What if Suzy Favor Hamilton were Black?

If you have a sore spot for African American males who have strong opinions and make you feel like they view everything through the chasm of race; this one is not for you so leave your racial epithets at the door with your parting gifts please. Now that we have that shit out of the way let’s make a few disclosures; I am an extremely liberal man so you don’t have the puritanical “card” to play after I lay down my race card. I’m also a man who favors more of the Christina Hendricks “full grown woman” look but I can see why many would find Suzy Favor Hamilton extremely sexy. I also believe that what Suzy Favor Hamilton  was “caught” doing should be legal for a myriad of reasons; I also believe consenting adults who choose to marry aren’t bound by monogamy nor anything else the general public “believes” they should be doing in their bedroom. Now that we have all of it out of the way and you know who you are dealing with lets’ play a little game I like to call “What if that Chick were Black?” I think it’s important because when you consider some of the scrutiny Black Female Athletes have to endure you can’t look at the Suzy Hamilton Favor controversy and believe it would be covered in the same if she were a Sista. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. Favor Hamilton is being shamed but there is a difference in the tenor of exposure and vilification, in fact I may already be late in commenting on the “story”. Lo Lo Jones was brought to tears for being a young girl capable of profiting from her sex appeal, something the All American girl (Hamilton) did way back in the 1990’s before the age of social media. Marion Jones lied about PED’s, and she and he co conspirators went to jail for it, real jail, where she had to fight women who were probably prostitutes at some point in their lives for way different reasons than suburban malaise.

Mrs. Hamilton with Favors may not know this but she fits a profile that is becoming increasingly more prevalent, but the luxury of being white means she’ll never be profiled. Her so called crime is given the benefit of individual examination, if she were Black the case would open up a larger discussion about the ills of our community and the ravenous sexual nature of “those people”. You see if you examine modern pop culture there’s been a favorable emphasis on 40 something white women –still hot and behaving badly. “Desperate Housewives” is a signal to a culture that is now glamorizing attractive white women in their 40’s with names like “cougar” and “MILF” all wrapped in a neat little marketing bow to suggest “empowerment”. Favor Hamilton is already receiving the benefit of individual examination based on race, because some have opined whether her “crime” will bring more awareness to depression and postpartum issues-in other words when you’re a certain kind of American “pie” your issues can be “flipped” into the next sparkly new PC cause. When you’re black you struggle with cultural stereotypes 300 years old, with no spin available to sanitize what the hell you just did. If you listen to her, she isn’t speaking like a spokesperson, she sounds like most people in the hood who rail on "snitches getting stiches"-unapologetic is an understatement. She can afford to be, while Gabby Douglass has to smile and bite her lip as others gripe about her hair and nose, you see the price is much higher for her to become America’s sweetheart than it is was for Favor Hamilton back in 1997. The Wisconsin Potato Growers and "Rock and Roll Marathon" can take their miniscule little checks and integrity away but they will be quickly replaced by more edgy, trendy Corporations willing to take a chance on the blonde bombshells “infamy”. If Hamilton Favors were black we’d be reading jokes about her last name being “Favor” and despite working for a high end “agency” the cultural images of pimps would be dusted off and re introduced to the Twitter generation. If she were black she wouldn’t be afforded the class that most of her clientele are afforded, especially if it were public knowledge that these men were “willing to go bankrupt” for what “Lil Kim” likes to call the “Ill Na Na”. As of this writing, ESPN hasn’t gone near the topic while comparatively Marion Jones was raked over the coals for wanting to win at any cost-like any other red blood American. Language is important, and Favors –Hamilton is allowed to control it with words like “illicit midlife diversion” but if she were black the words would be “Federal, criminal prostitution” and “failure to report income”. We’d even be informed on just how many years a Sista would be facing but hell all I know you can still bounce a quarter off the woman’s ass and nothing more. Remember, this is a media climate whereby serial scumbag Don Imus called Collegiate Athletes “Nappy Headed Ho’s” because they didn’t look like Mrs. Favors Hamilton so you can imagine what Imus would say if he knew the lady hoopsters were turning tricks?.

 

She told you she’s not a victim, but the media will make her one to keep from saying things about her that they’d gladly serve up in relation to a minority. Maybe she missed the exhibitionism (and admiration) the little track uniforms afforded her in her prime, maybe she still has issues surrounding her brothers passing- both of which I personally have empathy for. But I don’t think the general public has any empathy for the supporting factors that lead a lot of black women into the Sex Trade even though the factors are often WAY direr-and they aren’t in the same Tax Bracket as Suzy Sunshine. Black women in the worst areas of this country aren’t filled with Athletes invincibility or the confidence of someone supported by major Corporations like Nike and Disney. They don’t feel “untouchable” because they are often the most vulnerable, selling themselves on the streets for survival purposes not “diversion”. If they could somehow get out of their situations they’d gladly go on speaking tours and be grateful for the money Suzy Sunshine received as a “Motivation” to many. A lot of them are drug addicted, something that is less glamorous than being a bored MILF and far less forgiven by the mainstream public- because no one gives a shit when a poor person has to sell themselves sexually. They don’t have “Hobbyist” nor Clients willing to pay to keep them from getting in trouble, they have Tricks who are actually scumbags unlike the silly braggart who outed Suzy Sunshine. Tricks don’t do survey’s when they’re done, and some of them are capable of killing a prostitute. The bottom line is Suzy Favor Hamilton would already be in jail if she were black, because the website who outed her would have allowed the police to set her up for a sting- Marion Barry style. So before this story evaporates to dust just know this; men who can pay 600$ an hour for “ass” won’t let this chick spend a day in jail (she didn’t out them) and they know just who to call; and she won’t have to even thank them…they’ll consider it a “Favor”.

 

Floyd Mayweather vs Carlos Baldomir 1/3

International Boxing Hall of Fame 2013 Inductees

ESPN's Parker Apologizes, But the Barbershop Style is here to Stay

Have you looked at ESPN lately? Is there a certain “tone” that appears to be in replication more frequently in their debate oriented programming? Is one debate show in particular swallowing the Network despite the grumblings of more “dignified” journalists working at the network, and more importantly will it subsided anytime soon? First Take is fastly becoming the Goliath within the Goliath, the Hot TV show that is making the go to sports outlet the place to be for many of us the first thing in the morning. Even Sports Center is taking a backseat to the show, instead of the highlights of the game many of you want to see what Bayless and Smith think of the game. The show is directly responsible for making ESPN a cultural phenomenon that attracts a list Rappers as well as Regis Philbin for the same reasons and that is hard to do. We’ve all been riveted for the last couple of years to the Frazier Ali synergy of Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith but it is the bombastic tone and tenor of Smith that makes the show a staple for African American sports fans. What is the appeal of a voice that can often get too loud, too obnoxious and too overbearing at times? The appeal is the cultural link to the haven of all black sports debate, the Barbershop. We love Stephan A because as African Americans we all have a friend like him, loud, opinionated and filled with low-metric “facts” that often don’t matter. He’s that homeboy that will bombard you with statistics and a little bit of trash talk to keep the crowd alive while everybody is sitting around waiting for their turn in the top barber’s chair. It’s a familiar tone and style, part preacher; part Muhammad Ali,-part Rucker Park and when you mix it with the relentless Skip Bayless you have TV magic. All of this success is to the chagrin of those who kneel at the altar of the Sports Cathedral.

 Newsflash: Fans never felt close to the Academic, “Fuddy Duddy” shows where journalists tried to outsmart the room when talking about something that isn’t (and shouldn’t) be viewed on par with world events….Sports.

ESPN is in the business of entertainment because the truth is Sports is something that was designed to keep us from pondering much more serious matters like the Federal Reserve-and it works. The African American style of Sports debate is provocative at times but is often a tongue and cheek entertaining way to elicit response. Let the media outlets who are getting reduced to irrelevance by ESPN strive to “enlighten”, hell ESPN can beat them at that too. Stephen A. Smith’s overreaction to Skip Bayless’s “Tebow” love is all barbershop shtick, evoking Muhammad Ali’s cat and mouse game with Howard Cosell in the heyday of their verbal rivalry. If you examine the debate format shows African American personalities appear to have brought a more freeform style to the shows that make them more entertaining while manifesting a basic truth about sports, regular folks don’t debate it, we argue about it. ESPN despite being the only ballgame in town is more hip than it’s ever been without alienating a core audience of guys who see the change but aren’t averse to it. But, with that Barbershop style there are gray areas and pitfalls that force us to re-examine how far the network may be willing to go in embracing that kind of style. This reminds me of when Hip Hop went mainstream and corporate, the masters of industry knew the influence was strong in the suburbs but they still had to frame it in a way with respects to the fact that Mom still had the checkbook. Last week Rob Parker was suspended indefinitely for making disparaging remarks about RG3, questioning whether the Skins QB was a “cornball brotha” or “down for the cause”. I’m not even sure where the complaints came from, but I’m sure they came from a powerful place because I was satisfied when Stephen A. checked him on it in real time and i wouldn’t have been offended if the “Hollis Howler” called him an idiot. The Biggest Network known to man (owned by Disney) is a Corporate Animal beholden to Political correctness. But the Black Barbershop is the most politically incorrect place in the world so tread lightly.

