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TSS' Top 9 Unjustly Unloved
By Tim Starks
Some fighters get all the love. Most of them deserve it. Some fighters, though, don’t get the zealous affection they should.
Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton definitely get love. Both have devoted followings in the home countries and amongst those who hail from their homelands, and when they fight one another for Hatton’s junior welterweight championship, they will net 10 figures each. They’ve earned it with their all-action styles, winning personalities and quality performances that have made them two of the pound-for-pound best in the world.
On the outside looking in is lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez got plenty of love after his knockout of Juan Diaz, a Fight of the Year candidate that proved he’s no worse than the second-best active fighter alive, behind only longtime rival Pacquiao. But he may never make as much money Pacquiao will against Hatton May 2, and he’s had to claw through a lot to even get this far.
Marquez is the first man on this list of elite fighters who deserve better.
They are top-notch boxers who fight in a fan-friendly style, but don’t have a corresponding number of fans. And because of that, plus a few other reasons, they don’t always get the fights they ought to or make the money that is rightfully theirs.
It’s time to recognize them, the Unjustly Unloved. Maybe – just maybe – it will help them a little in their quest for just desserts.
Juan Manuel Marquez
Even after his now near-annual Fight of the Year candidate in 2008, against Pacquiao, fewer than 100,000 people bought his pay-per-view bout with Joel Casamayor in September. Even relatively close to the border of his native Mexico, Marquez was not the fan favorite on Saturday against Houston hometown hero Diaz.
Marquez is a magnificent fighter – “Juan Manuel Magnificent,” according to this very boxing site – and loads of fun to watch, plus he’s the best Mexican fighter left standing and he pledges every fight is for his home country. And yet, he hasn’t totally won over that boxing-mad land or its descendants.
Career mismanagement didn’t help. An early tendency toward technical, cautious boxing didn’t help. Living in the shadow of two more beloved Mexican fighters, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, didn’t help. But all of those things appear to be behind him now. Best case scenario: He gets the winner of Pacquiao-Hatton. And this time, finally, he gets the paycheck to go along with the now-universal recognition. After his most recent performance, teams for both Pacquiao and Hatton are thankfully mentioning him as a possible future opponent.
Shane Mosley
Sure, Mosley got great paydays against Oscar De La Hoya, and at times, he’s filled stadiums. But it was Antonio Margarito, not Mosley, who was the fan draw when they fought in his backyard of Los Angeles in January. And fighting in the same region in September, nobody came to see him fight Ricardo Mayorga.
Mosley wants to be in the sweepstakes for the Pacquiao-Hatton victor. He would like a rematch with Miguel Cotto, but on his terms. He has long chased Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who recently turned him down again. He is most likely to end up with Andre Berto – a good fighter, but not someone likely to rake in the dough the others would.
It’s too bad. Mosley’s a boxer, but he’s a true warrior who loves to stand and trade. He’s had memorable fights and memorable knockouts along the way. Perhaps the BALCO questions sidelined him, and perhaps they should have. Perhaps fans gave up on him after a few losses years ago. He’s back at the top now after knocking out Margarito, but when the management and promotional teams of Cotto and Pacquiao talk about their plans, they aren’t saying “Shane Mosley” all that loud.
Paul Williams
Williams is not only a top-10 pound-for-pound player, but he’s a joy to watch. He’s a unique physical specimen – a welterweight with a heavyweight reach -- who was in a slugfest with Margarito in 2007 before adapting his hundreds-of-punches per round style toward big power to score two consecutive 1st round knockouts in 2008. Then he impressively fought through adversity after getting cut by Verno Phillips to demolish the sturdy veteran.
He wants to fight everyone: Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Mosley, everyone. And nobody wants to fight him. Maybe they would if he had a discernible fan base. But he doesn’t. Williams inherited the “most feared fighter” label when he beat Margarito, but Margarito proved that people will risk fighting a feared opponent if there’s money in it. Mosley wasn’t the only one who wanted a piece of Margarito after Margarito knocked out Cotto and energized the Mexican fans.
For whatever reason, the African-American fan base does not, as of now, appear mobilized and united behind many black fighters. Floyd Mayweather did it for them, but it took him a very long time. Hopkins does it for them, somewhat. Williams, and a few others on this list, may win over that segment of the boxing public eventually. Williams hopes to win over some more fans by beating his April opponent, his most well-known to date, middleweight Winky Wright.
