24/7 First Look: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Camp

ALLAN PINKETT WAS RIGHT!! KINDA

I refused to believe that when Allen Pinkett made the statement about the Fighting Irish needed more "Bad Citizens" he specifically meant seeking out convicts. Yes there was the clunky attempt at humor when he mentioned the sirens but he was merely touching on an uncomfortable truth-football is best played by aggressive young men who sometimes get in trouble. This isn't the 1940's, the Irish no longer have a monopoly on any young stud they want and the Black Athlete from down south (post integration) is staying home. The game is faster and more violent and honestly requires a little more crazy to play at a high level, risk taking, and thrill seekers are a lot more prevalent than in previous decades. Now, Allen Pinkett an Alumni and media representative is not the person to comment on the change but ND was a first hand witness (late 80's and 90's) to Florida, Miami and Florida State's ascension to College Football Royalty. All three schools did it with students like Tim Tebow, Warrick Dunn and Charlie Ward who would make any School proud and a long leash for the "citizens" who added a little spice to the mix. There are "standards" and there are messages that suggest an institution wouldn't be open to working with a kid who may actually need WORK. There are plenty of Police siren threats who attended the above mentioned Schools during their dominant reign who owe their whole lives to the patience of men like Bobby Bowden. Many of them turned into fine young family men despite NEVER being anything near the kind of student athlete required by Notre Dame. I would like to think Pinkett really meant that his Alma Mater should take a chance every now and then, extend the great support system and institutional excellence to a Football Player who they can truly benefit. A lot of the players they recruit now are going to be successful anyway based on solid foundations, so how exceptional are they in reality?. I mean we are talking about Boys, and we are talking about a Catholic Institution, wheres the tolerance and outreach?. Are they going to sit by and allow themselves to be defined by an inability to deal with the "diversity of circumstances" in 2012 or will the Irish Fight?. You can remove Pinkett from your Broadcast but you cant change the fact that your School is a tough sell to the kind of tough kids needed to compete.



Brandon Rios "Critics come and open their stupid mouths and say stupid s...

Showtime Boxing - Josesito Lopez Interview: The Modern Day Rocky

Don't be surprised if Josesito Lopez handles Canelo Alvarez on September 15th. Size matters but not the kind of bulk Alvarez is carrying into the bout, the length (5'10) is what made Lopez competitive with Ortiz and it can be a factor again. A coach once told me (a shorty on the hoop team) a long time ago, "you can be short but damnit you better be special" and by that he meant explosive like a Manny Pacquiao, Barry Sanders or Nate Robinson. Canelo Alvarez is simply very good, but he isnt special, and if he were Golden Boy would have put him in with Alfredo Angulo or James Kirkland (instead of alienating and then losing the Texan) or done better than the intellectual laziness of dressing Lopez up as "Rocky". He's not that much of an underdog and the stare down between the two reminds of me of Liston-Clay when Angelo Dundee realized he had the "bigger guy".The weight, if added correctly on Lopez's more advantageous frame may be to his advantage and give him more power than he brought in vs. Ortiz. I like his chances because I've never bought into Alvarez, and i don't buy the Rocky bullshit on Lopez. Lopez was by no means a club fighter, yeah he was a "set up" for Ortiz but it's not like he had one foot in pro Boxing and the other in some miserable job. Lopez was propelled to the set up bout due to his performance on a PPV under card, a highway robbery that showed the Chicagoan to be a tough pro but not a spoiler for the likes of Ortiz. In fact, had Ortiz continued broken jaw and all he might of stopped Lopez who had still given a good enough accounting of himself for future paydays. This isn't a Rocky story, i can see how Lopez is convincing himself of it ..but it's more of a cover up story and Alvarez needs the covering. either way, we have a new face and a bright new Prospect to follow and that reality is better than anything Sylvester Stallone can create. 

Oh yeah, memo to Philly if theres no Joe Frazier statue soon you should tear down the Rocky statue- like Malcolm X i say it plain.

YOU GET THE FANS YOU DESERVE!

The worst thing about Sports that are "manly" (see violent or the much more sanitized "contact") is not just the obvious risk to the combatants long term safety but the risk of death by association. As men we get emotional about our teams, our opinions and "our guy" and often it can bring out the stupid in us; much like hot women. Hooliganism is not just a Soccer thing and it isn't just physical, if you don't believe me check out one of the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao message board debates and get back to me. The alarming part is men who are willing to cross the line so easily are boyfriends, husbands, students and even worse fathers. We of the keypad class love to put Testosterone in the front of our thoughts because it brings attention and page views; but what about the Testosterone in fans?. Boxing is a contact sport in and out of the ring, we also lead the pack on the Internet because we were marginalized by the time the .com boom commenced. We also remain the last bastion of  cultural Tribal warfare that we even feature in our media and marketing of big fights. "Mexican Warrior" is a term that is fast becoming generic in our business and the male fans of Mexican descent often behave as if the term applies to them. There isn't one "name" fighter he isn't attracting a base of fans that identify with them a little too strongly. Mayweather fans? young, black, 18-35,nihilistic males who think they too are "Ballers" because the songs tell them so-it isn't hard to describe these guys in marketing terms. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. inherited his fathers base and their children, much like Dale Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR. Since his fathers reign that fan base became the MAJORITY and with that often comes a sense that rules do not apply to them. Being the Majority also means there is no injustice unless it happens to one of your own. Antonio Margarito sought and found  refuge for nearly ending Miguel Cotto's career, Brandon Rios could say practically anything and not many Mexicans protested the stripping of Sergio Martinez of the WBC (see Mexican) middleweight belt. Martinez is understandably pissed and determined to give Jr. a beating, he drove that point home with a blistering performance on Max Kellermans "Face Off" this past weekend to a predictable response. Now, i don't approve of the bullshit that put the belt around the kids waist but as of this writing i believe Martinez's little "heel turn" is going to end up being a "heal turn" - i think Chavez Jr. stops him. And yet, as of today Martinez is distracted by having to find a security team due to threats of violence and vandalism to his car in Oxnard CA. a heavily Mexican populated city. My Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) assessment is that some misguided fan that fits my above description actually inserted himself into the "Face Off" and considered Martinez's words as an affront to his manhood and to that i say GROW UP. It's time to stop babysitting Mexican Boxing Fans, your clearly the best and with that comes a certain degree of responsibility, when you behave in this manner you insult the integrity of ALL GREAT MEXICAN fighters Chavez Sr. included. I can abide passion, racial pride and identification, even trolling but actual contact with a combatant should not be tolerated. Chavez Jr. needs to speak out (but only briefly) to add a degree of class and maturity to something that we should be enjoying "in the ring" on September 25th. If he or Top Rank  ignores the recent incident they are complicit and one day it will bite them in the ass, and when it does I'll have no sympathy because ultimately they got the fans they deserved. 



Lupe Fiasco - Bitch Bad [Music Video]

The Black Power Mixtape (1 of 8)

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Leader of Boxings "Boy Band"

 

Nothing that is successful remains in autonomy as an idea; anything that “works” is without practically millions of derivative products- some you may derisively call “knock-offs”. A lot of movies we think are new are really re-imagined and repackaged for the current the generation and the same can be said for music. Lady Ga Ga to 40 somethings like myself is Madonna 2.0 and Usher is the lovechild of Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye, and this was not an accident. We live in what Edward Barnays (the father of PR) calls “the age of Mass Production of idea’s” and if you want to follow the group think you’ll usually end up at a corporation. In our sport Top Rank and Golden Boy along with HBO serve as the "great distributors of ideas" that tell us WHO the stars are and believe it or not they know what they're doing. Golden Boy is based on the Top Rank model because Top Rank gave De La Hoya the singular modus operendi that made him a huge star; Feed the Hispanic market STARS THEY CAN LOVE. Boxing is like any other entertainment business and with the Mayweather/Pacquiao era coming to a close the vacuum must be filled with a “star” in the homogenized tradition of Oscar De La hoya.  Boxing must also answer to a market more savvy, global and technologically plugged in than previous generations which is why Amir Khans arrival at “moneyweight” (welterweight) is being rushed along. But he isn't alone; he’s merely part of the Mass Distributors creating a  Boy band to usher in Boxings New World Order.

