The Boxing Tribune

Showing posts with label Juan Diaz. Show all posts

Monday, February 8, 2010

Edwin Valero - Destined For Domination

by Dafs117

If you like to have a nose around different boxing forums before Saturday’s lightweight bout between Edwin Valero and Antonio DeMarco, you would have seen many people backing the 24 year-old Mexican to pull an upset.

Of course, the majority of The BTBC members plumped for Valero before the first bell, but many could see the logic behind the DeMarco backers. The more technically gifted DeMarco would weather the early wild storm to sneak up on the scorecards, or even halt the Venezuelan titlist.

Let’s say I was aware that DeMarco was a live underdog, but I was quick to say that DeMarco was unprepared for what he had coming, and indeed, he was. From the opening bell until the white flag was waved in DeMarco’s deflated corner, a DeMarco upset was never on the cards. Not even when a tremendously deep cut opened on Valero’s forehead, it only seemed to spur the WBC titleholder to concentrate and work harder.

DeMarco simply

didn’t get going, or simply couldn’t because of Valero’s relentless offense. Valero’s come-forward attitude nullified anything DeMarco had trained in the gym for several weeks prior to the fight taking place in Monterrey. For being too cautious, he was given a pounding.

Every time a reckless fighter blasts away with their chin hanging out waiting to be exposed by a peach of a punch, some people will never be able to resist the temptation of picking the lesser experience, but better equipped fighter. Very similar to the recent Gamboa-Mtagwa fight where some were touting that Gamboa was there for the taking. They were quickly put in their place.

Valero really impressed me yesterday. Not because he won every minute since he was cut, he seemed to adapt well to variable conditions and situations throughout the fight. Antonio DeMarco was a level below Valero and it was apparent from the get go, but I wondered does someone really have what it takes to tame the Venezuelan beast?

To topple Edwin Valero, you need a quick opponents that’s capable to take and trade with ‘Dinamita’. These days, that style is very rare, even more so in the lightweight division.

If you took a snapshot of the 135 pound division, Valero is nicely placed below legit champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Below Valero stands Michael Katsidis, Juan Diaz, Ali Funeka and Joan Guzman.

The Valero doubters criticise his choice of opponents, and a step-up in class will expose the Venezuelan ‘fraud’ to who he really is. Let’s say he decides to step in with Marquez, are you going to tell me that you would pick an aging slow counter-puncher over a fresh and physical operator?

If Marquez isn’t available would Diaz be able to stay with him, would Guzman, would Katsidis? The only fighter at lightweight I would consider picking over Valero is Ali Funeka, only because his style might be the perfect match to defeat Valero.

The lanky and rangy South African has received nice air time by HBO, in a gutsy effort against Nate Campbell and a highly controversial decision against Joan Guzman. On both occasions, Funeka showed that he causes mountains of problems for the best technicians, and Valero, as special as he is, might not be an exception this time.

It’s the fight that intrigues me the most at 135, it’s really the only one that I see lasting over eight rounds. Another option might be Humberto Soto, a face-first fighter that is a fiery fighter that could frustrate Valero for the earlier stages of the fight. Soto helped DeMarco prepare for Valero, and is favourite to face him next. I would think Valero would come through in the end.

Gary Shaw has again mentioned Timothy Bradley’s name, and I would have no problems with that fight either. Bradley is in need of a tough match-up and Valero could be the guy to hand him the tough test that he needs to elevate himself into a HBO product.

Funeka, Soto and Bradley. Three fighters that I would give a chance of beating Valero. Three fighters that have styles that could bring out the best in Edwin. Three fights that the boxing world will definitely pay attention too.

Certainly, the future is bright for Valero as he proved last night that he is not all hype. There’s nobody like Edwin Valero. To beat him, it would require someone special. In my view, Valero is destined for domination.

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Michael Katsidis' Open Challenge to Juan Diaz!

Today i propose a challenge to to Juan Diaz !

This is your lifeline ! Lets play who wants to be a millionaire !

It is your turn to phone a friend , call Golden boy and lets make this happen !

Since our last fight i have regained the WBO light weight championship of the world !

There has been talk for a bout against Robert Guerrero , a junior lightweight with little interest to me and nothing to gain !

Instead i choose a greater task with a personal meaning !

I propose to come Houston on the 27th of March and put everything i have gained on the line !

