A Byrd Flies Too Low, Malignaggi the Idiot Rasta and Much More...

This post will allow me to hold forth on all of this month's boxing at once. That I should have updated more contemporaneously is manifest, that I will therefore have to offer a more cursory treatment than I otherwise would have is equally so, but that it really doesn't matter all that much because no one reads this blog is all the more so. I plod intermittently on however because I don't write it for anyone but me and frankly, I enjoy reading it later. I also actually enjoy the writing of it immensely and the definite upside of no one ever seeing it (apart from my long suffering and ever faithful and patient wife) is that there is no pressure to update. The boxing world will wait as long as necessary for my commentary. I stand as quite the prima donna in that regard.

Byrd Went Low Too Fast

This was quite a boxing story. Former legitimate heavyweight champ Chris Byrd drops over 40 pounds (after taking a pounding from de facto champ Wladimir Klitschko) and skips cruiserweight altogether to come in at 174 for a fight under the light heavy 175 limit. Looking at Byrd, I had to do a double take. He looked like a different man. Having lost 20% or so of one's body weight tends to impact one's appearance and he was no exception. His face was practically gaunt by comparison to his former self, but he still looked good, cut and fit in the pre-fight tapes. His upper body was still relatively intact and his arms didn't look wasted. It wasn't until he got in the ring that something immediately looked wrong. Even before the bell, his legs were noticeably emaciated. He was standing on sticks and as a result, his body was not proportionate at all.

I'll admit though that I had confidence that this was going to be a walkthrough for Byrd. He wouldn't schedule such a fight against a guy who could actually test him, would he? After all, he was a headliner for years and while never a huge draw, he was always on the short list of heavys a fighter had to contend with to contend for the recognized heavyweight championship. Even when Antonio Tarver in the FNF studio predicted his defeat, attesting to the skill of what should have been just an opponent, I chalked it up to Tarver's penchant for talking down peers to pump up his own worth. I was wrong.

After the first bell, it quickly became clear that Byrd seemed rusty. Considering he is a fighter I'd never seen look remotely rusty before, this was obviously a problem. He wasn't moving his head and slipping punches the way he was able to do 40 or 50 pounds northward. He began being beaten to the punch and the arms he used to bat away punches from very big men were almost hesitant in the face of his 175 pound opponent. He seemed uncertain and confused, as if he couldn't get off the blocks and he started to take punishment for it. I waited for the tide to turn, for Byrd to get his legs under him, but he never did. He finally effectively threw in the towel on himself deep into the fight, ever the consummate professional. Realizing he was taking a beating that wasn't slowing down and that he wasn't able to stop, he pulled the plug on the experiment.

Did he come down too fast? Did he come down too far? Has be absorbed too much punishment and aged right before our eyes, such that questions one and two don't matter? I would say probably yes, probably yes and probably yes. That said, I think he can still probably contend in the sub 200 pound cruiserweight division. I suspect he saw the potential at the 175 level and thought if he could pounce into their midst, he could draw some real dollar interest and stay relevant. That opportunity isn't nearly as realistic at cruiser, where the biggest attraction just went northward (David Haye). 175 offers opportunities with names like Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, Kelly Pavlik and the list goes on. Ask anyone other than the most hardcore fan the name of a cruiserweight and they'd be hard pressed to come up with an Enzo Maccaranelli.

Should Byrd jump "up" to cruiser? Well...he's not one to be discouraged easily. This attempt displayed that. He was coming off a real beating at the hands of the younger Klitschko and while you can chalk that up to a horrible fight plan (a little man determined to push around a much bigger man), no one who saw that fight could say that either Byrd could be easily discouraged or that his having come back with such a unique tilt at continuing relevance was anything other than remarkably resilient. But...should he come back? I say yes. He is a very skilled boxer. He dropped too far, too fast. He underestimated the speed and skills of this opponent and more importantly, he underestimated the erosion the weight loss would have on his own speed and the general upgrade in top level speed he would encounter at this much lighter weight. He probably also underestimated how hard they still hit at 175. He can recalibrate, bulk up considerably and still make it under 200 very easily. Is cruiserweight a division worthy of his consideration? Well...it might automatically become worthy of some attention by virtue of his entrance into it...something he should have realized before going down too far, too fast.

