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Brian’s Boxing Mailbag (Rafael Marquez Wins, Manny Pacquiao Steroid Talk)

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Email Bag Hosted by Brian Wilbur

Welcome to the mailbag ladies and gents. Boxing and MMA are currently taking a backseat to the NBA and NHL playoffs in the sporting world. We still have a few fights upcoming of note. Next weekend, Vitali Klitschko takes on Albert Sosnowski in the mismatch of the century. But unlike most other of Vitali’s opponents, at least Sosnowski is going to show up in shape.

In the UFC, Rampage Jackson will go heads up against Rashad Evans in a fight that the Las Vegas odds makers can’t call who is going to win. Boxing fans are jealous after comparing the competitiveness of these two match ups. Boxing needs more quality matching making like the UFC routinely provides for its fans.

Last weekend boxing fans witnessed the fourth and final installment of the Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vazquez rivalry. Marquez evened the score at two fights a piece with a dominant performance and early round TKO. The match was so one-sided that Vazquez’s trainer promised that Vazquez would never fight again. As masterful as Marquez looked, the lack of resistance put up by Israel made me think that Vazquez had nothing left. Marquez, surprisingly, does not appear wore down despite taking as much or more punishment as Vazquez during their epic trilogy.

The fourth, and apparently final, fight between these two warriors did not live up to the back and forth action of the previous, but Marquez can use this great win as a launching board for a marquee match up, perhaps against rising star Juan Manuel Lopez. Imagine the fireworks if that bout comes off. I just hope that Marquez has enough left in the tank to withstand another war. He has already participated in more than his fair share.

Onto the mailbag, in this week’s version we briefly check in on the latest news regarding the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight, analyzing the Marquez/Vazquez finale, and I give my updated top 10 heavyweights list. Enjoy!

Marquez Was Always More Skilled

Rafael Marquez was always the more skilled of the two when talking about his fights with Israel Vazquez. He could put punches together and display ring generalship like nobody’s business. His problem was his chin, and against a guy like Vazquez with a champion’s heart, he kept on swinging for the fences even though he was over-matched. What made their fights so dramatic was that Vazquez kept landing those improbable punches when he needed them the most.

Well, in the fourth fight Marquez finally showed his superior class. Maybe the higher weight class had something to do with it. Rafael just picked him apart from the outside. He had done that in spots in the previous three fights, but for some reason could not finish it off until last Saturday.

-L. Garcia

Garcia,

I picked Rafael Marquez to win in all four of their encounters as you’ll see if you read the Team RSR fight picks column. I was wrong twice but I always believed Marquez to be the better of the two fighters. I credit Israel Vazquez’s heart, determination and freakish resolve for earning the split. His slight size advantage didn’t hurt either because it allowed him to absorb the punches a little better.

Something was different about this time though. Israel Vazquez has taken worse beatings in his career and went on to win by knockout. So many times in his career, Vazquez had absorbed an unholy beating but kept getting up, kept swinging, and never said die. That was basically his trademark. A boxer cannot keep that up for very long. Vazquez was tired and knew it. Judging by how the Vazquez camp acted after the fight, I believe they knew that Israel was no longer equipped to fight on the world class level and took this final match against Rafael Marquez as a payday and farewell. Sure, he gave his all, but his all was not nearly what it once was.

Many said after their third fight that neither Marquez or Vazquez would ever be the same again. Well, they were right about Vazquez at least. We’ll see about Marquez.

What Is the Latest On Pacquiao/Mayweather Talks?

Damien,

So what’s the word Wilbur? Any new news on this super fight coming to fruition?

-Damien

Pacquiao claims to be willing to accept the blood test up until 14 days before the fight, which is 10 days closer than he previously was willing to accept. No confirmation on whether or not Mayweather is willing to accept those terms. Pacquiao’s camp seems to think that Floyd will now come up with another excuse now that Pacquiao has satisfied the previous hold up.

Bob Arum is reportedly in active negotiations with the Mayweather camp regarding this fight. But as of right now, nothing is set in stone and nothing is final. Both camps learned their lesson last time about not letting the progress of negotiations leak to the public. Mayweather never allows negotiations to go easily so we may not hear anything definitely for a few weeks, or even months. Like last time, I am not overly optimistic that a deal will be reached.

Mayweather’s Insistence of USADA Testing

Hi Brian,

I like your writing style and I’ve enjoyed reading your mail bag for quite some time now. However, I feel that in your last mailbag, you missed the point regarding this “drug testing” fiasco.

