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Vinny’s Views: Boxing, Boxing and More Boxing! Did We Say Vinny LOVES To Talk Boxing?

VLBy Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

Alright gang the roller coaster is about to hit the apex before cascading crescendo as the spine of the boxing year is hitting its apex. No time to tighten the nuts and bolts under your seat just hang on for the ride. First order of business is putting the baby to bed. Before we go forward need to put the Daniel Jacobs fan express back on track. Do you guys need some cheese to go with that whine? Enough already. He lost a close decision that he had no business losing. After dodging this fight for two years he took it only because the WBA dated it three times and threatened to strip his belt unless he complied. Danny came into middleweight bout as a light heavyweight.

He literally gave away the first three rounds by doing nothing but learning the box step to Gennady’s six inch dance tango. “GGG” won those rounds with a tentative jab and forward momentum. Had Danny even tried to make it a boxing match early he’d be basking in glory now. The fourth round knockdown didn’t help his cause, and it was legit and the man was hurt. He held onto Golovkin’s leg like a four year old to his Dad about to be swept out to sea with the outgoing tide. Danny lost the fifth, but I gave him that round. He dared to be bold in spots thereafter but refused to stay on jab or in pocket long enough to “own” the rounds. The scorecards were correct.

Danny has no one to blame but himself. Before the first bell rings I am a huge fan of both men. As a writer, I am obligated by decorum to report unbiased on the action of the fight. In press row, there was an outpouring of support for Jacobs before and after the fight. When I saw how the early scoring was going I was asking some fellow reporters what fight they were watching. When scribes can’t separate their feelings while reporting it’s no wonder that fans feel betrayed. Rooting for your own personal hero is one thing. Giving them rounds because they weren’t knocked out as expected is absurd.

Still passing around the Kleenex box for Danny Garcia fans. Terrific kid. Good fighter. Same result. He let too many rounds get past him. As for Danny he needs to simply rebound, not regroup. He lost a fight. Had Gennady lost a close one on the cards he would have had no one to blame either but himself. Both fighters showed too much respect for each other. I saw “GGG” fire walk through hell against a meteor storm of power shots against Kell Brook just as Hagler did to Hearns 32 years ago in order to land his own. Never did we witness that sense of pride or urgency last week. Fans are all over internet sites like Facebook are demanding a rematch. Sorry boys, that’s not how the business works. Abel Sanchez “GGG’s” trainer has WBO middleweight (ahem…) champion Billy Joe Saunders penciled in for an execution in July. Saunders’ pathetic reign should come to an abrupt end and restart a new knockout streak for Golovkin. Obsessed fans love to bask in the glory that Danny broke up Gennady’s 23 bout KO streak but fail to mention Gennady foiled Daniel’s bid for thirteen in a row. Should “GGG” possess all the belts he’ll gun for proposed bout against Canelo Alvarez in September. (More on this at tail end of article.)

While Sanchez has been enthusiastically vocal about Gennady fighting four times in ’17 it’s highly unlikely that a rematch with Jacobs would happen this year. Team Golovkin could elect to take a break or a voluntary defense. Abel made mention that he expected Jacobs to own at least one belt once his fighter vacates I think it’s the wrong course of action for him. Jacobs is a light heavyweight when he enters ring. Perhaps at thirty it’s time to give up the middleweight ghost and head Golovkin off at the pass taking a super middleweight belt before he gets there. Danny proved he has heart, soul, and talent. After making “GGG” wait for a match he needs to refocus and not expect to be hand fed a rematch just because he heard the final bell.

Fans need to fully understand how to score a fight without blinders on. Controlling a round by tempo, momentum, rhythm, and ring generalship will win a round for a fighter if his opponent only scores a good flurry mid round but fails to maintain any form of attack. This is why we have a scoring system.

Onward, as promised the boxing landscape is red hot. Dates to circle on your calendar:

April 8: Vasyl Lomachenko defends his WBO junior lightweight belt against Jason Sosa. You can’t step to Loma; you can’t step away either.

April 22: Shawn Porter takes on Andre Berto at welterweight in a must win bout for the former champ.

April 29: Anthony Joshua defends his IBF Heavyweight belt against former long standing champion Wlad Klitschko in what I believe will be an official passing of the proverbial torch. While I have already covered this fight in great detail (Archive: Oct 6, 2016) I believe Dr. Steel Hammer might have to surrender on his stool with chronic calf muscle tears. This one is for Joshua to lose, already penciled in for the win.

Not officially penned yet but Adonis “The Dodger” Stevenson defends his WBC light heavyweight title against undefeated Sean Monaghan. Stevenson always impresses with true KO power but his avoidance of former long standing and recently robbed Sergey Kovalev was reprehensible.

May 6: Battle of the Catch Weight Kings as middleweight cherry picker Canelo Alvarez officially takes on washed up Julio Cesar Chavez, JR. for an agreed upon 164 lbs. weigh in. Fascinating point of contention, Junior will forfeit 1 million dollars for every single pound he is overweight at weigh in.

Lucas Matthysse returns to action with perfect foil in Emanuel Taylor.

