Dawson exposed...FINALLY!

Well, last night Chad Dawson lost at least the second fight in his career, but it marked the first record loss and it's about time. Dawson, whom I saw lose to Glen Johnson, sleepwalked through an aggressive beating at the hands of the marginally skilled, but buff Jean Pascal. Pascal, whose style is interesting as mimicry of Roy Jones, Jr. exposes himself over and over, but Dawson was and is too tentative to take advantage.

I'm not necessarily hating on Dawson, who waded deep into enemy territory in Montreal to prove his worthiness of Ring's best light heavy title, but he never delivered.

Pacquiao v. Margarcheato???

Okay, Manny...I get it. Mayweather is punking out (notwithstanding the semi-confirmed rumor that there may have been some negotiation between Arum and Al Hamon or Ross Greenberg or the man in the moon). So, you've got to look for another fight, but letting Bob Arum put you in with Margarito is WAY beneath you.

Why would you want to legitimize this guy? Doesn't it matter to you that he used plaster in his handwraps? Did you watch what he did to Cotto with those wraps? Sure, he stood up to a major beating for 8 rounds at Cotto's hands, but only because he knew that he had a secret weapon that he had to wait to employ. His fists were going to turn into bricks that he could then use to pummel Cotto into submission. I bet Cotto was thinking, "oh God...this guy is hitting harder than ever after 8 rounds of punishment!" Well, he was. Because, unlike the once-deserving Roberto Duran, Margarcheato's hands had turned to stone.

You're better than this, Manny.

As to the fight, it's a walkover. Margarcheato, without his "edge", has looked pedestrian when in deep. Mosley pummeled him and Pac-man has twice Shane's effective speed and hits at least as hard. Margarcheato is a tough-chinned plodder who needed the advantage he cheated to get.

Without that advantage, he's Libredo Andrade. Tough enough to take the shots and be ranked, but nowhere near good enough to beat the elites. He's in there hoping for a mistake. Pacquiao doesn't make those mistakes and has a great chin himself. Pacquiao makes a mockery of it, pounds on Margarcheato from all angles and disposes of him ugly in round nine.

I won't buy it. No one should.

Floyd Mayweather the Coward

It's been too long since I typed in this space with interest. Boxing is on hiatus for me. My love wanes not a bit, but alas my interest doth. Until I read again about Floyd "Honey" Mayweather. As posted in the space before, Floyd Mayweather is a coward. I've laid out the reasons we know this to be true before...but in the way that we're always disappointed to see rain clouds roll in on a sunny day, even when we can watch the radar...I'm disappointed to be right. I will excerpt a mainstream article here, as written by Tim Reynolds:

MIAMI — Floyd Mayweather Jr. allowed a deadline for striking a deal on a superfight with Manny Pacquiao to pass without saying anything.
A day later, Mayweather indicated that his stance wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"I'm not interested in rushing to do anything," Mayweather told The Associated Press.
Appearing in Miami on Sunday as a coach at a charity basketball game hosted by Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning, Mayweather happily fielded questions about the NBA. But when talk turned to boxing – and Pacquiao in particular – the fighter known as Money simply wouldn't respond.
Mayweather's camp did not respond to a deadline early Saturday put in place by Pacquiao promoter Top Rank for exclusive negotiations, which has put what could be the richest fight in boxing history in doubt. Mayweather and Pacquiao are clearly the two biggest stars in the sport but have not signed a deal despite months of negotiations.
"I'm not really thinking about boxing right now," Mayweather said. "I'm just relaxing. I fought about 60 days ago, so I'm just enjoying myself, enjoying life, enjoying my family and enjoying my vacation."
Mayweather has appeared at the event Mourning founded known as the Summer Groove in past years, plus has grabbed courtside seats at Heat games during previous trips to Miami. But there was a certain irony to his appearance Sunday: Mayweather was a coach on the bench that the Heat occupy, sitting in the seat that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra uses during games.
Spoelstra is of Filipino descent, and is a huge Pacquiao fan.
"I'm supporting all basketball players because I'm a fan of basketball," Mayweather said.
Pacquiao already has agreed to an equitable split of the earnings from the megafight, along with extensive drug testing. The two sides nearly came to terms earlier this year, but the fight didn't happen then because Pacquiao was reticent about blood testing close to a fight.
Pacquiao ended up routing Joshua Clottey before about 50,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium in March, while Mayweather easily defeated Shane Mosley in May.
Although he hasn't spoken directly to Mayweather, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he believes the former pound-for-pound champion might be reluctant to fight this year because of the legal woes of Roger Mayweather, his uncle and longtime trainer.
Roger Mayweather will go on trial in Las Vegas next month on assault charges stemming from an altercation with a female boxer last year.
If the fight with Mayweather doesn't happen, Pacquiao could fight recently crowned junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, whom he's already defeated, or former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. Arum said that Pacquiao plans to fight Nov. 13 regardless of the opponent.
As for Mayweather, well, only he seems to know.
"Like I said, I'm just supporting my family and relaxing," Mayweather said. "That's what I'm doing right now."

Floyd Mayweather is ducking Pacquiao like a coward, plain and simple. As I wrote in predicting this shame, Mayweather has become the house...and the house doesn't make losing bets. In playing it safe, he may preserve his cache among the uninitiated, but for realfightfans, he cannot claim a place in the pantheon beside the Sugar Rays, Hitmen, Marvelous Marvins or Jack Johnsons until he truly steps up. But he won't. There's little danger of that...because he's not in the danger business anymore.

Williams v. Cintron: A Tough Call That Fizzled...

As I prepare to watch this fight, I cannot decide who to call it for. Williams is relentless, tough and long, while Cintron hits like a ton of bricks and can box. Until Carlos Quintana fought a perfect counterpunchers fight against Williams, I didn't think he could be beat...and when they rematched Quintana's magic was gone and Williams knocked him out quickly. Meanwhile, only Margarito consistently has had Cintron's number, taking him into deep water and knocking him out twice (as I recall, though Cintron may have survived to a decision loss the second time), but to my thinking those losses to Margarcheato are called forever into question.

That said, it can't be overlooked that Williams outworked the workrate Margarito when he fought him, pre-scandal, decisioning the one fighter who twice defeated Cintron. I think that gives Williams the edge, both mentally and physically. I call it for Williams by attrition in the 11th of 12 rounds.

Round One - Williams is clearly taller with a reach advantage. Williams lands cleanly and the HBO crew is seeing Cintron successfully countering though I don't see it as much. And with a minute and a half, Cintron lands cleanly. Cintron IS waiting to throw that right hand. Williams is not going workrate, which is his calling card. Larry Merchant is attributing that to Cintron's taking it away, but whatever the cause, it's clear. It's a close round that I call for Williams, though it easily could go the other way. Williams up 10-9.

