Sugar Shane Mosley plays the Whining Game

www.8countnews.com

Immediately after Miguel Cotto’s bloody win over Josh Clottey a week ago prompted Manny Pacquiao (who was watching at ringside) to give his promoter a go ahead and make a Cotto fight, I would have expected Sugar Shane Mosley to tone down, if not altogether quit, his somewhat distasteful and embarrassing behavior to land Pacquiao at all costs. Well, I was dead wrong. It seems that Mosley is hell bent on continuing his childish tirades.

“The only person that’s stopping the (Pacquiao-Mosley) fight is Bob Arum (Top Rank boss who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto),” Mosley said in a Fighthype.com report.

Mosley added: “Bob Arum has his own investments into the fight as far as him wanting to re-sign Cotto and get him a big fight. Then he has Pacquiao. He will give Cotto a little money to keep him happy because he really doesn’t deserve any of it. And then he will throw Pacquiao something out there.”

Also, as far as Mosley is concerned, he is the bigger draw compared to Cotto.

“But the bigger fight is me and Pacquiao. We have the biggest names by far and Pacquiao’s legacy wouldn’t be damaged losing to me. I don’t understand…well, I do understand what Bob Arum wants to do, but I wouldn’t understand why Pacquiao wouldn’t take the fight,” Mosley said.

Well, the Pomona native can say whatever he wants to say, but no amount of talk will stop Arum or Pacquiao if both men already have Cotto in their sights. Of course, the fight is not yet a done deal since none of the combatants has signed on the dotted line yet, but it’s getting close.

For one, Cotto said he will not fight below 145, and Pacquiao wants the fight to happen at 144. One pound will hardly make a difference once the bucks roll in. And Cotto will certainly agree to a smaller slice of the pie granting that that slice will be a lot bigger than what he has been accustomed to feeding on per fight in his entire career.

To be fair to Mosley, he indeed deserves a fight with Pacquiao. Especially after he knocked out Antonio Margarito at the start of the year to win the latter’s WBA welterweight strap. But to be fair to Cotto as well, who is Mosley to say that Cotto not as deserving to land a fight with Pacquiao as he is?

Don’t get me wrong, I admire Mosley. He is one of the most respected fighters of his generation. He is somewhat of a throwback fighter, never dodging any opponent that gets thrown his way. His fights with Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, and more recently with Antonio Margarito were certified barn burners. Even his losses to Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, and Cotto did not diminish his status as a great fighter, and on the contrary, have managed to solidify him as one of the best fighters to to ever lace up gloves. He has been humble in victory and gracious in defeat. He has been a class act his entire career, so it’s a bit sad to see him groveling like this.

Also, it’s not as if his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Arum for one has said that if they cannot finalize a deal with Cotto, they will reach out to Mosley. The Top Rank big boss has also dangled Clottey as a possible opponent for Sugar. But at this stage of Mosley’s career (and it is quite understandable), where he is desperate to land the big bucks, it’s either Pacquiao or bust.

So for now, Mosley has no choice but to play the waiting game. And if you ask me, that’s a lot better than playing the whining game.

Kimbo Slice and The Ultimate Fighter: A Chance at Redemption

www.8countnews.com

A few months ago I wrote an article about Kimbo Slice (Kimbo Slice: A Product of Sheer Marketing and Hype?) and his fall from the MMA world following a disappointing loss to unheralded last-minute replacement Seth Petruzelli. In the article, I speculated on Slice’s future following his loss and the subsequent bankruptcy of Elite XC: “It remains to be seen whether Kimbo Slice can pick up the pieces of his MMA career, a career that was prematurely cut short by a last-second replacement that he outweighed by 30 pounds. It remains to be seen whether another promotional MMA outfit will express interest in him and pick him up. Perhaps the Kimbo Slice and Elite XC debacle should be a lesson to everyone in the MMA scene.”

It appears that I spoke too soon. It seems that Slice is slated to join the forthcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality TV series. “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” will feature Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson as the opposing coaches.

What makes this recent development doubly interesting is that when Slice was still fighting for Elite XC as its poster boy, Dana White had been dishing out some pretty nasty comments directed at the former street fighter.