Juan this is your opportunity and i ask for a public response within the next 24 hours to show your willingness to accept this challenge !

With confidence , I will abide , come to Houston and and in front of 15000 or more fans defend my title !

MICHAEL KATSIDIS .

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

2009 Lightweight Report

by Dafs117

Somebody check the temperature, this division is getting hot.

Lightweight is one of the few divisions that have an obvious champion in Juan Manuel Marquez, when he defeated Juan Diaz in The Boxing Tribune’s Fight of the Year by ninth round knockout. Marquez is head and shoulders above the rest in talent, but that doesn’t limit his options at the weight class.

His next opponent is Michael Katsidis, an Australian warrior that drags every fighter into war. Katsidis sort of broke America, stopping Jesus Chavez and outpointing Vicente Escobedo on the Mayweather-Marquez undercard. Has another shot to capture the 135 pound crown, after being stopped by Joel Casamyor, who has since moved up in weight, in the tenth round of their war.

Juan Diaz has returned following his very short departure up in weight, as he had two contests with Paulie Malignaggi at catchweight, going 1-1 with the Magic Man. ‘Baby Bull’ will stage his comeback at lightweight, but it could be a difficult road back to the top of the rankings.

Behind Juan Manuel Marquez is Edwin Valero, a power punching beast that can’t get a license in the States. The Venezuelan is a beast, a monster in the ring, and his wild style will always make for exciting viewing. A fight with Katsidis would be outstanding, the sheer volume of power being thrown would be immense. Some doubt his whiskers, but they are untested at lightweight.

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Diaz vs. Malignaggi II: Is It Diaz's Turn To Be Screwed?

by Paul Magno

First, I'm not of the opinion that Paulie was robbed in the first fight. The Gale Van Hoy score of 118-110 for Diaz was obscene, but the fight itself was close and could've gone either way.

And now, as both fighters gear up for the rematch of their August encounter, the stage is being set for another controversial decision that is almost guaranteed to lead to a third encounter. All judging issues aside, the match-up itself screams controversy.

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Diaz – Malignaggi II back on, AGAIN

Juan Diaz-Malignaggi II is back on for December the 12th. The negotiations have been on and off since their first fight back in August.

The junior welterweights were close to a deal for a sequel of their controversial August fight but it fell apart about a week ago when the winner of the first fight, Diaz pulled out of negotiations, reportedly over money. However, Richard Schaefer released a statement saying that the parties have returned to the table and are close to an agreement.

The fight would take place in either Chicago or Las Vegas and be televised on HBO After Dark, Schaefer said. Diaz defeated Malignaggi by a unanimous decision on August 22nd in Houston, Diaz’s home town, but most observers thought the fight was very close. Malignaggi had predicted he would get screwed in the scoring and claimed in the ring afterward that he was. Gale Van Hoy, a Texas judge, scored the fight 118-110 for Diaz, adding to the controversy.

“I think one of the most talked-about fights on the internet is Diaz-Malignaggi II. I think people really want to see it,” Schaefer said in his statement. That’s where they’re wrong. It’s been a highly debated subject on our forum, and the conclusion is that Malignaggi deserves a rematch but that they don’t care if he does get one. The result wasn’t a robbery; it was made controversial by a wide score from Gale Van Hoy. All it will do is land them in a pointless trilogy that will waste a bit of career time. Thomas Hauser’s article has recently caused controversy by slagging off HBO executives, questioning their matchmaking qualities. Does this rematch add fuel to the fire in his argument?

Victor Ortiz is expected to fight on the undercard for the first time after his thrilling stoppage defeat to Argentinean slugger Marcos Rene Maidana. Abner Mares is another name that is floating around that he could make an appearance on the undercard.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Promoting Boxing Incest

by Paul Magno

While the general boxing public cries and gnashes its teeth about the rotten sanctioning bodies, I have always held to the belief that the real culprits are the ones with the smiles, the posed publicity photos and the flowery language...The Promoters.

The "alphabet soup" boys deserve their fair share of abuse, but let's not forget that, like in most criminal organizations, the real devils can be found by simply following the money. The sanctioning bodies are merely props playing the role of dim-witted Fredo Corleone to the major promoters' Godfather.

In the case of boxing, the promoters have the checkbooks and it's their ultimate call as to which fights get made and where we'll be able to see them. The promoters have their fingerprint on every aspect of the game, even when it comes to the officiating.