We do talk about interracial marriage, and we do question how certain successful brotha’s behave within the Celebrity they have achieved-and we do cast generalized BS character assessments often to an Apollo Amateur Night Response. Unfortunately we are just a bunch of guys waiting for a haircut and Rob Parker is on TV; he may have thought he was slipping one under the “PC Police” but once he mentioned “Real Brotha’s” in the Barbershop this goose in the loud suit was cooked. The game called “the dozens” is another way we communicate in the Barbershop, we take shots and if your thin skinned or take yourself too serious (like advertisers) you shouldn’t be trafficking in that cultural environment. The major sports leagues traffic in predominantly black area’s and trust me Robert Griffith is no stranger to African American Barbershop “chatter” despite rocking the braids and being a Military brat. He’s the face of a major sports franchise, so I’m sure he’s just as oblivious to black criticism as Tiger Woods is which is Parkers point and Griffith’s luxury to ignore his BS. Athletes love the show and respond to it directly more than any sports show on TV, and this would have to be something that the so called “more dignified” Sports Shows ENVY. Jay Busbee over at Yahoo Sports may call Skip Bayless’s branding Chris Bosh “Bosh Spice” sports manure, but black folks call it shit talking, and Bosh came on the show to handle it. ESPN can’t plug every leak in a genre they’ve clearly invested in without robbing it of the authenticity that makes it entertaining-in fact nobody at the network even found it necessary to edit out the idiocy on the second airing-because it worked. ESPN is responsible for giving us smart, dignified African American Sports Journalists like the late Ralph Wiley but we aren’t (and shouldn’t be) bound to the Sidney Poitier model of presentation because our passion (even when displaced) is a part of the noise that makes Barbershops great.

 

Unfortunately when you venture into what one would call a more organic form of dialogue one can risk rankling the many partnerships and sponsors that don’t take kindly to how Black folks “signify”. TV One can have shows centered around Black Men being (As Parker put it) “Down for the Cause” and presenting us as politically monolithic because of the partnerships they have and their audience. ESPN is dealing with a larger slice of the population who may not find the Barbershop so funny when brotha’s venture into the kind of territory we often venture into. So, if Rob Parker wants to speak more frankly about sports in a style that is consistent with what we really are “used to” my suggestion is a cut in pay and a call to BET or TV One. But he should be wary that like everyone else nobody can step to ESPN when it comes to viewership and influence, just ask Dan Patrick who entered Witness Protection once he left the Network. If he and a group of African American Sports Journalist aren’t willing to bravely take that Barbershop style to a new network and challenge the “Big Boys” then Parker should bite his tongue. And deal with the realization that he just may be the “Cornball Brotha” he hinted at RG3 being.

Newsflash: Parker Apologizes to Network and Griffith.

Next, FOX News will sic the Irish Bloodhound on him and force him to admit he’s a deplorable racist worthy of deportation. This segment will come after they accuse Obama of somehow being involved with Parker; I mean he does have to tighten up his fade every other week right?.

50 Cent Deserves to Comment on Mayweathers Finances

It is ironic that we arrive at this impasse in boxing sensationalism by discussing a man who calls himself “Money” and a man known as “50 Cent”. For maturity purposes only we at the Loaded Gloves will refer to the near 40 year olds as Curtis Jackson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Obviously their rift is becoming a modern soap opera filled with Rap Radio stations, social media and innuendo involving a booty model. The High Road was detoured from the minute these two made their rift public, so now all that is left is for us to be able to discern what is real and what isn’t. For my money both men are good for Boxing, Floyd in the immediate economy and Curtis in the long-term. I believe Curtis Jackson despite having come from a culture where he has been involved in violent senseless BEEF is genuinely hurt by Floyd’s “changing his mind” about going into the Boxing Business together. I also believe that Floyd felt put upon by some of the executive moves made by Curtis while he was incarcerated and may not have communicated himself clearly, especially when flunkies started to muddy the water. Whatever happened I think it’s important to point out some of the troublesome and hypocritical aspects associated with Mr. Mayweathers “branding” and how any intelligent person can see through his current position of restraint. I will proceed however with sensitivity for the Mayweather Family as now Roger (as well as Floyd Sr.) struggle with health issues.

You can’t define the parameters of a game, play it with impunity and then hint at foul play when the game catches up to you. Floyd Mayweather chose the moniker “Money” and with that brand decided that flaunting his wealth like a Rapper was good for business, and it was, the Boxing business. Curtis Jackson may have had something to do with this approach but now that they are estranged Mr. Jackson is now quick to point out the ultimate failure of that approach when it came to “out of the ring” income. In his Power 106 interview he sounded like the mogul he is, I think the term was “Brand Extension”. I knew this years ago, that Q Rating is why Manny Pacquiao is chasing Wild Rabbits and Nike will get behind his effort to beat Juan Manuel Marquez once and for all in 2013-and not the greatest fighter (Floyd) of this generation. Curtis Jackson also pointed out the “spend, fight, spend model” and the lack of business management in Floyds career-something deeply offensive coming from a friend because it has more validity than if it came from the random “Broke Motherfuckers” Floyd taunts in interviews. Recently at a charity event Floyd hinted at Mr. Jacksons comments being out of bounds stating that it was somehow inappropriate to comment on “another man’s pockets” and I totally agree-unless it’s Floyds pockets we’re talking about.

And here is a reminder of why it is Totally Appropriate for Mr. Jackson to comment on Mr. Mayweathers financial situation.

For one Floyd Mayweather has become the most quoted active Boxer in history when it comes to the inner workings of his finances and how much control he has in his career. For starters Mr. Jackson pointed out what any rational person already knew that Mr. Mayweather is unofficially a Golden Boy fighter-something he’s been railing against for years. Mayweather took every possible opportunity to tell us GBP works for him, and he probably does pay them a flat rate to promote his events but they have the exclusive rights to do so above any other firm. I never understood how it was worthy of spin, who wouldn’t want to be the number one draw for the number one Promoter in Boxing? A company that made Floyd the highest paid athlete in 2012? It was appropriate for Jackson to comment on the arrangement because Mr. Mayweather led him to believe he was independent of GBP, why else would Mr. Jackson call Oscar De La Hoya “girl” (on Twitter) when he believed he and his friend were moving on without GBP?. When Richard Schaeffer says “Mayweather Promotions” what he really means is “we call Al who calls Leonard, who calls Floyd”. It is also appropriate for Mr. Jackson to comment on Floyds finances because he spent a reported 2 million to get Fighters out of contracts to begin a new venture (with Floyd) but could not secure investment from his friend who he probably has seen waste that kind of money on frivolous pursuits. Mr. Jackson was under the impression that Floyd was interested in making an investment in his post boxing career so he overlooked the realization that Mayweather Promotions didn’t even have a corporate seal. Remember, Floyd Mayweather pioneered talk about PPV Buys, income, and disclosure about the purse disparity he enjoys, he injected this into the Boxing pre fight dialogue –he created the “New Normal”. As Boxing fans we always knew Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya were rich, but we didn’t care nor did they talk about “how” rich; Leonard didn’t brag about buying Hagler off to give him a big ring and 12 Rounds. Had he done so in 1987 it would have damaged his brand, now he throws it in as an obscure fact when discussing his history.


Floyd Mayweather is unfortunately in no moral position to call for civility from Mr. Jackson because Rappers aren’t Civil; if you start Beefing with one of them money will come up. Mr. Mayweather also made a habit out of commenting on the state of Manny Pacquiao’s financial affairs; he even utilized a propaganda website to gossip about loans Arum made to the Filipino star. It was never good enough that he enjoyed all of the natural advantages (and in my opinion) would have beaten Pacquiao, in true Hip Hop fashion he had to call his rival broke. He talked about Oscar De La Hoya as if Oscar WON their 2007 fight; bitter vitriol aimed at a man that he knew win or lose had more money than him-but nobody could read between the lines. Even in defeat Mr. Mayweather points out that Pacquiao rise was “off of my back” as if he didn’t cherry pick every opponent that could draw a crowd, why else fight Arturo Gatti in Atlantic City? Mr. Mayweather also made it a point to talk explicitly about Shane Mosley’s alimony arrangement poking fun at Jin Mosley taking “all of Shane’s money”. Curtis Jackson cares about Mr. Mayweather, only a friend would be wary of a Harvard Educated Business Manager allowing a client to travel with duffel bags of cash. Mr. Mayweather is also good at Tweeting Betting slips…when he wins as if trying to affirm that he’s smarter than you think he is. If Arnold Rothstein were alive today he’d tell the Welterweight never bet on anything that isn’t already in the bag (like the 1919 World Series) in other words Floyd should stick to betting on himself in fights. So you see this is all legal and above board, Curtis Jackson has every right to comment on his friends “pockets” because that’s’ all, his friend ever talked about-his and everyone else’s. If Floyd were smart he’d drop the Money Moniker all together because it opens you up for situations you can never anticipate nor handle appropriately if you aren’t “from” Money. 

How many legitimate businessmen do you know spend millions to go into a joint venture only to have their partner back out with no ramifications?.Would Donald Trump bite his tongue if Mark Cuban backed out on a well publicised joint deal? or would he bite back to protect his reputaion as a serious business man?.

 

You Decide.

 

Gerald Henderson Rises Above Dwight for the Throwdown

Dwight Howard Stuck in the "Cool Dad" Syndrome

Now that the Lakers are officially in La La land I feel it is wholly apropos to put them on the proverbial therapists couch. I won’t talk x's and o’s because frankly you’d have to be a Basketball nitwit to believe that what you are seeing can be solved by a 40 year old point guard who can’t guard anybody. I won’t spare you what you can figure out at your local YMCA on a Tuesday, that when the young bucks hit the floor you walk it up and try to grind them down with your big homeboy “chicken grease”.At least at the YMCA we can grab our hamies and tell the young bucks “you wouldn’t have wanted to see me back in 93’!”, but the Los Angeles Lakers have to suffer through the embarrassment of a stubborn assed coach that can’t spell “adjustments” nor "Gasol".When will Phil Jackson learn to put his own ownership group together if he wants a piece of a club and to stop trying to leverage his rings? I mean you are just a really really successful employee when you boil it all down. Dwight Howard is playing his back into shape but the signs are when he is finally healthy he may be giving Mitch Kupchak the green light to see if he can get Kevin Love to LA and him where he wanted to be in the first damned place. It would be poignant and ironic if Howard leaves there having never really being sold on the premier franchise in all of sports but it was already established that LA would no longer be the home of dominant big men as long as “24” is still Alpha Dog. And I wouldn’t blame him, he’s young and he’s not in a healthy environment, like most kids he’s stuck in the middle between 3 adults who refuse to take a long realistic look at themselves. One of them wildly successful and the other 2 innovative in their own ways; two of them too good to be questioned, so much so that the Lakers may lose the one real asset they have moving forward. Mike D’Antoni and Kobe Bryant are A listers in the Basketball World, but like any other sport (where time matters) they are quickly losing their command on center stage.

