British Scene Weekend Recap

Along with giving his thoughts on Ricky Hatton's devastating loss at the hands of Manny Pacquaio, Dave Oakes recaps this past Saturday night's Sunderland show that featured world title aspirants, Jamie Moore and Rendall Munroe.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Saturday May 2 Hatton Overview and British Undercard By Dave Oakes Many people may feel that Saturday night was a bad day for British boxing, but there were some positive signs shown on the Sunderland card that made up the PPV on British television. Two of Britain’s potential world champions came through title fights with ease and will be hoping to be in the next wave of champs now that the Calzaghe, Hatton and Woods era seems over. And yes, the Hatton era is most certainly over. Whilst taking nothing away from the breathtaking performance by Manny Pacquiao, Hatton doesn’t look like the same fighter he was years ago. Don’t misunderstand me, Pacquiao is and always will be a greater fighter than Hatton, that’s beyond question, but I believe Hatton’s career has been in decline ever since the Tszyu fight and maybe even before it. It may seem easy for me to say that after the fight, but I believe the Hatton that fought Kostya Tszyu would’ve been able to take the punches that knocked him down in the first round. The punch that levelled him in the second would still have done so, but that monstrous left hand was good enough to knock out any light-welterweight in the world. I believe the many years of Hatton not living the life of a boxer have finally caught up with him. You can’t put 50lbs on between fights and not expect it to come back to haunt you. His punch resistance has gone, and with a defence as poor as Hatton’s, that can be a dangerous thing. It must be said that Hatton wasn’t helped one bit by Floyd Mayweather Snr, whose petulance and unprofessional approach in the build up and on fight night itself was nothing less than disgraceful. It’s been well reported that Mayweather Snr was late numerous times for training sessions but I don’t think many people would’ve expected him to do that on Saturday night. He did, and then barely said a word to anyone in Hatton’s team all night. It was Mayweather’s assistant, Lee Beard, that prepared Hatton in the dressing room. Mayweather turned up just before the ring walk and kept his distance during the introductions. When he did speak, it was less than ten words in between the first and second rounds. He seemed to be more intent on proving some childish point to Hatton rather than helping him or at least acting in the professional manner that nearly every other trainer in boxing would have. The most disgusting aspect of the whole night was when Hatton was laying on his back having been poleaxed by Pacquiao; Mayweather didn’t seem at all bothered and completely ignored Hatton. It’s the responsibility of the trainer, as well as the referee, to help the boxer when he’s in need of medical attention. You get in the ring as fast as possible and get the boxer on his side to stop him swallowing his tongue. You don’t hang around at the edge of the ring posing for the cameras and trying to do as many interviews as possible. Mayweather should have his licence revoked for such a scandalous and dangerous display of incompetence. He seems to enjoy dismissing Freddie Roach’s credentials as a trainer but there was only one winner between the pair on Saturday night, even if Hatton had won, Roach would still be the better trainer and the better man. Mayweather’s earned a lot of money in his career but he just goes to show that the old saying is right – money can’t buy you class. If Hatton does continue, Mayweather will undoubtedly be sacked. Personally, I think Hatton should call it a day; he’s got nothing left to prove, has a lot of money in bank and has a great family to enjoy. He would still be competitive against all of the light-welterweight’s bar Pacquiao, but the way he responded to the knockout on Saturday was worrying and was a sharp reminder as to how dangerous boxing can be. Most people in the trade believe it’s time for Hatton to retire, including Freddie Roach, who spoke honestly about his own decision to fight on longer than he should’ve done and the effects he believes it has had on him. That’s called class, something Hatton, Pacquiao and Roach will always have no matter where their futures takes them, Mayweather Snr on the other hand, will always be viewed as the lowest form of humankind in many peoples eyes. Whilst Hatton’s career looks to be near the end, Manny Pacquiao’s just keeps getting better and better. I think all boxing fans should enjoy watching him whilst they can, you don’t get to see many fighters like Manny Pacquiao in your lifetime. He’s done everything needed to be classed as a legendary fighter; he’s gone through the weight divisions, he’s fought the best opponents he could face, he’s entertaining, has improved his technique ten fold since he started, and above all else, done it in a respectful and professional manner that makes him a great role model for young kids and a great ambassador for boxing. Hatton Undercard – The British Leg Jamie Moore made a successful defence of his European light-middleweight title by blowing away Roman Dzuman in two one-sided rounds. Moore started aggressively, pounding Dzuman with hard hooks to the body. His work on the inside was very intelligently done; he was switching from his usual southpaw stance to orthodox at times and was repeatedly catching Dzuman with the left hook thrown from that stance. The end came in the second round when Moore caught Dzuman with two crisp straight lefts followed by a vicious left hook under the ribcage. Dzuman went down heavily and did well to get back on his feet. It was only delaying the inevitable though and he was over from the same shot again seconds later and was counted out whilst he was on his knees trying desperately to catch his breath. Moore moves to 32-3 and is looking far too good for European level. His promoter, Frank Maloney, said he expects to make a major announcement within six months about a world title opportunity. I think Moore would stand a very good chance of beating any of the current champions and should be aiming for the ageing Vernon Forrest as soon as possible. In the joint headline slot, Rendall Munroe added the Commonwealth belt to his European belt after he was taken the distance by the strong and determined Isaac Nettey. Munroe made a slow start to the fight but was controlling Nettey with his jab. Nettey was trying to stand and trade with Munroe throughout the first six rounds and occasionally landed a heavy looking overhand right; Munroe still remained in control though and was beginning wear Nettey down with some neat body work. In the seventh it looked as though Munroe might me able to stop a tiring Nettey late on, but the brave Ghanaian battled his way through the last six rounds and even found the energy for a late burst of aggression in the eleventh. There were no doubts who had won, with the judges scoring the bout 120-109 and 119-110 twice in favour of Munroe. Munroe has been very busy in the past twelve months and should take a short break from boxing to help recharge his batteries before making another defence of his European belt in September. On the undercard… Danny Williams retained his British heavyweight title after a split decision victory over John McDermott in a predictably tedious affair. Williams won the first six rounds behind a sloppy jab with McDermott barely throwing a punch., McDermott put more effort into the fight in the last few rounds but it was too little too late. Both fighters were deducted a point during the fight, McDermott for use of the elbow in the third, whilst Williams was harshly deducted a point in the sixth for holding, I agree with the referee that he was holding but having just sat through six rounds of McDermott doing the exact same thing, it seemed to me that the referee was rather too keen on evening things up. Two of the judges scored the fight 116-111 in favour of Williams, whilst the third judge had McDermott winning 115-113. I was in agreement with the score of 116-111 to Williams. Olympic hero Tony Jeffries made his hometown debut a night to remember by demolishing hapless Roy Meissner inside two rounds. Jeffries received a massive ovation during his ring walk and looks like becoming a major ticket seller on the British scene. He came out all guns blazing and had Meissner badly hurt from a clubbing left hook within twenty seconds. He kept blazing away until a big right hook to the side of the head sent Meissner sprawling across the canvass barely a minute in, which the referee bizarrely ruled as a slip. Meissner got to his feet but was put back on the seat of his pants seconds later when he was caught with another overhand right. He dragged himself up yet again but was dropped heavily with a hurtful right hook to the body moments after. He managed to make it to the bell but should’ve been pulled out by his corner, they didn’t seem to think that way though and deemed him fit enough to come out for the second round. The end came seconds into the round when the referee waved it off with Jeffries using Meissner as a walking punch bag. In a crossroads fight, Sam Webb edged out Thomas McDonagh 96-95 to record the win of his career. Webb was the busier fighter and took advantage of McDonagh’s lackadaisical approach to boxing to outpoint the more experienced man. Webb will now be looking towards a British title fight sometime in the future. e-mail Dave Oakes