Round Two - Cintron is in pure coutnerpunching mode and he's not even throwing except in response. The lower workrate, according to the HBO crew, is attributable to Williams' respect for Cintron's power. Cintron is trying to time Williams with a big game-changing punch. With a minute left, he's not finding it and this leaves it as a miss, miss and counter miss type of fight and Williams has the round on aggressiveness only with 20 seconds to go. Nothing changes and Cintron did nothing but miss counterpunches to Williams' missed punches. Unimpressive, but close and again to Williams for me, making it 20-18 for Williams.

Round Three - HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman has the rounds split 1-1, with the last one for Williams which is fair. Williams begins stepping it up and Cintron's corner told HIM to pick up the aggression. Cintron is again purely countering and waiting for one big punch. Williams again not fighting workrate, but Cintron is doing nothing effective and neither is taking risks. Feinting, missing and moving. Williams lands the first and only real punch with ten seconds left and takes the round, going up 30-27 on my card.

Round Four - Now Williams takes a risk and both fighters connect and it gets interesting...and then the fighters tangle and both go down, but Williams is in the ring and Cintron seems to almost vault himself out of the ring through the ropes!? Okay the replay shows Cintron didn't deliberately throw himself out, but he also seemed not to try to catch himself. He appears immobilized outside the ring and a full minute passes and a gurney is brought in to cart him away. Cintron isn't even trying to get up or roll over. I can't help but wonder why he's not trying to get up and Larry Merchant comments that both fighters will get paid, but noone else will leave happy. It seems very odd to me that Cintron is not even trying. They've put a neck brace on Cintron now, though I saw him move his legs and arms.

Now they're going to the judge's scorecards because it's gone three rounds??? ...and they are counting the fourth, which lasted all of thirty or so fighting seconds. Unreal. I'm thinking that this favors Williams, interestingly enough. Williams ducked a Cintron punch and bulled into Cintron, then fell away and Cintron actually wasn't pushed out of the ring as a result of that as much as Cintron seems to have either lost his balance or attempted to regain it by throwing himself out of the ring between the second and top ropes and in any case, vaulted out onto a scorer's table, over a monitor and prone face-down onto the floor. He's not moved and he's strapped into an elaborate head-immobilizing gurney and carted away.

39-37, 40-36, 36-40 split decision for Paul Williams and one of the three judges scored ALL FOUR ROUNDS for Cintron??? That too is unreal. That judge wasn't watching anyone but Cintron. I guess I would have called the last round for Williams as much because through the first 30 seconds or so of the fourth, it was Williams' aggression that caused it to turn into a fight in what there was of the round. Another replay view seems to show Cintron almost jumping through the ropes. Gotta love boxing...here's a result I've never seen, caused by something I've never seen before. And we see Cintron waving his arms around as they load him, head immobilized, into the ambulance. He wanted to continue fighting, but was told by the doctors that he could not? And we accept this from his manager? or was it his promoter? Fishy. Well...that's boxing...

Pac v. Money: A Reality? No Way

So now I hear that after Manny Pacquiao is elected to congress in the Phillipines, he is going to accede to Floyd Mayweather's demand that he give blood up to 14 days prior to fight night, again immediately after the fight and remove the only stumbling block to the biggest fight of this generation. Well, hallelujah!

In this space, I have been a supporter of Pacman's unwillingness to bow to the unilateral demands of little Floyd but after watching Floyd beat the strong shadow of Shane Mosley last Saturday night, I more than ever want to see Floyd pass boxing's ultimate test: a prime great fighter who noone can make excuses for him about. He deserves that kind of test and indeed, it's the very test he has so long carefully avoided.

Will it happen? No way. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will find a new way out. He will change his demands on blood testing before the fight to ten days, then to five, then to three. He will demand daily testing! Anything to avoid getting in the ring with a game-changing type of fighter. Floyd Mayweather long ago stopped taking risks in his career. He's proven that he no longer has to. He can pick and choose his opponents. He didn't need Shane five or even three years ago...but he shrewdly waited until Shane was just enough diminished, then invited him in instead of a real threat, only to outbox him while Shane still looked good enough to apease the critics. He has proved masterful at crafting his safety first career...but he may be about to be exposed, if not exactly undone.

If Manny Pacquiao figures Mayweather out, it could genuinely be entertaining. Watch Manny keep agreeing to more ridiculous conditions, then watch the bar move again. Or perhaps Floyd will schedule the fight, then injure himself in training....as many times as necessary. That's always a good one. Maybe Floyd will take the fight, then get himself arrested, like uncle Roger, like daddy Sr., like son?

I know only this: I believe there is no amount of money that Money will take to hand over his zero. At some point, he became the house and the house doesn't run games where the odds fail to favor the house. Ever.

Mayweather v. Mosley: A Creampuff v. A Classic

Well, either Floyd, Jr. waited long enough for Shane to age just enough or there really is nobody his peer at 147lb.. I think it's a little of both, but it's hard to say that Floyd fought a shot Shane. I don't think he did. I think he waited until he was ready for Shane, which meant that he had to wait until he was 33....which meant Shane had to be 38. If they'd fought four or five years ago, Shane would have been a touch quicker and a tad fresher, Floyd a touch less sure and a tad smaller. Once again, the shrewd matchmaking talent of the Mayweather camp pays off.

When asked before the fight who would win, I called Shane a live underdog on whom I'd wager to take advantage of 4-1 odds. When asked, if bets were straight up, who I'd take...I went with Mayweather. I expected Mosley to work hard to back Floyd up and press the action, but that the result would be a safety first victory for Floyd, backing up and counterpunching. That isn't how it went.

Instead the first two rounds went to Mosley (on my card) with the two fighters posing and quivering at each other. When they engaged, it was clear that the speed advantage wasn't as dramatically favoring Mayweather as some, myself included, had feared. That told me that it would be up to boxing skill. And as they engaged in the second round, testing one another, it was Mayweather who came up wanting and Mosley rocked him hard, wobbling Floyd, making him hold on and buy time. But then Mayweather found another gear.

It's said of champions that they do have another gear...that when pressed, they find a way to get to a new level. I think it's all the more true of undefeated champions. It was true of Joe Calzaghe against a then-fresh and hungry Mikkel Kessler and again against Bernard Hopkins. And it was true of Floyd Mayweather.

