The stage is set

We live rare times and I would say we are lucky.

In the world of boxing, we are faced with a tricky situation that will go down in history in the welterweight division, and may well set the stage for a fight that MUST happen, between the current and the previous Pound-for-Pound holders.

Let's look at the first upcoming fight: Mayweather vs Marquez. This is an interesting fight, one that Mayweather puts a certain amount of risk into. He has the advantage being the bigger man, but I believe he has taken this fight to prove a point, maybe to Pacquiao or to remind the world of arguably the greatest boxer of this generation. On the other corner is Juan Manuel Marquez, a veteran of the game and by no means a push over. I see him as the trump card to the Welterweight division. If he is able to defeat Mayweather, he will then face Pacquiao again for a third time, and that should settle the score once and for all. If Mayweather wins, he will be first in line to go up against Manny.

Prediction: Based on the skills of both these fighters, I think Mayweather will beat Marquez on points because of his speed advantage. But with Marquez its really hard to say because he has a heart of iron and a never say die attitude in the ring.

Mayweather to win via points

Next fight: Pacquiao vs Cotto. Miguel Cotto has been an upcoming fighter for some time and is a tough opponent. He record is impressive with only 1 loss. His last match was controversial but I give him credit for being a smart and tough fighter. Pacman will face a serious challenge in Cotto, a man who doesn't give up and leaves everything in the ring. Cotto is not an easy boxer to knock out and also has viable knockout power. In all aspects both are about the same except their style, stance and one important factor: speed. Speed I think will be the key to Pacman winning and I believe Pacquiao will go on to win in a very hard fight.

It could really go either way, but I think Pacquiao will get a late round TKO of Cotto and his speed will prove too much for the slower moving Cotto.

Prediction: Pacquiao to win via TKO in 8th round


As far as I can see, these two bouts are not easy but it will be a good test. If my predictions are correct, the boxing world will see probably the MOST important fight of the century. We need to know who will fare better in the ring, Mayweather or Pacquiao. Each fight only has a couple more fights before they retire so lets hope they agree on this one fight for the world to see.


The Bareboxer

Pacquiao TKO's Hatton in 2

This picture sums up the fight, Pacquiao triumphs, Hatton has no answer

Pacquiao is standing on top of a mountain, a mountain of greats. He has just cemented his position as number 1 pound for pound king in the boxing world.

My prediction for his fight was that he would win in 12 via decision. I was right that he would win, but so wrong about the way it happened.

All it took was 2 rounds, towards the end of round 2, a devastating left hook left Ricky Hatton on the canvas, in dream land, wondering about his future.

Naysayers said Pacquiao couldn't do it, that Hatton would knock him out. Then there were many excuses thrown about prefight about Hatton's weight, feuds with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr and such.

But at the end of the day, it boiled down only to two camps, ultimately two great fighters. They bared all in the ring.

I read comments that Hatton couldn't take a punch any more, but if you see the replay, I don't think anyone could bolster that left hook to the chin and stand, even in their prime. The punch was so precise, it ended the match so abruptly along with the Manchurians hope of competing at this level again. It just proves that Hatton was too one dimensional, and he can't use the same pressure fighting style everytime and hope to win.

What now for both fighters?

Hatton

It is recommended by both coach and family for Hatton to retire at this juncture. I guess he should focus on his family and promotion business.

Pacquiao

The future is brighter than ever for the pinoy boxer, he has faced every good boxer from 5 divisions and come out tops. Mayweather Jr.(another of my favourites) knocked out Hatton in 10, Pacman did it in 2. Mayweather fought De La Hoya and beat him in 12 rounds, Pacman forced him to quit in 9.

Don't get me wrong, you can't compare them this way, only gauge their performances on a professional level.

Mayweather has announced his return and against Marquez, the guy who gave Pacman trouble in an amazing trilogy( 1 win, draw, loss). If Mayweather defeats him convincingly then Mayweather will have a calling card in a game where Pacman holds the important cards now.

The only reasonable fight left is a match up between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Lets see how this one unfolds.

The Bareboxer

Round 5 Series 3

I love Round 5 and their vinyl like style of replicating the MMA fighters of UFC. It is one of my dreams to do something like that one day for boxing.

Anyway, they have come out with a 3rd series and guess who's in it?

Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski
Big John McCarthy
Frank Mir
Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira


Thats right, this series even has long serving referee John McCarthy in it. The world of MMA figurines just got bigger.. you can check it out here.

My story so far..

My life is heading towards a different direction.

For the past month, I've been working as a Production Assistant for a production house called Ricebarn and it's been great. After 24 years of living, I now know what I want to do for a living.

Don't get me wrong, I will always love boxing but it can only get me so far in life and although I love boxing, a part of me has always felt it is a waste of time doing it in Singapore. I mean you spend money and commit alot of time, at the end of the day it doesn't put food on the table.

I'm currently learning the ropes of the filming industry all working towards a specific goal: to direct my own movie someday. I love everyday on set, even as problems and hold ups beset me, it is a personal challenge to accomplish my goals.

I don't know where life will bring me with this, but I sure as hell know it beats working 9-5 in an office job. I just couldn't torture myself like that. This is where I am headed, I have mentors to guide me andI love the new experiences on every job and the people I meet.

Till my next adventure..


The Bareboxer

Tyson movie coming out..

The trailer for the new movie Mike Tyson is a complilation of his old boxing footage, interviews and it looks promising. This will be a great summary for those of us who don't want to read his whole life story and can just watch this feature.

Interesting article..

Aaron, author of how-to-box.com wrote an interesting piece about Boxing vs MMA. He states there are two kinds of fans on both extremes.

I'm a boxing fan but I don't shun away MMA for its brutality, because it used to be worst. Now there safer rules imposed. I'm neutral and enjoy watching both sports.

"Boxing has stagnated in that regard. The problem I see is that boxing lacks the lustre and character present in the UFC. Personally, the characters in UFC which are no more than a reinvention of what the WWF provides, seem to take away from the sport, but that's just me. From a business perspective, it is a goldmine. They took the best of the WWF and added in the thing it lacked -- the actual fight. How can a WWF fan not love watching the UFC - it's like the WWF on steroids. And, like it or not, UFC is hot. It is growing exponentially, and it is because of the characters involved."

Boxing has stagnated in regards to colourful and memorable characters. It's all about the money these days.

Read the full article here.

Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns wants last fight

You heard that right, Tommy Hearns, an all time legend and hall-of-famer wants to one last fight, and a title fight no less. This can come as both good and bad news for all Hitman fans, but the prospect of watching one of my all time favourite boxers in action is certainly enticing. That was the latest news from Eastside Boxing.

The bad news? Tommy is 50 years old, and way past his prime. His weight at 190 pounds will see him in light heavyweight. This means that there will be younger, tougher and very hard hitting opponents out there, fresh and ready to destroy. Whether or not Tommy Hearns can still take a punch is another question.

The good news is we get to see a legend in the ring, and if he is anything like his former self then we'll be treated to a great performance. The signature ring entrance and bow, the flicker jabs, the chopping right, reminiscent of the Hitman. We might just see him give it everything he has left for his one last fight and watch him hoist a championship belt over his head.

What a way to retire that would be. And I sincerely hope it will end that way, or least with fighting spirit as he leaves the boxing world with the mark he already left on many a fan and boxer alike.

Here's a match he lost but regarded as the match of the century by many, a reason why he is so revered in the ring.



The Bareboxer