“Sean Gannon beat him in a street fight,” said White in a previous interview. “Everyone saw what happened to Sean Gannon when he fought a guy that no one ever heard of (a decisive TKO loss to Branden Lee Hinkle in the UFC). Gannon was in the hospital for three weeks. That’s what would happen to Kimbo Slice if he fought in the UFC. He would get hurt bad – real bad.”

White then added that the only way Slice could fight in the UFC was if he joined and competed in “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Well, Slice didn’t waste any time and has called White’s bluff.

So to paraphrase White, will Slice get hurt bad – real bad, when he finally locks horns with the other Ultimate Fighter contestants?

It’s hard to speculate, and only time will tell. It’s safe to say, however, that the fighters that will be joining the tenth installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” will not be the same come forward brawlers that Slice destroyed in his Internet videos. Those guys would have had several fights under their belts already and would have already competed in several MMA events.

Take for example just a few of the participants of “The Ultimate Fighter 10”, Roy Nelson, Marcus Jones, Wes Sims, and Justin Wren.

- Nicknamed “Big Country”, Roy Nelson sports a 13-4-0 win, lose, draw record. He competed in the heavyweight division of the now defunct International Fight League where he was its last heavyweight champion. Nelson fought against the likes of Andrei Arlovski (at Elite XC Heat) where he was knocked out in the second round. His recent fight was part of Roy Jones Jr.’s hybrid boxing/MMA card “March Badness” on March 21st. He was defeated by ADCC Champion Jeff Monson by unanimous decision.

- A former NFL defensive tackle, Marcus Jones played college football for the University of North Carolina and has played six years of professional football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones made his professional MMA debut on October 26, 2007, in World Fighting Championships 5 with a victory over Will Mora. He trains at Gracie Tampa with instructor Rob Kahn. Jones sports a 4-1-0 fight record.

- Towering at 6′10”, Wes Sims is one of the tallest MMA fighters today. He has fought (and lost) three times in the UFC, two times going against Frank Mir and one time against Mike Kyle. His fight record stands at 20-11-1 with two no contests.

- Justin “The Viking” Wren has been competing at local MMA events and won his first three fights by knockout before taking his first and only loss to date. Wren then won three more fights and his current record stands at 6-1-0.

Indeed, Slice will have his work cut out for him. During his short stint at Elite XC, he was pitted against brawlers and fighters past their primes such as a shot Ray Mercer and an aging Tank Abbott. To reiterate my point, he will not have the same superstar status that he once enjoyed. He will have to go back to square one and start afresh.

Sometimes the best way to the top is not to go through shortcuts. Oftentimes, the long, grueling road builds more character, and eventually brings those who hunger for it, redemption.

The Manny Pacquiao Sweepstakes

www.8countnews.com

If you search for Manny Pacquiao’s name in boxrec.com, you’ll see the usual personal profile of the Filipino fighter (his age, birth date, division, stance, height, and reach among others) as well as his fight record (49 wins, 37 by knockout, three losses, and two draws for a total of 54 fights) and bout history. You’ll also see his fight schedule, with his next bout this year penciled for October 17. The venue? The United States of course. The opponent?

A big question mark.

Not that Pacquiao is suddenly running out of opponents. In fact, several fighters within range of the lightweight division until upwards of welterweight have been calling him out. Michael Katsidis has challenged him, offering to fight Pacquiao in his own turf. Sugar Shane Mosley issued in a press release that he is willing to fight Pacquiao at a catch weight, possibly three pounds south of the welterweight limit. Antonio Margarito, who has stated that he might be stepping in the ring soon after being suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for the illegal hand wrap fiasco, is also interested in landing a fight with Pacquiao. Current WBO World Light Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley, after defeating Kendall Holt last April, also joined the fray.

There’s also talk of Pacquiao facing either Juan Manuel Marquez or Floyd Mayweather Jr., depending on the outcome of their bout next month.

Of course, there’s Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao’s stablemate (who, by the way, seems to be the most favored by Bob Arum as a potential opponent for Pacquiao) who still needs to get past the tough guy from Ghana, Joshua Clottey.

So you see, quite a few marquee names are being lined up for the Pacman. However, it seems that Pacquiao is taking his sweet time and studying his options carefully. After all, he is top dog now and he can fight whoever he wants to.