The Race to manufacture Boxings next “Idol”

My favorite movie “The Idol Maker” was based on the life of music Svengali Bob Marcuucci who gave us Frankie Avalon and Fabian in the 1950’s. It was a peek into not only how it worked then but how it still works; men like Bob Arum gave us Oscar De La Hoya because he knew what gave us Ray Leonard. It wasn’t hard, Olympics-cute kid-loves his mom-left hook. Maurice Starr in the 1980’s gave us New Edition right off of the Jackson 5 cookie cutter right down to Ralph Tresvants squealing high pitched vocals. And when the brotha’s from Roxburry asked for their dough he crossed the tracks to “southie” and cranked out New Kids on the Block. Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya are no fools; they know Mayweather was an outlier in appeal and level of talent and that we’re more likely to see the next Oscar than the next Floyd. So each tentacle of Boxings shadow Government have thrown their considerable resources behind a group of  young lads who can fight a little and have that “safe” cuddly look that reminds fans of the Golden Boy. And like most Boy Bands theres real talent there to either admire or resent due to the way you choose to believe they got to this point. Together they compose a formulaic  approach to Boxing; the emphasis is on making a star who happens to be a champion not the other way around. They carry more similarities and calling cards to actual Boy Bands than you think; they all fit into the models that you've seen in all the most compelling groups, just replace the screaming girls with the most lucrative and dedicated fan base in the sport.

Victor Ortiz “The Rebel”

To hear Oscar De La Hoya talk about Victor Ortiz is to hear a lot of bad GM's who used to play a game overvalue players who remind them of themselves. Imagine Mexican Boxing fans as the 14 year old girls who follow boy bands, passionate, dedicated and when they pick a guy..look out. Ortiz brings that out of fans; he’s endearing and kind of humble but clearly flawed-his supporters (like Bobby Brown fans) will argue in his defense that if he could only do “this or that” and like most “Bad Boys” he will-sometimes.He’s all action and excitement and sometimes its to his detriment; but he will always be compelling must see TV. Like Bobby Brown his fight vs. Andre Berto was his “My Perogative” moment; he grew up, stood up for himself against his critics (and Berto) and told everybody to kiss his ass. Shortly afterward he was granted "A list" status that he clearly could not handle; after 3 rounds of missing punches vs. Floyd Mayweather he went through every range of behavior listed under bi polar disorder. Against Josisito Lopez he broke boxing convention for the THIRD time by opting out of a fight he was  winning due to a broken jaw. Like all Bad Boys he polarizes the base; some find him heartless and not all together "there" and others believe he's still in line to be the NEXT BIG THING. As of this writing we're supposed to be talking about his challenge of Boy band member Canelo Alvarez for the hearts and minds of the younger slice of the demographic and like Bobby Brown we're talking about something else.Most Bad Boys can do the right thing in spurts and have the talent to be the leader but if they could do that they wouldn't be as compelling would they?. Face it, you know your tuning in to watch him again because he's just as likely to retire (and become a pro surfer) as he is to win the undisputed junior middleweight crown and you wouldn't have it any other way. He wouldn't be the same guy if he got his stuff together, he's the kid in the Boy Band with the spiky Mohawk, the Prince who could have been King.


Canelo Alvarez "The Second Lead Singer Your not buying"

Watching Miguel Cotto do surprisingly well against Floyd Mayweather i couldn't help thinking "if he had Canelo Alvarez's combination punching he would have shocked the world". But we wouldn't  buy the actual Canelo Alvarez beating a Mayweather; because like the second lead in a Boy Band theres something missing that wont allow me to buy in. Jermaine Jackson had a good enough voice and even played respectable bass but you couldn't buy in to him being a solo star despite the push from Motown. Alvarez is truncated in length (i swear he's 5'7 if he's an inch) for the division and a beat slow  for my liking and i cant see him maturing into a threat at middleweight and wouldn't be surprised if he ages out Ricky Hatton style. Golden Boy is doing all they can to maximize the fact that the kid is a real draw but to what end? the Josisito Lopez choice of opponents leads me to believe they cant move him in the division with any confidence. Was Ortiz there to make him a bigger star or was it the other way around?. Like NKOTB's Jordan Knights solo success, the second lead is a brief bubble with nothing substantial holding it up. There's talent but not "cant miss" talent and i'm sure they know this at Golden Boy Promotions. Theres been a lot of back and forth between the two rival companies about just "who" is the leader of the band (Canelo or Chavez jr.) but those who believe Alvarez is "the guy" are like the fans who thought Ralph Tresvant was the equal of Bobby Brown, misguided. He's Jordon Knight outside of the confines of NKOTB and like Jermain Jackson he may be talented but only enough to make a cameo next to Michael. Bob Arum isn't buying it, and he's the Berry Gordy of the Hispanic Market, he believes September 15th will be the coronation of Boxings leader of the pack...Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.


Julio Cesar Chavez, "The Lead Singer"

Ever notice that alot of these groups though limited have a really talented lead singer who seems to have more career longevity. The leader is always pedigreed ( Justin Timberlake from the Disney machine, Michael Jackson from Planet Soul) and significantly more talented, the building blocks are there. When you saw Julio Cesar Chavez's baby face for the first time you had to think "just another mediocre boxing brat" but i noticed the infrastructure. He was brought along slowly and in the "Mexican Tradition" forfeited an amateur career that frankly makes a lot of American fighters entitled slap boxers. His father (moment of silence) the legendary "JCC Superstar"  was always "there" but not there in that obnoxious way Hector Camacho Sr. was with his son. Along with being expertly moved and knowing just when to go solo ( vs. Martinez) Chavez is the  on the precipice of making himself The Money Man in Boxing in the next 5 years. Sergio Martinez is lineal Middleweight Champion of the world, the man who beat the man and like any under appreciated Champ he's been foaming at the mouth to get his hands on this kid- but had to submit to Arum time. The Leader of the pack is a revelation once he matures; you cant really picture him being a man until he steps away from the pack and shows you he's for real. Everything about the Chavez vs. Martinez Promotion reeks of the kind of disrespect unseen since Holmes vs. Cooney and the Real Middleweight Champ is feeding off of it. So much so that the first thing out of his mouth during Max Kellermans Face off was a spitting "when are you going to do something for yourself and stop living off of your father?". Out of character for one of Boxings finest gentlemen since Alexis Arguello, what i paid attention to was the look in Chavez's eyes- he didn't look like a kid anymore, he actually looked a little unhinged. The exclusive body puncher had a look that suggested he cant wait to tear into the 37 year olds midsection-and I'm buying it. HBO is rolling out the star treatment tonight with the "2 Days" in much the same way they gave Mayweather a platform with 24/7 back in 2007. He may be resented, but like many lead singers he's been groomed for the venom he's getting from Martinez and like Michael Jackson's startling performance on Motown 25 he will step away from his band mates and announce his arrival. 

Chavez By Late Stoppage.