Bryant, Nash and D’Antoni represent the “Cool Dad” Archetypes, and Dwight aint buying it

 Kobe Bryant is that dad you see a lot nowadays; the Cougar Counterpart and just as annoying and clueless. Still in shape, he can physically get out there and whip your ass and he doesn’t mind letting everyone know it when company is over. He thinks he’s making a man out of you but it’s creepy and weird when he wears his medium “Under Armour” shirt to your High School Basketball Practice. You want to yell, “Hey Dad isn’t it enough all your records are up on the gym wall?!! Put a damned shirt on!” He wants you to be like him, but you have the sneaking suspicion he still wants to be like him so if you ever came close he’d hate you for it. He gets offended when your homies call him “Mr.” and he tries to inject what he did when he was your age into everything, you know you’ll miss him when you’re on your own but right now he’s crowding you. The 2008 Olympic summit was a Coup D'Etat whereby all of the games young stars colluded to join one another in targeted markets and Kobe was not included. In fact it was designed to assure the old guy didn’t sneak a “chip” in on his way out the door, one last nuggie to the chilluns. I’m sure when they sat around brainstorming the possibilities they all hushed up when he walked in the room; it wasn’t meant to further enrich him it was meant to end his reign. Thanks to LeBron’s PR disaster, small market owners wrath during the lockout and Dwight Howards indecision the best laid plans went up in one big clusterfuck. Now he’s in LA, the most glamorous consolation prize in sports, stuck with the Cool Dad in the tight shirt and the quirky dad trying his failed invention. That coup was rooted in camaraderie; it wasn’t set up for any of those guys to be dragging around a nucleus of old dudes like the one in LA. Kobe is a more flexible, well-conditioned version of MJ…the Wizards model, and he’s not going anywhere- he’s the Cool Dad with the cool house and if you don’t like it you can get the hell out. Don’t be surprised if Dwight would love to take him up on it by years end, or even worse…February.


Mike D’Antoni fits the second archetype; the cool dad who clearly isn’t cool anymore but tries too damn hard. Dantoni created something new and novel back in 2003 and like most Cool Dads who don’t get it he still thinks that shit is Cool, to your embarrassment. You want to say “Dad, everybody’s playing fast now and since Steve Nash’s MVP seasons EVERY TEAM went point guard centric-none of them Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash can stay in front of”. He’s cool when it comes to the regular season but when it comes to Big Boy Basketball he shows a stubborn Peter Pan quality; he don’t wanna grow up and like Kobe he wants to do it his own damned way. And he’ll win some games too, with lax defenses and crappy teams he’ll have you saying the Lakers are BACK, but to what? Is the question. He isn’t really hip you know, because if you’re old enough... You recognize him as Doug Moe 2.0 who couldn’t get it done with the aid of thin air and 1980’s caliber athletes. When the Athletes got bigger, stronger and faster Mike-D only saw more points but what he didn’t figure out is the best Athlete on the Floor (Jordan, LeBron) WANTS to shut you down. Russell Westbrook’s playoff heartbreak is there, and he isn’t going to let some 40 yr. old Yoga guy who can’t check him get in the way of him running up on Miami again. Nash is that cool dad that is actually cool, he isn’t obnoxious and overbearing, and you know he raised you gluten free because he actually loves you. He will make everything alright when he comes back because he’s a nurturer, and his sharing nature is as “Zen” as the Lakers are going to get for a long time. But he is what he is, and he’s as realistic about time as anybody in the league so if he’s lost something he won’t make Laker nation suffer. Dwight Howard, the kid in this drama will respect Nash, because he’s cuddly and throws pillow perfect lobs but that reverence will be the kind you have for the old guy at the YMCA who can still get run-patronizing. Dwight Howard knows what is out there because he’s in his prime, and he knows what he’s running with wont stand up once the young lions start hunting because he’s a lion. As a kid he can’t wait around until the Lakers rebuild around him when everyone is landing where the initial conspiracy assigned them to land- who is he going to move forward with Ricky Rubio? Young men like Howard have no problem hanging out for a little bit with 3 “Cool Dads” the problem is when the Cool Dads want him to hang out for the next two years while his buddies are out there taking over the league.

50 Cent Talks Mayweather Beef & How It Started!

Ali vs.Tyson, A Boxmetric Fantasy Bout

The Loaded Glove’s Boxmetric Fantasy Bout Scoring System



The Boxmetric System was designed to be an argument starter; each category represents a “Round” and should be scored as such; however not every round is related to in the ring action. All great fights are filled with factors that we debate before and after the fight; and there’s no coincidence that the ones that have the most factors are the ones we argue about for years. The Boxmetric system applies a numeric score to such factors while combining the traditional Boxing categories that DO apply to in ring action. The result is a “score” but the score is a hybrid statistic generated by subjects real Boxing fans love to debate and discuss on Social Media and in Barber Shops. The Boxmetric System can be applied to current bouts and it can be used as a template for anyone looking to win fantasy leagues or bets. The Rounds/Categories may change and be altered based on the importance relating to the Bout being discussed but the number of rounds (when pitting historic foes) will always be 15, the Championship Limit. The System is for entertainment purposes only and we encourage those who read our bouts to send their own rounds in to Loaded Gloves, the longer the debate on a particular round goes the better.

Fantasy Bout #1 Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson


Round One: Pre Fight Psychology and Head Games

 This is almost an unfair category being that Ali created pre fight head games; in fact he too called it “Round One” when dealing with a formative opponent. But don’t just assume this is a 10-8 Round because men like Frazier and Foreman were mutes compared to the early charisma and late terror of Mike Tyson. Ali may start off calling Tyson a ‘Pitt Bull’ or make some reference to his high pitched voice but you could trust Iron Mike to come back with some pretty graphic unsettling threats in return. Ali was secretly afraid of Sonny Liston, who gave him an open handed smack at a Vegas Casino when Cassius Clay was just a loudmouth kid. Tyson is of that cloth, and he said things into a Microphone that Liston said (or thought) off camera; the kind of things you hear in Prison. There will be some Homophobic rants, attacks on religion and Black authenticity (from both men) but it will be entertaining. The press conference alone would draw more than most fights today. Don King will side with Tyson because Ali treated him like a valet while later he controlled Mikes mind. Ali will win this important first round but not by much.

Score Ali 10-9


Round Two: The Measurables

When dealing with Heavyweights I prefer to select the night they could have beaten any man who ever lived to decide optimum weight. The Night Tyson “mean mugged” the WBA title from Michael Spinks he was 218 ¼ lbs. at 5’10 with a 71 inch reach. When a newly christened Muhammad Ali shuffled for the first time he was in the Houston Astrodome vs. Cleveland Williams, he weighed in a 212 ¾ lbs. at 6’3 possessing a 78 inch reach. Styles aside (and next up) you have to favor the taller man with the longer reach because the wingspan allows him to do more strategically. Mike Tyson was a heavily muscled version of Joe Frazier who surprisingly had a longer reach than Mike, when looking at him leaving prison back in 95’ I thought he could have easily fought at Cruiserweight that day. Mike Tyson was thick enough to carry 218 lbs. effectively but he was a different man once the scale reached the middle 220s. Ali was a naturally big boned man who could carry 224 lbs. well; his later career is filled with overweight performances where he could still be effective and quick in spurts- the luxury of being a taller man.

Score Ali 10-9

Round Three: Style 

 Both men possessed styles that were perfect for their dimensions so round one is a feeling out round based on who imposed their style with more success. Ali had the advantage of Height and reach and he was effective at that style for a much longer period of time than Mike Tyson was with his. Tyson, a questionable 5’11 had the burden of making the fight coming forward behind the vaunted “peekaboo” defense. Ali at his worst won fights late in his career simply by jabbing and holding; once Tyson lost technique he was a “sitting duck” for any foe committed to the jab and not intimidated by him.

Score Ali 10-9

 Round Four: Foot speed

 Contrary to popular belief this was harder to determine than most people think. Ali in his youth was simply a dancer unseen before and since but Mike Tyson had some of the quickest feet ever. Smaller Heavyweights absorbed punishment in order to get into punching range, in his prime Tyson was able to get close without one warning jab landed to his head. When he got there he could shift and place his feet guaranteeing him great leverage while delivering punches. However, Muhammad Ali was from another dimension when it came to foot speed and he made it nearly impossible to get close in his prime so he wins this round by a closer margin than public perception.

Score Ali 10-9

 Round Five: Punching speed

Muhammad Ali was compared to Sugar Ray Robinson frame by frame and proved to be faster than the greatest Welterweight who ever lived. Both Ali and Tyson were special for speed; Tyson also possessed hands much faster than a man who weighed 218 lbs. With speed both men separated themselves from their opposition and vanquished foes in different ways. Ali could surprise and numb opponents from long range and Tyson could double and triple punches when he had his prey against the ropes. Ali is synonymous with speed, but Tysons power was not only a function of speed but one of the contributing factors that led some to ask if he would one day contribute to a fatality. We won’t go with sensationalized opinions here, both men possessed revolutionary hand speed for the heavyweight division.