Let’s take time to analyze each opponent vying for the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes:

•        Katsidis is fresh from a TKO victory over Jesus Chavez last April. Chavez is always a tough, live wire opponent. He beat dangerous Carlos Hernandez and won the IBF lightweight title from the late Leavander Johnson. He also gave a prime Erik Morales all he could handle before losing via unanimous  decision. But Chavez is already 36 years of age and the wear and tear of grueling fights have taken its toll on him. I am not knocking this particular win by Katsidis, but if you want a crack at Pacquiao at this stage of the Filipino superstar’s career, you need to fight prime opponents to be considered a viable option. Unless of course Pacquiao is looking for a “tuneup” fight. Also, recent losses to Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor aren’t exactly welcome additions to Katsidis’ resume.

•        At 37, Mosley is no spring chicken and is looking for the biggest fights available before he can hang up his gloves. The one fighter that could give him his biggest purse at this time is, of course, Pacquiao. However, because Mosley has campaigned at higher weight divisions in the past years and Pacquiao only recently climbed up several weight divisions, the only solution is for both fighters to fight at a catch weight. Mosley has already agreed to go down in weight and even take a smaller purse but Pacquiao isn’t taking the bait just yet.

•        Even if there is any truth to Margarito’s claim that he will sooner than later lace up his gloves again, I don’t think Pacquiao will just be that eager to face the Tijuana Tornado inside the ring. I feel that Margarito is just too big and strong for Pacquiao and I’m pretty sure even Freddie Roach will agree with me.

•        Bradley is an interesting name thrown into the mix and personally, I’m wondering why he is not one of the stronger candidates to face Pacquiao.

•        Win or lose against Marquez, Mayweather doesn’t want to fight Pacquiao. Enough said.

•        Marquez needs to beat Mayweather for a third fight with Pacquiao to materialize. And it’s not going to be easy.

•        Even if Cotto gets past Clottey, he still won’t be a guaranteed opponent for Pacquiao since he already stated that he is staying at 147. We’ll see if he sticks to his statement once the bucks roll in.

So, at this point, there are more questions than answers and only one thing’s for certain:

Whoever wins the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Lyoto Machida: Enter the Dragon Era

www.8countnews.com

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida has often been criticized for his rather cautious style and his lack of aggression when he fights. Unlike fighters who are willing to mix it up right away (see Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, and Rampage Jackson just to name a few), Machida is a counter-striker, content to read the opponent’s defense first and wait for him to commit mistakes before capitalizing on those errors. Despite his immaculate fight record, he has somewhat been ostracized by some MMA fans who hunger for immediate blood and action. In fact, in response to these criticisms, Machida said, “If you don’t like (the way I fight), sorry. I always try to win.”

In his last couple of fights, however, he has nothing to apologize for. He knocked out opponents that were both previously undefeated and regarded as two of the best in the light heavyweight division, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans respectively. Machida won knockout of the night at UFC 94 and UFC 98 for both fights.

Here’s a short recap on both fights.

Knocking out the undefeated Silva

At UFC 94, Machida made quick work of Silva. Coming into the fight, both fighters had an identical 13-0 record. At the start of the first round, Machida got in a good leg kick on Silva, but afterwards a timeout was called after he inadvertently hit Silva in the groin.  When the fight resumed, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt Machida decided to take down Silva, perhaps aiming to try for a submission. However, the two got up again and shortly thereafter, Machida dropped Silva with a left hand to the chin.

Silva got up, but a few minutes later he got hit with another punch, this time a right straight, and he dropped to the mat again. Silva got up on his feet and the two clinched against the fence. Machida tripped Silva and with the latter on his back, Machida unleashed a punch that hit Silva on the face, knocking him out with one second remaining in the opening round.

A lot of people believed that the victory was enough to give Machida an immediate title shot for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.  However, Dana White indicated that Machida was in fact not the number one contender for a title shot. Instead, a scheduled fight between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine would determine Machida’s title fate. A win for Jackson would earn him a fight with champion Rashad Evans, but a win for Jardine would mean Machida will be awarded with a title shot. Jackson won the fight via unanimous decision, but torn ligaments in his jaw forced the former champion out of the fight. Instead, Machida challenged Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 98.

Picking up the UFC Light Heavyweight title from Evans

Evans had been on a roll prior to the fight with Machida, having decisioned tough Englishman Michael Bisping at UFC 78, knocking out MMA legend Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, and wresting the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 via TKO. UFC 98 was Evans’ first defense of his title.