Paulie Malignaggi is a Bonehead

To his credit, I suspect "the magic man" would be the first to admit this. I cannot honestly imagine what he was thinking entering the ring with a head full of whippet braided dreadlocks so long that they immediately repeatedly lashed him around his face as he moved and impeded his vision. The first round was laughable as he began to take shot after shot because he clearly couldn't see them coming because of his own hair! How could he have not taken that into account during the run up to the fight? while he was getting his hair braided for the 5+ hours it must have taken?

Over the next seven rounds, the failed tie-backs of the hair were absurd theater and the literal haircut between the 8th and 9th rounds was surreal. If his opponent had been the more deserving Ndgoudjo instead of the sure thing, already once beat N'dou, Malignaggi would have really been made to pay. After all, Ndgoudjo beat him last time and dropped the decision. Imagine if Malignaggi had fought even worse. We didn't have to imagine that, at least. Malignaggi did indeed fight worse. Worse than he'd fought against N'dou the first time (when he'd beaten him) and worse than when he'd lost to Ndgoudjo and been awarded a robbery of a decision. N'dou was his perfectly predictable self, walking forward and not moving his head. Game, but supremely unimaginative. Malignaggi could beat him on his worst day...and he did. I had it 115-113 for "the Marginal Man", while the three official judges had it 115-114 (for N'dou) and 116-112 and 116-113 for Malignaggi, who slunk away with the split decision.

After the fight, he admitted that the hair was a "disaster" and said he'd broken his right hand in the sixth round, a fact evidently later confirmed by post-fight x-rays. While N'dou fouled almost constantly, rabbit punching so much that it was rather shocking that no points were taken, I cannot recall any particular punch where, for example, Malignaggi bounced a fist off a shoulder awkwardly or where N'dou dipped his head offering an odd and hard target. In other words, if Malignaggi can break his hand on a routine punch, then it's going to happen again. And we all know it's happened before because he's had multiple surgeries on that hand. So there's no reason to think it won't happen again. It will. Malignaggi says he'll be ready for Hatton and this was supposed to be a showcase to convince British and American fans to tune in. What we got was an embarrassing display of what must surely be being called American buffoonery with a hail of excuses afterward. Even a diminished Hatton should overrun Malignaggi....if Hatton isn't a shot fighter.

Is Ricky Hatton Half the Man He Used To Be?

Let's start with the fact that I gave Hatton 9 of 12 rounds. How bad could he have been, right? Well...he's not that bad, but he's not the Hatton I saw fight just two years ago. Whether that Hatton of old (he's all of 29 now, right?) is gone forever remains to be seen. After an ugly first round, Hatton seemed to remember the fact that he likes to fight in the second round and after dropping the third, he started slowly to put his punches together until round 9 where he finally began to look like the Hatton of old, putting combinations together and coming in full steam. Then he got rocked in the tenth. You could almost see a highlight reel of his KO loss to Mayweather running through his head as he battled for a breather....then came the referee swooping in and giving him just that. In as blatant a case of hometowning as I've ever seen, the ref broke the fighters for no apparent reason, made a slow show of sending a baffled Lazcano to a neutral corner, then seemingly realized Hatton's laces were untied and proceeded to give Hatton's deliberately fumble-fingered cornermen all the time they needed to re-tie the apparently well-timed offending laces. With his feet back under him thanks to an at least minute-long impromptu breather, Hatton was a new fighter. He lasted out the round, took the last two and the horrible prospect of the monstrous and raucus "Ricky Hatton wonderland"-singing ale-soaked crowd being treated to a 10th round KO of their hero was averted. I can't help but think that even Lazcano might have been best served by this chicanery because he might not have escaped the ring with his life, if we recall the way Marvin Hagler was treated by a similarly drunken Brit crowd.