Score Even 10-10

 Round Six: Punching Power

 Mike Tyson is simply put the hardest puncher in Heavyweight history and it isn’t even close due to his hand speed. Ali punched harder as he got older and more flat footed but he never hit hard enough to concuss a man with one punch. Mike Tyson authored a double knock out vs. Trevor Berbick with a sweeping hook and most men had that “deer in the headlights” look the minute he put his hands on them. Why else was Manny Steward yelling at Lennox Lewis when the Brit clearly had Mike under control in their 2002 bout? because he knew Mike could end matters with one punch despite being smaller. Unlike some punchers Mike Tysons power was merciful; you didn’t feel it, you woke up feeling rested and asking your corner what happened. Tyson takes this round by what else, a knockdown. Score Tyson 10-8

Round Seven: Chin

Ali is lionized for his chin and the amount of punishment he absorbed at the hands of great punchers like Joe Frazier and Ernie Shavers. And yet Tyson wins the first round that did not turn out the way most thought it would. Ali was a sucker for a left hook and was dropped 3 times in his career by the same punch. Sir Henry Cooper if not for his “paper thin skin” could have derailed the Ali myth and Doug Jones almost derailed Ali’s title shot by dropping him early in a so called “tune up bout”. Instead of focusing on how quickly Ali rose from that volcanic hook by Frazier in their 1971 bout the fact is THAT was the third time he’d been dropped with a left hook. Mike Tyson had a huge neck and in his losses to Douglass and Lennox Lewis absorbed a heavy amount of clean right crosses to the face. Tyson may have lost fights by Knockout but you could never put him on his pants with one shot so he wins this round by a controversial margin.

Score Tyson 10-9

Round Eight: Stamina

Only one word can explain who wins this round and that word is “Manila”. Tyson lost steam over the late rounds and never won a war of attrition which would never translate well against a fighter like Ali. Late in Ali’s career when fights still went 15 rounds he was able to pull out victories against fellow Hall of Famers Ken Norton and Joe Frazier. Both men abhorred training as they aged but Ali in his worst condition went 15 rounds, Tyson ended his career having to be helped up from the canvas because he collapsed on his own accord. Because of superior stamina Ali could keep the circus of his career going long after he was “finished” but Mike Tyson couldn’t hide what had become of him. Mike Tyson was also vulnerable to taller men holding and leaning on him and sapping his energy, Lennox Lewis used this tactic effectively against Mike; so would Ali.

Score Ali 10-9

Round Nine: Accuracy and Punch Placement

 Ali’s accuracy was based on one punch, the jab. He could paint aggressors with double and triple jabs and render their attack futile; this was clearly evident in his dismantling of Sonny Liston. Mike Tyson was the greatest combination puncher in Heavyweight history, early in his career he followed a numbered code developed by Cus D’Amato that allowed disciples to effectively train Mike. Perfect torque and a commitment to variation allowed Mike to get his punches “home” when Heavyweights weren’t expected to pull off such complicated body/head combinations. For a power puncher in his prime he landed with frightening frequency. In an upset round I’ll take Tysons punch placement because you didn’t know where he was going to hit a man, Ali’s accuracy was inherent in his usual size and reach advantage. Something Holmes would go on to replicate.

Score Tyson 10-9

Round Ten: Defense

 Muhammad Ali rarely got touched early in his career but his defense was a product of his fast feet. When close to Ali he usually pulled back making him vulnerable to the left hooks that dropped early in his career and debilitated him in Manila. Mike Tyson at his best was a whirling dervish who utilized head movement and a high guard. He could get under a taller foes jab and rarely was he caught clean with a hook on the way inside. Ali fancied himself as a scientific fighter but he rarely moved his head in the ways of the sweet science and this caught up to him when he lost his legs. The “Rope a Dope” was a creation of necessity but when you think about it holding your hands up is a rudiment taught to boxers at 8 yrs. old. Ali rarely countered off of defense when Mike Tyson set up a lot of his offense based on a missed jab.

Score Tyson 10-9

Round Eleven: Determination

Ali won this round 10-9 but if I could score it 11-0 I would; Ali’s whole mystique was rooted in the very real feeling that he was somebody special. Background, grooming and foundation are important in this round. Ali was doted on and spoiled by two parents; Mike Tyson was abandoned. Ali was sure he was “The Greatest” and he pretty much manifested it with his in ring conduct. Mike Tyson was sure he was going to hurt you and once he failed to do so he had nothing to stand on. Some say that Tysons ring walk was the most intimidating spectacle in boxing History and to that I disagree. The most intimidating was seeing a 6’3 Adonis, head bowed and hands outstretched in acknowledgment of a higher power. Ali was a force of self-belief and wasn’t shy about how “big” he was, Mike Tyson was a guy who knew how vulnerable he was and when he was challenged he didn’t respond well.

Score Ali 10-9

 Round Twelve: Athleticism

Athleticism is and should be transferable, in other words can I see this Boxer doing something else at an elite level. Ali was graceful and fluid in movements with reflexes of a man half his size. And yet I can’t see Ali (even at 6’3) as a tight end or even a shooting guard in the NBA, maybe because there is an explosive quality lacking in his movements. Mike Tyson would have been a monstrous Middle Linebacker in the NFL in the mold of a Ray Lewis or Mike Singletary. Mike Tyson thrived on contact, hunting and locating the target and then blowing it up. Both men are in their natural element in the ring, but Ali would be shocked by how much more athletically gifted Tyson is than his contemporaries. Ali would be left to ponder what if Joe Frazier had comparable speed and quickness and the explosive velocity of a young George Foreman. 

Score Tyson 10-9

Round Thirteen: Level of Competition

Muhammad Ali fought in the deepest era of Heavyweights to ever grace the ring and could have more Hall of Famers on his resume than any champion ever. He started his career dethroning Sonny Liston and reclaimed the title by beating George Foreman; TWO of the greatest Heavyweights ever. Arguably Ali faced three men who are rated higher historically than Mike Tyson himself. With the proliferation of belts in the years since Ali retired men like Ernie Shavers and Jerry Quarry would have no doubt won fragments of the title had they been around in the late 80’s. Mike Tyson can’t control when he was born, but a large part of his legend was established against men who would not have been competitive in the 1970’s. Ali drops Tyson with a quick historical cross in this round, just like the one he landed on George Foreman in 1974.

Score Ali 10-8

Round Fourteen: Trainers D’Amato vs. Dundee

Cus D’ Amato did not want his fighter Floyd Patterson to face Sonny Liston back in 1962 because he knew what he saw. After Liston trounced Patterson twice the old man became obsessed with finding “his” version of Sonny Liston, Tyson he found it. Both D’Amato and Angelo Dundee have trained other champions but are forever linked to Tyson and Ali. This is round 14 so the question is how did each man impact their respective fighter? And how much of it is useful? Dundee was a calm hand but he never “taught” Ali anything, under duress however he was a quick thinker who gave the right instruction to suit the moment. Ali was basically self-motivated but Dundee was shrewd and fiercely loyal to the champ. When Ali was dropped by Henry Cooper Dundee made an incision in his glove and complained until they were replaced giving “Clay” time to clear his head. Cus D’ Amato was Dr. Frankenstein and he built Mike Tyson from the very first brick. He artificially transfused self-esteem into Mike and that gift alone would give him the support to deal with the psychological mismatch against Ali.

Score Tyson 10-9

 Round Fifteen: Ring IQ and Ability to Adjust

Don’t be naïve, some fighters are just smarter, just ask Juan Manuel Marquez. Muhammad Ali’s intelligence was often inflated by writers who loved him and held him up as a beacon of a generation. But in the ring being able to adjust is a product of IQ; so the fact that the “rope a dope” was neither a pre-fight plan nor a real tactic is irrelevant-the point is Ali was smart enough to know that Foreman knew how to cut off the ring immediately. Mike Tyson, when in his prime was extremely smart when it came to jabbing taller men and opening them up for multi-punch grenades once he had them pinned on the ropes. However, Mike Tyson was never synonymous with plan B because a lot of his IQ came from a system. All it took was a stiff jab and courage to derail him. If he were doing well early against Ali (believable) Ali would do something different, something Angelo Dundee would have to ask about after the round is over. If Ali were doing well early, Mike Tyson would either come stronger or fold, despite looking up to legends he studied on film he never inherited their tricks, just a bag-just bricks.

Score Ali 10-9

And the Winner is…….

Mike Tyson is beside himself hurling threats to Ali, Louis Farrakhan and anybody else who happens to be standing near “The Greatest”. Ali is shouting “I am the Greatest! I told you he was a bum!” to all of the assembled ringside observers. As one of the judges I scored the fight 143-141 in favor of Ali, Ali won 9 rounds to 6 and both men scored knockdowns in the categories of punching power (Tyson) and level of competition (Ali). Until the next Boxmetric Fantasy Boxing match-up, Keep your hands up and protect yourself at all times.

 

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 4: Full press conference highligh...

