By: Phil Santos- Overhandright.com
In an action packed, highly entertaining fight, Joel Casamayor defended the Ring Magazine Lightweight Championship against Michael Katsidis.
Joel Casamayor came in as the champion and with a lot to prove. In his last fight against Jose Armando Santa Cruz he was the beneficiary of a gift decision in the eyes of most observers. He has been a part of many memorable battles but a combination of his age, long layoffs and numerous ring wars seemed to have taken their toll on “El Cepillo”. Read the rest of this entry »
In boxing, and life in general, the chances you take can often be described as a risk/reward ratio. More often than not, we hear of prize fighters accepting or declining fights based on this concept. The fighters refer to this as being “smart businessmen”; but fans experience it as “frustration.” The most common and unfortunate outcome is that the fights the fans want to see are frequently not made because the fighters can’t agree that the risk matches the reward.
For a prize fighter, the best-case scenario is a low-risk, high-reward fight, or as they call it, “easy money.” An example of this would be Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Henry Bruselles. These types of fights may line their pockets, but will not enhance their legacy. A second scenario is the high-risk, high-reward contest, a.k.a., the “payday.” This occurs when a fighter accepts a challenge with a dangerous opponent, perhaps even as a tune-up, but with the guarantee of a big financial reward. There are many examples of this throughout boxing history; the clearest example would be the upcoming De La Hoya vs. Stevie Forbes contest. Finally, there is the high- risk, low- reward fight when fighters put it all on the line, enhancing their legacy but for minimal financial gain. The clearest example would be the Israel Vasquez vs. Raphael Marquez trilogy. I can go on about the risk/reward concept in terms of highs and lows indefinitely, but a more frequent ratio, medium risk/medium reward, is seldom discussed. Read the rest of this entry »
The light-heavyweight division in boxing has unexpectedly become very interesting. Upcoming championship fights such as Chad Dawson vs. Glencoffe Johnson, and Antonio Tarver vs. Clinton Woods, have given fight fans much to look forward to. In addition, former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd is scheduled to join the division; and in a much anticipated matchup, light-heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins will defend against super-middleweight champion Joe Calzage. Left out of the equation, however, is former light-heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound superstar Roy Jones, Jr. Read the rest of this entry »
A Vera Surprising Outcome;
By: Phil Santos – Overhandright.com
It looked as though all three undefeated fighters who highlighted ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights March 21st card would improve their records and remain flawless. That was until Brian Vera scored the biggest upset of the series thus far in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
Since winning gold in the 92 Olympics, Oscar De La Hoya has continually been compared to Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. Like Leonard, Oscar emerged from the Olympics with the promise of success and the weight of the boxing world on his shoulders. After turning professional, they both lived up to the promise by becoming multi-division champions. In addition, their charisma and talent, coupled with their willingness to fight the best of their era, attracted massive interest in the sport. In terms of fame, glamour, and financial success, Oscar has equaled and even surpassed Leonard; but in terms of establishing a winning legacy, he doesn’t quite measure up. Read the rest of this entry »