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The Margarito Mess - Ultimately A Judgment Call

Jeff Pryor takes a look at the Antonio Margarito situation.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

After much speculation, rumors, mis-information and accusations it appears that while some specific details remain to be divulged, we know now the most important bit of information we needed following the scandalous events leading up to Antonio Margarito's bout with Shane Mosley. The wraps do indeed have traces of the ingredients to make plaster.

The biggest issue now facing the boxing world is what Margarito knew and when he knew it.

On the one hand, if Margarito knew about the destructive substance in his hand wraps, unquestionably he should be banned for life from the sport he's dedicated so much of his life to. Oscar Diaz and Victor Burgos are just two of the more prominent pugilists who could recently vouch for how dangerous the job can be with just a regular old gloved fist bouncing off your noggin.

What is probably needed in this instance is a deep interrogation of all those around Margarito, to try and glean whether or not he seemed to be cognoscente of his surroundings when his hands were being wrapped and if he ever exhibited or said anything that might point to his implicit knowledge of what was being put on his hands.

A prudent commission would also convene a panel of boxers and trainers to provide their experienced knowledge and give their opinions on the likelihood of Margarito being unaware of the contents of his hand wraps. A number of both fighters and trainers; Shane Mosley, Emanuel Steward and Freddie Roach, most notably, have been quoted recently stating that it's possible he might not have known what was happening with the wraps. Others, just as qualified to know, have steadfastly asserted the opposite. Clearly, it's a gray area in which a number of experienced people have varying opinions.

Judging only from my own observations of Margarito through interviews and second hand accounts, it would appear that Margarito falls into that type of fighter who gets in a zone and tunes things out, making it somewhat plausible that he could be oblivious to the dastardly wrapping going on almost literally beneath his nose.

Like an echo from 90 years before, it was said that Jack Dempsey thought his trainer was sprinkling talcum powder on his wraps in preparation for his bout with heavyweight Jess Willard. In a controversy that still remains ambiguous, his trainer later claimed that he had in fact peppered Dempsey's hands with plaster, which ultimately led to Willard's jaw shattering, en-route to a horrendous beating.