Juan Manuel Marquez: Of Perfection and Vengence

Is there ever such a thing as perfect revenge? Something that unfolds in such a way, it would make even the most hardened scenic reconsider Karma, Irony and fate. Boxing is hard enough without some of the things Marquez suffered through with Pacquiao, and Pacquiao though beneficiary was equally soiled by the crimes of judgment because the results delivered him quickly from the thing that made him so special-hunger. Rivalries are special because the revenge game is played by both parties; Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both knew what if felt like to be denied by one another and watching them fear losing to the other was special. Juan Manuel Marquez suffered something different, something more closely aligned to “identity theft” because he was never given the fulfillment of watching Pacquiao grieve. He didn’t have the proximity of say Antonio Tarver growing up in Florida and watching Roy Jones “become” something beyond human, but after Pacquiao’s victory in the second fight he had to feel left behind. Saturday Night before a partisan Mexican crowd Marquez carried the spirit of all of the men who had to wait for more celebrated rivals to deem them worthy; the spirits of men who chased down legacy thieves and made them pay. I opined that a Marquez victory may be “too little, too late” unless he finished Pacquiao and put him out of commission-a grisly prospect.

But how right am I today? Only obliteration could right the wrongs already suffered by Marquez.

Pacquiao with his smiling and gentle demeanor is known for sending men into retirement, so the only thing more powerful than victory was to send him for once into deep soul searching. Perfect Revenge leaves no room for retaliation, which is why Roy Jones never acted like he wanted to ever harm Tarver again despite a third fight. Perfection for Marquez was in the version of Pacquiao he destroyed, not the lackluster imposter who sleepwalked through the second half of his loss to Bradley. Pacquiao was rocking a bloodied Marquez and on his way to stopping him so there’s no dispute about just WHO the Mexican legend laid out face first with 2 seconds to go in the 5th round. Normal folks often allow things to fester and grow, and often we don’t have the outlet to express how wronged we were, and we certainly don’t get to settle scores in front of people who love us. Mexican fans were starting to wear the scars “with” Marquez because they had to begrudgingly accept what Pacquiao did to the likes of Barrera and De La Hoya. It is perfect for the lore of this Mexican era that the one who was ignored stayed around the longest and once and for all ended the dominance Pacquiao enjoyed over his countrymen. Maybe Marquez, who threw the right hand of his life had a little in his shoulder for the fans who didn’t love him as much-who now needed him to do for them what Antonio Margarito couldn’t. The cerebral accountant is no stranger to balancing accounts, so maybe vengeance included the obscurity he endured in the early 2000’s, the questioning of his career path and the only man who never left his side-Nacho Beristain.

Boxing is interesting in that no matter how much the political and business class does to try to stain it outside of the ring the men inside it always provide equilibrium. Boxing’s ecosystem allows for men like Marquez to sustain himself against all odds and be there in the end (at 39) ready to sort out whatever injustice he felt occurred.Tommy Hearns seemed to be measuring Ray Leonard for that right hand for 8 years, but Marquez was fortunate enough to get 2 actual measurements of his target. In fact last Saturday was the actual start of a real blood rivalry, before it was this hideous passion play about what can go wrong in Boxing. Now Pacquiao has to ponder revenge, hatred, and all of the emotions that Jimmy Kimmel and global celebrity have buried deep beneath the surface. For now Marquez can bask in perfect vengeance, the kind only he could envision because not one of you reading this could ever dream of seeing Pacquiao going down face first. We can make assumptions, and say things that make us sound smart but the only way we’ll understand what went down in there is to go deep into our own fantasies about revenge. Hopefully now we’ll understand the difference between men with real unfinished business and men who are simply trying to do some business. Manny Pacquiao fought like a man trying to exterminate an annoying pest, he had every intention of knocking Marquez out and delegitimizing him-but Marquez simply knew better. If Manny is healthy and chooses to fight Marquez again I for one would approve, because I’d rather see two slightly diminished fighters with real animosity sort out their differences than the manufactured ‘Beef” Promoters tend to serve us without shame all too often.

Will A Marquez Victory Be Too Little Too Late?

Have you ever tried to reunite with someone you had a relationship with early in life and learned that the person you finally “got back with” wasn’t nearly worth what they used to be? Loss is imminent and sometimes we lose things and people we think we deserved to keep-but that did little to keep the cruel claws of life’s scorecards from going against you. You learned to move on, rationalize, seethe with resentment and even improve upon the area’s you felt that person judged you to be inadequate in. That “time” when you were denied was singular and it will never be again and sometimes we have to learn we can’t go back. Years pile up and you change, that person who hurt you also goes through changes and so too will the circumstances and magic that once surrounded your connection. Boxing is like that, and with time and punishment placing just above natural growth two fighters can find themselves at the mercy of all manner of factors beyond their control. Like a dish sensitive to time in the oven some fights can come about too soon or way too late, and rematches like movie sequels are prone to the burden of the previous installments. When something goes wrong, when a judgment is dishonorable lives are affected and the victimized gladiator may have to endure thousands of punches just to get himself back to that pedestal again. How many punches did Juan Manuel Marquez absorb since last November when he was given the wrong end of the decision AGAIN against Manny Pacquiao and what will it mean for him to defeat a clearly diminished version of the Filipino icon tonight?.

Bernard Hopkins “should’ have fought Roy Jones 4 times, but he and “Mr. Untouchable” took turns being afraid of one another until it just didn’t matter anymore. Finally, like a mugger he waited for an elderly, cash strapped Jones to walk down the street and assaulted what was left of him-“Philly style”. Notoriously psychological Hopkins celebrated like the nerd who finally got the chance to fire the guy who used to be the “Big Man on Campus” despite them both being at a crappy job. Muhammad Ali finally put a whooping on Joe Frazier in Manila, and it nearly killed him- what will it do to Juan Manuel Marquez? Who clearly has to knock Pacquiao out tonight. The rules of the game have clearly changed and the Scientific Boxer at 39 is being forced to come at the puncher and fight the only fight that can make Pacquiao look like himself again-how unfair is that?. Skills age like fine wine, and pressure fighters erode like NFL Running Backs but if you stand in front of Pacquiao he won’t have to be that same hungry kid to put Marquez on his ass again. As a historian I look very unfavorably at the results of fights between old men, because I believe what occurred closest to the prime that God and not GNC afforded us is actually the truth. Juan Manuel Marquez may disagree, but I just believe that 2004 and 2008 gave us a more vivid view on what he and Pacquiao do together, and whatever occurs tonight is ceremonial. If it were not, there would not have been such an unprecedented integration with CNN, ESPN and any other outlet Top Rank can reach to convince the unsophisticated something special is occurring. Now don’t get me wrong two Hall of Famers who want to sort out their rivalry is special, I just believe many of us in the know would rather see Marquez tested by Danny Garcia while Pacquiao and Mayweather finally get it on. If Marquez were to finally vanquish a foe it would merely be a confirmation of what many were starting to feel about Pacquiao-like Antonio Tarver before him Marquez wants to be the one to claim “If he was shot, I’m the one who shot him”. Mexican fans may rejoice tonight but getting that girl back in your bed 20lbs. and a couple of kids later isn’t the same as keeping her when she was the hottest girl you’d ever seen. I just wonder if the last two installments of this fight were merely vehicles used by Top Rank to ensure Mayweather/Pacquiao Gridlock continued, a high pressed diversionary tactic to keep you and I believing the Sport is doing enough to validate our addiction.

 Marquez and Nacho Beristain are probably not aware of the speeches of Malcolm X but I’m sure they could relate to this analogy. When criticizing the philosophy of religious based nonviolence and incremental change Malcolm charged: “they want you to pray, be passive and have faith in something off in the distant future, I want my freedom right now!” A decision tonight will never redeem what Marquez should have been given in 2008 because of who Manny “became” off of this victory, a global icon with a country he can actually call a possession or a trinket. The only reason to buy this thing is the one “honest” factor Top Rank is selling; a KO, somebody has to go tonight to eliminate the shadow hovering over both legacies. Pacquiao has to put him down and keep him down-Marquez may have to make sure this is the last time we lay eyes on Pacquiao, because victory is not enough. I can’t think of any other way for either man to be OK after tonight, no other way you can look at your cable bill in January (while assessing the bigger chunk taken out of your check) and be OK with it. A wise man once told me Revenge is rarely necessary but when you deem it so it’s best that it is thorough and absolute with no room for retaliation-if it isn’t complete then walk away. We’ll see tonight just how much both men want complete vengeance, the kind that leaves no doubt about who the superior man is-the kind that unfortunately changes lives as it did with Ali and Frazier. I wish there was another way for Marquez to be avenged, but he’s too old and it’s too late in the game for any other way- if his hand is raised and Pacquiao is not laid out on the canvas it will be too little, too late.

Miguel Cotto; Boxings Responsible Adult

 

Boxing is a pyramid scheme; and I say that with the utmost affection with tongue firmly in cheek. If you’ve followed long enough the money flows right up to a tiny little capstone populated by few Promotional entities, a handful of fighters and trainers and about two networks- and those who enter that top floor do not want to leave. That institutional force resembles chaos but trust me it isn’t; it is an illusion meant to render consumers numb-too numb to do anything constructive enough to force the powerful to organize a rational structure. Fighters are no longer evaluated on who they engage and the willingness to engage, they are now Marketed based on the digit in the right hand column and how it looks to the uninformed. Challenges are no longer essential to building mystique and value on the marketplace, the longer you avoid them the more likely you can catch a foe “slipping”, making it easy to profit from his still relevant name. It’s a modern rite of passage practiced by all the Big Names, but it can become a general business practice once people grow comfortable with guaranteed income in a sport so unpredictable. Rarely can a “name” fighter come of age in an environment like this one with Boxing’s Top fighters and Top Firms practicing the “risk/reward” model of doing business- and build a brand rooted in “taking on all comers”. In fact, in a vacuum it would seem that a fighter could never fight tough fights, and lose some of them while simultaneously working in good faith with Business Parties hell-bent on bringing the wheels of Boxing to an arduous grind .It would take a special individual to swim these waters without getting dirty, a rare gentleman to navigate with sharks, get his money while keeping his integrity as a man intact. Miguel Cotto is such a man, and when he is done nobody will say a word about what he did or did not do which is more than we can say about his so called superiors.