In a somewhat uneventful first round, Machida landed some solid kicks, forcing Evans to back off.  In the second, Machida landed a big left to Evans’ face, stunning him. A barrage of punches followed, backing Evans against the fence. A cracking right hand hit Evans in the face, followed by a left hand. Evans dropped to the mat and the referee was forced to call an end to the bout.

A New Era

It was obvious at the outset that Evans was not his confident, cocky self; rather, he was tentative and hesitant. Another thing that contributed to Evans’ woes was Machida’s awkward and unorthodox fighting style, a product of the latter’s Shotokan Karate background. To sum it all up, Evans fought and lost to a skillful fighter and a great champion, a fighter that, in Evans’ own words, he “couldn’t solve”.  It remains to be seen if anyone in the light heavyweight division is capable of solving the Lyoto Machida puzzle.

The UFC’s latest light heavyweight champion is humble and soft spoken; he possesses superb hand speed as well as cat-quick reflexes, and is one of the more cerebral fighters in the game today; he has also found a way to become more crowd-pleasing in terms of his fighting style, as evidenced by his last two exciting wins. Joe Rogan hit the nail on the head when he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the (Lyoto) Machida era.”

And what a great era it promises to be.

Bigger, stronger Floyd Jr. looks to shoot down Marquez

www.8countnews.com

Back in high school there always seemed to be big bullies that picked on smaller kids for various reasons. Chief of these reasons was to filch lunch money off of them. Having no other recourse, majority of the smaller kids would give in, hand over their lunch money, and starve for the rest of the day. However, a handful of smaller kids would instead opt to duke it out with the bigger and stronger boys rather than miss a meal.

You need not be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out who among the combatants the other kids would cheer on whenever such fights broke loose. On my part, I was a small kid back then, so it was virtually a no-brainer. Aside from this, well, I always enjoy rooting for the underdog. Who doesn’t?

Of course, not a lot of those smaller kids (albeit with big balls) won their fights. A lot of them got banged up, bruised, and bloodied by the bigger kids (who had small balls). But at least the smaller boys didn’t back down. At least they stood their ground against the bullies, and this brave act won them a lot of respect among their peers.

On July 18, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, currently two of the finest boxing tacticians, will meet in the ring at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. Marquez, a natural featherweight for most of his career (having recently fought at super featherweight three times, and then at lightweight two times) will climb up three weight divisions and test his mettle against the former pound-for-pound king.

I’ll go out on a limb here and say that win or lose against Floyd Jr., Marquez will gain a lot of respect for calling out the bigger, stronger, and younger opponent. Of course, many would say that Marquez took the fight because of the money, and that aside from Pacquiao (who Marquez accuses of ducking him), Floyd Jr. is the best opponent that could guarantee a big payday. Well, if so, what of it? Marquez has paid his dues and at this stage of his career, he is certainly entitled to a big payday.

But to go back. Here is a study in contrast to put things in perspective: While Marquez won his last two fights at lightweight (he bludgeoned Joel Casamayor and stopped the Cuban in 11 rounds and then overcame a slow start and potentially disastrous early rounds before winning by TKO against Juan Diaz in the 9th), Floyd Jr.’s last fight was against Ricky Hatton, a natural light welterweight. Now Floyd Jr. is trying to reclaim his pound-for-pound crown by fighting Marquez, an opponent three weight classes south.

Needless to say, it won’t be easy for Marquez. Far from it. In fact, as of this writing, he is already a 4-1 underdog. But you can bet your last buck that the tough Mexican won’t just give in and hand over his lunch money without a fight.

And, perhaps more importantly, you need not be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out who’s the big bully here.

Anderson Silva fought, won, and was found wanting

www.8countnews.com

I don’t know what the other MMA fans were thinking as they watched the main event of UFC 97: Redemption almost a month ago, but as for me, at the start of the third round, I was thinking, just what exactly in heaven’s name  was Anderson Silva doing?

Sure, it takes two to tango. Sure, Thales Leites – with his jiu-jitsu background and his less-than-stellar striking skills – didn’t take the fight to Silva. Sure, the guy kept dropping down to the mat in a rather cowardly fashion whenever Silva would press the action and unleash some of his brutal strikes. But that doesn’t give Silva the license to play around and showboat in front of thousands of spectators who shelled out hard-earned cash to witness a good fight.