Chad Dawson
Some fans dismiss Dawson as overrated and perhaps a little boring at times, but who didn’t enjoy his terrific battle against Glen Johnson? What wasn’t there to like about the flashy combinations he used to defeat Antonio Tarver in one of 2008’s best performances?
After watching Dawson on rival network Showtime, HBO has wised up, and intends to broadcast the (unfortunate) contracted Dawson-Tarver rematch. That will offer him more exposure still. But prior to Joe Calzaghe’s retirement, Dawson was the nearest threat in the light heavyweight division. Alas, Calzaghe knew Dawson would offer relatively little money, so he didn’t see him as someone for whom he should stick around.
It’s unwise to generalize about what makes a boxer appeal to a certain ethnic group. Part of Mayweather’s appeal was that he essentially had a rap star’s persona, brash and cocky, that appealed to some younger black fans. Dawson has amped up his trash talk of late, but he also seems to be a nice guy – and being a nice guy never hurt "Sugar" Ray Leonard. If he can play up the aspects of his personality that appeal to an audience, any audience, he certainly has the talent to go along with it.
Glen Johnson
Johnson explained in a segment that aired over the weekend for his ESPN2 Friday Night Fights headlining bout why he isn’t as popular as perhaps he should be: He hails from Jamaica, a country that doesn’t particularly embrace pugilism.
If only another country would adopt this 40-year-old marvel, who earned the nickname “The Road Warrior” by traveling the world over to get fights that he often won, even if home town judges didn’t see it that way. From his crushing knockout of Roy Jones, Jr. to his nip-and-tuck battle with Dawson, Johnson puts on a show every night. And he’s a serious threat to any pound-for-pound fighter who dares get in the ring with him.
But the 2004 Fighter of the Year lost momentum after Tarver avenged his loss to Johnson, and not even another member of this list, Dawson, is interested in a rematch. So Johnson just keeps putting on his road gear, fighting anyone he can, beating them with his irrepressible style, and hoping he gets another big match. As of now, it looks like he'll get a shot at another alphabet title belt, but in a fair world, he gets more than that.
Nonito Donaire
Donaire, too, knows a little about lost momentum. In 2007, he scored the best knockout of the year when he flattened knockout artist Vic Darchinyan with one perfect left hook. That won him one more fight on Showtime, another exciting performance against Luis Maldanado.
Then came the feud with his promoter, Gary Shaw. A switch to Top Rank got him a spot on a small pay-per-view card where he defended his flyweight title belt, but entropy has enveloped efforts to arrange his next fight. A Showtime-headlining fight with junior bantamweight Fernando Montiel would have given him a chance to prove how good he was and regain the spotlight. But Montiel dropped out months in advance, saying he couldn’t make the weight anymore, only to later challenge Darchinyan -- who has a sizeable fan following -- for his junior bantamweight belts. Several replacement opponents and reschedulings later, Donaire’s manager pulled the plug on a spring fight altogether.
Donaire is positioned to capitalize on the Filipino boxing market, not that he has always pleased that segment of that group of fans with some of his family feuding – although he has begun healing some of those rifts. In the ring, he just needs to get top opponents. Shaw harbors a fan-unfriendly vendetta against Donaire that makes a rematch with Darchinyan unlikely, and a number of top junior bantams, including Darchinyan, are fleeing the division. It’s hard to see where Donaire will get those top opponents.
Joshua Clottey
Some perceive Clottey as a plodding, defense-first welterweight, but check again. His 2008 fight with Zab Judah featured tremendous two-way action, and it was Clottey who was drawing the “ooos” and “ahhhs” early on in his 2006 fight with audience favorite Margarito before he injured both hands.
So when it came time for the iron-chinned Clottey to test his punch resistance against huge puncher Kermit Cintron early in 2009 – two of the top 10 fighters in the glamorous welterweight division – all the networks lined up to broadcast it, right? Quite the opposite. No one wanted Clottey-Cintron, reportedly, and just as it looked like it would be relegated to the undercard of a small pay-per-view, Cintron got offered twice the money to fight junior middleweight Sergio Martinez on HBO.
It’s gotten so bad Clottey has threatened to drop boxing and focus on soccer, but there may be hope yet for the tough Ghanaian: He, along with Cintron, is in the running for a June date with Cotto and Madison Square Garden. Cintron may have the edge because his Puerto Rican heritage, like Cotto’s, could help sell a fight that coincides with the Puerto Rican Day parade. But Clottey has the better argument for being unjustly neglected, and since both Clottey and Cotto are promoted by Top Rank, the promoter can kill two birds with one stone by making Cotto-Clottey happen.