Undefeated WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker makes first title defense against undefeated Hughie Fury. Fury stands 6’6” and his height will present the problems that must be solved if he is too flourish in this new era of huge men.

May 20: Terrence Crawford defends his WBO/WBC junior welterweight belts against respectable Felix Diaz. Diaz gave Lamont Peterson all he could handle back in 2015 in a losing effort which the scorecards didn’t correctly reflect how close the battle was.

Also New crowned IBF junior lightweight champion Gervonta Davis goes across the pond to defend belt against undefeated Liam Walsh. Gervonta has star potential and his first assignment should test those skills nicely as he prepares to ascend to another level of excellence.

May 27: IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook takes on the number one contender Errol Spence, JR. in what now has fight of the year potential since Golovkin/Jacobs and Thurman/Garcia failed to live up to fans expectations. This is another fight I already handicapped when it was first accepted on paper both by participants. (Archive: February 17) Since then I have been reviewing tapes and find a few key factors that need to be mentioned here. While I first believed Errol to own faster hand speed, I think the edge goes decidedly to Kell. As Spence, JR. has planned to come forward attacking Brook’s body with both hands chopping down the tree don’t lose sight of the fact that no fighter boxes better going backwards today than Kell. His perfect balance allows him to freely let either hand go in reverse direction giving up ground but making his adversary pay dearly for their efforts. Kell has no problems with southpaws. The pick ‘em fight should go off at 50/50 odds.

Jermell Charlo defends his WBC Junior Middleweight strap against highly capable Charles Hatley.

Rumor Mill: Manny Pacquiao has been left without a dance partner and is rumored to be back tracking and reconsidering fighting Australian Jeff Horn in able to placate his boxing schedule and not waste valuable training time. Pac had dropped Horn as a yet unsigned opponent and asked on public media who the fans wanted to see him fight. Amir Kahn won fans votes with 41%. The bout was unable to be brought to fruition, official reason unknown. In the past Kahn has over estimated his market value and talked himself off the bargaining table by insisting parity to top echelon fighters. With a weak exploited chin Amir needs to come to grips with the fact his “A” side days of promotion are over unless he wants to backtrack and fight the level of competition that Adrien Broner picks on.

Tyson Fury making comeback this May. Stop laughing and don’t piss your pants or spill your beverage. He didn’t mention what year.

Sad to report that traveling warrior and former IBF junior middleweight champ Ishe Smith’s ex-wife was murdered in Las Vegas. Latoya Woolen, 39, was executed by gunshot to back of the head for no apparent reason outside a Dollar Tree. The couple have three children together. Police theorize that she was not the victim of a robbery gone a-rie as no possessions were taken from body. The boxing world mourns her loss and Ringside Report offers our deepest condolences to Ishe, his children and Latoya’s extended family.

Exposed. That’s the word Golden Boy Promoter Oscar De La Hoya used in describing the events of last week’s middleweight contest between “GGG” and Daniel Jacobs. While he gave both fighters kudos he is sadly mistaken if he believes this dents Golovkin’s star power at brokering supposed September match between “GGG” and Oscar’s golden goose Canelo Alvarez. De La Hoya has offered a onetime deal of 15 million on a take it or leave it basis. While Alvarez has avoided this fight for three and a half years insisting he was a junior middleweight who held the lineal middleweight belt he has entered the ring at 170 pounds for years. Canelo even abdicated his belt rather than accept the formidable challenge of a prime Golovkin.

Oscar has used his star’s pay- per- view numbers to illicit the sympathy of fans and press as to why his fighter deserves the lion’s share of up front guaranteed money as well as bigger slice of revenue. While no one can argue, Gennady does not yet have cross over PPV appeal, he soon will be holding all the cards. Should he defeat Saunders in June, Gennady will own all the belts. If Oscar and Canelo want a shot at a middleweight belt again they have to go through team Golovkin.

Abel Sanchez has fairly admitted to their rivals marketability and has asked for a 40% split of mega bout. Oscar is still offering the flat offer and barking that Jacobs has exposed how to beat “GGG”. Last time I checked his record Alvarez failed to stop Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, and Miguel Cotto in recent years sandwiched around a loss to Floyd Mayweather, JR. Most recent bouts have been at “Canelo” weight where his opponents must agree to his catch weight terms if they want to secure the high profile bout.

When the real fight begins in board room over negotiations in securing the bout De La Hoya will be fair warned to take the 60/40 split in their favor now. All the sanctioning bodies will align with the long standing champion as they recently did when Jacobs challenged his proposed payday. Danny was awarded 25% of the take. “GGG” will be making his 20 title defense against the challenger. Oscar if you don’t want a Jacobsesque short end of the stick I suggest you sign for fight as soon as possible. I’d also be careful using the word “exposed” at any future press conference or interview considering your 2007 media debacle.

Most hypocritical of all is your December statement and apology to fans for not bringing key potential fights to fruition. You alone have been the problem, not other promoters as you suggested that day. You denied team Golovkin this opportunity in hopes he’d age or get beaten along the way. The kid has paid his dues and then some. Time to anti-up.

Stay tuned…

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