BoxingMadness.com

Let’s get right to it:

Round 1: Bika looks a little flat footed to start the round but throwing a few effective punches. Soliman moving around the ring like a jumping bean. Bika just threw one of the ugliest overhanded shots that I’ve seen. I give this round to Soliman.

Round 2: Looks like Bika’s punches are more of slaps. When Soliman punches, he comes in sideways with his head very low just asking for a big right hand to attach itself to his ear. This was an ugly round by both boxers with no short crisp punching. Bika wins the round.

Round 3: Bika’s head is not moving and Soliman’s left hand is down inviting Bika to throw a right. Bika’s corner is talking uppercut. Round to Bika but another ugly round with no clean effective punching from either boxer.

Round 4: Soliman is so awkward. He can’t hit what he’s throwing at because he never looks at the target when he throws. ESPN highlighted a couple of Bika’s shots on replay but most everything appears like they are slapping each other. Bika did try and jab more this round. Round to Bika.

Round 5: Bika’s left hand is down at his waist now. Soliman takes advantage of the lowered hand and connects with a right. I really don’t know how to score this fight because it is really strange. Too many loopers and misses, etc… I will give this round to Soliman.

Round 6: On a break, Soliman throws a right hand that seems to connect and propel Bika halfway across the ring into the ropes. Soliman is starting to land some of his bizarre shots and wins this round.

Round 7: Soliman continuing to connect almost at will. Bika is not done. He is still throwing some good shots. Soliman finishes the round with a decent shot. Round to Soliman.

Round 8: Another ugly round for a very ugly fight. The most exciting thing about this round is the big flurry of punches at the end. I give the round to Soliman.

I did not enjoy this fight at all. I found it hard to score since neither fighter seemed to be boxing. It’s just not the type of fight that I like to watch. I like a cleaner more technical bout. I don’t mind a good brawl either, but slapping each other and swooping down to the ground with your head just doesn’t do it for me.

I scored the fight 77 – 75 for Soliman. The judges disagreed with me and scored it: 77-75, 78-74, 78-74 for Bika. I did score the fight differently but I can’t say that I would be upset with the judge’s scores. I’m watching the cut-down version and have already admitted to my difficulties in scoring this match.

Bika better bring his “A” game to the next fight. Jaidon Codrington will be gunning for his head, and I think he will find it. I think he will find it over and over. I may be surprised when they get in the ring but I believe Codrington is in a different class than Bika.

If you didn’t get to see this episode don’t worry, I’ve found a video that kinda reminds me of the fight. Check it out!

Youtube Video Link

The World Boxing Championships are in full swing in the windy city of Chicago!  They have been going from October 23 and will finish on November 3.  This is an awesome event from the sound of it.  AIBA has enlisted 623 boxers from 114 countries to participate.  This is much bigger than any event like it ever!  The last biggest was the AIBA Championships in 2005 with 412 boxers from 74 countries.  WOW!

The great thing about this championship is its purpose!  It’s the opening qualifying event for the 2008 Olympic Games!

As of the 28th, China is ahead by 1 point in front of Russia and USA (tied for second).  Kazakhstan is in 3rd trailing China by 3 points.

Link

“Bringing the Pain”

What a great reality show this really is! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the first season was one of the best reality shows that I’ve ever viewed. Those fighters showed the viewer their real true colors. They left their hearts and souls on the doormat of America so that we could see, devour, and trample on them. The Semifinal show looked a lot like the first season. I found the segment where the “winners” traveled to Sugar Ray’s house to be an emotional elevator. The dream for a small time unknown boxer to attain the material wealth that Sugar has amassed was clearly evident. By Sugar taking the boxers to his home to give them hope and a reason to fight the best that they can was enjoyable, motivational, inspirational, real, and sad all at the same time. I feel like most of those are self-explanatory but I must touch on the sad portion and explain. I believe that we are all in a material wealth trap, looking for more, more, more. While it is possible for the boxers to attain wealth as Sugar has done, that doesn’t mean it will be the answer to all problems. Often wealth is a detriment to those who fall into it leaving them with emptiness. I fear that these guys may actually find the riches they so wish to attain only to find an unpleasant emptiness charging fast on their heels. Most of these guys come from very little as do many boxers and it seems that wealth is such a motivating factor in their success. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope that they find true fortune.

I loved Pepe’s comments to Johnsen prior to the fight. “He’s just another man.” Wow, do you think Johnsen believed that? Is that easy to do? Is it easy to do when you are about to go toe to toe with that other man? What about when that other man punches you right in the face and stars fill your vision? His comment was so true but so hard to live out.

Pre-fight warm-up and Johnsen looks sharper and faster. He also looks a little more focused. However; the stare down in the middle of the ring looked good for Codrington. I liked the intensity that I saw in his face and the focus that he tried to keep by not getting into a real stare down.