When Floyd realized it was a boxing match and that he shouldn't stand in with Shane, he began to box and he began to put distance between himself and Mosley, both figuratively and literally. To his credit, he didn't just backpedal...he mixed backpedalling with aggression and kept Mosley guessing. When Mosley pressed, he did well but he never seemed to be able to find a rhythm of his own. He was always dancing to Mayweather's tune...in and out, back and forth. Mosley's best moments after the second round, keeping in mind he lost all of the last ten rounds on my card, came when he moved forward and pressed. But he seldom pressed Mayweather out of his comfort zone, letting Floyd through a couple of punches and back away or backing off himself to allow a breather.

Mosley didn't fight with the aggression of an undefeated fighter...because he isn't one. He didn't find a next gear, because he started at his highest gear. There was no higher level for Shane. He's a pro and he came ready to fight and he gave Floyd a fight. This was not a walkover. I had the fifth, sixth, ninth, tenth and twelfth rounds as close rounds, but even on my card, Floyd always did enough to carry the round. Indeed, in a later round Floyd once looked over smiling in a clinch at the HBO crew...but he only did it once, because he couldn't get away with it more. He may have been winning convincingly, but he wasn't dominating. He was just winning. And that's enough for Floyd. He's not going for the KO. He's just trying to win.

I thought referee Kenny Bayless was way too involved, breaking the fighters too early throughout the fight, seeming to want to be a part of the show instead of facilitating it. But then again, any referee who intones, "what I say you must obey" as his last words seems to be part carny anyway. He's betraying his activism. Happily, though he didn't let it get as rough as I think it should have been allowed to be, he also didn't ruin it for anybody. Let's face it...these two guys have been in deep too long too often.

I had it 118-110, matching one judge with the other two official judges scoring it 119-109, which probably means that they both gave the close first round to Mayweather. Ultimately, I think Mosley didn't adapt as much as I thought he would. He wasn't busy enough and he looked winded in the later rounds in the corner in a way I'd never seen him. Though he didn't really show much fatigue when the bell rang each round, he looked like he was being run ragged once he'd sat down. Mayweather meanwhile didn't look tired at any point. Mosley's trainer Nazeem Richardson even made note of it once, saying that Mayweather's real talent lies in his conditioning.

If that's true, then maybe age and mileage played a bigger part than we know because any realfightfan knows that while Sugar Shane Mosley is still in great condition, mixing metaphors, he's all but a classic and he's been rode hard and put up wet a lot. He always comes out of the stable looking the like the horse we remember, but we know how many hard races he's had and those contests take a toll on mortal men.

On Mayweather's side, he's run some hard races too...but not nearly as many or as frequently or for as long as Mosley. I think Mayweather deserves credit for beating Sugar Shane, but he didn't beat the same Sugar Shane who beat Oscar twice. He beat 95% of that Shane. And in a sport where little things make a difference, 5% is the difference between winning and losing. And Floyd the safety first master matchmaker knows it. Which is why he won't fight Manny Pacquiao. Not now and not ever.

But I hope he does.

Arreola v. Adamek and Angulo/Julio

After watching Kessler/Froch last night, watching the HBO Boxing After Dark 4/24/10 undercard for the heavyweight fight is like night and day, skill-wise. I was tempted to skip over this TiVo'd undercard fight to get to the heavyweight fight I'm most interested in, but stopping to watch the Alfredo Angulo v. Joel Julio fight was a big mistake, if that was my goal. The matchup is not terribly unlike the Kessler/Froch matchup: an outside fighter with pop fighting more conventionally (Kessler/Julio) against a pursuing pressure fighter with slower hands (Froch/Angulo). That's where the similarity ends, however.

The Angulo/Julio fight is being contested at a much higher skill level. Julio, circling the wrong way into Angulo's potential right hand, is pinpointing many of his jabs and crosses and when he misses, it's because of Angulo's bobbing head or deflecting punches. Angulo meanwhile, is the ever-persistent pursuer, waiting for Julio to tire. Julio circles endlessly jabbing, crossing and moving. Julio is clearly winning and has won every round up to this moment, halfway through the fifth, but I wonder no matter how much more fit Julio looks than I've seen him in past fights, if he can keep it up. Angulo seems to be conserving energy and trying to wear out the mercurial Julio. There's no question that Julio is in better shape than in times past, but moving as much as he is is tough for another seven rounds in the face of the constant and granite-chinned pressure of Angulo.

Coming in, I'd have called this for Angulo. Not because he's the more skilled boxer. He's not. He is more determined and less likely to fade. Julio indeed is supremely skilled and, especially where he trains properly, he is an elite level fighter...but Angulo is a very determined pressure fighter with heavy hands who seems like he can't be hurt and counterpunches well. With a minute left in the sixth, the round is far more even. I still lean it to Julio and could see several of these rounds going Angulo's way, but so far halfway through, I've got every round for Julio.

Harold Lederman has it three to three and though I seldom give too much credence to his unofficial card, I wonder if I'm paying too much attention to typing and not enough to following the fight. I'll remedy that now.

I see Angulo slowing a bit, not walking in with abandon as he pursues. This tells me that Julio's power has his attention. The seventh clearly goes to Julio on my card, making it a shutout. If this fight goes on this way, Julio can't lose...unless he fades...which I suspect he will. Against Angulo, fading just a bit means destruction. Julio is used to being able to take a little bit of time here and there off, especially after he's spent 20 plus minutes softening up his opponent. The problem is that there's no softening up Alfredo Angulo. After eight, Julio still edges Angulo on my card, continuing his shutout.

Max Kellerman intones that Julio looks like he's running now more than earlier in the fight and there's some legitimacy to that, however I'm not seeing Angulo being particularly effective. Julio is making Angulo miss and touching Angulo as he circles. Julio is cut over the left eye by a punch, but although Angulo mercilessly advances, the better work is still done by Julio. He's shutting Angulo out. Can he keep it up? He's looking more tired in the corner. Lederman has the last five rounds for Angulo??? what fight is he watching? I see Julio getting away nearly every time. He opines that Julio is hitting Angulo "here and there, but nothing serious", but that is a function of Angulo's granite chin, not the solidity of Julio's punching.

That said, I will agree (and uninfluenced by Mr. Lederman), that finally the tenth round goes to Angulo as Angulo's pressure reaches and surpasses the tipping point. On my card, that makes it 9 to 1 roundwise.

Julio has tried to grab and hold a few times throughout the fight, but Angulo wants none of it. And Julio is dropped! ...and it's waved off! I guess the referee felt Julio couldn't continue. Wow...a sudden end to the fight and in a way that makes sense. I had it in a landslide for Julio, but I never doubted the possibility that Angulo would catch up in the late rounds. Angulo just puts in his work, keeps up his pressure, takes to give and eventually gets his man. Great fight.

Now to Arreola v. Adamek!