What if Baseball Players were "Like Floyd"

Baseball, with all of it's unwritten rules, don't run across the mound, don't bean my guy, don't bunt away a guys no hitter- and most importantly don't talk. Talking, even incoherently can be therapeutic and it can also lead to widespread reform. Baseball is filled with constraints, many of them there due to having the strongest union in the world. This union put Alex Rodriguez in NY despite wanting to take less money from Boston and this union knew YEARS ago guys were juicing. When the Mitchell Report Broke it was with the oversight of the union and by then it was much too late to put the PED genie back in the bottle. Now, eerily after San Fransisco PED guru Victor Conte prophesied widespread Testosterone use 2 players in the BAY AREA get busted for exactly what he said 50% of guys were using-Just because you ain't on the street anymore don't mean your ear ain't glued to the block. Players knew, but in team sports this thing called "the code" can lead to problems whereby someone usually ends up getting body slammed into ice tubs-you get the picture?. Boxing for all of it's sticky stuff on the bottom of your shoe sleaze is anything but quiet, people talk and the loudest mouths in and out of ring get fed. Floyd Mayweather, despite a lifelong connection to Anti Aging Mogul Don Hale and a dubious brand of "Mayweather" testing for opponents is the biggest mouth in Boxing. Despite still being "the man" at going on 36 he's been able to say he's the face of "cleaning up boxing" enough times to make Edward Bernay the Godfather of Propaganda smile from the grave. When Manny Pacquiao drilled Ricky Hatton back in 2009 something snapped in Floyd (envy?,fear?) that sent his mouth into overdrive and despite being sued he's managed to smear a rival without having to face him. This thing was happening in Baseball in the late 80's-early 90's, it only started to swell in proportion when the Floyd Mayweather of Baseball saw two inferiors eclipse him in fame and notoriety. What if Barry Bonds had simply said something like "hey, I'm the best out here and I'm clean" .Maybe he wouldn't have succumbed to the envy and blew his head up like a pumpkin. What if he'd said screw you to the union and challenged Mark McGuire to a test?. What if all the other players who KNEW teammates were juicing had called them out?. Derek Jeter shared a lockeroom with Clemons, Rodriguez and Giambi and you mean to tell me he didn't have the largess to say " I'm Mr. Yankee, get these freaks away from me"?. No, because Jeter is a gentleman and a gentleman will often walk on the other side of the street when theres trouble as to not sully his ascot. Floyd ain't no damned Gentleman, especially if any of them were making more money than him or asking for purse parity. Hell, he'd bring attention to the situation even if his Testosterone levels were a hair from being beyond what is allowable. Why? because he's shameless..just like Boxing, something Baseball Players should learn a little bit about because one day the focus will be on the "commitment to silence" and not the guilty players.

THE "SO CALLED" MAJOR SPORTS DONT HAVE THE BALLS TO HIRE THIS MAN

I'm sitting here watching ESPN Talking heads pontificate about how they should have known something was up when Oakland A's pitcher and latest to get "popped" Bartolo Colon tested positive for Testosterone. They keep talking about the number of suspended games being increased from 50 to a full season and crunching numbers all while pulling off a solid dose of mock outrage. Colon is the second player this year and before the Calender year you'll be able to add 2 maybe three NFL Players- business as usual. The same Network promotes Usain Bolt as a Superhuman  and makes no qualms about depicting Carl Lewis as a  bitter old man. Bolt is the Lance Armstrong of Track, Everybody around him tested positive at one time or another and he's blowing them off the track while testing "clean". Victor Conte is a scumbag? for giving Athletes the edge they sought out and CONTINUE to seek out. The United States Government is carrying criminally prosecuted hackers to catch hackers because we have ALWAYS been good at being pragmatic about evil. We even spared Nazi Scientist and make no mistake, that little field trip to the moon in 1969 had their fingerprints all over it. The First Major Sports League to hire Victor Conte, give him a budget and a staff will officially be the first league Serious about PED's. PERIOD!.This isn't rocket science folks, you gotta get grimey to catch grimey, if i told you we were going to run into some trouble at a club who would you call? that nerdy friend who you've never seen fight or that thug ass homie who cant wait to go back to jail?. Time to Grow up and start dealing with Conte as an Advisor, when you treat him like a boogieman....It's You We have no reason to Trust. Baseball should stop pouting over Conte saying 50% of players are using, the audience is mature now thanks to the likes of Bonds, McGuire and "Skeeter" Clemons. They're starting to remind me of that parent who covers your ears about certain topics knowing damned well you know what they're talking about.

Are Golden Boy and Top Rank Above Collusion against TMT? NO.

Richard Schaefer didn't have to talk trash back to 50 Cent when he came out calling Oscar De La Hoya a "girl". Richard Schaefer said what your "supposed" to say and made it clear he'd be willing to work with anyone. Bob Arum was even more demonstrative actually hinting that he too could work with TMT, suggesting Curtis Jackson may be the missing piece to making Pacquiao vs. Mayweather "happen'. And many bought it, coming from a man who can hardly surrender 50% of the big fight market share to one competitor-and now he's supposed to facilitate breaking the pie up 3 ways?. If theres one thing powerful people do its consolidate and keep the playing field closed, men who are the worst of enemies CAN work together when it comes to keeping a common enemy from getting what they want. Golden Boy is supposed to sit there and watch that Mayweather money just walk away without a fight? yeah uh huh. TMT dropped the first salvo proposing a November 17th Double Header featuring Yuriorkis Gamboa and the much needed return of Andre Dirrell, but before Showtimes Stephen Espinoza could bite into the sandwich GBP threw elbows proposing a Robert Guerrero return despite their roster of possible foes being tied up in Fall Bouts. When Miguel Cotto demurred TMT's overture a couple of weeks ago it was a huge deal because he stood alone as the only credible opponent in a hasty Mayweather return. When he said he'd work with anybody (see a theme here?) what he meant was "I'm booked with GBP for December 1st at MSG". His rejection of TMT was akin to Hillary telling the President last week "thanks but no thanks" on the VP gig; she knows the fix is in. Magically, Manny Pacquiao decided he would move off of November 17th for (you guessed it) December 1st, Cotto is coming off of a loss so don't tell me you need a 6 month build-up to get it done-Especially when it can mean maintaining CONTROL for both firms. Top Rank is helping with the December 1st Promotion and they will help provide a Guerrero opponent with either Mike Jones or Timothy Bradley himself. Timothy may want a big name but it's clear it wont happen in 2012 so why not rehab the "guy who won unjustly vs. Pacquiao" image. This puts November 17th in Golden Boys hands and pushes back Pacquiao rematches with Bradley and Marquez, he'll be "booked" for 2013. All interests are covered, Gamboa the Top Rank dissenter bumped, TMT stalled at the gate, Mayweather possibly having to work with Golden Boy in 2013 if Cotto can Avenge his loss to Pacquiao at a more competitive weight of 150 lbs. This kind of stuff happens all of the time in many industries; how many superior Rappers to Jackson have been corporately muzzled by colluding interests? You'll Never Know. So dont be surprised if you start reading warm and fuzzy "make up" stories from Top Rank and Golden Boy in the next couple of weeks; as in Politics and War..Your Enemy is mine if it can serve my long term objectives.

Are you sure you don't Hate Lebron Anymore?

 

 

 