Like the black cloud that plagued Dempsey, the fallout of this scandal has already spread to earlier bouts in Margarito's career and the question of just how long this has been going on has begun to ring loudly. Kermit Cintron, two time knockout victim of the "Tijuana Tornado" is eager to write off his losses to this new development, alleging that loaded gloves must have taken his undefeated record from him. It must be said however, that in his most recent bout, Cintron claimed that the devastating punch that Sergio Martinez dropped him with, must have been a headbutt.

The same Sergio Martinez was stopped in seven by Margarito back in 2000, and has flatly stated that Margarito was simply the better man back then, and loaded gloves were no issue. In between these two opposing positions, lies Miguel Cotto, who has remained ominously silent for the majority of the investigation. Though Cotto has shown restraint and class in his handling of the situation, behind the scenes rumblings have him extremely angry and in a development that continues to simmer, it has begun to drive a wedge between he and his promoter, Bob Arum, who has defended Margarito.

Many have pointed to the damage that Cotto's face sustained by the end of his match with Margarito and also to Sebastian Lujan's detaching ear, which stopped his bout with Margarito as the appendage began to tear away from his head from repeated clubbing rights to the head. With these dramatic examples of facial trauma, it is posited that this is evidence of prior misconduct. But if this is the case, one wonders why Paul Williams or Cintron didn't suffer the same disfigurement, should loaded gloves have been in use by team Margarito for an extended period of time. It could be argued that perhaps their skin was simply more resilient... but conversely, it could be argued that Cotto and Lujan's skin is simply less durable, loaded gloves or no. Ultimately these speculations lead only in circles.

In regards to the possibility that loaded gloves were used in Margarito's earlier bouts only one thing is certain, the commissions and opposing trainers all had the opportunity to inspect the wraps and sign off on them. None ever spotted anything unusual, nor raised any voice of caution or concern. Be that as it may, one other certainty may be drawn here, the question of tampering, even with no evidence whatsoever, will always hang over Margarito's earlier accomplishments. A shame in any event for if Margarito knowingly cheated and threw away all of his tremendous work for an insidious advantage it is a terrible pity, but worse, if his sacrifices to boxing have been taken from him by someone he trusted implicitly.

Manny Steward is quoted in next months issue of The Ring with his opinion, and seems dubious as to the likelihood of prior illegalities. “I doubt Margarito has done this in the past; he’s fought in all of the biggest states with the best commissions, so I find it hard to believe he’d get away with it for this long."

Looking into Margarito's past and trying to determine what effect loaded gloves may or may not have had on his rise to the top of the welterweight division is something that will be argued over and speculated on for years to come. More pressing is the issue of what exactly Margarito's future will entail.

Currently serving a one year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission, which for all intents and purposes locks him out of American boxing into the year 2010, Margarito faces a difficult stretch. Talk of a bout in Mexico has been met with mixed reaction from fans and the boxing establishment. Such a bout may alienate the American Commissions who would feel that Promoter Arum and Margarito are circumventing their ruling, and perhaps making a speedy reinstatement after one year less likely.

Margarito's wild card, may be the support of Freddie Roach, with whom there has been preliminary discussions of a future partnership. Roach brings an integrity and reputation that would go far to put a continuation of Margarito's career in a positive light. Few take the cruelties of the sport more seriously than Roach, who has been dealt a tough lot, dealing with Parkinson's disease brought on by the damage he took as a professional prize fighter. Few too, would be able to speak to the severity of Margarito's offenses and ensure that under his watch there would be zero possibility of future indiscretions.

In fact this is a chief reason why it's not much of a risk to reinstate Margarito, should the commission be reasonably certain he wasn't aware of the wrongdoings; from here on out, all eyes will be glued to the wrapping process of Margarito's hands. With such attention it would be impossible and incredibly foolhardy to ever again attempt any kind of tampering.

Roach has spoken with Margarito about the situation and came away from the conversation with an emotional Margarito, believing him. He feels that Margarito is a stand up guy and sincere in his assertion that he didn't know what was going on with the wraps. One gets the sense, from watching his career journey, that Margarito is indeed a sincere, hardworking guy. Which is why this whole thing has been all the more troubling.

There are no easy answers. Slapping a lifetime ban on Margarito would be easy, but imagine if he truly did not know what his trainer was up to. Simply reinstating him after a year wouldn't address the possibility that he was an active part of the devious scheme. Clearly more investigation is needed, before a final decision is rendered.

As with much in boxing, all this is ultimately going to come down to a judgment call. Like a controversial split decision, there will certainly be some fans displeased no matter what the outcome.

For Margarito it must be a frightening and stress filled time. Only he knows exactly how much of that hardship he deserves. He has the advantage of knowing the black and white of it, the guilt and the innocence. The rest of us must wade through the gray area to decide if a seemingly good guy, knowingly did an unforgivable thing.

e-mail Jeff Pryor
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