For those unfamiliar with the behind-the-scenes mechanisms of boxing and just how incestuous the relationships are, Mitch Abramson of the NY Daily News wrote an outstanding article on the subject over the weekend. It sheds a lot of light on just how whacked-out the situation really is:

After scoring a fight last Saturday in Houston, Gale Van Hoy, a 75-year-old professional boxing judge, got off his stool and huddled with his boss, Dickie Cole of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

In a private meeting that night, Cole presented Van Hoy with an envelope. Inside the envelope was a check for $1,800.

The check was signed by Golden Boy Promotions, which promoted the fight between Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi and Houston's Juan Diaz.

If someone didn't know any better, the act of Van Hoy collecting a paycheck from Golden Boy Promotions might be considered a bribe. After all, his scorecard helped advance the career of a Golden Boy fighter, as Diaz has an exclusive contract with the company.

...In the dense world of boxing, judges who score these fights are on the payroll of the event's promoter.

For appearances sake, the promoter hands the check over to the commission, who then delivers it to the judges.

But the result is the same: The promoter is paying the judge to make a decision in a fight the promoter has a financial stake in.

The relationship doesn't end there. In California, if a judge lives more than 100 miles from the fight venue, he receives lodging and a per diem of $25, all courtesy of the show's promoter. Van Hoy told me he was given $80 for meals over two days while staying in a hotel for the night, courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions.

This is outrageous. In no other major professional sport is a team owner responsible for the salary and housing of its officials.

You don't see Yankees owner George Steinbrenner pulling up in a golf cart and cutting a check for "Cowboy" Joe West, or any other umpire. Major League Baseball handles that fiduciary duty. You don't see James Dolan, who oversees the Knicks, waiting in a Garden corridor to pay Dick Bavetta.

There is also no review process in most states after a controversial decision in boxing. Van Hoy said that Dickie Cole "was not unhappy at all," by his scorecard. That was the extent of Cole's evaluation of his performance. This is incredible. The NFL reviews every single play of a game and assigns a grade to the officials based on the number of correct and incorrect calls made.

If an official receives a number of failing grades, he is put on notice. No such scrutiny exists in boxing.

"Someone like Van Hoy, he'll be back in a couple weeks judging another show," Malignaggi said. "He doesn't get fined, nothing."

Without a national commission to police the sport, boxing is subject to the whims of the commissions of each state. The Texas commission didn't assign one neutral official for Diaz-Malignaggi, stacking the deck against the kid from Bensonhurst.

And the result? You get an uncomfortable decision for the hometown kid and the sport of boxing is the night's biggest loser.

Actually, given the abundance of nefarious types with shady dealings, it's a minor miracle that boxing isn't even more corrupt.

Right now, in the vacuum created by the absence of a real commission, the promoters are the only ones with the money and power to run the day-to-day operations of the sport...and the asking price, in return, is that their investments be protected.

Honestly, I'd rather have Fredo Corleone in charge.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Houston, We have rip-off

by dafs117

Earlier in the week, Paulie Malignaggi wasn’t happy. He had a gut feeling that he was going to be on the bad end of a poor decision against hometown favourite Juan Diaz. What he didn’t know was how much controversy was going to follow the fight.

Middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs stated his claim as a contender with a comfortable unanimous decision over Ishe Smith. Kicking off the broadcast on HBO Boxing After Dark, Jacobs showed his potential in a messy scrap with scores of 96-93, 96-93 and 100-89. 100-89? How did that happen? How did Jacobs win every round against a determined Smith? Smith made it a much more competitive contest than was expected and he gets a score like that from Raul Caiz. This is something that has to change in boxing.

Junior Lightweight Robert Gurrero won the IBF Junior Lightweight belt with an impressive victory over Malcolm Klassen. Klassen showed no authority in the fight as was expected as he failed to cut down the ring and tee off his punches. Gurrero looked slick in a victory that propels Gurrero up the pecking order at 130 lbs. The scores were respectable and accurate as Gurrero won by unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-113.

Then the main event included hometown favourite Juan Diaz in his first fight over 135 lbs against Paulie Malignaggi. Many expected Diaz to walk through Malignaggi and punish the ‘Magic Man’ and stop him late in the fashion Ricky Hatton did last year. But Malignaggi had other ideas.