Especially since Silva could have ended the fight any time he wanted to. In fact, he hurt Leites with a few good shots in the course of the fight. He could have pressured Leites and gone in and knocked the guy out just to give the crowd what they wanted.

Alas, Silva had other plans. Instead, the boring fight ended with a lopsided unanimous decision win for Silva.

In the end, the fight fans in Montreal, Quebec, Canada went home disappointed. But not before showing their disapproval by booing the fighters and repeatedly chanting the acronym of the name of their hometown MMA hero, Georges St.-Pierre.

I’ve written a couple of previous pieces regarding Silva’s penchant to toy with his opponents especially if he thinks they are inferior, so I don’t want to belabor the point (and yes, in my book at least, punching the other guy in the leg and doing fancy leg sweeps do count as “toying with your opponent”) anymore. However, I did point out that Silva should move up to light heavyweight if Dana White cannot give him anything but tomato cans at middleweight.

That’s exactly what will happen in Silva’s next fight, as he is slated to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and number two rated MMA light heavyweight fighter Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

After two straight lackluster title defenses by Silva, I’m pretty confident that this time he cannot, and should not, dismiss Griffin. Silva toys with the guy and he just might get knocked out. Who knows? Maybe that’s just what the doctor ordered for Silva to regain his hunger for the game.

So far, Silva has won all his nine fights in the UFC. That’s pretty incredible. And it seems he is firm in his decision to retire after his contract is over. I just hope that Silva would be professional enough to give his best in all of his remaining fights to be fair to his fans.

The End of an Era
I honestly thought Chuck Liddell had just enough left in the tank to defeat Mauricio Rua, but sadly, I was wrong. Kudos to Rua, however, that was a perfectly-timed left hook to the jaw. But you still can’t ignore the fact that practically, Liddell’s reflexes are all but gone, and so is his chin and ability to take a punch.  If this is indeed the end of a great career, thanks for the memories and the great fights, Chuck. The hall of fame beckons.

Why Manny Pacquiao will beat Mayweather Jr.

www.8countnews.com

After his two-round demolition of Ricky Hatton, it’s pretty difficult to make Manny Pacquiao an underdog against anyone in the fight game today. Even against someone as skillful as Floyd Mayweather Jr.

In fact, I believe that the immensely-improved Pacquiao of today will beat little Floyd should they eventually meet inside the ring. And there’s too much money involved in this particular fight for it not to happen.

Despite Mayweather’s immaculate fight record, he is not unbeatable. And Pacquiao’s speed and improved boxing skills will give Money, well, a run for his money.

Three years ago, Mayweather fought Zab Judah for the IBF welterweight title. The fight  turned ugly before the end of the 10th round when Judah hit Mayweather with a low blow. This led to an ugly melee in the center of the ring as Floyd’s uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather and Zab’s father Yoel  Judah almost came to blows. Eventually, security was able to restore order and Floyd won the fight by unanimous decision. However, before the ugly incident, Judah’s speed was giving Mayweather fits. And this was because of Judah’s sleek, southpaw style.

Sure, Pacquiao is not one of the sleekest southpaws out there, compared to, say, one Pernell Whitaker. But he is not the one-dimensional left-handed slugger that lost to Erik Morales in their first fight four years ago, either. This Pacquiao is a more complete fighter as we saw in his last four fights. He now has a powerful right hook to complement his vaunted straight left, he is an elusive target with his improved head and lateral movement, and although he is not a defensive whiz compared to Mayweather or Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao’s improved footwork and superb foot speed makes him a fleet-footed gazelle inside the ring— a far cry from the bull rushing and come-forward Pacquiao of old.

Then there is the activity factor. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is coming off his second retirement, and his last fight was against Ricky Hatton almost two years ago. While Mayweather has been inactive from the ring, Pacquiao has been fighting against bigger and stronger opponents and winning impressively against them. Not only that, Pacquiao seems to be able to defy the odds by bringing his power and speed with him with each weight division he climbs.