Now...I really like Ricky Hatton. He's got an aggressive, if roughhousing boxing style that a connossieur can appreciate because while he leads too much with his face, his defense is offense and, at his best, he is a slipping and attacking machine. He's also so very likeable and professional in and out of the ring. But... we all know that fighters like him have a shelf life. No one in this hurt business can lead with their face for long and can last for long. Has Ricky Hatton seen his best days? Can he rebound from the KO loss to Mayweather? Does this win count as that rebound? I would say probably yes, probably yes and definitely not. Of course, it all depends on what rebound means. He'll never fight Mayweather again, not that he might not want to, so having come so far (to 44-0) before suffering his first loss (a dramatic KO) might have psychically damaged him too greatly to ever allow him to bounce back to the swagger with which he entered that ring.

He's admitted that the KO loss devastated him emotionally. That admission is what makes us like him. That it's true may speak to another truth about him too...that now that he knows he's beatable and can be knocked out...might he not again plow through barrages of punches quite as invincibly as he did before? absolutely. He can be knocked out. He knows it. In fact, ironically he may not even hold Mayweather in such high regard as to believe that he's been KO'd by a superior fighter. That may be what is weighing him down. Can he shed that weight and all of the other doubts he's now carrying? Well...clearly he can to some extent, because despite some shaky moments, he did carry the fight effectively to Lazcano, legitimately winning on my card and on all three official cards. Can he beat Paulie Malignaggi? That may be a much closer fight than it should be. Mostly because Malignaggi's ten-cent head has him fighting up and down to the perceived levels of his opponents and Malignaggi will come in high as a kite for Hatton...and for Hatton, it may sadly now just be another pay day on the way to his eventual preferred place: a seat at the back of the pub, recounting for all to hear, the exploits of his rise to glory and his dispatch of Kostya Tzu.

I hope not, Ricky. There's good fight left in you. Let's see it, eh?

Delahoya Outboxes Forbes: More Than a Sparring Session, Less Than Mayweather

This time, Oscar deserves the credit he gets. Saturday May 3rds tune-up fight, Oscar's first non-pay-per-view fight since 2002, went almost exactly according to plan. It only could have been better for him if he'd knocked Forbes out...something that he knew probably wouldn't happen coming in. Stevie "2 Pound" Forbes had never, as the HBO analysts repeated exhaustively, been down let alone out in his 11 year career. That Forbes may have avoided taking chances in order to preserve that string is legitimate commentary, but to characterize Forbes as having a sparring partner's mentality, as the HBO team did repeatedly late in the fight, is really unfair to Forbes. He came to win, but this time...so did Oscar.

Employing his jab to great effect all night, Delahoya looked relaxed and in great shape at 150 pounds. He fought with energy deep into this non-title, but championship length 12 round bout. He bounced on his toes, moved laterally pretty well and pulled the trigger, not waiting to counter. But then...he could afford to do that against an opponent who'd knocked out fewer than ten of the 30 plus opponents he'd beaten.

Stevie Forbes of Contender finale fame last held a title at 130 pounds and while he lost that title for failure to make weight against Daniel Santos, that doesn't mean he can't box. He can. In fact, he's a highly skilled defensive fighter who is comfortable in the ring and he showed it. Even on this largest stage against the biggest superstar in the sport, Forbes was loose. He showboated at times, never really looked thoroughly overmatched and responded to Delahoya when challenged, flurrying and landing. Delahoya, though he won almost every round...looked like he'd been in a fight by the night's end.