As I expected, Adamek is giving away 33 pounds at the weigh-in. The first round looks evenly contested. No great speed advantage to either fighter. Hard to call as they both get in some shots. The size advantage, while marked, doesn't look too great...though I think it will tell as we proceed. 10-9 for Adamek.

The HBO team points out Adamek's long pro and amateur resume, which unusually outstrips Arreola's own. To his credit, Adamek is indeed showing skill and poise and Arreola is having trouble hitting Adamek while Adamek counters. Adamek's not getting out entirely untouched, but he's getting the better of it. Second round goes to Adamek too, making it 20-18 for Adamek. Keep in mind that if Adamek gets in trouble, it will happen like a lightning strike and Arreola is a hungry and angry finisher.

Another round in the books for Adamek making it 30-27 and the question becomes can he do enough damage to Arreola to take his heart away. Kellerman calls Adamek a "top twenty pound for pound guy", which I don't necessarily agree with...but he does look technically sound and is plying his speed advantage.

Now Adamek "looks a little wobbly" according to Bob Papa and I've seen that once or twice when Arreola really lands hard. In the second half of the round, Adamek turns the tide back, landing repeatedly cleanly. The HBO team talks about how Adamek looks wobbly as the round ends, but he does enough on my card to take it, going up 40-36.

Max Kellerman seems to score more by general impression than by punches landed as he gives round 4 to Arreola. I disagree, though I like Chris a lot as a heavyweight fighter. Adamek is making him pay for his typical aggression. Arreola though, is accustomed to taking to give. Can Adamek do enough damage? Adamek in trouble! His footwork is poor, according to the commentators and that looks accurate. Arreola not ready to finish him...but maybe he's just waiting. Arreola takes his first round and takes it clearly, making it 49-46 still favoring Arreola.

The replay shows that it's a JAB that put Adamek off his game. And that's the punching power advantage of a natural heavy like Arreola versus a blown up technician with pop like Adamek. He won't survive in the rarified air of the heavyweight division, even if he survives tonight. Adamek starts to obviously run as Adamek is no longer offensive and only showing offense to try to keep Arreola off and to get away. Another clear round for Arreola, making it 58-56 for Adamek.

Lederman has it the the exact opposite way, which is heartening because I seldom agree with Lederman. I think Adamek takes the momentum back in the seventh, landing and moving and looking rejuvenated, while Arreola is reduced to his pursuit of the fight's beginning. That one goes to Adamek, making it 68-65 favoring Adamek.

We're into round eight and I didn't think it would go this far, so the question becomes: will Arreola break down Adamek or will Adamek be able to stay away? Arreola is not able to cut off the ring effectively. Adamek is clearly convinced that he will not be able to KO Arreola, so he's on his horse and concentrating on staying away from danger. Probably smart because he's making Arreola have to chase him, which Arreola doesn't seem able to effectively do. That one also goes to Adamek, widening the margin to 78-74 in his favor.

In the ninth, Arreola again reduced to the chase while Adamek punches and dances away. Adamek is gaining confidence back and starting to mix exchanges with backing away. If he keeps the stay-away and punch and run strategy, he'll win. Arreola lands big! Adamek is hurt with two minutes left. Arreola not finishing...which will cost him this fight, if Adamek recovers. THIS may be a conditioning issue for Arreola. Arreola can't close the show despite Adamek's being wobbled because he's gassed. He's not really showing it, except for failing to press his advantage...but it's there. Arreola is not throwing his right hand much in the second half. He saves the round for himself at the end, though Adamek clearly recovered, making it 87-84 favoring Adamek.

In the tenth, Arreola presses his advantage and takes a close round where Adamek is looking tired: 96-94

In the eleventh, Arreola comes out smoking. Adamek not moving as much, as if his feet are slowed. Adamek willing to trade more...which is a bad strategy for him. Arreola has more opportunities and keeps trying to press his advantage. Arreola is hurt in his right bicep, according to his corner...he throws it and winces obviously. Arreola takes the round, though Adamek tries to play to the crowd at the end. My score moves to 105-104 in Adamek's favor.

Final round begins and I'm going to watch. Adamek standing in and exchanging...and getting the better of it in the first minute. Arreola blinking away blood and eating punches coming in. They lean on each other halfway. Adamek clearly has plenty left and he's moving more and trying to stay away, then hugging. Adamek fighting smart, if not entertainingly. Arreola ends the fight having almost not landed a single punch cleanly, and holds his hand up high...to me almost admitting that he knows he didn't do enough. The last round goes to Adamek, making my final tally 115-113 for Adamek.

Much credit to Adamek for fighting smart enough of the time. It almost went as I predicted, but Adamek is too skilled and had enough of a quickness advantage to take it, at least on my card: . It's in Arreola's backyard, so we'll see...

The official scorecards come down: 114-114 even; 115-113; 117-111 for Adamek in a majority decision. Great fight. Fair result.

Kessler/Froch and Arreola/Adamek prediction

I'm picking up recording my impressions as I watch round five of the all european Kessler/Froch matchup, I admit I would have called Kessler without reservation against Froch. I'd call the fight very even so far, but Kessler is by no means dominant. Kessler looks faster and he is taking advantage, but when he lets up, Froch steps in. Ever since Kessler got flat out smoked by Andre Ward, many are wondering if he's shot. Hard to say...but he might be, because although Froch is confident and admirably loose and cocky in the ring, his handspeed is poor. If Kessler can't beat him, he would indeed seem to be shot.

Through six, I'd give Kessler three rounds and Froch three. The Showtime crew gave a telling statistic coming in to the fight. All of the super middleweight tournament fights have been won by the home town fighter. In Froch's case, he stole the decision from Andre Dirrell, but either it's a testament to the unfairness of boxing scoring or the fighters by and large fight better before their home town crowds. It's probably both.

Kessler takes round seven and goes up a round, even as Al Bernstein says halfway through the round that he had Froch up four rounds to two. In Denmark? No way...at least not on the official judge's scorecards. Kessler stalking in round eight and rocks Froch and Froch is badly hurt. His legs are gone and he survives, but clearly a dominant round for Kessler. Kessler up five rounds to three and gaining momentum.

Showtime color man Antonio Tarver speculates that Froch's nose is badly broken. Kessler laying off and not finishing. As the round ends, both guys are throwing haymakers and missing like drunken sailors. Ugly action as neither looks able to really avoid the other's punches, yet neither is good enough to hit the other. I'd give Froch the ninth, making it 5-4 for Kessler, but the judges won't.