Welcome to the Party, the Coronation of "The King"; and what Kingdom would be complete without making you pay some dues you peasants. You see, the time has come for King James to truly pillage and leave the Urban landscape covered in shell casings and broken IPhones because there WILL be blood. Major Cities are arming to the teeth with Homeland Security and FEMA Cops in anticipation of something financially going down next Spring that will force Marshall Law-but hey I'm just hating right?. I mean we do owe it to Lebron to look the other way while NIKE charges 315$ for the new "Lebron X" this fall, we must sacrifice our young underprivileged black males on his alter because well because he won 16 basketball games. Stephon Marbury tried to make sense of all of this years back because he remembered the economic destruction Michael Jordan caused in his hood growing up, but Steph forgot to WIN so now his crazy idea of affordable kicks is jumping off in China-where they own our debt. You see this financial collapse we are experiencing is hitting young black males 16-24 harder than anyone and these young men are the ones more likely to identify with name brands, these are the people who defend Lebron because they love him. Alot of these young men are broken and without appropriate male role models and priorities, Rappers/Ballers and the Theology of Big Money is raising them. The NBA routinely markets gear to those who cant afford to be there, if you live in the hood you cant sit at Airlines Arena next to the uber tanned/white linen wrapped douche bags...but you can get some Lebron kicks. Nike says they "have" to bump everything up 5-10% but i would imagine what they actually pay labor would put a pair of "X's" on layaway for 10 years. When the shoes hit the market they will continue the grotesque history of high ticket items becoming status symbols and worthy of any type of behaviour to acquire that symbol in the poorest neighborhoods. If the shoes "blow up" compare the immediate haul to the  contribution made to that random Connecticut  Boys and Girls Club when Lebron decided to take his talents to South Beach and tell me if it makes sense. He will be ferociously defended because a lot of his constituency live in an alternative world where all they need is for someone to discover them and they will get paid, many of them don't know that there are College Grads who are stuck at home with mom in this climate. He just gettin his hustle on right? while the first black boy shot because he wont "come up off of them X's" fades into obscurity...another "lil homie" who ain't here. Lebron cant be that naive', i refuse to believe someone so macro visioned on the court, so cognizant of marketing and doing things differently than his predecessors is so tone def. I prefer to believe this is a part of an overall game plan to become a Billionaire and what better way than to blow out profit margins in conjunction with some shit that he (excuse my wording) should have been done did.  He will retreat further into isolation and those who "have" will weave rationalizations into sacred Rights to make a living and the denunciation of envy, none of it will quell the desire of the young man who just has to have the shoes by any means necessary.Not only is Lebron 1/6th of MJ at this time, he's surely not in the same class as a bloodless money making cyborg . MJ took your money and didn't whine about not being loved, Lebron WILL TWEET YOU once little black boys start beating the hell out of one another in front of Footlicker..i mean Footlocker. MJ never uttered the word Villain, Lebron seems obsessed with the word and rode the propagandized wave created by "Whinamian"s for a whole year. Lebron knows Motion Sensors and gizmo's that measure your vertical are useless in Basketball shoes, that the Market is hostage to the trendsetters, he knows what goes on with young Black Males in regards to the shoes because not too long ago he was ONE OF THEM. He could call the Oregon AD,  He even knows  what is about to go down in the streets because he speaks with Billionaires regularly, the problem is the same problem folks had with him a year ago. He knew better, he knows full well the impact the shoes can have with young black men-the problem is he DON'T CARE. And that's what you should consider Hating him for, not because he left one Billionaire to Play a Game for another.  

Tim Bradley Chirping for Chips

Tim Bradley walked into the ring June 9th with his well earned reputation, his resume and uncompromising sense of dignity- he left it with a PHD in "the game". Lets be clear here, Tim Bradley is too much man NOT to know when he got his ass whooped-but he's too much man not to put food on the table as well. For a while he was in no mans land dodging the shrapnel of outrage and accusations of a FIX, of Bob Arums determination Not to send Pacquiao into Mayweathers built in advantages...he seemed assured of at least a contractually obligated rematch for playing patsy to the Pacquiao cash out. And then it got murky. I for one didn't want to see the rematch Bradley will now try to sell us for November 10th because theres nothing left but for Pacquiao to put his foot down on the gas and deliver more of the hurtful outcome. For Bradley to pull off a second upset he'd have to stink up the joint because June 9th proved he cant keep Pacquiao off of him with his hands, he'll have to do the same "dance" that created the doubt to the blind the first time around. Arum responded to "the will of the public" (or pretended to) and moved Marquez into the slot only have the negotiations stall And now enter Tim Bradley who epitomized hunger, talking the language of the hungry fighter, trash. And it might work in a sport that Forbes's Tom Van Riper opined is in need of  "Rebranding". Bradley covered the usual territory, "Marquez won all 3 fights", something meant to drive Filipino's to the message boards and Cable subscribers in search of retribution. Especially "inflammatory" was the assertion that Floyd Mayweather will "flatten" Pacquiao if they ever met was meant for what else...clicks, traffic, buzz, an aggressive effort by Bradley to propel himself into the Villain role and create an event. And Boxing is EVENT driven isn't it? we can be convinced we didn't see what we saw as long as the Right Themes are played, where other sports sell the determination of a champion who ran the gauntlet we sell fake revenge. Tim Bradley isn't the first Solid Guy to get into that space and become of it, it's what he's worked his whole life for and theres only one model of prosperity in Boxing and often it isn't to the benefit of consumers. Tim Bradley and fighters like him have to lower their rhetoric to stay on the casting couch and in in the EVENT Business so don't be surprised if his Campaign Pays off. Good For Him, but Forgive me if I've grown tired of Boxings sick Hunger Games business model, the NFL's socialistic monolith is strong enough to keep 32 Billionaires in check...while we're still being run by two firms rooted in the shenanigans of Tex Richard.

"VIVA JULIO" - 50 CENT NOW SPONSORING JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. || FIGHTHYPE

"VIVA JULIO" - 50 CENT NOW SPONSORING JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. || FIGHTHYPE

Sergio Martinez: Affable Knockoff

Theres a lot to like about Sergio Martinez, where to start? Great Guy, Great Story, Helluva Fighter and very much worthy of being the lineal Middleweight Champion of the word. His 2010 knockout of Paul Williams ( Prayers to the Punisher) was icing on an already Thrilling Encounter between the two men carried out in 2009. Since that time we've seen him overwhelm foes with an unorthodox style that reminds us someone we used to know; someone who left a much larger imprint on the Sport than Martinez ever will. Sometimes when someone comes along and does it differently and succeeds his legacy is left in the hands of those who shape perception; if he is lionized (like Ali) or left a little to be desired like Roy Jones WE determine how quickly (and easily) he is replicated. There will never be another Roy Jones and his prime though absent of challenges is not something that can be copied in an athletic context. Jones is now a part of HBO's Broadcasting Team and he needs the gig, he's also a great guy with an unselfish disposition; when he's covering a Sergio Martinez fight it is his nature to see himself (vanity?) rather than call it what it is-that's my job. Martinez is a freak of nature in terms of his conditioning which is why he is a legitimate Champion but he is not in Roy Jone's athletic zip code, he replicates the style due to inexperience while Jones created the style through genius akin to a DJ in the late 70's asking a homeboy to say a few rhymes over this break beat. We didn't always like Roy Jones, and once he got a business "pimp hand" he made it hard (and confusing) on us all, Martinez is 37 years old, humble and hungry, willing to play "B side" in his first PPV. The willingness to compare Martinez to Jones with a straight face is a passive aggressive attempt for us to reconcile with the parts of his reign that we felt were unfulfilled. There were no FOY candidates, no call outs, no stunning KO's of bad men we thought had a remote chance of touching him-because nobody was ever predicted to do such a thing. I am willing to give Sergio Martinez all he deserves but i don't feel it's rational to mention him in the same breath as Jones, as Katt Williams says "be grateful for that Chrysler 300 your driving, stop saying it looks like a Phantom, it does (in your mind).... until a Phantom pulls up". Roy Jones is a Phantom. I appreciate Sergio Martinez for the fighter he is not the one he'll never be, i don't have to pretend like he's Roy Jones to feel good about calling him Top 3 Pound for Pound either. However i do have Chavez beating him, because the kid goes "downstairs" in a way that brings out the truth in a man and the truth is Sergio Martinez is 37 years old and too small to hold the Mexican off.