Round 1: Codrington showing decent defense staying away from the jab and throwing a few punches. Johnsen looking to land the jab or an overhand right. Uh oh! What was that? Looks like a right hook by Codrington to Johnsen’s temple to put him on the mat! He just barely makes the count but is wobbly and the ref calls the fight! It really didn’t look like that hard of a punch. Again this show proves it’s worth as Codrington breaks down in Buddy’s arms. This is good stuff.

Thanks to both boxers for a great show! Thanks to Jaidon for not getting up on a high horse and telling us how great he is. Although he deserved to toot his horn, he chose instead to talk about how Wayne could use this an experience to grow and be a bigger threat in the future. What a good sport from both corners!

I’m concerned about Codrington going back home. I think this will take a little of his edge. Although I feel this way, I know it’s the right thing for him to do. Time will tell if it will hurt.

I recently created a post where I looked at the KO power of the Pound for Pound (P4P). Using a simple calculation of dividing the total KOs by the total number of wins gives a mathematical value to KO power. Now I will do the same thing looking at the P4P’s opponents. I looked at each of the P4P’s record and picked the most recent opponent that defeated the P4P boxer. If the P4P has never been defeated I picked the opponent that lost by decision. I did not pick opponents that are currently on the P4P list. The idea is to see if the P4P’ers have more KO power than their opponents that have beaten or have been able to hang for a full bout with them.

Floyd Mayweather recently won by decision over Oscar De La Hoya whose record is 38-5-0 (30 KOs).

Manny Pacquiao lost to Erik Morales whose record is 48-6-0 (34 KOs).

Juan Manuel Marquez lost a unanimous decision to Chris John whose record is 40-0-1 (21 KOs).

Bernard Hopkins was executed by Jermain Taylor in a unanimous decision. Taylor’s record is 27-1-1 (17 KOs).

Israel Vazquez was TKO’d by Oscar Larios whose record is 59-6-1 (37 KOs).

Winky Wright beaten by unanimous decision by Fernando Vargas whose record is 26-4-0 (22 KOs).

Rafael Marquez has been beaten via KO by Genaro Garcia whose record is 35-6-0 (20 KOs).

Joe Calzaghe won a split decision over Sakio Bika whose record is 23-3-2 (14 KOs).

Ricky Hatton with a unanimous decision over Juan Urango whose record is 18-1-1 (14 KOs).

Miguel Cotto scores a unanimous decision over Paul Malignaggi whose record is 23-1-0 (5 KOs).

Oscar De La Hoya – 30 / 38 = .79%

Erik Morales – 34 / 48 = .71%

Chris John – 21 / 40 = .53%

Jermain Taylor – 17 / 27 = .63%

Oscar Larios – 37 / 59 = .63%

Fernando Vargas – 22 / 26 = .85%

Genaro Garcia – 20 / 35 = .57%

Sakio Bika – 14 / 23 = .61%

Juan Urango – 14 / 18 = .78%

Paul Malignaggi – 5 / 23 = .22%

Now what’s the overall average? ((.79 + .71 + .53 + .63 + .63 + .85 + .57 + .61 + .78 + .22) / 10) = .63%. So the overall KO percentage of these opponents is 63%.  The P4P scored a whopping 72%.  So is a 9% difference that big of a deal?  I believe it’s somewhat telling.  Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the computations.

You wont find them like this anymore.  These are some old boxing gloves that I found in an antique store in Coeur d’Alene, ID.  They were all around $100 or more.  The store’s name is Ciscos II Antiques and Fine Arts.  Really an incredible store and I wish I had money to splurge to acquire some of these oldies.  I would probably hang them in my office as a conversation piece.  I like the red ones.  Maybe someday.

Does the Ring Mag P4P have KO power? Let’s look at the list and do a simple calculation and review the results.

Floyd Mayweather 38 – 0; 24 KOs

Manny Pacquio 45 – 3 – 2; 35 KOs

Juan Manuel Marquez 47 – 3 – 1; 35 KOs

Bernard Hopkins 48 – 4 – 1; 32 KOs

Israel Vazquez 42 – 4; 31 KOs

Winky Wright 51 – 4 – 1; 25 KOs

Rafael Marquez 37 – 4; 33 KOs

Joe Calzaghe 43 – 0; 32 KOs

Ricky Hatton 43 – 0; 31 KOs

Miguel Cotto 30 – 0; 25 KOs

Let’s divide the number of KOs by the number of total fights to find each fighters KO percentage.

FM – 24/38 = 63%;

MP – 35/45 = 78%;

JMM – 35/47 = 74%;

BH – 32/48 = 67%;

IV – 31/42 = 74%;

WW – 25/51 = 49%;

RM – 33/37 = 89%;

JC – 32/43 = 74%;

RH – 31/43 = 72%;

MC – 25/30 = 83%

The lowest goes to Winky Wright with 49% (who I don’t like in the P4P listing) and the highest goes to Rafael Marquez with an 89%. Let’s average the percentages: (63 + 78 + 74 + 67 + 74 +49 + 89 + 74 + 72 + 83) / 10 = 72%

Do these numbes look like KO power? I believe they do. How would you like to KO 7 of every 10 people that you fight?

