Brian's Boxing Mailbag (Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, and More!)
By Brian Wilbur
Welcome and thanks for coming to the most fan-friendly boxing/MMA mailbag on the internet. I take all questions, whether they are positive, negative, opinionated, or obsessive rant. I feel that anyone passionate enough to have a take and compose an email should have an opportunity be heard. I don’t shy away from the tough ones so try me on and send in your questions to be answered in next week’s mailbag.
Recapping recent action, Miguel Cotto got back on track last Saturday, winning his third world title in different weight classes. This time he won the WBA Junior Middleweight belt by scoring a technical knockout over Yuri Foreman. After the fight Team Cotto gave some insight into his training motivation, bitterly criticizing those who had considered him washed up. Although Miguel did not mention me by name, I was one of the writers who fit the criteria. Prior to the match I said that Foreman was a tailor made Cotto opponent if Cotto was in his prime. However I ended up picking Foreman by decision because I seriously questioned whether Miguel had lost a few steps after the beatings he took against Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao.
Cotto certainly is back. He looked as good as ever, bludgeoning a quality boxer in Yuri Foreman, and I don’t think that Foreman’s knee injury played that big of a role. Even before the injury he was getting served up on a platter. Cotto reinvigorated his career and instantly became the man to beat in a lackluster 154 pound division. Whether he stays put and defends his title against the likes of Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, or Kermit Cintron; or moves back down in weight to fight someone like Andre Berto, there are plenty of attractive options and big money fight available to him. Bob Arum might even convince him to take a rematch with Antonio Margarito.
I’ve got a nice little mailbag for you this week. We talk about a bit more about Miguel Cotto and how he relates to Manny Pacquiao’s legacy, Floyd Mayweather’s retirement rumors, and this weekend’s upcoming UFC fight. Enjoy the mailbag and be sure to send me your feedback!
Cotto’s Win Helps Pacquiao’s Legacy
Brian,
Why do I hear this talk about Mayweather and Pacquiao being #1a and #1b (on P4P lists). Mayweather was retired. Isn’t there some unwritten rule about having to re-prove yourself when you come back? Does Muhammad Ali automatically become the #1 heavyweight if he un-retired tomorrow? Since Mayweather has comeback he has not done as much as Pacquiao has anyway. Who has a better legacy at this point? I say Manny Pacquiao has the edge in all areas.
-Jeff
Jeff,
I agree that Pacquiao has the edge in both the pound for pound list and in legacy. Quality of opposition is huge for me when judging boxers and Pacquiao has a colossal edge over Mayweather in that department. If they fight each other, who know who will win. But guess work of who beats who should not be done when doing unbiased rankings. Accomplishment is the only fair way to rank boxers.
Cotto’s big win over Foreman actually helps the legacy of Manny Pacquiao. Cotto showed that he is not past his prime, fully legitimizing Pacquiao’s win over Cotto as a dominant win over a top notch opponent. No one can make the argument that Miguel was washed up when Pacquiao fought him since Cotto won a title against Joshua Clottey in the fight before and won a title the fight after against Yuri Foreman the fight after. Erasing all of the doubts that Pacquiao may have finished an already cracked egg, the Cotto vs. Pacquiao fight is frightening with the way that Manny demolished a slugger of Cotto’s caliber with ease.
With that said, I don’t understand how anyone can argue that Floyd Mayweather is the #1 pound for pound fighter (I’m looking at you Eoin Redahan). Let’s take a look at both fighter’s recent wins. Mayweather’s wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya were equaled by Pacquiao shortly after. Mayweather beat Juan Manuel Marquez but Manny holds a win over Marquez too. Manny’s win over Marquez was not as clear cut, but he fought Juan Manuel at 130 whereas Mayweather enjoyed an almost unfair size advantage with the fight at welterweight. Floyd’s win over Shane Mosley approximates to Pacquiao’s second win over Marco Antonio Barrera, a wide decision win over an aging but still serviceable future hall of famer.
That leaves Pacquiao’s amazing victory over Cotto, plus his beat down of the vastly underrated contender Joshua Clottey as unmatched by anything that Mayweather has done in years. Pound for pound lists should be based on accomplishment, not speculation or opinion, so having Mayweather above or tied with Pacquiao is simply wrong!
Liddell vs. Franklin, Who U Got?
I know you like boxing more than you like MMA but you have to be into this fight. Chuck Liddell is an MMA legend and my favorite fighter. Rich Franklin is a baller too, former champ. Who do you like in this fight which is going to be the main event for UFC 115?
-Travis
Travis,
Chuck Liddell is to MMA what Roy Jones, JR., is to boxing. Both are icons and legends. Both, at one point in time, were considered the best pound for pound in the world, in the light heavyweight division no less. And both men have fallen so far from their glory days that when they are matched up against anyone decent these days you should be shocked if they do not suffer anything but a crushing knockout loss.