Roy Jones Jr. vs. Stephan Johnson... The Jab left with Dad

The Low Down Truth on Lolo Jones

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Talking about topics and people who through a potent combination of contributing factors create combustible Polarization; while some sweat I'm in my element because America is one big funhouse mirror any damned way. Sex, Race, Politics and Religion impact all of us in some form or fashion and recently they've galvanized their considerable power in the person of one Lolo Jones. As a man in his 40's with a daughter in her 20's i couldn't help but feel something when i saw the young lady break down in a national TV interview over a NY Times Article that likened her to Anna Kournakova. It didn't improve matters that her teammates Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells   complained about the coverage her "story" received during the Olympics and how it obscured the accomplishments of much more successful teammates. It seems we as Americans who create a culture driven on attractiveness never complain until we are on the outside of said attractiveness. The Women who complained are clearly beautiful in their own right and i cant see any of them sitting at home on a Saturday Night but somehow the decisions of some white guy in a suit is still being attributed to a teammate; someone they sweat and worked hard with. I see Serena William's beautiful African American  (see Bootylicous) Body everywhere in Ads, commercials and Pop Culture and yet Lolo is lambasted for having "That Vanessa Williams" look...all to the delight of white media members. If it is about the money then say it, a lot of male athletes aren't shy about saying " I should be paid more than that guy" because i'm better than him. But saying that would put the Lolo discussion in a different place wouldn't it?, Gabby Douglass isn't in that Bi Racial Vanessa Williams mold and yet somehow she bailed her family out of bankruptcy with her marketing appeal despite the ridiculous snickering about her hair. This is the United States of Attractiveness and when we went down this purely biological path we opened a Pandora's box of subjectivity and Majority standards of beauty. Black folks have dealt with this since the Bullwhip Days and cases like Lolo's reminds us that the Post Traumatic Stress from this Matrix engineered by Slave masters is still with us. We tend to single out and pick on 30 year old bi racial girls but never confront our Greek Sororities for maintaining skin shade standards that have been in place for over 100 years. We all have suffered the sting of rejection purely on physical features, but we never seem to pass on the exceptions given from people who do find us cute now do we?.

The author of the New York Times piece opined that males are never the subjects of unwarranted attention based on their level of attractiveness; he need only look of his window because the New York Jets have TWO QB's who have benefited from Madison Avenue. Neither would be considered a Top 10 Quarterback in the NFL. Mark Sanchez had a GQ spread before he took a snap and do you think women would gush about Tim Tebows virginity if he wasnt 260 lbs of Grade A American Beef? Really?. Cue the shirtless running in the rain Tebow video again, trust me there are women who cant tell you what a Touchdown is who will sit down and watch HIM. Jones is in a Capitalistic system and DESERVES what she can negotiate, I'd be willing to bet this writer (Jere Longman) is making more money than several superior scribes because he asked for it. Male Sports are Marketed off of perceived notions and Male attractiveness all of the time, to hear analyst talk about Quarterback Prospects in vague terms like "look the part" and "own the room" is a form of bias favoring guys who merely look "Commanding". Dawn Harper on some level deserved to run the 100 meter final in her own Nike sponsored shoes but as Jackie Joyner Kersey said "everyone wants to be marketed, but not everyone is marketable". Knocking Jones for trumpeting her story is knocking sports, why else do some people call Sports "Soap Opera's for Men"? We actually call men who play games heroes and we have a 24 hr. Channel dedicated to telling us their stories, to the point where we have a nation of men who worship men they THINK they know. Reality Shows have already proven we will watch attractive people do just about anything regardless of how culturally worthless so why cant we revel in the "story" and sex appeal of one of the Top hurdlers in the world?.

The Real Story is Secularism in Media and the Venom shown toward Christians

So called "Live and Let Live" Progressives go after people like Jones and Tebow as if this were a battle for the souls of their unborn. I see Propaganda everywhere; because dammit it seems to be the case nowadays. If an individual is so secure in their secularism shouldn't they be able to look at women like Jones and say 'so what? i mean she is stating personal principles right?. I prefer to view it all as Chris Rock would, on some things I'm conservative and others more liberal and i just cant see how Christian Athletes/Sex symbols rank very high on my attack list. I'm sure Jones isn't the only athlete featured in the ESPN nude issue that adheres to some form of Religion, she's just the only one who talked about it. Anyone can take a look at someone from the outside and reduce them to Vixen-Virgin-Victim but how thoughtful and nuanced is that?. Do we attack certain people who have a set of values we've failed at because we failed? is it easier to say "who the hell does this chick think she is" than "good for her"?. I wish i hadn't become sexually active as early as i did but i don't take that reality out on Tebow because his Virginity allowed him to reach his potential without distraction. I can look at him and be secure enough that our God loves me too; i just need a lot more practice like he does throwing the damned ball. Cynicism is akin to cowardice and we live in a Culture that rewards boorish obstinant and attacks people who TRY to abide by a Moral Compass then we are a nation of cowards. And i say this as someone who grew up as Narcissistic and screwed up as any American kid, i can look at Jones from the view of someone who didn't try very hard and say that i appreciate her effort to BE a certain way. 

 And now for what the Chilluns call "Keepin it 100"

Muhammad  Ali told you in the most graphic, cringe worthy racially divisive terms and you ate it up because he looked good saying it. Celebrity never meant "accomplished", we've elevated women for sex tapes in this country, we've also anointed crass women like Paris Hilton who i may add shares the same qualities (Tall, Thin, blond, Blue eyes) that Hitler advocated as examples of a "Master Race". A "Modern" Celebrity is anyone who can do any mundane thing while being absolutely gorgeous and this is already proven. Competency is always second when it comes to putting a face on your products or commercials, Madison Avenue will only sell things to you with people you wish you could be-long gone is the spokesperson you can relate to or trust. The first Televised Presidential debate was in 1959, JFK was a bundle of nerves before Frank Sinatra pointed out it was in the bag. Sinatra knew that once those lights came on it was no longer how it is, but how it looks. Jere Longman should know that the very President we have now pimped his personal story and was the first Celebrity Candidate of this magnitude since JFK. And deep down Black Folks know if Obama were any darker, any shorter, any less easy on the eyes we would not have witnessed his historic election, a lot of US would have stayed home because he didn't "look" like he could do it. In 2008 the Republicans knew they were dealing with a Rock Star and just happened to bring in the Hottest Female Governor in Politics, they didn't even bother to vet her!. When she was exposed as an empty vessel the Momentum surrounding her only intensified. Yeah, Lolo Jones fits a "type" and yet all of you reading this are partial to a certain type of person. Many of us if we think real hard can trace our most hurtful romantic heartbreaks to a certain "type" of man or woman, and yet we still find ourselves bending over backwards when we see them coming again. Why? because we too are like Madison Avenue, we know what we like and we will dig deeper in our pockets and psyche to rationalize wanting to associate ourselves with it, so is it really  Lolo or is it how "Low Down" the Laws of Attraction make you feel?.

The Fabulous Four (Boxing Documentary)

Kobe and Dwight Howard, The Second Marriage

Any women reading this? well i hope not, you know that thing they say (and never live by) about men growing up at 35, well it's true. At 35 many of us are better equipped to deal with being unselfish and unfortunately the people who tend to benefit from this maturity are the second wives and second set of children. We figure out whats important and we aren't so quick to make the same mistakes we made in our first marriage, no wonder your first set of children hate the younger brood-they get the best version of you. Theres also a fear factor as well because you don't want to be a two time loser or end up alone so in some ways Men reform because they HAVE TO. The same can be said for Athletes, ever notice how some Athletes are more humble and contrite as they get up in age? Diva Receivers with hat in hand cant be a surprise, they've been forced by time to take it down a notch. In my sport Floyd Mayweather is in that mortality waiting room and soon he wont be the ASS he is now,because Father Time is beyond 43-0. Which brings me to Kobe "Bean" Bryant, you know the old guy who deflected and deferred to "the young fella's" during this Summers London Games. Dwight Howard will be waiting for him when he gets back to L.A. and damnit if he wont be a better man than he was the first go round with Goliath. Last year was humbling for Bryant, not just watching Westbrook and Durant zoom by him with legs reminiscent of the ones he used to chase Shaq out of town but the "full spectrum" display by Lebron must have been illuminating. Not only is Lebron clearly the best player but probably the best guy to play "with" which is why Dwight Howard was reluctant to join KB24 in Basketball Camelot. Bryant revelled in that Jordanesque "jackass model" for years and he had the "Chips" to back up that method until Lebron shattered the mold. With two years of quality ball left and a Miami/OKC Monopoly on the rise Bryant like most old men is forced to ditch the "win like MJ" blueprint he envisioned when he banished the "Big Chamberneezy". Kobe is a genius in his own right and genius requires knowing your limitations, knowing when parody is setting in; when the young lions are snickering behind your back. In the second Marriage men give up the checkbook, agree to "Date Night" and try to listen a little more-they're no longer God's Gift to women but theres still a chance of being a decent guy. Dwight Howard wont allow himself to be fooled and he'll have a whole year to see how genuinely comfortable Kobe is with turning over the reigns and he'll have what an aging Shaq didn't-the support of the Front Office. Karma is alive and well in Pro Sports because the years men are active cover the most pivotal years of a dudes life, from invincible to vulnerable with no exceptions. Those who cant make that adjustment age horribly before our eyes, those who figure it out just in time and adjust go out with more than a shred of dignity. I have a feeling Kobe will go out like that older cat often seen around L.A., real smooth, aware that he's not a kid anymore but cooler than you and your crew, at peace with his past and focused on the present. He's too grown to be threatened by the likes of Dwight Howard, and in some ways he'll enjoy using the next two years to reconcile with all that he loved about Shaquille O' Neal.