Nate Campbell
Personality has counted against a number of fighters on this list. Some of them lack charisma. Not so with Campbell. He’s passionate, funny, a great trash-talker and even when he screwed up, as he did by not making weight for February’s fight with Ali Funeka, fans are inclined to give him a pass because he showed obvious remorse. He is as likeable as any boxer around.
After a cracking good war with Juan Diaz last year, which saw Campbell pick up three lightweight alphabet title belts, it finally looked like Campbell might break through. He’d hit the pound-for-pound top-20 lists and was in one of the sport’s most loaded divisions. But bouts against Pacquiao and Marquez never materialized.
He turned to a high-risk, low-reward fight with Joan Guzman, but Guzman didn’t make weight and pulled out. That led to a bankruptcy filing and some promotional drama, and his desire to hold on to some of his belts led to a tough fight against little-known Funeka. Now, moving up to junior welterweight, Campbell is in some demand, with Judah, Paulie Malignaggi and others interested in fighting him. But nobody who would offer him a mega-payday is, at least not yet.
Celestino Caballero
Caballero no doubt hurt himself with an ugly, awkward performance on Showtime in 2007 against Jorge Lacierva, but some of the blame for that goes to Lacierva. It’s not, at any rate, the norm for Caballero. His performance against Steve Molitor in late 2008 was far more typical – an all-offense steamrolling – and his battle with Daniel Ponce De Leon in 2005 had plenty of exciting exchanges.
The problem with Caballero is that A. he’s really good and B. he’s 5’11” in a junior featherweight division where 5’7” is tall. He may have some fans in Panama, but they haven’t been enough to overcome those two things and get him a showdown against moneymakers like Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez or Juan Manuel Lopez.
That means he’s confined, for the time being, to defending his two alphabet title belts. And the longer he has to wait for one member of the Vazquez-Marquez-Lopez triumvirate to fight him, the harder it will be for him to squeeze his frame down into 122 pounds. And there’s nobody at featherweight right now who can offer him that kind of money, either.
Honorable Mentions
Most of these fighters are probably a notch beneath the above top 9 in terms of their elite status as of now; the last two have different reasons for not cracking the list.
Humberto Soto, junior lightweight: A mini-Margarito. Hit the scene in 2005 by defeating Rocky Juarez, then hit a spate of misfortune when he couldn’t chase down Guzman, got a b.s. d.q. against Francisco Lorenzo and a pay-per-view with Pacquiao faded after Pacquiao went for Oscar De La Hoya. Could get good money and competition against Robert Guerrero.
Steve Cunningham, cruiserweight: Patriotic back story, loads of skill, nice as all get-out. Fought overseas repeatedly before going home for December’s Tomasz Adamek fight, losing one of 2008’s best battles, thereby losing a lucrative bout with Bernard Hopkins. May not get an Adamek rematch, either.
Gerry Penalosa, bantamweight: Driven out by boxing politics, the sharp Filipino fighter paved the way for Pacquiao and Donaire. Had a comeback 2007, knocking out Johnny Gonzalez and deserving the win over Ponce De Leon. Getting a good money bout against Lopez in April, but has spent a lot of time trying to get paid well for his efforts.
Librado Andrade, super middleweight: May have the best chin in the sport, and may have been robbed of a knockout win against Lucian Bute last year. Made some fans in Canada in the process and will soon be on an undercard there. Warranted as a Bute rematch appears, it doesn’t seem to be in Bute’s plans.
Kendall Holt, junior welterweight: As talented as anybody. At his best, is as exciting as anybody. Has probably shot himself in the foot with a few underwhelming performances, though. Difficult April fight with Timothy Bradley offers a chance to springboard himself up toward, say, a Hatton, but even under the best circumstances, it’s unlikely.
Steve Luevano, featherweight: Basically the same story as Holt. Talented, but sometimes exciting and sometimes not. Manager may have undercut him by not being willing to go to Texas to fight Rocky Juarez, and Chris John instead got that slot. John is now getting a lot of plaudits that might have gone to Luevano. Top Rank pushing him hard, though.