Franklin is also past his prime and fighting in a weight class above his natural weight, but Rich is still serviceable at least. I should think that Franklin wins this one only because Liddell is completely shot.
I recognize that Liddell and Franklin are two of the biggest draws and names in the UFC so many (including you) are keyed in on this one. I have close to zero interest however because both men are pretty much irrelevant as it relates to the top of the light heavyweight division. Just like when Roy Jones fights, I stopped caring about Chuck Liddell a while ago and refuse to watch him fight.
And I am not hating on the UFC or MMA. I am very interested in seeing Shane Carwin vs. Brock Lesnar, any fight with Fedor Emelianenko, and am curious about who Mauricio Rua will fight next. I just don’t care about the shell-shocked and washed up Chuck Liddell. Sorry bro. I hope you don’t get too crushed when your hero gets blasted again.
Floyd Mayweather To Retire?
A friend of mine forwarded me a YouTube video saying that Floyd wanted to retire for a couple more years. What’s the deal? I thought he was going to fight Manny Pacquiao! What is this all about? I don’t understand why Floyd would pick now to retire again when the biggest challenge of his career is finally here.
-Dominick
Dominick,
I saw that video too and I’m not sure what to tell you. Mayweather apparently wants to retire again. I hope that this is just a negotiating ploy in his talks with Pacquiao, or maybe a tactic to get people to pay more attention to him. You are right that this is strange since the most lucrative fight in history is starring him in the face, and the most recent rumor is that Pacquiao has agreed to the drug testing. The first time Floyd retired he did not really have a massive payday on the horizon, nor an especially worthy opponent to fight. He retired because he felt that there were no mountains left worth climbing. That certainly is not the case with Manny Pacquiao eclipsing him in every aspect.
My respect for Mayweather would take a huge hit if he retired instead of fighting Pacquiao. He would be labeled as a rucked even more than he already is. We can only hope that Mayweather is just running his mouth as usual and does not really have serious plans to hang up the gloves. The thought of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao not happening within the next year makes me sick.
Mythical Match Ups
Brian,
Who do you like in these fights:
Roberto Duran vs. Kostya Tszyu at 140
Michael Spinks vs. James Toney at cruiserweight
Diego Corrales vs. David Diaz at 135
Erik Morales vs. Juan Manuel Lopez at 122
Tim Austin (prime) vs. Rafael Marquez at 118
-Ricky73
Ricky73,
Nice matches, I like your style. Here is how I see them:
Duran vs. Tszyu – As much as I respected the precision and skill of Tszyu, especially during his dominant championship form at 140 pounds, Duran is one of the greatest of all time. He could easily have put on five pounds from his ideal weight and be just as good. Duran uses his underrated boxing skills to feel out Kostya early, avoid the big missile right hand, and then come on strong late. Roberto starts to land vicious body shots during the middle rounds, forcing Tszyu to retire on his stool in the 9th round.
Spinks vs. Toney – Toney was probably at his best when he was in the middleweight or super middleweight divisions early in his career. Though still very formidable at cruiserweight, he was a bit overweight. Toney, a born fighter, loves it when opponents come at him. He had such amazing inside fighting and counter-punching skills that he could fend off attackers in his sleep. Even out of shape and pudgy, Toney could beat down anyone who dared to come right at him. We haven’t seen such prodigious old school fighting skills since Ezzard Charles. The problem with Toney’s game is that he need guys to fight him. Sticking and moving by good, mobile boxers is his worst nightmare. Spinks, with his terrific jab, would fight smart and outbox Toney for a decision. However if Michael got daring and tried to trade with Toney he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Corrales vs. Diaz – Diego threw fast, accurate, and devastatingly powerful punches. Unless you had good defense or a fantastic chin, Corrales was a monster. David, a determined and game warrior, would try his best and maybe even stun Corrales with a lucky punch here and there, but overall he could not match up with Diego. Corrales unleashes the fury on Diaz’s average defense scoring a 4th round KO.
Morales vs. Juanma Lopez – I am a huge fan of Juanma and think that he has serious potential to be a pound for pound list mainstay. However he is largely unproven at this point. Morales is a future hall of famer who has displayed his versatility and championship resolve. Erik was extremely talented and intimidating, especially early in his career at 122 pounds. Until further notice and Lopez proves himself more, I am going to have to go with Morales by late round TKO.
Austin vs. Marquez – Both of these two were the best bantamweight champions of the last couple decades, and both had unusual power for such small men. Marquez won his title by beating Austin though, and I’m not really sure that you can make an argument that Tim Austin wasn’t far past his prime at all when he fought Rafael. Austin was undefeated at the time and in his early 30’s. I’m going to say that the first fight was a legitimate determination of these two great bantamweights, so I go with Marquez by TKO in 8.
Thanks for reading all, hope to see you back next week. I look forward to your emails!