Every Family no matter how dysfunctional is capable of producing at least one person who is balanced and mature-capable of transcending his environment. As the oldest my mother begged me to be bigger than my idiosyncrasies; but not every person is made up to be the “mature one” birthdates be damned. Watching Miguel Cotto parlay his surprising performance against Floyd Mayweather into an unnecessary challenge of little known WBA Champ Austin Trout was vintage Cotto because it was the right thing to do. The “Boricua Garden” would have turned out for any “set up” en route to a 2013 Blockbuster with Canelo Alvarez but Cotto chose a tall, long southpaw who deserved the platform-in a right and just world. But Boxing isn’t a right and just world, unless you’ve followed Miguel Cotto’s noble career, so when you see him again just remember he’s everything you want from the sport. “He fought everybody” is a dated phrase (and complement) unable to generate Twitter followers and modern celebrity; in fact the phrase belongs in boisterous barber shops and on the tongues of crusty old men in fedora’s. There are no extra credit points for being the “grown up” in the room, the man who could accommodate Mayweathers one way PED testing protocol and Pacquiao insistence you cut off a leg, only respect. Randall Bailey is still scaring the hell out of prime Welterweights at 39; Cotto beat him when he was closer to the rep that compelled Devon Alexander to stink out the joint in Brooklyn. Cotto beat Mosley when he was still “Mosley”, Quintana when he was still dangerous and Clottey before he went mysteriously passive against Manny Pacquiao-he got everybody’s best shot even when the shot was loaded. Everybody knows he was victimized by an “in house promotion” against Antonio Margarito; he could have blown the lid off of Boxing with what he knew but he chose to say it in Margarito’s face before kicking his ass. Even 50 Cent was disinclined to have a “Twitfit” when Cotto rebuffed his advances over the summer; deep down Curtis knew he was dealing with a grown assed man above everything he and his ex-buddy were “bringing” to Boxing. Miguel Cotto didn’t need anything but his well-earned reputation for a Cinco De Mayo clash with Alvarez but like most grownups he couldn’t stand the idea of showing up underdressed. What Cotto proved last Saturday is that there’s a way to go about this with class and real competitiveness, that you can stay on the Big Stage if your brand is associated with giving the people what they want-something Cotto can never be accused of not doing.

The Case for Cotto vs. Alvarez

Shane Mosley could be said to have practiced a similar model throughout the prosperous part of his career, but you could also say he cut competitive corners to make himself feel better about clashing with bigger men. Fernando Vargas was a case of too much too soon, of wanting to fight everybody Right Now before you were at the utmost peak of your powers. Cotto could stand the wars he eventually saw because he was already 6 years into his Hall of Fame career; he even knew what it was like to get off the canvas vs. Ricardo Torres and the experience was golden for the young fighter. Mosley’s willingness to fight nightmare matchup’s like Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest basically contributed to the available pool of name fighters networks could choose from. Both Wright and Forrest went on to more big paydays and carved out careers rooted in Mosley and Vargas’s (in the case of Wright) willingness to take them on. Austin Trout will be alright, his eye opening performance will get him back in front of the little red light real soon because Showtime has a way of maximizing the exposure of a fighter that helped them break ratings records. Cotto is a natural matchup for Alvarez in more ways than one can consider and when you stack them up they stand taller than Austin Trout’s 5’10. The truth is Alvarez if he gets past Cotto is a bigger fish (for Trout) than if Trout was given first shot at the Mexican. Fans are sophisticated, and we know if you add Cotto to an aggressive guy like Alvarez you can’t miss when it comes to satiating the taste for back and forth action.

 Cotto took the responsible route in facing Trout, something vital for the sport to replenish itself from one generation to the next; I see no problem with him coming back in May to attend to PPV duties. Even Freddie Roach, a “master” at picking opponents that allowed Pacquiao built in advantages admitted that Cotto “chose the wrong guy” in Austin Trout. That statement alone should make you realize how special the Puerto Rican banger is because a lot of times “wrong” is merely code for honorable; and there’s a shortage of “honor” in the luxury penthouses of Boxing. Alvarez is looking for the Mayweather Fight but they won’t be able to link up until September, and he’s young enough to bounce back in the event that he defeats Cotto. He could do no better than the former WBA Jr. Middleweight Champion and we all know Cotto (after consecutive losses) will show up and represent himself to the fullest. This isn’t a slight on Austin Trout or encouragement to shut him out but a call for Boxing to continue to reward a man who went about it in a way that we don’t have the power to legislate in the sport. Trout will get his chances because of men like Cotto, and hopefully in a couple of years he is strong enough as a man to give others an opportunity. Success in anything is not going to improve you in the “fairness” department and we’ve been victims of the two most successful promotional firms and fighters for year’s now-Miguel Cotto always symbolized a reprieve from the burden of being a fight fan because his selection of opponants always made sense. Boxing "is" that dysfunctional Family I spoke of earlier and Miguel Cotto is a part of it while not becoming a product of it, and that is why we can trust him on May 5th. We can ill afford to make him start from square one, punishing him for doing what we want all fighters to do-in fact we should never stand by and allow guys like Cotto to be sent out to pasture too soon because it sends the wrong message. The right message is the one he projects: fight everybody, make deals quickly and with integrity and give the people what they want- and I for one want to see Cotto go out the "right" way.

Camacho; They grow beautiful and wild in Boxings Garden

Stanley Ketchell was slain by an enraged Husband avenging his unfaithful wife; and everything the "Michigan Windmill" did up until then led to that fateful moment-he was wild but accurate. Back then Boxing was filled with hard drinking “Sporting” men that included Jack Johnson; barbaric by today’s standards the Sweet Science was a haven for men who would otherwise be jailed for any myriad of Social Trespasses, and that went for writers too. The sport of Boxing is inherently natural (fight or flight) and illogical in many ways and the men who take it on as vocation are often unbalanced as a rule; how else does one decide to do this for a living? Would any of us who love to follow and examine the Cruel Game do what Andre Berto and Robert Gurrero did a couple of Saturdays ago for money? If so would it not be those of us who have never been considered the well-adjusted of our peers? Violence outside of the Ring with Fighters is not an anomaly, because with many Fighters violence was there before they laced them up and will be waiting like a long lost love when they are through.

 Whether it be in the violent environment they’ve come from like Alexis Arguello or the Horse Power in hobbies that limit all probability of safety as in the case of Diego Corrales-danger is always near. Violent circumstances and backgrounds are the places we traffic in, where Boxing can best reap their harvest of young men who may not transition well in any other situation but combat. Once they can no longer do it for pay they enter another fight to remain “The Champ” emotionally-and they rarely win. Johnny Tapia “had” to be a fighter given all he’d seen, and even then he could not defeat the pain and anguish that defined his life. Mike Tyson was of no social use to the “polite society” that had overseen the literal and moral divestment of Black and Latin New York in the 70’s, he was where he was “supposed to be” until he balled up his fists. Like Sonny Liston he represented the monster behind each corner of neighborhoods long evacuated by the establishment, facing them in their prime was like making that wrong turn you never come back from. What Arturo Gatti and now Ricky Hatton grapple with is the burden of the gladiatorial; when life slows down and presents you with demons you can’t simply put your fist through. Rebellious streaks are inherent in the best fighters; the behavior that might repel in other environments is encouraged in Boxing because this work environment is in no way a reflection of what “normal” people do. Our History is filled with men like Battling Siki who for a brief window was feted for his extreme behavior and wound up dead in an Alley-but unlike Football there is no legal threat forcing the sport to acknowledge their humanity. It is stark contrast between “haves and have nots” to consider the blows a fighter takes to the head vs. other contact sports, Football Players with post career issues are “impaired” by way of their Sports superior Corporate Infrastructure while Boxers are merely considered “Crazy”.

The Rebels among us revel in “still being crazy after all these years”; but those of us who love them are the ones who suffer the numbing finality that comes with an early grave.

 Aretha Franklin sang about roses growing up through concrete in Spanish Harlem, Hector Camacho was in many ways one of those “roses”. A former Car thief (they didn’t say jacking back in the day) Camacho for me filled that void of flash and speed when Sugar Ray Leonard grappled with a detached retina and retirement. Camacho, if he was anything was colorful but he was too young (and small) for the Fab Four era of the 1980’s and too old for the Welterweight wave in the late 1990’s. He was a New York sensation years before Mark Breland was hailed as the next Tommy Hearns and he was every bit as obnoxious and polarizing as Floyd Mayweather. Like many great characters in Boxing Camacho was a thrill seeking missile outside of the ring, those who knew him back in the early days just sort of accepted the reckless path as it was well charted and worn by Stanley Ketchel long ago. Camacho was as garish and carefree as the 1980’s allowed, the women, the gold, and the leather gear that symbolized ghetto fabulous in the jheri curl era was all wrapped up into one Puerto Rican lightweight- and that was pre ring walk. When you heard the Macho Time chant back then you knew what you were in for, a show; from a man moving faster through life than he did confined to a Boxing ring. Boxing isn’t a place of personal reform, as our sport Is often the criminal stepson of all the major sports-the one always brought in to a line-up when it’s time to rave about what’s wrong with competitive men as spectacle. Camacho only become more of what he was when he graced us with his charisma and talent, more insatiable, more stubborn and rebellious-the way most champions are when they shine. He fit right in with the Ali’s and Robinsons, men of arrogance and profound compartmentalization, and like them he talked openly about the highs and lows of whipping back into shape after living too hard. Had he been younger he’d have been right there with Oscar De La Hoya, going hard and making weight not as an act of professionalism but insolence.