Ivan Calderon, junior flyweight: A top-10 pound-for-pound boxer who may be the most technically proficient fighter around. Two problems; size makes him a difficult sell, and lack of pop makes him “for purists only.” Moderately popular in Puerto Rico, though. Lots of people covet fights with him, but Cesar Canchila, one possible foe, instead is doing a rematch with Giovanni Segura.
Joan Guzman, lightweight: All-elite, talent-wise. Hurt himself badly with two terrible moves: fighting safe against Soto guaranteed he wouldn’t get Pacquiao, then not making weight against Soto almost thrust him into pariah status. Alphabet title shot looming nonetheless.
Read more from Tim Starks at his boxing blog, The Queensberry Rules (queensberry-rules.com).
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Peambrock:
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I'm not really a fan of Marquez not because he's not a good boxer because he is. I can even say he is a great fighter. But because he didn't accept heartfully when he drew and lost to Pacquiao. I think the reason why Pacquiao and Hatton(?) are a league above marquez and any other fighters with the same caliber because they don't really appeal to the masses. Not really the true boxing fans cum critics, but those who also look at the attitude of boxers not just inside the ring but after their fights wether they won or lost. Marquez is a cry baby. He makes excuses. Pacquiao and Hatton are true gentlemen and seldom speak ill of their opponents.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 04:39:00 PM
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Peambrock:
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I'm not really a fan of Marquez not because he's not a good boxer because he is. I can even say he is a great fighter. But because he didn't accept heartfully when he drew and lost to Pacquiao. I think the reason why Pacquiao and Hatton(?) are a league above marquez and any other fighters with the same caliber because they don't really appeal to the masses. Not really the true boxing fans cum critics, but those who also look at the attitude of boxers not just inside the ring but after their fights wether they won or lost. Marquez is a cry baby. He makes excuses. Pacquiao and Hatton are true gentlemen and seldom speak ill of their opponents.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 04:42:59 PM
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Erik:
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Peam, you have to keep in mind 1) Hatton did make excuses for his loss to Mayweather and 2) Marquez has never said anything insulting of Pacquiao--he's just peeved that Pacquiao didn't readily agree to a rematch. Let's be honest--no fighter heartfully accepts a loss unless they lose convincingly, i.e. by knockout or at least very clear domination, and no fighter heartfully accepts a draw period (recent examples: Cintron/Martinez, Juarez/John).
1) Hatton said that one of the reasons he lost to Mayweather was the fact that the referee kept separating them from each other and didn't let Hatton rough him up on the inside. This is arguably an excuse. Marquez never blamed the ref for anything in the February 2008 fight against Pacquiao. It seems perfectly reasonable that a fight that your opponent's trainer says could have been legitimately scored either way would make you demand a rematch. It also seems appropriate for Marquez to imply that Pacquiao wants to quit while he's ahead, so to speak, since that is a plausible and seemingly true theory.
2) If Pacquiao had lost the February 2008 fight by one point, you can bet he would have demanded an immediate rematch (being who he is I suspect he, but of course not Marquez, had a rematch clause in their contract) and if Marquez refused (he may not have been able to refuse if Pacquiao had a rematch contract option) Pacquiao and Roach would have said it was because Marquez was afraid. This is exactly what Marquez did after their fight. If it would be OK for Pacquiao to do it, then why isn't it OK for Marquez to do it? You can't honestly believe that Pacquiao would have humbly accepted the defeat and not vehemently demanded a rematch.
Also keep in mind when Pacquiao lost to an old, past-his-prime Morales in 2005, Pacquiao did make excuses, namely that the only gloves Morales had agreed to were in Morales's favor. There was also talk of problems in his corner generally around that time. If it's OK for guys like Pacquiao to point to factors that contributed to a loss (you would call this making excuses), why not others?