Another thing to note is the way both fighters handled Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton respectively. In their fight, De La Hoya gave Mayweather all he could handle and even managed to go the distance against Floyd. Pacquiao, on the other hand, forced De La Hoya to quit on his stool after eight rounds of punishment. Of course many will argue that De La Hoya was a shell of his old self and was even dehydrated on the day of the fight. But we have to give Pacquiao the credit he deserves for climbing up several weight divisions to welterweight and battering the much bigger De La Hoya into retirement.

And what about Hatton? The Hitman climbed up to Mayweather’s weight division and Floyd needed 10 rounds to finish him off. Pacquiao fought at Hatton’s weight class, a weight class where the Hitman was undefeated.  The Pacman destroyed Hatton in two rounds.

The way I see it, if the fight pushes through, Pacquiao will pressure Mayweather with lightning combinations. Mayweather will use his defensive skills to try to fend off Pacquiao’s attacks, all the while trying to counterpunch, but to no avail. Mayweather is quick, but Pacquiao is quicker. Mayweather is naturally bigger and he is strong, but Pacquiao will be the stronger puncher. Mayweather is a defensive whiz but it won’t be enough against a pinpoint puncher with a lot of pop.

Pacquiao will make Mayweather look like an amateur.

Pacquiao, the more aggressive fighter (and this time, he will fight with controlled aggression) will force Mayweather to fight a defensive fight all night long. The Pacific storm inside the ring will overwhelm the Pretty Boy.

Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision.

The Same Old Ricky Hatton

www.8countnews.com

When the left hand that smashed into Ricky Hatton’s jaw finally took out the Hitman and left him in a heap, it wasn’t surprising to see the reactions of the people in the stadium – both Pacquiao and Hatton fans alike. It was a picture of awe, disbelief, and horror, all rolled into one.

Awe and disbelief, because not a lot of people expected Pacquiao to dispose of the supposedly bigger and stronger fighter in such devastating fashion, and in as early as the second round. Horror, because you had to fear for Hatton’s safety as he lay down on the canvas in the center of the ring in a semi-conscious state. I have to add that it was a good thing to see Hatton being able to walk out of the ring on his own.

What surprised me, however, are a couple of things.

First, Pacquiao’s vastly improving boxing skills. It wasn’t a stretch when Freddie Roach stated in the post-fight interview that Pacquiao’s right hand is now much better than his left. It showed in the course of the short fight, where Hatton was repeatedly tagged by right jabs and hooks. In fact, it was a cannonball right hook that knocked down the unsuspecting Hatton for the first time in the fight.

Also, who would have thought that Pacquiao could still pack one-punch knockout power in his fists despite having debuted at 106 pounds?

Pacquiao also showed that now, he isn’t a fighter who relies on offense alone. Hatton soon found out that what stood in front of him was an elusive and fleet-footed gazelle, a far cry from his previous opponents who were stationary targets and who were suckers to his brawling, mauling style and body punches. Pacquiao repeatedly bobbed and weaved, even while dishing out punches of his own. In other words, Hatton didn’t know what to do. He was overwhelmed by a multi-talented pugilist who was once thought as a one-dimensional, left-handed slugger.

Second, I would have thought that Hatton would showcase some of his new-found boxing skills under the tutelage of the self-proclaimed best trainer in the world, Floyd Mayweather Sr. But Hatton didn’t show anything new. He had no head movement, he had no lateral movement. He barreled straight into Pacquiao, hoping to land a power punch that would end the fight. In other words, it was the same old Ricky Hatton. And against Pacquiao, it was recipe for disaster.

To be the best fighter in the world, you have to leave it all in the ring. You just can’t claim that you are one of the best and leave it at that, hoping that people would gobble everything up, hook, line, and sinker.

Needless to say, Pacquiao did his job, and it was a masterful performance at that. He showed without doubt that he is the best pound-for-pound boxer today.

To be the best trainer in the world, you have to command respect. Respect will enable you to sculpt a raw talent and polish him or her into a flawless gem. Freddie Roach is one of the most respectable trainers the boxing world has ever seen, and he has helped make Pacquiao the fighting machine that he is now.

No amount of trash talking, faux poetry and fake posturing will make you the best trainer in the world. You just can’t claim that you are one of the best and leave it at that, hoping that people would gobble everything up, hook, line, and sinker.

It should be a lot more than that.

And that ain’t no joke.