Bernstein: Usain Bolt Is Probably Doping (And You Know It) « CBS Chicago

Bernstein: Usain Bolt Is Probably Doping (And You Know It) « CBS Chicago

Chad Johnson, Symptom of a Larger Problem

"Black Folks are the only Group of People that Fight like Hell for the Right to Destroy Themselves"

The discussion around Chad Johnson is shockingly predictable after his Domestic Violence Arrest Saturday night. Per usual we take to the keyboards with our societal sensitivities and per usual we lean toward the victimization of the Black Male to make excuses for another high profile brotha. I wont call Chad's wife by name because we don't acknowledge that show here but I'll say this; demonetization of the "Basketball Wife" is patently unfair when Stevie Wonder could see her loud ass coming. WE create these people, WE create the over emphasis on Athletic Prowess in our communities and the shallow women who like Vampires live off of the energy of this emphasis. When are we going to police ourselves culturally like most groups do? when are we going to acknowledge that we are producing more touchdown machines than actual men?. High Profile Bruhs who make a living crying sociological foul will come out and decry the media jumping the gun just to get that coveted segment on CNN and Advance Book Sales..but they'll never call another Black Man out on his shit. Defending Bullshit has become a Black Thing; and the funny thing is excusing failure is one thing successful people (or groups) simply don't do, successful people call it what it is and attack it like ravenous wolves. We are an Amazing People and we seem to have the propensity to set up unofficial languages and synchronized efforts when it comes to certain things but when it comes to protecting our women ( Yes Puerto Rican Too) we have this blind spot. Why is it that Chris Browns punk ass is still walking and dancing? Why is it that we celebrate Athletes who've been violent towards women (Mayweather, Tyson) as if these men were simply misunderstood?. I understood as a boy that if you hit a girl, you were a punk and most likely going to get your ass kicked, what happened to those days?. Is it that our self esteem is so low we cant stomach the idea of discarding any black males regardless of conduct? regardless of the fact that we are destroying our girls and Women ...THE ACTUAL MITOCHONDRIAL connection To EVE?. In the age of Obama and seeing him kiss and honor our beautiful First Lady do we still feel this almost genetic urge to start making excuses for another Athlete? Really?. I don't, and I'm done, and i don't care how crazy the Basketball Wife is..that's another story for a later date. What would Malcolm say? If alive today I'm sure he would find this paradigm we are in as a declaration of WAR and he would (in his own words) "Say it Plain". Malcolm would say be Done with the weak, we don't need em, stop coddling these Rappers and Ballplayers and put your time and energy into glorifying MEN. He did this shit in College, but just like Penn State they covered it up because he could "take it to the house", generate that revenue for SUITS who don't give a Damn about the development of our young women. Malcolm would also say if your going to change your name it better be for your spiritual conversion~ not to give you a better platform for buffoonery. And if Malcolm were here and you called him a hater he'd tell you that you are absolutely correct, any self respecting Black Man should have a deep, bitter unbridled Hatred for Ignorance! Your Damn Right i'm a Hater. You see, when we venture down that road of talking about what kind of person the Basketball Wife was we are looking for ways to excuse Chad. When we start talking about how Women prey on these Ballers and Vilify them for their associations with these men we are excusing "men" from BASIC shit that real men practice like Discernment. When we Allow 35 yr. old Middle Aged men like Johnson and Mayweather to get arrested for this stuff and become Martyr's we are allowing the Cultural Suicide to fester and  Continue...and we aren't doing them any favors either. Chad could be anybody, he's just the latest, but what we need to do is take a long look in the mirror and start being honest about the problem- and the problem is US.

Another NFL Suicide Linked Directly to Brain Trauma | League of Fans

Another NFL Suicide Linked Directly to Brain Trauma | League of Fans

MIGUEL COTTO: ITS BUSINESS CURTIS, NOTHING PERSONAL

"We will meet with Several Companies, with people who can make the next big event happen"

If anybody knows the Boxing Game behind the Game it's Miguel Cotto; he's currently in the process of pulling off the rare feet of remaining FREE without getting BLACKBALLED. The Boricua Kingpin conducted himself with professionalism throughout his contract with Top Rank, there were no briefcases of cash for him like his stablemate Pacquiao and he took the highroad when Arum defended the cheat (i wont use his name) who nearly retired him. Despite the internal issues in his camp he never let anything get in the way of showing up and giving the people what they want to see. Against Malignagi, Judah, Mosley and Pacquiao he "put it down" which is why you never heard one peep about PED's nor lack of effort from the fans. When he says something you know homeboy aint playin and he never had to be a buffoon to get that paper like some people we know. No wonder he was the one name fighter to give Money Mayweather a run for his money in the ring-he's the real deal in a sport that is increasingly surreal. Recently he gave Floyds homeboy at TMT another lesson in Michael Corleone  styled Business decorum with a "Thanks but No Thanks". I'm not surprised, Cotto isn't an adolescent and he isn't impatient at the plate-he knows (like Barry Bonds) that Boxing HAS to throw him a pitch to hit and it will be on his Terms alone. Whether it be Floyd, a handpicked "soft touch" or Pacquiao at 150 lbs. he will be the artist that Major Labels line up to distribute  on a "one off" basis only.

Cotto's level of autonomy is more potent than Mayweathers; he's a come forward crowd pleaser (with options) AND as he ages he wont have to look over his shoulder for backstabbers. Bob Arum isnt positioning to keep him on paper like he HAS to do with Pacquiao because Cotto isnt swayed by shiny things; his word is his bond. Examine TMT's "roster and what you see is a diminished Judah and a trio of talented yet inactive fighters in Gamboa, Dirrell and Caballero. Miguel Cotto would have been a diamond in the 50 Cent Crown allowing him play in the lucrative waters of 154 lbs. habitated by his boy Floyd. Whether the shrewd Mayweather is actually under the TMT Banner or still technically a free agent is yet to be seen. Cotto made his deal with Mayweather quickly and professionally because BOTH men were essentially free agents and he remains the only viable option for the returning Champion. Bob Arum effectively took Pacquiao off of the playing board removing "our" naive notion that the Hip Hop mogul could do any better than Golden Boy in making "THE FIGHT" proving once again...Toxic Politics and relationships Would never allow this fight to be made. Advantage Cotto.  

