Mythical Dave’s Thoughts of the Week: Manny Pacquiao PLANTS FOOT In MOUTH, Charles Martin Vs Anthony Joshua, Gene Tunney vs Harry Greb Revisited and Let’s Get Ready for Super Bowl LI

By Dave “Mythical” Siderski

Manny Pacquiao Joins the Open Mouth Insert Foot Club

I’m going to keep this one short. Suffice to say the fact that his own promoter Bob Arum, traditionally an ardent Pacquiao supporter, has not only distanced himself from Manny but also condemned his contemptuous comments on same sex relationships and marriage says it all. Pacquiao’s insincere, non-apologetic apology only made him look worse. The fact that Manny would choose to make such provocative comments in the weeks leading up to his PPV showdown with Timothy Bradley makes this even more mind-boggling.

Anthony Joshua Vs Charles Martin

Anthony Joshua is the most exciting young prospect the Heavyweight division has seen in recent memory. Joshua captured Olympic Gold in the 2012 London Olympics. He turned pro in October 2013 and stormed through his first 14 opponents, stopping all within the first three rounds. This past December, Joshua faced his toughest test to date squaring off against fellow undefeated prospect and former amateur rival Dillian Whyte. He survived some rocky moments and ultimately stopped Whyte in 7 rounds.

Now he really steps up his level of competition, taking on newly crowned IBF Heavyweight champion Charles Martin, who captured the title in January with a 3rd round stoppage of Vyacheslav Glazkov. Martin is also undefeated with a record of 23-0-1, 21 KO’s. This is a serious gamble for Joshua and his team and personally I’d like to see him gain a little more experience before challenging the upper echelon of the Heavyweight division. That said, I will be awaiting this matchup with great interest.

This Week in Boxing History: Gene Tunney SD 15 Harry Greb

Now we’re on to one of the most historic rivalries in boxing history. In my view, Harry Greb is the greatest pound for pound fighter in boxing history not named Sugar Ray Robinson. It’s unfathomable that this man fought much of his career half blind. Gene Tunney is vastly underrated in my view and came in at #9 on my list of the greatest pound for pound fighters who ever lived. This rivalry started on May 23, 1922 when the “Pittsburgh Windmill” administered a frightful beating to Tunney, breaking his nose and gashing him around both eyes in handing him the only loss of his professional career. However, even in losing, the “Fighting Marine” proved his incredible toughness in lasting the distance.

Fast forward nine months later, February 23, 1923, Tunney turned the tables, flummoxing Greb with his boxing skills and punishing him to the body over the 15 round distance. This time it was Greb who left the ring battered and bruised. These two icons went on to face each other three more times. In December 1923, Tunney prevailed by a 15 round unanimous decision in the rubber match. Their fourth and fifth encounters were both 10 round no decision affairs, with one called a newspaper win for Tunney and the other scored a draw by the newspapers. Like Ali and Frazier, Harry Greb and Gene Tunney are two boxing icons whose legacies are forever intertwined in the fabric of boxing history.

Super Bowl Favorites Next Year

It’s probably far too early to speculate on who the participants will be in Super Bowl LI but I’ll give it a shot. My first prediction is that neither the Denver Broncos nor the Carolina Panthers will make it back to the big dance. The Broncos have major questions at quarterback and it’s simply too much to ask the defense to carry them for two years in a row. As far as the Panthers, Super Bowl runner ups tend not to fare well the following year. Additionally, one has to seriously question Cam Newton’s leadership and maturity in the aftermath of his performance both during and after the of this year’s Super Bowl.

As far as who will make it, I’m going with a rematch of Super Bowl IL, the New England Patriots vs the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots have all their key players back for next year and I believe returning position coach Dante Scarnecchia will find a way to solve their offensive line woes from last season. The Seahawks still have tremendous talent on defense and Russell Wilson is emerging as one of the truly elite quarterbacks in the NFL. As of today, I believe these are the two best teams in the NFL heading into next season.

Ok folks, that’s it for this week! I’m enjoying the balmy weather here in Massachusetts while it lasts.

Peace out!

[si-contact-form form=’1′]