You can't deny Marquez cares about honor and pride to a much greater extent than Pacquiao has lately (unless of course honor and pride are defined by how much money you can make in mega-fights against guys who don't necessarily even hold any belts and who can't make weight without starving themselves). I wouldn't say that of Hatton, because he also tries to fight the best so he deserves respect. Bottom line is that if it's not OK for Marquez to "complain" or "make excuses" if you want to call it that, then it shouldn't be OK for Pacquiao to duck fights against challenging opponents and instead choose substandard opponents (Diaz, Solis), old generation/past-their-prime opponents (Morales, Barrera), and old starved opponents (De La Hoya) and never fight any great young prime opponents.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 07:32:53 PM
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onetwelve:
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I like marquez as a fighter, he is mentally sound inside the ring and is always ready to give his best no matter what. What I don't like about him is his sourgraping and inability to accept defeat, regardless what the judges scores were and what the media thinks if you win, you win... if you lost, you lost you have to accept it and challenge the fighter who defeated you and not go around crying and telling everybody that you should have won the fight if not for a bad decision by the judges. If you want to prove that you truly are the winner then win convincingly by knocking down or knocking out your opponent that way you don't leave the decision to the judges. Has Marquez knocked Pacquiao in any of their two fights? I like Marquez, I am a big fan but crying over spilled milk something i don't like about him. He says the loss to Norwood, John and Paquiao were just plain robbery and he along with the media believes he should have won. All this noise makes him look like a sore loser. Maybe that's the reason why not a lot of his fans are shelling out their hard earned money to watch him. Grow up and be man enough to accept defeat and make yourself better in your coming fights. BTW, Great Job on chopping down the baby bull and exposing him as a overrated fighter.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 07:49:07 PM
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Israel:
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I agree with Peambrock 100%.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 08:07:43 PM
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jpowers:
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Erik, while what you have written has some truth to it, I think the difference is the way JMM handles things after a loss. Most if not all fighters who lose by a narrow margin will always have something to say. Marquez did that but went too far when he even went to the Philippines to cry over his defeat and was downright disrespectful in doing so. He ambushed MP for an interview in a boxing event at the Araneta Coliseum, had interviews in radio stations. You also have to remember that after their first fight, which ended in a draw, (although it was rightfully Manny's since a judge made a mistake denying Manny the victory) JMM did not immediately give him a rematch. It took years. Meanwhile, Manny was improving and eventually became No. 1 p4p and now earns a lot more than JMM. Could it be that JMM's cry baby attitude is what kept him from being popular? There was a 7 year old golfer who entered a National level golf tournament for kids 8 and under. He lost. Did he make excuses that he was younger? No. He said, "I'm not as good as I thought i was. I need to practice harder." Practice he did and was the champion the next year. This attitude made him well liked and adored. I honestly think JMM is not a good fighter, he is a great fighter. He has all the skills but could learn from a 7 year old boy when it comes to accepting defeat. Peace.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 08:35:02 PM
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Michael R. Delima:
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Im Pretty Sure That Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton Will Kiss The Canvass Between Round 9 To 10 Manny "Pacman' Pacquiao Will Throw A Barrage Of Punches That Ricky Hatton Will Not Know What Hit Him...The Same Thing Of What Dela Hoya And The Other Prized Fighter That Manny Fought Experienced During The Fight...British Empire Will Collapsed And The Humble Land Of The Pilipno People Will Celebrate With Jubilation....P.S. Juan Manuel Marquez Please Stop On Pleading Manny Pacquiao To Fight You Again I Dont Want To See Get K.O. Once Again...Manny Is Much More Stronger And Faster Than You...Hes Too Strong For You...Be A Man And Accept That Youve Been Down Everytime Manny Is In Front Of You...Chow Amigo....
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 08:37:43 PM
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Rober Martin:
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Marquez sad to say has become a stalker. He should stop chasing Pacquiao. He is right now out of Pacquiao's radar. He should move on and forget aboput Pacquiao. He should prove that he is not a second rate boxer. $$$ I guess is the first reason he wants to fight Pacquiao again. Common Juan move on! Move away from Pacman's shadow.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 08:56:32 PM
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wolverine:
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Erik, you're talking too much in defense of Marquez, bear in mind however that after their first fight in 2004 which ended in a draw, marquez refused to fight in an immediate rematch, although it was the logical thing to do after such a spirited contest leaving no clear winner. In fact, marquez elected a way lower purse to fight john in indonesia rather than give the fans what they deserve. though pacquaio wanted that rematch badly, he didn't go to the extent of putting marquez in shame in front of his countrymen just to lure him into a rematch. pacquaio made a generous offer for the fight to happen but still, marquez didn't want any part of it, and yet, he didn't have sufficiently sound reasons to refuse that fight. it would be understandable if he refused the rematch because of a more lucrative fight but as it is, he went for a paltry 30 grand payday instead of a whopping 6-figure guarantee. right now, there are fights that offer manny a lot better in terms of money than a 3rd fight with marquez, why should the latter whine if pacquiao elects to chase a more lucrative fight? marquez cannot claim that pacquaio is afraid of him, the truth is that pacquaio has proven that he is not, not only once but twice in first, pursuing a rematch that marquez declined (was he afraid?) and second, by agreeing to fight when marquez suddenly wanted to fight him (was it because marquez finally realized that a good payday is a nice compensation to a great risk?). add to that the fact that pacquiao decided to accept that fight even if at that time, he was already poised to make the jump in weight as he was already finding it difficult to squeeze his frame to 130 lbs, and you get the obvious conclusion that pacquiao is not in any way afraid of your "juan manuel magnificent marquez." such a crybaby, and i don't find logical reason for people like you to come into his defense as if pacquiao had did him wrong, unless of course you share something in common. that i don't know.......