The tenth round is incredibly close as both can't dodge the others punches. It would be a fantastic fight if it were contested at a slightly higher skill level. It's entertaining, but each is so easy for the other to hit that the only reason they miss, and they miss a lot, is based on poor mechanics, bad balance and poor setup. I give it to Froch for cleaner punches, making it 5-5.

Round eleven again was very close, haymakers flying, missing and landing and really making it tough to call. I give it to Kessler, making it 6 rounds to 5 rounds favoring Kessler.

Okay...so that WAS a fun final round. Kessler went nuclear, just throwing constant bombs and landing and backing up a throwing Froch until thirty seconds left when it looked like Kessler ran out of gas and Froch had something left, but not enough to really turn the tide. I give the final round to Kessler, making it 7 to 5 on my card.

Getting the decision: 117-111; 115-113; 116-112 all in favor of Mikkel Kessler. Makes sense and it is as I expected. I've always called Carl Froch a glorified club fighter, but I'll admit he looked more comfortable in the ring than Kessler and has heart and skills, but to be more candid yet...I think he probably only looked good as compared to Kessler.

Now to Arreola/Adamek. Personally, I think Adamek is biting off WAY more than he can chew in Arreola. Arreola, but for a couple of giant Ukranian brothers, would be heavyweight champion of the world. Now, I know that's like saying but for the Allies, the thousand year reich was a really strong play...but, to take the analogy as step too far, Arreola IS like the reich...but for the Allies, they had a lot of game.

Arreola is heavy handed, willing and skilled. He's quick handed for a heavyweight and the reason he got demolished by Klitschko the younger (I recall it was the younger, wasn't it?) was because Dr. Steelhammer has perfected his jab and hammering following cross, his reach advantage is too great and the good doctor has enough lateral movement and safety first savvy to be practically unbeatable by shorter-armed heavyweights like Arreola.

So how does Adamek stack up? I'd say he's likely to give up 30 pounds on fight night, especially to the rolly polly Arreola. When Arreola, an experienced amateur, starts to lean on him, Adamek is going to feel the difference between cruiserweight and heavyweight. Unless Adamek's speed advantage is just outrageous, he has no chance. A massive speed advantage simply isn't likely, nor is the skill differential likely to be great.

We must recall that Arreola is a very tough guy who leads with his face...and looks like it. He's not worried about absorbing leather...he's used to it. Unless the shellacking by Klitschko broke his spirit, unlikely in my estimation, Arreola is looking to rebound. This a stupid first foray into the deep water of the heavyweight division for Adamek, in my view. I call Arreola by KO in round seven, though it could go deeper with a lopsided result for Cristobal.

Kelly Pavlik: Knucklehead or Hero?

Youngstown's pride is a likeable, tough and rough and ready guy, but I have to wonder what he's thinking? Does he not watch boxing? Is he surrounded by idiots? Is he a fool? Harsh questions to be sure, but warranted now that he seems to have busied himself squandering his marketability so feverishly.

How else can his recent matchmaking decisions be explained. He had climbed the mountain. He'd defeated the undisputed middleweight champion, then beaten him again. He was king of the hill and could look down from his throne and pick the fights he wanted, even alphabet belts be damned. So what does he do? He immediately challenges the former middleweight champion of the world in a non-title bout. Does he force Hopkins to lose down to 160lb? No. He decides to move up to Hopkins' new weight at 168lb.. Does he have anything to gain? No. If he wins, then he beat an old man, finally past his prime at 43. He won't even get a belt...just pride. Did he have everything to lose? Yes. If he loses, he not only takes his first loss, but does so to an old man who ruled his division for 10 years before stepping up. If he loses, he'll be regarded as a lesser champ than the true titleholder he preceded...and he'll feel that way too. He risks undermining both his marketability and his own confidence.

And so pride went before the fall, as the cagey Hopkins went deliberately against his own style, stepping out aggressively and pummeling Pavlik for 12 rounds, easily defeating him, handing him his first loss, destroying his luster of invincibility and sure enough...putting doubt where none had been before. Why would a fighter make such a stupid move? Well...Kelly Pavlik once said he would fight Godzilla if his promoter put him in the ring with him. So, it's the handlers, then. And shame on them because apparently they have don't understand what it means to have a meal ticket.

Even after the monumentally stupid decision to fight Bernard Hopkins, Pavlik's handlers apparently searched and searched for a fighter who could beat their guy. Bowing to the alphabet gods, they matched their guy with Sergio Martinez. Now here's a guy who could actually probably mirror Hopkins' fight plan, for which Pavlik clearly had no answer. He's got that kind of athletic skill. But even if he chose not to, there were other ways he could beat Pavlik: speed of hand and speed of foot. And so he did.

Though Pavlik took as many as four of the middle rounds, along with a gift knockdown call, he was badly outmatched. It's a credit to Pavlik's determination that he was willing to take the shots in rounds five through nine necessary to compete. He stepped inside Martinez' punches, timed him and dished out punishment, but he had already been softened up and when he began to bleed around both eyes, it was more than even he could overcome. Martinez' conditioning was such that he could keep moving all night. His speed advantage was such that he could shake his shoulders, bolo his punches and taunt the middleweight champion of the world at will. And so he did.

And for what? Pavlik didn't have to take this tough a fight. He could have taken a half dozen fights before even considering fighting anyone this tough. With any of those fights, he would have been comparably paid and his contract with HBO was clearly intact regardless of the level of opponent. He not only didn't need Sergio Martinez...he should have stayed far away from a fighter as gifted, but unrecognized as Martinez. Then why take it? If not for the money or the recognition, then why? Could it be that Kelly Pavlik really cares about whether he is the best fighter? Whether he deserves to be the middleweight king? Could he really actually be so willing to answer that question that it matters less to him whether he wins or loses, than that he test himself?

If the answer is yes, then Kelly Pavlik is both.

Berto v. Quintana; round-by-round

Well I'm finishing watching the lead-in HBO fight between featherweights Caballero and Sompun Chingbagh. To noone's surprise Sompun Chingbagh absorbed punishment all night long and Caballero took a unanimous landslide decision.

The big fight of the night is Andre Berto v. Carlos Quintana. Will this be the Quintana that beat Paul Williams by fighting perfectly or the version that got KO'd by Williams in the rematch? Will the undefeated Berto be the one who struggled with the flat footed Juan Urango? Will Berto still be affected by the Haiti earthquake that prompted his pullout from his then-cancelled fight with Shane Mosley? Interesting questions for realfightfans. Who do I like? I'd think Berto's quickness gives him an edge, but it's easy to underestimate Quintana. A slick southpaw who can really box, he was able to decisively beat the then-undefeated and seemingly still nearly unbeatable Paul Williams. Quintana also handed Joel Julio his first loss and though Julio precitously fell off our collective radar later, he was a force to be reckoned with as he's apparently still trying to claw his way back to relevance.