Rua, Silva emerge victorious

By Mark Lorenzana

www.8countnews.com

UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva successfully defended his title with a fifth round unanimous decision victory against jiu-jitsu ace and fellow Brazilian Thales Leites while Mauricio “Shogun” Rua stopped UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell in the first round in their respective bouts at UFC 97: Redemption on April 18, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Rua dominated the fight early on by utilizing leg kicks, his overhand right, and a powerful left hook. It was the tail end of Rua’s left hook that dropped an unsuspecting and seemingly tentative Liddell. As Liddell slumped to the mat, Rua wasted no time and proceeded to pound Liddell’s face with vicious punches. This forced referee Mario Yamasaki to call a halt to the bout at 4:28 into the first round.

It might be the last time MMA fans will see Liddell inside the Octagon.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan asked Liddell in the post fight interview if he was contemplating retirement, to which Liddell responded, “I had a great camp, everything was going well. I have to go home and talk to everyone. I didn’t feel right tonight.”

In the main event, The scorecards in the five-round, middleweight championship fight read 49-46, 48-47, 50-46, all in favor of Silva who retained his UFC middleweight title and improved his professional record to 24 wins with four losses. Leites dropped to 14 and 2.

Silva, who is known for his great stand up game, seemed to be toying with Leites, although he still managed to connect with his strikes at a high percentage. Leites, who is known for his superb ground game, was not able to utilize his jiu-jitsu skills as he had trouble taking Silva down the entire fight thanks to the latter’s strong takedown defense and excellent sprawl.

Meanwhile, in the undercard, Steve Cantrell won by unanimous decision against Luiz Arthur Cane, Cheick Kongo TKO’d Antoni Hardonk in the second round, Krzysztof Soszynski submitted Brian Stann in the first round via kimura, and hometown boy Sam Stout decisioned Matt Wiman in a three-round non-title bout.

Aside from their fight purses, Stout, Wiman, Rua, and Soszynski each received lucrative $70,000 bonuses for winning Fight of the Night (Stout and Wiman), Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the Night respectively.

Donaire, Viloria vanquish foes

By Mark Lorenzana

www.8countnews.com

Manila, Philippines – IBF and IBO flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire outclassed the game but outgunned Mexican-American Raul “Cobrita” Martinez, stopping the latter in four rounds as Hawaiian-based Filipino Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria knocked out Mexican Ulises “Archi” Solis in the 11th round to wrest the IBF light flyweight title from Solis in an exciting fight card at the Araneta Coliseum, Sunday, April 19, 2009 Philippine time.

Viloria’s power showed at the outset as he repeatedly tagged Solis with one-two combinations in the opening round. In the fifth round, a string of Viloria punches opened a cut on Solis’ brow. In the sixth, Solis, sensing some urgency, showed some power of his own, landing some hard body shots and a few head blows that seemed to hurt Viloria. In the eighth round, The Hawaiian punch unleashed several body shots of his own and managed to connect a few uppercuts on Solis, who appeared to be slowing down.

The 10th round was all Viloria, as the Filipino landed combination after combination, pinning Solis several times against the ropes. The end came for Solis in the 11th round courtesy of a Viloria right straight that landed flush on the Mexican’s jaw. Solis crumpled to the canvas and referee Bruce Mctavish counted him out. It was the sixth straight win for Viloria after his last loss to Edgar Sosa in 2007. Viloria lost his WBC light flyweight crown to Omar Niño Romero three years ago. Solis had successfully defended his title eight times, stopping three Filipinos (Rodel Mayol, Bert Batawang, and Glenn Donaire) in the process before being stopped by Viloria. It was the first time Solis had been knocked out in his career.

In the main event, Donaire showed he was the superior fighter in terms of technique and power, knocking down the undefeated Martinez two times in the first round. In the second, a Donaire left hook floored Martinez again but Cobrita managed to beat the count.

It was only a matter of time, however, as a left uppercut from Donaire put Martinez down again in the fourth round, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

The fight might prove to be the last for Donaire in the flyweight division as he is planning to move up in weight to challenge interim WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel. It was Donaire’s third successful defense of his titles, with TKO wins over Luis Maldonado and Moruti Mthalane. Donaire won his belts by knocking out brash Australian-based Armenian Vic Darchinyan two years ago.