All of that said, Oscar chose his opponent well and he deserves credit not only for that, but for recognizing that if he didn't train to box well and show up in shape, he would get embarrassed. He fulfilled the promise he clearly made to himself: I'll challenge myself to get in the kind of shape it takes to beat a championship level fighter that I can only lose to if I fail to meet my own challenge. It's hard not to be impressed by that. It shows Oscar's inner drive and gives us hope that he will fight a little differently against Mayweather, Jr. this next time.

Oscar was clearly in great shape this time out. Let's start there. He didn't fade or slow, except perhaps for a linear minute in the final round, which can be forgiven (against Forbes). He moved and pursued (and could afford to against Forbes) and used his left jab well. But...every time he returned to his corner, it seemed as if trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr. was imploring him to jab more...and he should have. Frankly, he could have fought better and while that would have meant turning into a one-trick pony most of the night...he should have. He was landing his jab at will. Forbes had no answer for it. Oscar mixed in other punches and dropped his lead hand at times and if he showed a failing, that was it. There was no reason to do it because Forbes was eating that jab all night long.

Of course, that is because beating Forbes is not the goal. Preparing for the Mayweather, Jr. rematch is...and that is the reason to work that jab all the more. Oscar used that jab to great effect in the first half of the Mayweather fight...then stopped throwing it. Does he become bored with it? Is controlling the opponent too boring for Oscar? I can't help but wonder if, once he gets his opponent under control, his confidence or instincts take over and forces him to try to punish or finish his opponent. He has to overcome that instinct if he's going to beat Mayweather. That's why Forbes was a good test...because, like Mayweather, Jr. (albeit to an only slightly lesser extent) he can be controlled by an aggressive jab...and like Mayweather, Jr., if Oscar abandoned the jab...Forbes would punish him for it. Of course, the beauty of Forbes as a hand-picked opponent is that he's good enough to demonstrate the principle, but not strong enough to meaningfully punish Delahoya for the errors of his ways.

Let's hope Oscar learns the lesson hidden in this tune-up. It would seem that he should... because it played out exactly as he'd planned it. With Mayweather, Sr. stressing the jab so constantly, it shows that the trainer has his head where it needs to be. Whether Oscar will get the message completely enough remains to be seen.

As for the fight, I had it scored the same as two of the three ringside judges: 119-109 for Oscar. The third judge gave every round to Oscar. I saw four total rounds close enough to call close, with only the 4th and the 8th really qualifying. I gave Forbes the 8th. While he came to fight, the reach disadvantage cost him and he showed defensive and occasional offensive brilliance, but it was too intermittent. He wasn't faster than Delahoya (but then neither was Mayweather, Jr. faster per se, than Delahoya) and so he ate a lot of jabs. Delahoya picked off a lot of punches and countered well, keeping Forbes defensive most of the fight.

As for HBO's telecast...getting the fight for "free" was great, but the commentators did a marginal job. There were some astute observations, like Steward pointing out that Delahoya's late-career proficiency at picking off punches with his gloves is borne of Mayweather, Sr.'s philosophy and training style and that Forbes was a longtime "hundreds of rounds" sparring partner of the Mayweather camp. But... I was put off by their denigrating Forbes as a sparring partner quality fighter. I so completely disagree with that, based on the performance, that it grated on me for the entire second half of the fight as they flogged that premise to death, agreeing with one another and re-iterating it. In my opinion, Forbes clearly came to fight and if Oscar hadn't shown up thoroughly ready to outbox him and outlast him, Forbes would have had a real chance to decision Oscar.

The head nods that Jim Lampley pointed out as those of a sparring partner, I've seen hundreds of times before and noone was then accused of lacking competitive fire. It's taking an observation and combining it with a preconception, then beating the resulting conclusion to death. But more distastefully, at least to me, was that it was a disservice to a fighter who showed up ready to box and did a better than passable job against one of the best fighters of his generation. Noone can accuse Stevie Forbes of being one of the best boxers of his generation, but it's unfair to observe that he's phoning it in when he's outmatched by a fighter who indeed is one of those elite few.