Interesting to see HBO pointing out Berto's career long 314 day layoff for Berto. I think we're going to see ring rust and Berto maybe thrown off by Quintana's ability to slip, duck and counter. Berto is used to being able to admire his work and have a major talent advantage and is likely to be really tested for the first time in his career. I think he'll come up short. I call Quintana by decision, maybe even a split decision...but the WBC welterweight championship changes hands tonight.

Now let's see what the fight holds:

Round one - Berto clearly quicker and lands the first significant punch cleanly. Quintana rabbit punching. Now Lampley reminds us that Quintana was KO'd by Williams in the rematch in one round and retired by Cotto after five rounds. Berto complaining while caught up, but Quintana fighting on and taking advantage by punching inside. Now Berto is roughhousing, then complaining about being rabbit punched...when this time it didn't happen! Berto's round 10-9

Round two - Quintana starts by twitching a jab out and Quintana times Berto and hits him hard and clean. Berto then steps inside and gets rough, stepping in and waving his head around. Berto steps inside and holds and gets hit in the face and seems to want to complain that it's somehow unfair that he's getting hit. Quintana bothering Berto by flicking that jab. Quintana just out of reach of hitting Quintana. Quintana's round, evening it at 19-19.

Round three - Quintana is warned for hitting behind the head, but I don't really see it. Berto's complaints shouldn't result in a special look. Berto looking to the ref. Quintana gets warned again and I can't tell for what, considering that Berto is the one leaning in, jumping in and butting. Quintana on the defensive, but Berto getting hit. A point deduction from Quintana for hitting Berto behind the head and because Berto turned out of a clinch and turned his back and got hit in the back of the head, it looked far more obvious than it was. 10-8 for Berto, making it 29-27 for Berto.

Round four - rough fight, as the HBO crew attests. Merchant correctly points out that Berto is "turning away" coming out of clinches, making Quintana have to throw at the back of his head, as it happens again, but no point taken this time or warning given. Still, Berto is getting the better of it. Quintana is not sharp because he's not getting off first. Berto's round again as the aggressor, making it 39-36 for Berto.

Round five - Nice uppercut by Quintana and they are fighting rough, holding, pushing and leaning on each other while throwing. Another nice uppercut by Quintana followed by a clean right by Berto. I wonder how much Berto has left, but Quintana is wobbled when both land cleanly. I disagree with Jim Lampley that it was quite a "big round" for Berto, but by wobbling Quintana he took the round, even though much of it was very even or skewed to Quintana. It goes to 49-45 for Berto.

Round six - ugly round and it's Berto's fault as much or more than Quintana. Neither fighter deserves the round with 30 seconds left. Merchant says he thinks its a "pretty good round" for Quintana and I'll agree, making it 58-55, still for Berto. And there's a left bicep injury to Berto evidently.

Round seven - Quintana going under the left arm of Quintana. Lampley enthusiastically declaring Berto's shots hard and clean and Merchant disagreeing. Merchants' right, but just then Berto DOES land a hard right cleanly. A close round, but I've got to give it to Berto, making it 68-64 for Berto.

Round eight - Berto better in the first minute and now Quintana complains and I don' t see why? getting hit cleanly? They fight the first half of this round separated and it favors Berto. Good thing Lampley is not reffing because he says it's a good time to stop the fight, but that's excessive. Shockingly! the ref stops it?!? okay so Quintana took a shot straight down the middle, but for me it was not a good stoppage. I think that Quintana could continue. In replays though, it actually looked worse than I thought it was in real time. Quintana WAS totally defensive and there was nearly a full minute left. Good stoppage.

So does this make Berto a legitimate threat in the welterweight division? I'm not convinced. He's fast-handed, but his style is ugly and he's hittable as heck. Quintana has no power and Berto actually can be dropped. Against any of the three best in the division, he gets picked apart, shocked and dropped repeatedly. Berto is too inaccurate, but he IS still undefeated and didn't show any sign of tiring, though it didn't really go that deep. I was wrong about the outcome. Quintana isn't fast enough handed and the speed differential was too much for him. He seems to be on the downside of his career now, so he may turn into a gatekeeper...which I suppose is what he was today.

Predictions and super middleweight thoughts

After reading the most recent edition of the Ring and seeing Froch called to win over Kessler, I had to respond. While I realize that Andre Ward dismantled Mikkel Kessler, that's no reason to dismiss Kessler such that he would be predicted to be beaten by Carl Froch. Froch is a borderline club fighter who eked out a hometown decision against the starry-eyed Dirrell who couldn't bring himself to punch, somehow thinking that the fact that his hands and head movement were SO much faster than Froch's, he didn't have to actually throw to win.

Kessler gave Joe Calzaghe a good fight and he's not so far removed from that. Before he dropped the decision to Ward, he was the odds-on favorite to win the Showtime tournament. Meanwhile, on the strength of a late round and fight-saving (on my card, at least) KO of the now-withdrawn Jermaine Taylor, Arthur Abraham was the second coming. After last night, no more...though I imagine some will point to the DQ as something different from a loss, notwithstanding that it IS a loss and that he was taking a beating for over ten rounds before he got himself DQ'd. My point is that the tide of opinion ought not vary quite so much based solely on the most recent fight.

Arthur Abraham has always been a slow-footed punch magnet with a granite chin who waits until the end of fights to try to win on one punch. Until recently, he was successful with that . Interestingly absent the DQ loss to Dirrell, whom he wore down by absorbing punches non-stop for ten rounds, the strategy might have worked again. Meanwhile, Kessler is not suddenly a punching bag merely because he lost badly to Andre Ward. Ward stepped up and Kessler didn't prepare properly. Given the disparity of the loss, the handspeed issue may be impossible for Kessler to overcome if they fight again...but against Carl Froch, Kessler's handspeed will not be a problem. He is fitter than Froch, moves better laterally, punches better in combination and surely has faster hands. Froch has a puncher's chance, but that's all. It's Kessler by a wide decision, if not by KO in the late rounds.

Meanwhile, the cream is rising to the top. Andre Ward looked unbeatable against Kessler, but he won't be able to look as fast against Dirrell (when that eventually happens) and a healthy Allan Green subbing in for Jermaine Taylor, brings an interesting dynamic. Sometimes he looks dominant and sometimes vulnerable, but always entertaining. I think he was a great late addition to the tournament.