Last week his wake was typically "Macho", women brawled for the distinction of calling themselves his “lady” and it all overshadowed “him”. His flashy style often screamed over the whispers of his prodigious Boxing IQ, his bluster and braggadocio often shielded him from recognition as a truly gifted pugilist- Camacho’s exit felt like the funny guy you knew leaving a job and your realization that he was actually shy. Wild Men just sort of float through Boxing camouflaged in this way, and when they are gone all we are left with is the record, in Camacho’s case 79-6-3. You have to be just a little Crazy to step inside the ring, and maybe crazier to be at home there in an environment that is clearly destabilizing. But that is what Boxing allows-to either defeat Demons or be the Demon, either way fighters like Camacho will continue to push through our recollections and penal systems. In the landscape of Boxing wildflowers are encouraged to grow unencumbered, and in this Garden they wouldn’t be as beautiful any other way.

 R.I.P Hector “Macho” Camacho

Austin Trout vs Miguel Cotto Post Fight Press Conference Highlights

Andre Berto: The Gatekeeper is Always Last to Know

Back in 2008 Andre Berto burst on the scene winning in electrifying fashion vs. Miguel Angel Rodriguez and he was awarded a “Vacant” WBC welterweight strap. At the time the belt was worthless because Berto was widely recognized as a second tier champion, not by lack of talent but by his relative youth. Whispers about his style were only heard on podcast like “The Boxing Truth” and if you view Boxing from a cynical (see racial) point of view it would have been easy to dismiss the criticisms as sour grapes from Mexican journalists- but I didn’t.

 

 Early in his career the explosive athlete seemed to perfect jumping in with one, maybe two punches at a time and quickly locking up opponents in a way that hinted at his eclectic combat sports background. Purely reflexive, with a Martial Arts stance that left him wide open for anyone who could survive his athletic gifts? He also seemed to not be as slick as he would have to be for a welterweight who appeared to be a “generous” 5’8. Nevertheless Berto was connected to the Haymon Machine that appeared to feed HBO and Showtime with talent, a virtual monopoly in the sport if there ever was one. We would just sit back and accept Berto as a sort of “kiddie champion” in training wheels to be fed when his food is chopped up just so. In 2009 Louis Collazo, a casualty of “The Game” showed that Berto can be taken by a skilled technician-the fight also showed that Berto is the Real Deal in the heart department-a blessing and a curse. His response to extreme resistance was adequate enough to see him as a future player, but the performance also put him a little too close to being beaten by someone who isn’t. Shane Mosley was a perfect stepping stone for Berto, he could “out Shane” Shane and position himself for bigger purses and a possible showdown with the man the sport isn’t cranking out enough credible opponents for- Floyd Mayweather. The January 2010 unification bout would have given him at least something to say when the Money Team considered what crumbs to throw him, because we all know Floyd loves belts, it would all be “in house” and it all made sense. And then Hurricane "Tomas" happened, and it challenged the young Champion in ways Boxing will never be able to, against career considerations Berto flew to Haiti and nobody could ever blame him.

 

In April 2010 Berto came back and obliterated Carlos Quintana in a performance that now looks suspicious considering what happened in the near future. Victor Ortiz was supposed to be a “nice little tune” up for a Mayweather bout in late 2011, but the kid showed up bearded and looking like an NFL linebacker- they went life and death in the kind of fight that changes the loser physically and mentally. Ortiz was supposed to show up and quit under Berto’s physical skills and heart, but he stole the show while adding to Berto’s odometer. Steroid accusations flew both ways but after a clean Ortiz went “roid rage” vs. Mayweather the two “kiddie Champs” needed one another again. Punishment is something you never forget, and in an ironic turn Berto-the sore loser who accused Ortiz of using PED’s got popped for Nandrolone in the build up to their rematch. Victor Conte was standing near the car crash, but the reformed inmate is a new man with adherence to VADA so Berto was left to the wolves (that would be people like me) on this one. That rematch could have propelled Berto back into the discussion of heir apparent, or at least next guy up-instead he was the guy who made Ortiz a “24/7” Co Star. Instead of HBO highlighting the good works he did for his people in Haiti after the Hurricane it was Victor Ortiz and the ambiguity surrounding his alleged abandonment.

 

The Guerrero opportunity looked the same way Ortiz looked from a distance minus the quitting; smaller guy coming up, legitimate enough as a name to keep Berto moving in the right direction –or so you would think. Gatekeepers aren’t exactly in on the distinction in the beginning, in fact there are people who see something in them long before we see it, and they’ve perfected the art of knowing just when and whom they can match him against. Guerrero and Berto went in the Citizens Bank Arena ring last Saturday with empty report cards, Berto graded high in what you knew he would and Guerrero came up aces in area’s we didn’t know he could at 147 lbs. Gatekeepers are entertainingly predictable, you knew Berto would be dangerous and gutsy, and his murderous uppercuts in the middle to late rounds came as no surprise because he was marked and feted accurately by Guerrero’s team. The Ghost knew he could drag Berto into a dogfight, he also knew that Berto wasn’t elite enough to dictate it nor abandon it on his own terms- a flaw seen in Shane Mosley throughout his decorated career. After suffering knockdowns in the first two rounds Berto was back in a FOY Candidate which can’t be advantageous for the more talented fighter. Afterwards he showed little grace in defeat, the fight was filled with Fritzie Zivic manners that somehow drove Berto to actually initiate the first on screen post fight debate-only reinforcing his growing rep as a sore loser.

 

My theory is this, Berto was starting to realize the pattern that was taking place and at his relative youth (29) wanted to fight it as it was starting to set in. Will Danny Garcia come calling next, seeing Berto as a perfect access pass into the Money division? will every young guy looking to get near the "real" Haymon client come looking for Berto?. 2013 is a soul searching year for the once promising Olympian and he’s going to have to beat down the next guy trying to get to Mayweather through him for fear of being a chauffeur. If not he will fade back into a role that men even more accomplished than him have fallen into, the talented “Gatekeeper”-Watch guard of the Throne- there to test the mettle of the future elite while falling just a minuscule short of being elite themselves.

And this can’t be what Andre Berto had in mind when he started his promising career.

Athlete Led Collusion: The Only way to Attack NCAA Minority Hiring Practices

 

Malcolm X was more than just a great orator, he had a unique genius in being able to make the complex unfold plainly-he spoke to the layman in all of us. In 1963 when riffing his disdain for the “March on Washington” Malcolm illustrated a scenario whereby the leading Pastors were losing influence in our community through bickering that left a void filled by more aggressive grassroots demonstrations. This localized, more radical "grassroots" movement was more threatening to the powers that be-so they quickly summoned the now legendary “Big 6” and colluded to underwrite (and thereby control) the March on Washington and by Proxy “The Civil Rights Movement”. The Rights African Americans enjoyed immediately after the Civil War were more broad and enforceable than the virtual slavery we lived under in the 1930’s- how did the future become more bleak than the past?, a backroom deal between Northern Business and Southern Democrats that’s how. The SEC Football Conference, a defacto Semi Pro League is fun for you to watch but it took Bear Bryant and John McKay going through emissaries to secretly negotiate an Alabama home game vs. USC to make a racist fan base see what a dead end future racism guaranteed- and this was 1970!. In my own life I’ve grown up in a state (Illinois) that produced more Pro’s than people even know (Anthony Davis) about because black Chicago Public League Coaches have colluded to make sure the University of Illinois knew how they felt about their “practices”. Collusion is nothing new, it’s merely a way of charting your course by unofficial means and this country was built on it. The only time Authoritarian Collusion in Sports is thrown off is when labor (talent or in the NCAA’s case mules) utilizes the same tactic to make a political point, or simply to play for a team with cool uniforms.



My favorite Illinois Team was the 1989 Final Four Team that should have been led by Ben Wilson; he was the leader in player led collusion to go against the Boycott and stay home. After that crop moved on to the NBA there was never again another homegrown wave again, which is why I hate all so called College Basketball Powers. Collusion was afoot when LeBron James decided in 2008 to leave Cleveland for Miami-yeah that’s right 2008; it didn’t “just” happen which is why Dan Gilbert who probably colludes daily lost his shit. During the NBA “Lockout” Gilbert then recruited his own conspiratorial pack (starring Air Jordan himself) of small market owners and colluded to make sure that player led Collusions would be financially impossible for large market teams to finance. Boycotts aren’t as effective as collusions, they are merely spectacles that evoke awareness, but they are ultimately ended by a handful of people in a secret location-the proverbial “smoke filled room” in the back. Like unofficial biographies they aren’t bound by the same rules of engagement, that’s why they are ultimately more damaging to the subject and more entertaining to readers. In the case of College Football’s shameful minority hiring practices I believe the first thing anybody seeking change should understand is Alumni have shown a history of gloves off tactics and should be dealt with realistically.