Another bout that I had on my DVR that I finally got around to watching.

12 Rounds for the IBO Championship. Oganov comes into the fight with a perfect record of 26-0-0 (26 KOs) while Zuniga has a 19-2-1 (16 KOs).

Round 1 started out with a knock down by Oganov. Replay shows that it might not have been a good knock down. However; that’s how it was scored. The remainder of this fight consisted of Oganov moving forward with his gloves in front of his face and Zuniga throwing punch after punch. Oganov never quit coming forward and Zuniga never let up throwing punches! Ocassionaly Oganov would throw a good punch but for the most part it was Zuniga was simply punching and taking Oganov apart. Round 8 did show some slowing down by Zuniga but tat was followed by a TKO victory in the 9th round by Zuniga. Zuniga throws a great left that knocks Oganov straight backwards to the mat. Oganov gets up only to meet an even more determined Zuniga. Zuniga gets Oganov on the ropes and does more of what he did in the previous 8 rounds – punching over and over. Oganov drops his head to avoid the onslaught and the ref steps in to call the fight.

This was a nice fight for Zuniga showing his stamina and heart. He never stopped and continually looked for the openings. Zuniga did throw several wide shots that could have been straightened out to be more effective but overall this fight was all his.

I have lots of boxing saved on my DVR and will review the fights as I get a chance.  So here is one of the first.  This bout aired on Showtime on September 1, 2007 from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wa.

Kirkland came into the fight with a 19-0-0 (16 KOs) record.  Kirkland left the fight with a 20-0-0 (17 KOs) record.   The total fight lasted a whopping 1.5 rounds.

The first round consisted of Kirkland knocking Said down for the deuce. The first knock down appeared to have come from a couple of left hands, the later being a body shot.  The second knock down came after a flurry of punches ending in a right hand to put Said on the canvas.   Said did throw a few good shots which could have easily hurt Kirkland, but they didn’t.  Said had no speed on any of his shots.  The second round ended at 2:32 with a vicious left knocking Said backwards to the ground.  Said was counted out.

The only time Said’s head moved during the fight was when Kirkland was knocking it backwards.  We’ve heard of snap in the punch but Said had snap in his neck.  I’ll guarantee that a few hours after the fight, Said probably couldn’t hold his head up.  You can’t stand in front of an opponent and not move (especially your head).

My take (watching live):

Round 1: Gomez comes out strong with the jab. Gomez working the body as well. Tackie looks a little hesitant to step in and throw. Tackie begins throwing long overhand rights but Gomez moving away. Gomez looking to connect with an uppercut. Round goes to Gomez.

Round 2: Gomez throws a big right and misses but doesn’t stop there. Instead he throws a sharp left for a connect. Tackie still looking to land that big overhand right. Gomez still slipping several punches – his defense looks good. Tackie scores with a good right but Gomez always has an answer with a comparable punch. Round 2 to Gomez.

Round 3: Best round yet for Tackie. Tackie pushing the action and throwing a lot of punches. Gomez still defending his ground with his chin down. Round to Gomez.

Round 4: Gomez still throwing shots to the body. Gomez caught with a right hand but still not hurt. More good action by both. Round to Gomez.

Round 5: Good right hands to Tackie’s head. Tackie not phased though. Tackie pressing forward but Gomez lands about 5 shots. Round to Gomez.

Round 6: More of the same. Round to Gomez

Round 7: I just wish one of these guys had a little KO power. Unfortunately neither. Round to Gomez

Round 8: I’m tired of Gomez running. Stop it! I hope Gomez doesn’t think he’s won. Tackie scores a good right hand. Round to Tackie.

Round 9: Teddy Atlas says that Tackie’s mother made him and his brother fight for their meals – at age 5! Tackie on the attack and Gomez not looking very good. I think he’s getting very tired. Mouth is open. Round to Tackie.

Round 10: Tackie trying really hard to make this final. Gomez still moving and running. Now Gomez with an effective combo. Tackie still launching the big right and Gomez still making him miss. Round to Gomez.

Judges decision:  97-93; 98-92; 98-92 for Alfonso Gomez.

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Next week I believe that Jaidon Codrington will defeat Wayne Johnsen.  The following week we will see Sakio Bika defeat Sam Soliman.  Who will win the $$$?  I still think Codrington has it in the bag.

Here’s the alias, now who are they?

1> Sugar

2> The Viper

3> Junior

4> The Rock

5> Thunder from Down Under

6> Marvelous

7> Macho

8> Boom Boom

9>The Cinderella Man

10> The Greatest