As for Jermaine taking a hiatus, perhaps it's a good thing. I'm not quite the alarmist that others who've seen his performances of late have been, but I think a step back will benefit him mentally. I think he's bought into the knock on him that he can't finish fights...that he fades. While he's had problems with that, without doubt, I think he needs a new approach to the later rounds. On my card, he was beating Arthur Abraham before he was dropped very late and there's no question on anyone's card that Carl Froch was desparate and far behind when he similarly KO'd Jermaine late. These were dramatic looking losses to be sure, but it seems totally lost by boxing writers that Jermaine was LEADING these fights when he was KO'd. He hasn't lost the ability to compete at the elite level, if we judge him fairly by his last several fights. He brings it, then loses focus in the last round or two. I think some time off, harsh conditioning and a new mental approach to the late rounds: be ready to pour it on in the last two rounds, as if he's behind regardless of the scorecard, for example. Condition for that.

Finally, some stream of consciousness thoughts about Mayweather v. Mosley. Mosley looked fantastic against Cheatergarito, beating him to the punch so often that the hardened plaster inside Margburitto's gloves didn't get a chance to make a difference. Can Mosley be that fast again? He's a fanatical trainer all-year-round, not dissimilar to Mayweather. As he's aged, he's become natural at or near the 150 lb. level, overblown above it and starved below 144 lb. I'm assuming the fight was made at somewhere between 147lb and 150 lbs. Mosley is a special fighter and he can bring leather with strategy. He's a young 38 and I'm hopeful that he hasn't hit the wall yet, losing that fraction of speed that will cost him any chance. Mayweather still has his speed and there's no question about that. This IS a risky fight for him and just like the calculating wuss that he is, he has waited for father time to take the edge off Mosley before agreeing to fight him.

If Mayweather is right and father time has given him the speed edge over Mosley that he's been waiting for all these years, we'll see it in the ring very quickly. These two fighters have been in deep for so long that neither should have a tactical advantage that the other can't offset, so speed will dictate the win. If it's even enough that Mosley can compete, he'll win. He's got a bigger heart and a stronger will to win with less self-doubt. He wants this fight worse than any fight in his entire career. Meanwhile, this fight is almost an afterthought to Mayweather. An alternate to the big payday with Pac that he's ducked. Mayweather will train seriously, be in great shape and will try to establish his speed advantage early. If he finds himself too evenly matched on speed, he will start to foul, cry foul and look for a way out.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I'm going to say that Mayweather took this fight earlier than he should've...meaning that he should have waited until Mosley was 45 years old. He took it for the wrong reason too: he wanted to prove he's not afraid of Pacquiao by showing he'll take a big dangerous fight. I think the reason he ducked Mosley for so long is still there: Mosley is as fast or nearly as fast as he is and has more heart, a stronger will to win and better mental toughness when in deep. Mosley adapts, has backup weapons he can implement on the fly and is unafraid of losing. Mayweather is scared to death of losing. Mosley KOs Mayweather in the ninth, settling the pound-for-pound issue in Pac's favor once and for all. Then Mayweather comes crawling back to Pacquiao, seeking the match he withdrew from, on whatever terms Pacquiao wants...and Pac walks away for a year. Then Pac takes it and dispatches Mayweather in the fifth when Mayweather retires on his stool, then from boxing. You heard it all here first.

Showtime: Dirrell v. Abraham

I am blogging starting in the third round of the Dirrell/Abraham super middleweight fight. It's going as I would expect: Dirrell is having his way with him. For me, the only question is whether Dirrell can stay away from Abraham's telegraphed big punches when they occasionally are thrown. And whether Dirrell learned from his loss to stay more active (and not fight in his opponent's back yard).

Once again, the Showtime crew is alarmingly pro-Abraham, with the marginal Antonio Tarver giving Abraham the 3rd despite Abraham taking the same constant tagging all round long, but landing a few punches. And down goes Abraham in the fourth! with 16 seconds left, Dirrell goes in for the kill, but he won't get it. Really nice to see, as I think Abraham was and is way over-rated. On my card, he was losing until he KO'd Jermaine Taylor in the closing seconds of that fight (notwithstanding the pro-Abraham crowd and call by Showtime).

Now the Showtime crew is minimizing the effect of the knockdown, calling it an off-balance issue. It looked rock solid to me: a straight punch right on the button. Dirrell has been taking Abraham apart because while Abraham is tough and can punch, he is slow compared to the elite level Dirrell. Dirrell only has to move his hands and stay alert and he cannot lose.

My card has every round so far for Dirrell with a two pointer in the 4th. The fifth goes his way, too, making it 50-44. Inexplicably, Steve Albert ridiculously intones that it is "shaping up to be a terrific fight" after Dirrell has basically been dominating Abraham wire to wire, excepting maybe three punches. Now Abraham grabs his crotch about 22 seconds in to the 6th and asks for time...the sign of a fighter who is looking for a way out. Finally, as the fight obviously is turning, Albert acknowledges that Abraham can be expected to turn dirty as he falls behind. They flash a telling stat on landed punches with 2 minutes left in the 6th: 47 punches landed for Abraham v. 153 for Dirrell. A blowout, not a terrific fight.

Abraham follows Dirrell around and takes punches all around his peekaboo guard. He's too slow relative to Dirrell to do much else. Another round for Dirrell. After six, it's 60-53.

Nice to see Dirrell moving his hands in the seventh, pounding under Abraham's elbows of that peekaboo guard. He can't let down. Abraham mounting zero offense now, halfway through. Abraham pushes/wrestles Dirrell down to the canvas and so the roughhouse tactics begin. Dirrell lights up Abraham in response. I can't help but think that if Abraham had landed the same punch, the Showtime crew would have howled! Dirrell knocks Abraham into the ropes to end the round and the ref rules it a slip? It looked like a knockdown to me and won't Showtime show that sequence again between rounds? they don't! why not??? That is simply poor television, Showtime.

As the eighth begins, a power punch stat is flashed: 166 for Dirrell v. 34 for Abraham. It's a walkover ,not a terrific fight. Dirrell is inviting Abraham in to tire him and seems to be rope-a doping Abraham! The ref breaks it up, warning Abraham for pushing and bulling. Albert says a warning by the ref "saved Dirrell"! What fight is this idiot watching? I have never before resorted to name-calling in appreciation for the pay television devotion to my love: boxing...but Albert is an incompetent. As if in answer, Dirrell dominates the remainder of the round. After 8 rounds, it's 80-71. On my card, Abraham has not won a single round and should probably have another 10-8 round.