Cotto is STILL counting (not that we do that effeminate shit over here) his paper from the May 5th bout with Floyd and it looks like he's positioned to make some more before he finishes. He isnt saddled by hatred (Mayweather toward De La Hoya and Arum) nor is he hostage to the "Cold War" between Golden Boy and Top Rank, and his commodity is the name recognition he's built over the last 8 yrs. If Mayweather goes straight to Canelo Alvarez after essentially seeing him dismantle tiny Josesito Lopez he'll get zero credit, but Cotto can easily give the kid a better purse split and the credibility he sorely WILL need after Lopez. GBP is all in for December 1st at MSG and just "who" do you think the headliner will be? theres only one leading man at that venue and it isn't Zab Judah. Miguel Cotto is in the Catbirds Seat, he can pretty much do business with anyone, so why would he want to be tied down waiting for "Fiddy" to tell him when he's got a fight for him?. Why would he give a new firm connected to 2 dudes named 50 Cent and Money? who glorify making ALL the money and taking All  the POWER the reigns on his career?. It's hard enough trusting Arum with the purse strings so why give that  power to dudes who haven't done anything but profit from Golden Boys infrastructure?. Now 50 Cent may take the spurning the wrong way and run off a few tweets to save face but he's a former drug dealer and symbol of Hip Hops Money/Power Paradigm ( and 2 time African American Culture Abortionist) so he should know better. In the words of Tom Hagen (not EPMD) to Sonny Corleone in the Godfather; "It's Business Sonny, Nothing Personal". Cotto worked hard in and out of the ring to position himself as he is and if Mayweather wants to make rolling with TMT a condition of his rematch then so be it; Cotto isn't burning money in the clubs and if TMT isn't willing to compete for his independent services they aren't needed. He may not be the best but like Glenn Johnson he fights the best and if anyone wants to be associated with Miguel Cotto they better be at their best when they step to him with an offer.

I would advocate for a rematch with Carlos Quintana

Why not? Quintana just scored a minor upset over Deandre Latimore on the under card of Cotto's fight vs. Mayweather. Quintana is now holding 2 belts that would look pretty good around Miguels waist if and when he decides to make a run at one of the Big 2 in 2013. Quintana would love the opportunity to avenge his 2006 defeat to Cotto in front of a Puerto Rican crowd and he's a known commodity. The technition is talented enough to keep Cotto on his square and the Puerto Rican connection will give the fight a guranteed sell out at MSG. If Cotto wants to play dangerous he can bring James Kirkland in to solidify himself as an all action fighter for the ages; but unfortunately at 31 it may harder on the Puerto Ricans punishment odometer- Kirkland (on a good night) can leave Cotto "a different man" even in victory. Since Alvarez (and Mayweather before him) made it trendy to fight smaller men in their first fight at the weight maybe Robert Guerrero can finally get his first PPV opportunity, he's no less a commodity than Quintana and he's no threat to ruin Miguel's chances of a BIG 2013.  

TBL WELCOMES MARAVILLA, O.SALIDO, M. ALVARADO & AVA KNIGHT! 08/07 by The Boxing Lab | Blog Talk Radio

TBL WELCOMES MARAVILLA, O.SALIDO, M. ALVARADO & AVA KNIGHT! 08/07 by The Boxing Lab | Blog Talk Radio

Louis Vuitton Interpreting Muhammad Ali's 'Dream' with Yasiin Bey and Ni...

THE BLACK SUPERMAN MUHAMMAD ALI SONG

It is the Shoes

Nice Shoes; Can we just All Agree that USA BOXING looks better than they fight?.

Curtis Martin part of Dying Breed? After Tomlinson then what?

Is this the next to last Running Back to ever be enshrined in the Hall of Fame?. Its a good question to ask considering the position is being fazed out of the sport to the degree that a RB cant even dare ask for a pay raise. Will Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones Drew even be allowed to accumulate Hall of Fame level stats? and if they do will the current culture of the NFL go against them when that door closes and the voting begins?. I believe when something is close to extinction it evolves, in other words i have a sneaking suspicion that what Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano want to do with Tebow is the next phase of the RB position. The "Wildcat" is a trend but the multi threat Running Back is viable and hard to game plan for. The last Heisman Trophy winning QB to play RB in the NFL was Paul Hornung and Lombardi used him like an all purpose Swiss Army knife. Hornung threw passes, ran the "Packer Sweep" from the tailback and fullback position, caught passes, punted and kicked field goals all the way to Canton. Just watch any of the Under Armour High School All Star games, the Position "Athlete" is already allowing coaches to be more creative with their recruiting pitches and game plans- and don't get it twisted, if the kids didn't think it was cool they wouldn't permit it. If Tight Ends can evolve into Basketball players and arguably the best Athletes on the field then RB's may look like Tebow in the future. Remember Marcus Allen was a High School QB, played Fullback during Charles Whites Heisman campaign and could catch the ball in addition to being a great runner.  LaDainian Tomlinson will be a cant miss HOF in 5 years and even he could pull it back and go deep, when i look at Tebow all i see is Mike Alstott with a spiral- and for the record i'll take it.

SUPPORT THA FLOYD-FRO !!

Remember Frobe Bryant from back in the day? now meet  Soul Brotha Mayweather.He may be the most polarizing Boxer of the last  20 years which is a testament to hs Deion Sanders level self promotional flair. But hey thats what polarizing celebrities do, they put you in that Love/Hate matrix that ultimately moves the needle. When Floyd Mayweather went away for shit i (and no "MAN") will EVER excuse he was an obsessively sharp well groomed man inching very close to the MJ place most grown bruhs usually end up in-and understandably he's middle aged. But now straight out of tha joint MONEY MAY is clearly working on a Baby Fro of epic proportions. You can see the holes that made the shaved head a rational move but I for one SUPPORT the FLOYD FRO and ENCOURAGE YOU to do the same. My reasoning is clear, i love my bald head but i don't have the coverage to do the fro every now and then just to keep shit fresh and scare my kids. Plus, I'm a fan of all things 70's and when athletes rock a fro it takes me back to a better time...you know when Soul Brotha's used to talk about getting together not Getting theirs at the expense of everybody else. Good Job Floyd, put an Afro pick in it and enrich someone on the TMT Roster.



You should Care About Dawson vs. Ward, NO REALLY YOU SHOULD

Lets be clear, in the next couple of weeks you'll watch a lot of stuff that you wont admit to in the sports bar come this fall. And why? dog days of summer? your girlfriend or wife laying in bed watching Lithuanian pixies going for the gold at 1AM?. The Olympics can do that to a man; especially an American male who is instinctively wired to be jingoistic and patriotic ohhh maybe twice a year. For those of us only interested in the US Olympic Boxing teams performance theres the hope that 2012 will provide us with youngsters we can look forward to following ; talent we all hope to fill the coming void of Floyd Mayweather and contemporaries. If you love Boxing the Olympic games allow you to flex your recall muscles and tell people "you remember when" you recognized a certain fighter showed flashes of greatness. I was in Atlanta in 1996 and passed up free  Boxing tickets to try and "get with" this fly honey (thats what we called em back then) from Florida which cost me first sightings of Mayweather and Fernando Vargas. Back then i didn't "care" about the Health of American Boxing; because i believed our system would be cranking out Sugar Ray Leonards every 4 years. In 2012 i'm more appreciative of American talent ( 2 left standing in London) and when i see two YOUNG Americans at the highest level of Pro Boxing bucking the trend of mugging seniors to battle one another i Care. But this isn't about me caring about Andre Ward vs. Chad Dawson, this is about why you should care.. No Really you should and here's why.