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 08:58:23 PM
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yol:
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Conclusion: First fight is a draw. Rematch, Marquez lost. So Pacman is better than Marquez. That's all.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 09:07:39 PM
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wolverine:
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Erik, your obvious bias against pacquiao to my view is way offline. you don't give credit o where it is due, but then by doing so, you only expose your ignorance of the fight game. pacquiao beat barrera and morales at the time when they were considered among the top five pound for pound fighters. and the bottom line is that in two fights with your "juan manuel magnificent marquez", he has a win and a draw to show, although it should have been two close wins if one of the judges in first fight did not screw up in scoring which later the judge admitted to. why discredit pacquiao of his victories especially by claiming dela hoya was a starved fighter during fight time? isn't it that nearly only one of twenty so-called experts gave him a chance of beating up the "starved" fighter? since you are so proficient in discrediting pacquiao of his well-deserved victories, will you not discredit your "juan manuel magnificent" for only being able to come out with a disputed decision against an over-the-hill barrera or for not pursuing a rematch against tormentor chris john? are you not going to dispute his "linear championship" he won over a shell of the mighty joel casamayor which in the first place should not be up for grabs as casamayor clearly did not win the crown over armando sta. cruz except that he was awarded a gift decision? isn't it that the fighter he beat in juan diaz was a shadow of the former baby bull? that the real baby bull was already lost in oblivion after the tough loss to nate campbell? i could go on and on, but then, discrediting fighters of victories they earned in the ring is not my forte. grow up man, and show some sense.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 09:18:05 PM
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JMM who?:
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Erik: shouldn't be OK for Pacquiao to duck fights against challenging opponents and instead choose substandard opponents (Diaz, Solis), old generation/past-their-prime opponents (Morales, Barrera), and old starved opponents (De La Hoya) -----did you know how ling pacquiao waited for the rematch against JMM? So who's ducking who?
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 10:25:04 PM
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Niwd:
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Marquez indeed s one of the top prizefighters of his generation, but he s also one of the hard losers. Always sourgraping and lingering on past fights.
He should avoid kissing d canvass if he wants so. Technically proficient but a canvass kisser against Pacman.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 10:35:51 PM
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leojs:
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People who pick opponents and also doesn't know how to accept defeat like the no. 1 on your list doesn't deserve any love at all, pity maybe.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 10:51:27 PM
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bbtroy:
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juan manuel marquez is a great boxer but boring and not a good sport. as far as he is concerned, he did not lose a single match in his entire career. he can always do that much as he can just keep on dreaming for a big fight, big purse all his life.
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 11:28:13 PM
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nelson:
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let marquez moan and crave for pacquiao rematch. he badly needs it to redeem himself. but pacquiao has nothing to prove to the boxing world he is the best. the two fights between them, the four knockdowns he inflicted to marquez psell the difference. alright, the two fights may well haunted marquez minds, but what can he do? he lost those fights afterall. look, pacquiao did not scream a lot when that judge admitted his mistake that he could have given the fight to pacquiao. instead, pacquiao told marquez 'let's get it on' again! but marquez ducked! he feared pacquiao since he hit the deck 3 times and it hurts! now in the second fight he lost again! now he's bitter-not better!-pver pacquiao for not entertaining him. let marquez chase pacquiao till he dies. pacman won't lose anything. he has better opponents that offer big paydays than marquez. let marquez prove himself. marquez is non of pacquiao's business. they are done. and ever a third fight comes to reality, i'll bet, marquez will hit the canvass again, and this time, he will be ashamed to rise to beat the count. he will be dominated. but meantime, allow pacquiao to do his business other than entertaining him. let marquez cry... de la hoya will pamper him!
Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 11:59:27 PM
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Bill Ford:
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The last victory of Marquez over BabyBull is not a big factor to materialize the 3rd rematch with Manny. He should proove more that he can get a right to call a rematch with P4P king. Everybody know that Juan Diaz is underated boxer since he knocked out this young guy it does not mean he is qualify for the next opponent of the greatest boxer in this era. Do not dream which you are not deserving. Manny gave you already a chance you to proove if you are a real winner in your 1st fight but instead Manny prooved that Manny was a winner because he repeated what he did in your 1st encounter. Manny gave you a reminder with 1 knocked down once again. What will happen for the 3rd rematch definitely Manny can stop Marquez in a brutal knock out. Now, since Manny is so busy to give the opportunity for the other and more potential boxer you are so jealouz just to call Manny's attention you were challenging Floyd Jr. I am praying Floyd Jr. to come out and you will be the next victim of former P4P king.
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 01:03:33 AM
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DCRJ:
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Marquez got knocked down not once not twice but thrice by Pacquiao in their first fight. Marquez got knocked down once by Pacquiao in their rematch. End of discussion. Period
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 01:43:04 AM
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Anonymous user:
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Erik doesn't know what he's talking. He's just a die hard fan of JMM. By the way, I like Erik Morales than Juan Manuel Marquez. Too bad you have the same name.HEhehe
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 02:02:14 AM
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marvin:
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eric,pacman made excuses about his loss to morales but he did not ever say that he won the fight...unlike your juan manuel marquez..saying that he won the fight against the pacman...and thats a bad attitude...because the judges clearly saw that he loss the fight to pacman.
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 02:08:27 AM
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boxing blue:
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What's wrong with Marquez? Thinks too highly of himself. He rarely touches gloves during the fight - Manny does. After the last bell sounded in the 2nd fight, Manny reached out to him to shake his hand - Marquez did not reciprocate and went on to celebrate his "victory" prematurely on the shoulders of his trainers. Before the decision was announced, Manny again went over to embrace Marquez - you could see Marquez did not reciprocate with sincerity. Then, to top it all, to fly to Manila upon the invitation of a local beer company, and what did he do? - he insulted Manny Pacquiao his host on national TV. It was just proper that the local beer company changed its mind in offering Marquez an advertizing contract.
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 02:16:25 AM
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oscar:
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get this: 900grand for a rematch against pacman=jmm turned down.
30grand title defense agaist chris john in indonesia=jmm accepted and eventualy lost. it just proves jmm is not after the dollars, hes after ignonimity.
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 07:24:37 AM
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CVLA:
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Manny Pacquiao, Civil Clothing LA in Carson, CA on March 8th
Manny Pacquiao shows off his title belts will be attending a celebrity event in Carson California at the Veteran Sports Complex on March 8, 2009
You can see the detail at civilclothing web site
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009 01:57:01 PM
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d duck:
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whats wrong with you boxing blue? have you never stepped in the ring , boxing is not about being nice to each other its an agressive sport ,your really trying to hurt the other guy (if you want to do any good)its only natural that some people don''t feel like being all nice before during and straight after a fight. marquez has good reason to think highly of himself he's a true boxing champion and the fights with pacquiao have been very close with no clear winner. this local beer company flies him to the home of the man he wants to bash of course he's going to try pick a fight with him!
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 04:29:13 AM
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#1 Pacfan P4P 2nd best behind Marquez:
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The one who deserves the number one spot should be Shane. He beat a young DLH and never got credit for those two wins. He has ressurected himself back on the elite list.
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 05:47:13 PM
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MisterLee:
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Erik! I agree with almost EVERYTHING you said, and if not, your line of thinkng. It is clear, objective, and really has a good logic. Other pple who are hugging pacquiao's nuts need to open your mind a little. He didn't say bad things about Pacquiao, he's just saying some things pple fault with Marquez in post-fights pacquiao has done also. That's all, and most boxers do also (thinking THEY won close decisions, making excuses.. etc). Peambrock, Hatton is not "a class above" Hatton. Hatton is not even on any important 10 ten p4p lists for the sport, so how is he a "class over" Marquez. I bet marquez can outpoint hatton, or dispose of him in 11 rounds. Pc!
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 08:19:24 PM
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MisterLee:
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My bad, I meant Hatton is not a "class above" Marquez..
