To Joe K and all boxing fans in Japan .Shinnen or Kurisumasu Omedeto.

AUSTRALIA
There are many in the world of boxing that thought Roy Jones jr. wasted his God given boxing talents. His record of 54-5 was build fighting in a weight class with a lack of quality competition which barely broke the surface of his talents. Those folks were rewarded to an early Christmas present when Danny Green (28-3) open a small can of “WA” at the Acer Arena in Sydney. The opening “pitty-pat” salvo from Green’s can of “WA” was a pair of cream puff lefts followed by a right cross to the Jones temple that dropped him like a bad habit. The loss by Jones stole Bernard Hopkins Christmas present which was to have been a HBO PPV date between the two on Match 13 which Pacquiao-Mayweather jr. took with nary a thank you to Jones. The next day the 44 year old Hopkins (50-5) looked very good winning a UD over Enrique Ornelas (29-6). Of course it was the typical Hopkins performance with lots of clinching and infighting. Hopkins win over Kelly Pavlik may well have been his “fountain of youth”. In a post fight interview with Wally Mathews Hopkins commented on Jones loss in Aussie. “He wasn’t really hurt. Most of the punches missed and the referee should have given Roy a chance to defend himself. He stopped it way too soon. Everybody knows what happens when you go over to Europe. That’s why I would never go over there. I’m going to be the world heavyweight champion in 2010.” Jeeves my good man when you send Bernard our Christmas card would include the note, “ Dear Bernard. Australia is not Europe. Good Day Mate, Merry Christmas.”

PUERTO RICO
Boxing fans in this Island nation got a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking with the announcement that Miguel Cotto would retire from the ring next year on his 30th birthday. Cotto coming off a hammering at the rapid fire “nature loaded” hands of Manny Pacquiao said “Ten months will fly by, so one, maybe two more fights, and I will completely retire from boxing. I’ve been champion three times. I’m satisfied with what I’ve done. I’ll be very satisfied with whatever God gives me the opportunity to achieve during the ten months remaining.” A class act. TSR wishes him Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo.

SWITZERLAND
A Frog dressed up like Santa, one would guess it to be Sir Frog from the Lilly pad, left this little gem in the stockings hung by the chimney with care. “Another heavyweight title fight not worth staying up till 4AM Thai time to watch. The fight started as a ballet, Johnson dancing around and Klitschko throwing punches like my girlfriend throws punches at her teddy bear. Klitschko the better boxer because he attack all the time, Johnson trash talking all the time while doing nothing then holding and run away then jab not even touching Klitschko. Klitschko get a cut on his right eye, maybe from the rope ??? This for 12 rounds. Boring fight Never a body shot, hook or combination What’s wrong with the heavyweights division ? David Haye were are you ? Clean up the mess in the heavyweight division..please !” . For the record Sir Frog was referring to Vitali Klitschko’s (39-2) easy win (120-108,120-108,119-109) over Kevin Johnson (22-1-1) in Bern, Switzerland. “Chicken” Haye ? He backed out of a fight with Klitschko. So as they say in Bern from the Sir Frog, “Schöni Wiänachtä”

THE UK
“Super star in waiting” Amir Khan got an early gift from Father Christmas. Recently, like many boxers, Khan allowed his mouth to work while his brain was sleeping. Mr. Khan was upset with some of his detractors in the UK that expected a lot more from him in the ring then they’ve gotten. An English-Pakistani (there’s a popular breed now) Khan said, “I can only say that sometimes skin color does make a difference. I know for a fact if I were a white English fighter maybe I would have been a superstar in Britain, and the world. In America they treat me like God!” Khan is not treated like a God in America except by those that “bump their foreheads on the ground 5 times a day”. In America 99.99% of American’s don’t have the foggiest who Amir Khan is while .01% couldn’t give a rat’s posterior. Father Christmas delivered to Mr. Khan one Dmitiry Salita whose record of 30-0 belied the fact that he wasn’t that good. TSR saw Salita in a prior effort at a casino just off the Las Vegas Strip. Well 25 miles off the strip but still off the strip. Mr. Khan took care of Salita in 76 seconds. Will this mean’s he treated like a God in England ? Nope. Well Amir a small present from Father Christmas is better than no present at all.

THAT CHRISTMAS TIE
This year that dreaded Christmas tie that your least favorite aunt always gives comes in the form of fake gift from boxing promoters. Recently Joan Guzman got a draw against Ali Funeka. HBO’s Bob Papa called the decision “curious and absurd”. Harold “My Shorts Are Tight” Lederman had Funeka winning big. The upshot is that the BPA (Boxing Promoters Association) is going to institute a rating system to evaluate
judges and referee’s for “competency and integrity”. “Officials that are found to be incompetent will be addressed. Should there ever be an instance of corruption, we will seek to have that official banned.” That’s like going to OJ Simpson for marriage counseling. Just think “integrity
and corruption” in the same breath with boxing promoters and we weren’t talking about them. They are a gift that keeps giving.

JEEVES TIME
“Well your Lordship you’ve faked your way through another year of writing about things of which you have little knowledge. You’re done so with the lack of style and grace which is your trademark. From Wentworth Wellington Jeeves Esq. and TSR I extend Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to those that make TSR possible. To Sir Frog, O.R. Cross, The Silkman, Mor, Doug from Bourbon Street, The Lord of Pattaya, Mr. Brook of the Island Lager Bar, Danny from Roxy Hotel, Elmo the Great, Cousin Bruce, Benny “I Keek a Touchdown” Ricardo, The Punching Padre’ and those inside boxing whose tireless work keeps the sport going while insuring His Lordship stays on the somewhat straight and narrow. Remember Your Lordship the words of your pal Jimmy from Louisiana about New Year’s Eve. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.”

“Advice noted and heeded. Bring on the lager, the cigars and the holiday music while I extend a special Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo to our Mexican friends who are the heart and soul of boxing. Cheewit dee khrup”