Malignaggi started strong throwing the jab to keep Diaz at bay and off balance. Diaz took time to adjust to the tactics and couldn’t maul Malignaggi down. Diaz won the middle rounds in competitive rounds that could have gone either way. But Malignaggi finished the fight with style winning three of the last four rounds comfortably in my opinion. It looked to be a close decision which could go either way and I don’t think anyone bar Malignaggi would complain about a close decision that goes to Diaz. For the record, I scored it 115-114 to Malignaggi.

As the scores were read out, Malignaggi’s face was already in disgust. He knew that the judges had been swayed by the crowd. Raul Caiz scored it 115-113, David Sutherland scored it 116-112 and Gale Van Hoy scored the bout 118-110 all in favour of the ‘Baby Bull’ Juan Diaz.

As Max Kellerman did another lousy interview he read the panel’s scores. Harold Lederman scored it 115-113 to Malignaggi. “At least somebody scored the fight right. Raul Caiz had the closest scorecard and he’s golden boy’s gopher. Of course I’m not going to get a rematch. Boxing is full of sh*t. Diaz can call out Marquez again and I have to take anything that will come my way. Boxing is full of sh*t.”

The villain here is not Juan Diaz. He deserves more credit than he will get as he outpointed the Brash Brooklyn Malignaggi. He won the fight because he kept plodding forward when Malignaggi took a breather. His relentless pressure wins him rounds. It wasn’t his best showing but it was effective.

The villain isn’t Paulie Malignaggi either. The New Yorker put on an excellent display of courage against one of the toughest boxers in the sport. Mostly everyone on the forum scored the bout to Malignaggi. He has fallen out of love with the sport and wants to walk away from it. After that performance, he is still a top contender at 140 lbs.

The crook is Gale Van Hoy. We excuse Raul Caiz and David Sutherland because we respect that others can see close rounds go another way. But 118-110?? Are you serious? Did you have dogsh*t in your eyes when you watched that? Maliganggi gave everything he had and the Texan gives an awful score which is an insult to the sport, to his profession, to Malignaggi and to Diaz as it takes the limelight off a stunningly competitive match-up. The worst thing is Malignaggi knew it was going to happen. He complained about the weight, location, size of the ring and judges. He said “Raul Caiz practically works for Golden Boy and Gale Van Hoy is a Texan”.

Nobody can defend a score like that. Van Hoy needs to be thrown out of the top contests and he can’t be Texas’ #1 judge. As NASA prepare to send another space shuttle up in the sky, they might get a report: Houston, we have a problem with the scoring.

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

HBO BAD Recap: Golden Boy Strikes Back

The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas was the site of a big triple-header last night and it actually was playing out to be one of those rare, recent boxing events that didn't get bogged down in controversy...until the main event.

On the undercard, "The Golden Child" Daniel Jacobs beat Ishe Smith via UD in a bout that clearly highlighted Jacobs' rising stock against a solid second-tier fighter despite being stunned briefly in the fifth.

However, one got the feeling that had Smith been a little busier and more intent on consistantly causing harm instead of just looking like he wanted to cause harm, the 22-year old prospect may have struggled mightily. (scores: 96-93, 96-93, 100-89. The BTBC had it 97-92, also for Jacobs) Smith was penalized a point in the 9th round for hitting after the bell.

The second televised bout saw Fernando "The Ghost" Guerrero take South African Malcolm Klassen's title away via another UD.

With exactly 1,200 punches thrown over 12, Guerrero was way too busy for Klassen, who was highly effective whenever he actually threw punches...which wasn't too often.(scores: 117-111, 116-113, 116-112. The BTBC had it 117-111, also for Guerrero)

In the main event, Juan Diaz won a controversial UD over Paulie Malignaggi in a very close bout that could've gone either way.

Diaz came out strong, but eventually Malignaggi caught his rhythm and was winning the late rounds by boxing on the outside. Diaz suffered 2 cuts over his left eye and Malignaggi had a minor cut over his own left eye.

The controversy of the evening came as the scores were read: 116-112, 115-113 and 118-110 from Texas judge Gale Van Hoy. The BTBC had it 114-114.

After the bout, Malignaggi praised Diaz and the Houston crowd, but said that boxing "is full of sh*t...the only reason I do this is because it gives me a good payday."

Paulie may not have to worry about doing something he "cannot stand" for those paydays anymore...

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