Your weekly random thoughts …
I spent most of the past week bobbing in the Caribbean on a Disney family cruise (shameless plug for ESPN's parent company -- it was excellent), where my 6-year-old niece Elaina and 4-year-old nephew Noah were far more concerned with having their photos taken with Mickey Mouse and Goofy and with showing me how they can swim than they were about anything going on in our cartoon world of boxing.
So I was a bit out of the loop for a few days. However, now that I am caught up, there's plenty to discuss:
• I was disturbed, but by no means surprised, to hear that the WBC's new/pathetic "diamond belt" for catchweight fights will be at stake for the first time when Miguel Cotto faces Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14, in addition to Cotto's WBO welterweight belt. Naturally, WBC president for life Jose Sulaiman made a breathless announcement of the decision, which was, of course, approved by his banana republic's board of governors in one of their famous unanimous votes. Sulaiman noted that the WBC "will not charge a sanction fee on this extraordinary occasion." As the corner drug dealer might say upon your first score: The first one's always free.
• Anyone who reads my blog regularly -- or even only once in a while -- should be acutely aware of my disgust for the WBA because of its gazillions of titles. Take your pick: super title, regular title, interim title, recess title, super unified galactic title, etc. … I have never been shy about my opinion. So you can imagine my surprise when a few days ago while I was on the cruise, I checked my e-mail and found one from Gilberto Mendoza Jr., second banana at the WBA. The e-mail was titled: "Happy Birthday!!!" The message from Mendoza said simply: "Just a quick note to wish you a happy birthday! Take care." I had no idea that he knew when my birthday was or cared, but I did take the opportunity to write back: "How about as a gift to me you abolish all the interim titles and super titles for the good of boxing?" I was surprised to receive the e-mail. I am not surprised that I haven't received a response.
• Kudos to the California State Athletic Commission for doing the right thing and changing the official outcome of junior welterweight titlist Tim Bradley's Aug. 1 defense against Nate Campbell. Instead of a third-round TKO, it was correctly changed to a no-contest because four rounds were not yet complete and it was clear to everyone other than referee David Mendoza that Campbell's eye injury was caused by an accidental head butt, not a punch as Mendoza ruled. Ultimately, the change is housekeeping. Bradley still dominated and will move on to bigger and better things, while Campbell, although he was having a bad night, at least will have the stain of a wrongful TKO loss expunged from his record. And we all move on. However, had instant replay been available for use in California, it wouldn't have taken three weeks for a ruling.
• Speaking of Bradley, I was a bit surprised to hear that he had signed with manager Cameron Dunkin. Not because Dunkin isn't a good manager. He's one of the top guys in the business, with a long history of handling top fighters, including a stable that presently includes Kelly Pavlik, Nonito Donaire, Steven Luevano and blue-chip prospect Matvey Korobov. Adding Bradley to that mix is a coup for Dunkin. I was surprised because Bradley is co-promoted by Gary Shaw, with whom Dunkin had a terrible falling-out last year when Dunkin spearheaded Donaire's jump to Top Rank and James Kirkland's jump to Golden Boy. This ought to be very interesting to watch.
• If there is justice in boxing, Juan Diaz will go to New York and fight Paulie Malignaggi again, this time at 140 pounds in a 20-foot ring with neutral officials, and HBO will buy the fight.
• About the nicest thing I can say about the horrific 118-110 scorecard turned in by Texas homer judge Gale Van Hoy (who should have his judging license revoked) in Diaz's undeserved decision against Malignaggi is that it was better than the scorecards turned in by Frank Lombardi and Ron McNair, the two blind mice who scored in favor of lightweight Joel Casamayor in a split decision victory against Jose Armando Santa Cruz in New York in 2007 and the ludicrous 120-108 shutout scorecard rendered by Doug Tucker in favor of Jose Navarro in a clear-as-day loss to Cristian Mijares in their 2008 junior bantamweight title fight in Las Vegas.
• It's not all that often I agree with Shaw, but I did agree with this, which he said to me following Diaz-Malignaggi: "Who in their right mind will come to Texas to fight [Diaz]? It is one thing to have the home field advantage with the fans. It is another thing to know you need a KO twice to win. My prediction: No more big fights for Diaz at home, unless someone is desperate for money, and doesn't care about winning."
• Ahmet Öner, who heads German promoter Arena Box, was shot Tuesday night in Hamburg as he was leaving the office of a business associate. Two men fired at him three times in the parking lot. Öner was hit in the left leg, had surgery to remove the bullet and says he's OK. "I have been attacked before, but this was the first time somebody cowardly ambushed me in the dark to shoot at me," said Öner, who has made his share of enemies. "I hope it will be the last time as well." I had two thoughts when I heard the news. 1. Glad to hear Öner is OK. 2. Note to self: Remember how after the Shane Mosley-Antonio Margarito fight in January in Los Angeles you sat down with him for a drink? Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
• It's a bummer that "Friday Night Fights" is done for the season and on hiatus until January. But if you're going to go out, might as well do it in style, as the ESPN2 series did this week with an outstanding doubleheader featuring two entertaining title bouts. Tavoris Cloud used his youth and strength to win a clear unanimous decision against gutsy Clinton Woods to claim a vacant light heavyweight belt, and junior welterweight titlist Juan Urango got off the deck from a hard knockdown to drop Randall Bailey three times en route to an 11th-round TKO in a terrific fight. I hope we see more FNF cards like this in 2010.
• I thought the feature piece HBO produced to pay tribute to Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest was outstanding. I had to grab a hanky before it was over.
• I'm told that HBO offered $750,000 for a welterweight unification bout between Andre Berto and Isaac Hlatshwayo, which the Berto camp scoffed at. That, of course, won't please HBO. But here's the problem: HBO created the high expectations because it has been so drastically overpaying for Berto's fights the past few years in a marketplace where nobody else would likely pay half of what HBO has. This is what happens when HBO creates a false marketplace.
• I am looking forward to Saturday night's premier of HBO's "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7." One can only hope that there's at least one shot of Floyd Mayweather Sr. at a drive-thru or of Roger Mayweather buying groceries.
• I thought Robert Guerrero looked as good as he ever has in his junior lightweight title victory against Malcolm Klassen. I'd love to see him face Humberto Soto, a fight Guerrero's manager, Shelly Finkel, is interested in making.
• DVD pick of the week: Who doesn't love a great heavyweight knockout? I do, so I dug into the archive for a fight from Jan. 15, 1990, in Atlantic City, N.J., in which George Foreman devastated Gerry Cooney. In the 20th fight of his ballyhooed comeback after 10 years in retirement, Foreman faced Cooney, who was coming off a 2½ year layoff after a knockout loss to Michael Spinks. Still, Cooney was by far the most dangerous opponent of Foreman's comeback, and Big George made a slew of believers by blowing Cooney away. He knocked Cooney's mouthpiece out in the first round but was also wobbled by a left hook. But in the second round, Foreman dropped Cooney with a series of clubbing right hands, and then, as soon as the fight resumed, Cooney walked into a flush left uppercut and ate a big right hand, knocking him down and out for several minutes. It was Cooney's last fight. In the second title shot of his comeback, Foreman would eventually regain the heavyweight championship in dramatic fashion against Michael Moorer four years later.
Dan Rafael