Dirrell continues to move laterally and sting Abraham as blood pours from Abraham's right eye. Al Bernstein intones that Abraham hasn't ever been close to losing a fight, but I guess he wasn't actually at the Taylor fight. Oh wait, he WAS there. What is it with these guys' love affair with Abraham? Now with 1:21 left in the 9th and on the heels of Abraham being badly stunned by a straight right, Abraham grabs Dirrell under his arm and when I think the ref is about to take a point for it...he gives Abraham a minute-long breather to get his eye checked! It's bleeding badly and when Abraham finally catches his breath, they put time back in and the beating continues with Albert warning the viewing audience to "remember, Arthur Abraham is a very strong man" and that he could turn the fight around with one punch. Unreal.

Now they replay that a clash of heads opened the existing cut further and spend a full minute of the 10th talking about how Abraham could complain that he lost the fight because of a cut! Now Dirrell gets his feet caught up and goes down and Abraham goes wild trying to take him out afterward and the ref calls it a slip and the Showtime crew says they "can't believe it wasn't a knockdown"! So NOW they show it again THIS TIME...and lo and behold, it's the tripped up feet. I would however, give that as the first round for Abraham, making it 99-91 for Dirrell.

Dirrell did look a bit tired as Abraham desperately went nuts...and it is going as ever, and Abraham is DQ'D!!! for hitting Dirrell while he's down. Dirrell slipped and he went down near a corner and Abraham unquestionably leaned down and hit him with a big punch absolutely knocking Dirrell out. Dirrell is quivering on the canvas and absolutely out. The replay shows that Abraham unquestionably punched him while he was down and had to be bending down to do it. Dirrell was seated on the canvas when the punch was thrown.

Now, there is no question whatsoever that Abraham hit Dirrell while he was down, but the replay does seem to show Dirrell reacting to the punch, making me think that despite how far ahead he was in the fight, Dirrell kind of decided to go with the punch knowing he was already down and had been fouled and took an easy way out of what was becoming a much tougher late round fight. His reaction afterward would seem to support that too. The replay shows Dirrell raising his hand to his face after the punch, wincing...then tipping over and acting as if he'd been KO'd. Abraham says Dirrell is a "good actor", which shows he clearly thinks the punch didn't actually legitimately KO Dirrell.

Now the Showtime crew claims that Dirrell's incoherent response to the in-ring interview attempt of their notoriously obnoxious interviewer is proof that he needs medical attention and was knocked cold. I disagree. I think his corner, deliberaly creating a commotion and practically roughing him up because they know full well what he did, was egging on his performance. When he was directly asked, Dirrell knew that Abraham had been DQ'd for hitting him while he was down. Now Tarver intones that "we know how to beat Abraham"? Heck...Jermaine Taylor showed how to beat Abraham! He just did it in front of a wildly partisan crowd and Showtime crew that cheered Abraham's every twitch. Taylor lost because the fight was thirty seconds too long for him.

Now...it should be noted that Dirrell clearly won this fight. Also, Abraham clearly deserved to be DQ'd for hitting Dirrell while he was down. But another replay of the tenth round slip-ruling on Dirrell showed me that it was much more a punch than I thought at first viewing. It easily could have been called a knockdown. This, coupled with the fact that Dirrell seemed to be waning as Abraham (despite a shellacking all night long) did not, makes me think that Dirrell just took the expeditious way out. Feel a solid blow on your chin while you're down? fall over...you'll win the fight. Whether you're ahead or behind, that's true...and it's certainly easier than fighting out the last 5 minutes, possibly with cobwebs. That's boxing.

Mayweather is a coward

This is the only conclusion I can draw. I saw Teddy Atlas "break" his inside tip on FNF, like every other fight fan and thought at first...well, I tend to trust Teddy. Then, as I turned it over and over in my mind, I thought...Teddy is besmirching the reputation of a pound for pound guy and he's not turning over the email or his source...that's B.S.. Likewise, whoever sent that email (because I assume Teddy is being truthful about some source in Mayweather's camp whom he trusts absolutely, if blindly) is not coming forward. As was stated in the most recent Ring, anyone (including Teddy) who is foolish enough to think that if such an email existed, it wouldn't be published as proof if it were legitimate, is foolish enough to be taken in by this hearsay backdoor "publishing" of it. Shame on the otherwise bulletproof Mr. Atlas for being duped by what must be a longtime friend. Teddy...go to this person and demand the email as proof that you were not duped...then publish it. If he refuses, then go on the air and say so as openly as you published the first "story".

For the uninitiated, I am referring to Teddy Atlas' having thrown gasoline on a smoldering fire lit solely by the Mayweather camp, by inexplicably throwing the weight of his reputation behind the accusation, by the Mayweather camp, that Pacquiao's camp was concerned their fighter might test positive for steroids. He related on a FNF broadcast that he'd been told by an inside source that he trusted absolutely that this source had received an email from the Pacquaio camp that asked whether IF their fighter DID test positive for steroids, if it could be covered up or bought off to preserve the fight and the sanctity of boxing.

Now...if anyone were stupid enough to write such an email, it WOULD be all but an admission. But would anyone really be that stupid? in the midst of a multimillion dollar negotiation? put it in writing? while it is conceivable, it's very highly unlikely that anyone who relies on Pacquiao himself for his living would write such an email at that time. However...if it were written, then why wouldn't it be published as proof by the recipient? After the fight has been called off? it would, wouldn't it? I think it would.

I strongly suspect that Mayweather was looking for a clever way to preserve his unbeaten record and wanted to push Pacquiao into a corner and prove to him he was the superior negotiator. If Pacquiao wouldn't give in to his every demand, no matter how onerous, Mayweather would walk away and make Pac look like he wouldn't submit to "olympic testing". Keep in mind that Pac did give a LOT of ground during negotiations, agreeing to testing that is definitely not required by either the sanctioning state athletic commission or the belt sanctioning body. For him to give more would have made Pac look AND feel as if he'd given away everything to take the fight. He was willing to fight...and Mayweather was not.

Now Mayweather is going into the Mosley fight hoping that he's finally waited long enough so that father time takes away the risk that Mosley represented. I hope he's wrong and that Mosley has enough left in the tank to destroy Mayweather. That would be just. I think it's a good fight, but it's not the fight I want to see. I'll buy it, but I suspect that Mayweather can outquick Mosley enough to win going backwards, like he did against Delahoya. Recall how ecstatic he was to take that close decision from Oscar. Mayweather knows he can't take out the guy who retired Oscar on his stool, so he chooses the now-38 year old version of Mosley. Mosley has aged well, but he's a much less risky fight for the cowardly Mayweather than is Pac.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is a skilled defensive fighter with exceptional speed, but he's not the best fighter of his generation, let alone in the pantheon of all time greats BECAUSE he's ducked the toughest fights in his career at the toughest times. Pacquiao is his career-defining fight and he won't take it. He won't take it because he's afraid he will lose. He won't take it because, relatvie to Pac-man, he is a coward.