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 08:24:07 PM
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MisterLee:
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And pple are critical of Marquez beating Baby Bull. It's better than Hatton's beating Malignaggi. Big whoop. :)
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 08:25:03 PM
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MisterLee:
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Mosley needs more love pple! Margarito got TOO much love for beating one good fighter in one mega fight last july. Yes he beat Clottey, and Cintron, tho now we know the cintron win means nothing :). Pc!
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 09:19:03 PM
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Salt lover:
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#1Pacfan, be careful when you say "those two wins". If you're talking about both De la Hoya fights with Mosley, the second one was a very bad decision. De la Hoya was the clear winner of the fight and they gave the decision to Mosley. Everybody knows that; that's why nobody gives him credit for the rematch. But the first fight, yeah he fought well and capitalized on De la Hoya's gameplan, which was not his winning strategy that night. Mosley is a good fighter, but he doesn't get a lot of credit, because it's been a long, LONG times since he defeated a top notch fighter, thus naturally nobody's gonna be a fan of somebody who doesn't consistently defeats top notch boxers. After Lightweight, the only fighter he defeated was De la Hoya, and that's it. Now he recently defeated Margarito, and let's see how he'll keep on going.
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 10:04:51 PM
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Fe'ROZ :
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Love comes from intangibles that are hard by definition to pinpoint. Manny has become a national hero and Cotto is the repository of every hopes of every PR fan's hopes and dreams. Same with Hatton and his British contingent. These guys win even when they lose. Not true the others on this list. They are among the best of their generation and respective nations but they both lack exclusive and loyal followings. Take, Mexico. Barrera and Morales leave the scene to Vasquez and Marquez....JMM and Margarito share momentary fame. US fans watched ODLH and Shane fight for supremacy and now Williams emerges looking for love.
The one guy who i think deserves both love and respect is the ever dangerous and always willing Glen johnson. But don't expect Jamaican fans to line up and line his pockets.
Tuesday Mar 10, 2009 10:47:28 PM
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Radam G aka Humble PRG:
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Juan Manuel Marquez is a dude with a bad tude. Plus, the dude is a whinning, faking punk. And he definitely is not as good as he believes. I will give him credit for running a good con. He is quite conning. But karma always catches these types of nitwits. This is why Marquez was beat by Chris John for $30,000 after turning down the rematch with PacMan for almost a million. I don't wish Marquez ill fate, but I believe he is headed that way. His trainer and he are the sports bad tude, delusional knuckleheads. Holla
Wednesday Mar 11, 2009 11:38:52 AM
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Anony:
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ON THE COMMENT ABOVE THIS ONE: you can see for yourself how jealous and insecurity acts on disturbed people....
Wednesday Mar 11, 2009 12:17:02 PM
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#1 Pacfan P4P 2nd best behind Marquez:
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Hey Salt do you know how old Shane is? And still going strong, this guy came back from the dead or something. He did take on all comers no ducking involve with this man. I respect him that much for showing how much he loves the sport. Win or lose this guy keeps fighting until there is nothing left in the tank. That's how they did it in the old days, you can't stay on top forever unless you retire prematurely.
Wednesday Mar 11, 2009 11:34:39 PM
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Anonymous user:
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Like a Radam clone said: This Anony has a mental problem within this Universe.
Thursday Mar 12, 2009 12:22:17 PM
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Derbez:
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Mosley should be tested for steroids, just a comment,dont get mad people, he did it once he would do it again.
Thursday Mar 12, 2009 04:42:06 PM
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MIsterLee:
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Derbez, don't they take a blood or urine test before every fight so that the substance can be analyzed later? Didn't they find the EPO or whatever in mosley way after the fight? Btw- mosley never too "STEROIDS", it was EPO (increases red blood cells so that they transfer oxygen more efficiently and thus gives better endurance) and BALCO's clear cream. Both of these products were not ILLEGAL at the time they fought, which was pre-2005. Also, LUIS COLLAZO needs some love, he beat Berto handedly and then lost big time. Ronald Winky Wright REALLY REALLY needs some love...
Friday Mar 13, 2009 09:24:34 PM
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Angie And Goody...23 Years Later
Twenty three years later after they seconded Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard in Las Vegas, Goody Petronelli and Angelo Dundee crossed paths again. This time, it was at Foxwoods. Photo/friend of TSS "The Iceman" John Scully reports there were only pleasantries exchanged. Goody didn't debate the split decision victory enjoyed by Leonard, which to this day Hagler disputes.
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