Colorado Coach Jon Embry was just fired and with the backing of former Colorado Coach/Mentor Bill McCartney accused the institution of racial bias. I don’t have to get too deep into the NCAA’s record, I’ll let it be your homework for this article, just know that Brotha’s don’t get any second chances to screw up. The Washington State Coach Mike Leach is on his second tour of abusing players verbally and psychologically, when his torture chamber is located he’ll get fired and rehired by 2015-because he’s a “Good Ole Boy”. The NCAA and a majority of Football Factories profit from the indentured servitude of a workforce that is primarily Black. The schools who recruit their coaching talent from an old boy network of people they feel “comfortable” with have no problem trafficking in the worst black neighborhoods in the country because the mules are free-Coaches you pay on the record. The NCAA is loose on concussions, players hit more during the week than Pro’s and a Coach can rescind a Scholarship without fear of an appeal process or disciplinary action for unfair dismissal. What Power does a player have? He’s trying to get out of the circumstances he’s in so why bother with the fact that there are no men of color leading him? Rob Parker argues that the parents should take charge and enact a Boycott and vigorously examine Universities and their minority hiring practices but I don’t agree with this plan of action. Remember Boycotts are trying to lead to Collusion, and a lot of the parents of 5 Star WR’s aren’t available for such organization-they’re simply trying to survive until their sons get drafted. This is the Social Media, Technology age, every 5 star Athlete can find out what Schools are doing in their hiring practices with the click of a mouse. All of the kids are connected anyway through Travel Teams, Camps and 7 on 7 Leagues, it would be laughably easy to put the finger on a handful of schools and go elsewhere-without warning. It wouldn’t have to affect them at all, just migrate towards BCS schools that have shown a willingness to hire capable minority coaches and let it be known that you liked that about the institution-no 5 star kids should take themselves off the map by going to an irrelevant Conference. It took ONE Game to desegregate the SEC, TWO RECRUITING (in honor of the lousy 2 years Jon Embry was given) CLASSES could reform the hiring practices of Football Factories immediately. Two recruiting classes could tilt the balance of power in NCAA Football for 5 years, that’s like an eternity to institutions used to having their pick of unpaid labor. Alumni who put their money towards keeping Brotha’s from even interviewing at “Old State U” will be begging the NCAA to put their version of a Rooney Rule in Place-and the kids who prompted the change will not only be Pro Athletes but revolutionaries. Boosters will find it in their schedule to have dinner with talented men they had no incentive to “know” until 18 year old kids decided to use their IPhones to give them one. Sometimes it takes unofficial action to prompt the powerful to make official concessions and changes; in fact unofficial action is enough to sink a whole program…just ask Penn State.

Mississippi Goddamn

 Speaking of Big-time College Football, is it me or did the Ole Miss Election Night Demonstration get buried? My Southern friends from "down thur" all talked about it for a while and guess what they told me? This shit aint over. Ole Miss was an also-ran in the SEC, the proud recipients of the crumbs that fall from the Alabama/Florida/LSU table-they are more vulnerable to player led collusion than any school in the SEC. This will however be a story in the coming years because I predict Ole Miss will get moved along due to Div. level talent and results-Florida State will fit nicely in their spot before this so called “Obamanation” is over. They are out of their minds if they don’t think young football players down south aren’t talking about what happened and their probably going to have to get ahead of this thing in a way that might turn Confederate soldiers over in their graves…Or Perish as a Football Program. That it could even happen at a School that clung to the Confederate Flag and threw a tantrum when asked to change their sickening mascot is no surprise-but it is stupid. Big Time Football is played hard on and off the field; and the time has come for “Ole Miss” to choose: Do they want allegiance to the rednecks in the dorms that produce no revenue or the black athletes who pay for everything.

Robert Guerrero "I see myself fighting Floyd Mayweather next" talks Andr...

Vídeo Entrenamiento Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Márquez

Adrien Broner has a "Problem" with Branding

Remember “Frobe” Bryant? That fresh faced kid who came into the NBA hell-bent on letting the world know he was the next Michael Jordan. Well, eventually he became the closest thing we’ve ever seen to MJ but when he first arrived on the scene there was something unseemly about him-and that “something” was everything. The way he walked, the way he talked (Jordan’s tone, tenor and cliches) and about 99% of his game seemed so pandering and cheesy-so much so that we didn’t want to admit he was one hell of a basketball player. It was too soon, Jordan wasn’t yet among the Gods, he was still among us and we hated Kobe’s “first impression” so much it took adversity and 5 Championships to force us to appreciate him. Success can be broken down to a formula, but transcendent people are almost always damned near impossible to replace-especially in Boxing. Larry Holmes tried to recite poems and it only made us hate him more, he only turned out to be one of the greatest heavyweights that ever lived. Because of Tyson every stocky fighter wore the black trunks and mid-level old time boxing shoes for about 10 years and it only highlighted just how far removed the Bert Coopers of the world were from being “Iron Mike”. Remember Panchito Bojado? Who was Victor Ortiz before Ortiz? both fighters were branded as New Age Golden Boys and both proved just how elusive Gold is to find. Branding isn’t easy’ in fact there’s a science to it and many public figures fall through the cracks if they aren’t careful about what it is they want to project. Trying to piggyback off of an established brand is even harder, especially when that brand is an enigmatic combination of skill and polarization that we’ve seen in the Floyd Mayweather phenomenon. Last weekend Adrien Broner made his first statement as a legitimate “Problem” for elite fighters in the Lightweight division but his Branding hinted at a not so interesting facsimile of his predecessor despite possibly having a superior product.

 Boxing is simple, if you’re willing to Be Aggressive there’s no need for clowning
When Floyd Mayweather destroyed Diego Corrales (RIP) all those years ago it hinted at a career that would rival Sugar Ray Leonard’s, by 2006 due to brittle hands he was considered more on par with Pernell Whitaker (no insult). Adrien Broner looks like Mayweather if you’re squinting but his willingness to take a wide stance and fight Antonio Demarco makes him a different brand, a product that can sell itself in Boxing- a Boxer/Puncher. Marketing in all industries is a game of likeness but every black fighter with a shoulder roll defense and good speed need not marry themselves to being a jerk, besides if it “so happens” that Broner is a jerk we’ll make room for him if he can hurt opponents. Floyd Mayweather “happened” in a vacuum and just because it translated for him will not guarantee it for Broner, especially when there may not be a landscape filled with likable draws (Gatti, DLH, Hatton) to make that “act” successful. Broner is a self-professed “Class Clown” but not everyone is amused by his humor; his Baby’s Mama may be used to fake proposals but it played as crass and negatively stereotypical garbage in front of HBO cameras. Humor is a Science, a lot of fighters are funny but none of them promise to deliver humor in their appearances. Funny things happen all the time in post-fight interviews but when you come off as panned and rehearsed it won’t register. Coincidentally last week Eddie Murphy (the Muhammad Ali of Comedy) was honored by a generation of the best comedians of the last 20 yrs., men like Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Adam Sandler. All of Eddies progeny were naturally funny when talking about Eddie but when practically begged to “do his thing” Eddie demurred; because being funny is serious business and he hadn’t been in the lion’s den in years. Adrien Broner can easily be mistaken as a Classless Clown and a Mayweather Wannabe, something he’s too talented to subject himself to. Floyd Mayweather didn’t have Al Haymon and the Golden Boy machine behind him at Adrien’s age; a lot of his venom and emphasis on Money comes from bitterness regarding Arums unwillingness to see him as a PPV star. When you can punch like the Cincinnati native it’s OK and preferred that what you do in that ring is more important than post fight hair brushing-the late Emmanuel Steward said as much. The great ones have a way of micro managing but keeping priorities intact; once Broner learns how to balance what he does with who he is he’ll be fine. LeBron James was clearly gifted enough to win Championships but his early career was about Branding, while Jordan the game’s biggest “brand” was clearly in the “ass kicking business” first and foremost -and you could tell.

 The Time to differentiate the Problem from “Money” is now

When Mayweather called out De La Hoya his own Daddy said he was too small, but “Lil Floyd” knew that he walked around at 150 lbs. and proved himself actually stronger than Oscar. Broner is 5’7 with a 71’ reach and there’s nothing for him to do at 135 lbs. that wouldn’t offend HBO subscribers and fans. Amir Khan is going to be a paradox for as long as he continues to fight, whether GBP would risk him to get Broner going is a company question-but I would do it in a heartbeat because it could give them an asset going forward. No offense to Danny Garcia but if Broner chose to be the 140 lb. Champion by Spring in front of a rabid Puerto Rican fan base in Brooklyn it wouldn’t be hard. The Real “Man” in that Division, Marquez is going against Pacquiao and win or lose wouldn’t be blamed if he conceded the actual recognition to a 23 year old Lion like Broner-but if he wants to face The Problem, no Problem. Where does that leave Broner?, who by next year can easily be in or around a Division where Historically a lot of Financial Dreams have come true-can he resist speaking the name we all say to ourselves when we watch him fight? Could someone of Devon Alexanders proven passivity keep Broner off of him? Is it prudent to be so willing to share branding similarity with a legend you may be the only one equipped to defeat? That scale is a seducer in many ways and ultimately it can make friends hit friends and protégés beat the hell out of aging mentors. If Mayweather is getting caught going backwards (no legs) by a 67’ reach in Cotto can he deal with a mirror image packing thudding power at age 36? Really? Adrien Broner should do everything in his power to keep the focus on different aspects of his personality, because if he ever collided with Floyd the first thing out of the legends mouth will shed light on what we’re seeing now. When MJ faced Kobe in 98’ he still had enough psychological leverage to make the younger, superior athlete look like an amateur. Psychological leverage is paramount in a sport like Boxing, just ask Mike Tyson. Reminding us of someone in the ring is often inescapable because every fighter is influenced by someone, but De La Hoya is doing Broner no favors by hammering that point home in the media. When you’re as talented as Broner things happen very soon, one minute your mimicking an idol and the next Al Haymon is asking you what your price is-it can happen that quickly. The time is now for Broner to rethink his brand and project something that will contrast enough with Floyd to capture our imagination because we all know that is a huge part of selling a fight. Mayweather is a "Big Brother" to Broner but if he is still the preeiminant face of Boxing in early 2014 (Totally conceivable) the relationship will be tested purely based on economic survival. If not, Broner can find himself a mere standout in a land of young black fighters doing their best Floyd Mayweather imitation and that would be a shame.

In fact it would be a problem.