This is the Biggest Showdown of American Super Middleweights since Jones vs. Toney

Back in 1994 we kinda had an idea Roy was on a different level; just free from his old man the sky was the limit and James Toney controlled the skies. Toney was already being hailed as a throwback to a  time when cats had a deeper skill set and fought EVERYBODY and this is 4 years before we started to question if Roy had that desire. Andre Ward went into the "Super Six"  Chinese water torture tournament as the little kid who was in too deep and came out of it THE MAN in the division. My homies over at Boxing Truth may knock his style but the Oakland Native is a blend of the Book of Floyd and Bernard; in other words he can use his considerable athleticism to outbox you or her can rough you up. What he did to Carl Froch was no small feat especially in light of how easily the Cobra destroyed Lucian Bute. Like Toney Ward is a throwback who can do it anyway you want to do it and get the job done without "playin" himself as a person or a personality after the fight. Tougher and stronger than he looks the last American Gold Medalist (Come on 2012!!) reminds of Ray Leonard because he can get "grimey in the trenches as easily as he can saddle up next to Al Bernstien and call a fight on Showtime. Chad Dawson may be enigmatic but he's cleaned the Division of all of the old timbre that can be genetically traced to the the Roy Jones 175 lb. Dynasty. Against Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins and "borderline" candidates Glenn Johnson and Antonio Tarver the tall southpaw is 5-0-1NC, all 3 men have beaten Roy Jones 4 times since 2004. Chad Dawson's temperament may be in question but you cant argue with the results; you just cant beat these mean (even at advanced stages) without a requisite hardness. Ward cant outbox Dawson, he'll have to get inside and we all know what he did to Allan Green back in 2010; theres a reason he was "endorsed" (see avoided) by Hopkins, because the old master knows that "Oaktown" is just like "Philly". Dawson is going in with confidence that comes with size, he's made it clear that as the "bigger man" he wont relinquish the jab that brought him to the dance. It feels like 94' all over again, a decorated Olympian, a clear feeling of "legacy positioning", youth and the obvious sidebar of weight.

Dawson is coming Down to Super Middleweight

Cathweights are all the craze now; I'm not a fan but some fights are so legit it makes sense to implement the practice to put both titles on the line. This isn't Pacquiao forcing Welterweights to cut off a leg to fight for a "Welterweight" strap nor is it the "Mayweather like" BS Adrian Broner just pulled vs. Vicente Escobedo. This is a Champion in his prime telling you THE CONSUMER that he is a competitor and yes, he's in "that" kind of shape. You should care because Dawson exposed a dirty little secret about the sport, there isn't that much difference in 7 lbs. no matter what they tell you. The old school trainers hate the newer jr. divisions because it allows for fighters to be sloths and for promoters to use the "he's too big or small for my guy" excuse when they don't want to make a fight we want to see. Lucian Bute clearly wanted no part of Andre Ward and he wasn't called out enough for how blatant he was about it, Froch let him off the Public Perception hook by whoopin that ass but you shouldn't forget the "duck job". Dawson and Ward made the fight in about the same amount of time it took Froch to get Bute "out of there" and they should be commended for it. As an American fight fan you should care about the fact that Dawson and Ward have seized control over two Divisions ( Super Middleweight specifically) that we've conceded to Europeans for the better part of a generation. Even Roy Jones had to answer questions about Darius Michalczewski and like it or not Joe Calzaghe clowned him and clipped Hopkins when they both had a little more left. At 6'0 (Ward) and 6'3 (Dawson) are both bigger naturally than Jones and Toney; we should consider ourselves lucky we've been able to watch two skilled American Boxers of this size.

Boxing is Losing African American Athletes of this Caliber to other Sports

Roy Jones played a little bush league hoops during his time as "Worlds Greatest Athlete" but in the end he was ours. Basketball and Football continue to explode in African American communities to the point where I'm not sure we haven't lost a ton of world champions to NBA  D-League or the Arena Football League. Boxing is HARD and the chances of getting paid are slim and off in the distance; many basketball players that NEVER make it past Division 2 have been receiving money and gifts since they were 12. Andre Ward was a High School Football player (Strong Safety) and Chad Dawson a Basketball Player, both chose the Sweet Science. In the 1940's and 50's Boxing and Baseball were bigger sports for African Americans while football and basketball were novelties, in 1950 maybe Floyd Mayweather is a shortstop instead of a Welterweight. Right now African American kids of any kind of size ( 5'11-6'4 175 lbs. and up) either want to be Jordan or Cam Newton and what Boxing usually gets are pigskin  leftovers. Look at the Olympic performance of Super Heavyweight Dominic Breazeale who understandably did poorly in the games due to lack of experience. After only 3 1/2 years Boxing he's still being drooled over by the likes of Emmanuel Steward because the kid is 6'6 255 lbs.!. But if you listen to his interviews its clear he would much rather be playing Football which is why we will NEVER produce a challenger to the dominance of the Klitschko's. With the kind of size and youth these two possess we could very easily see them rematch at 175 lbs. and above; Ward has already hinted at a run at Heavyweight in the future. Remember he was a Light Heavyweight in the 2004 Olympic Games so the chances of him carrying the weight well are extremely high.

Both Fighters Live Outside of Boxings Oligarchy

If you believe in shadow Governments that exploit consumers (like i do) then you know that Top Rank, Golden Boy and possibly TMT have this thing on lock; and that stark reality impacts EVERYTHING. Dan Goosen and Gary Shaw are no shrinking violets but even they know how special these young men are to get the HBO 24/7 roll out despite being outside of the loop.  And here's what you'll see: two young brotha's that are family men who carry themselves like gentlemen, something IMPORTANT to see in this age of mainstreaming the image of young black males as insolent, craven anti-hero's. Ward and Dawson prove that there are more ways to be successful as an African American Fighter-they deserve your attention for being classy gentlemen as well as tough customers. If your sensing a theme with me your right, i will always find it troubling that Adrien Broner believes the only way to get noticed is to act like a jack-ass, its a form of buffoonery and unfortunately a lot of our athletes and rappers are rewarded for it. Ward and Dawson didn't have to embarrass themselves nor degrade one another to let it be known they want to get it on, which may be a good sign considering all of the tough talk that promotes & rarely deliver good fights.  Being outside of the power players in Boxing put both men in a situation where they don't have the "luxury" of posturing ( see driving up the PPV for consumers) until they are past their primes like Mayweather and Pacquiao~and for that they deserve your support. Strengthening Boxings "middle class" is the only way out of this mess that may get worse with the arrival of TMT Promotions; so don't look for Andre Dirrell (another classy kid) to challenge the winner anytime soon. So enjoy the thoughtful, big picture approach by Dawson and Ward because YOUNG Champions challenging one another at the peak of their powers is WORTH caring about- i just don't want you to figure it out too late. They don't deserve your YOUTUBE love 10 years from now, and they don't deserve revisionist history, pay the proper Respect when it's due... and thats Today.



Satoshi Shimizu Receives Justice From The AIBA - Boxing News

Satoshi Shimizu Receives Justice From The AIBA - Boxing News

Kayla Harrison Wins First-ever U.S. Judo Gold! USA 1 Sexual Abusers 0!

WELCOME HOME MONEY MAY!! AND FREE ANDRE DIRRELL!!

At last the Political Prisoner is LET FREE, the Evil forces that wanna keep a Rich Black Man from getting Money is defeated once again. He's the New ALI and just like ALI the system tried to break him for his conscientious objector status and political beliefs. They didn't lock up Mel Gibson when he went off on his baby mama; but when a bruh with money do it you wanna lock him up and deny him his..ahem "fitness regimen". Not that its kinda suspicious that the hardest fucking sport in the world is sitting on its hands waiting to see if the best fighter (36) will be fighting the second best fighter (34) while every other Sport is getting testing Protocol from a Governing Body, thats aiight it's only Boxing right?. Now with his boy 50 Cent Floyd is about to take over the sport of Boxing by poaching GBP, driving up PPV prices and giving black fighters a new home to hopefully not go inactive. Lets just hope 50 sticks to the promise of putting some quality behind the cards; if he does i wont miss Oscar because he had his chance...power to the consumer. I'll even be willing to overlook the Satanic hand signs that seem to be going hand in hand with Black Entertainers nowadays, i guess when 50 said "die trying" he meant his living soul. So good luck to you Mr. Mayweather; i'll assume you'll be dealing with the lovely Ms. Jackson for the next couple of days but my advice to you: a man is only as good as he treats ALL the women in his life-not just the one he's with at the moment, and lose the corny assed Free Money May T-Shirts.