Manny Pacquiao doesn’t want to have blood tested days before the fight because he feels that it weakens him. And it does – if you draw enough blood. Ellerbe said “its just a tablespoon” they need so it shouldn’t weaken Pacquiao.

Unfortunately, GBP has close ties with the USADA so obviously, there is already a concern with neutrality. It’s not ethical to use a governing body that has ties with one party. It’s also very easy for the USADA to test Mayweather a week before the fight and test Manny just one day before the fight to give an edge to Floyd and the USADA’s excuse will be “it’s just part of random testing”.

You wrote in your reply that if Manny really had nothing to hide, he should just give in to the demands to clear his name rather than sue.

Really??? Why should Pacquiao risk giving Mayweather an unfair advantage come fight night???

Pacquiao agreed to be tested right after the fight (meaning in the locker rooms immediately after the conclusion of the fight). If Manny had been juicing, it will clearly show in the blood tests. I don’t think any performance enhancers can be cycled out that quickly. Remember that performance enhancers don’t take immediate effect so cycling out too soon just to appear “clean” won’t render any advantage which beats the purpose of taking them in the first place. Besides, it’s impossible to cycle out within an 8 week training camp and appear squeaky clean come drug testing.

Obviously, Pacquiao has nothing to hide. What he doesn’t want is to risk an unfair advantage.

Pacquiao sued because his name had been unjustly tarnished not just by Mayweather but by GBP. They have been insinuating that Pacquiao is a cheat without any evidence. They make it appear that Pacquiao doesn’t want to be tested (a blatant lie) just so that he’d give in to their demands. Do they really think Pacquiao is that stupid???

There is a limit to “freedom of speech” and Mayweather and GBP clearly crossed that line. It is just that Pacquiao sues, period.

Manny, who had no record of cheating in the sport (he never retaliated a single foul blow against Agapito Sanchez who had blatantly fought dirty against Pacquiao) isn’t given that same privilege? Is it because he’s a Filipino? I think Manny can add racism along with slander and libel to that lawsuit!

In addition, juicing has side effects like severe mood swings, irritability and hair loss. These subtle characteristics aren’t evident in Pacquiao at all. Pacquiao is very outgoing and a happy-go-lucky type of person outside the ring. He’d always been even when he was a dirt poor 16 year old fighter.

The bottom line is that Manny is innocent and yet he’s being treated like a crook. Manny ought to sue and NOT give in to unreasonable demands that would give his opponent an unfair advantage.

GBP and Mayweather already backed out of the USADA demand because they know they’ll lose a ton of money from the lawsuit because they maligned an innocent man. They’re guilty and they know it.

However, I think Pacquiao is decided to sue regardless if the fight is made. And I think he really should because the Mayweathers and GBP clearly went overboard and they must pay the consequences for their actions.

-Johanne

Johanne,

Well stated email summarizing and going over all of the points and arguments that Pacquiao’s camp and fans have in favor of Mannny during these negotiations. My stance on the testing situation is more in the middle. I try to see both sides. I truly believe that Pacquiao is innocent of illicit drug use, however I also see why Mayweather would want to have a higher threshold of PED testing, and see that he has the leverage to ask for it.

I am interested to see whether or not Pacquiao dropping the lawsuit against them will try to be included in the negotiations for the fight with Mayweather. I’m not sure if Pacquiao will win that lawsuit or not but I suspect he has a chance and I know GBP would rather not have to worry about getting sued. Perhaps Mayweather will drop the PED testing demand and Pacquiao will drop the lawsuit? Probably not but I would love to be rid of the drama and watch them fight already!

HGH and EPO Usage

Dear Brian,

Thanks a lot for the reply.

Yes, I agree with you that no direct accusation was coming from Mayweather himself, but, it came from their camp, therefore the lawsuit may not fly. And the blood testing issue leaked so it was not fair for the Pacquiao camp.

Now with HGH, a person needs a regular injection before it will take effect and EPO or erythropoetin stimulates the kidney to produce or increase more red blood cells and my understanding by theory it will allow a person to utilized more oxygen. Steroids works in a different way. So, even those athletes who uses those EPO, HGH or steroid have a little effect, that’s why some of the boxers who used those illegal drugs, not all win their fight while on it.

Anyway, I hope fight happens this year.

God Bless.

-Jason Calara

Jason,

Yes, one common misconception regarding performance enhancing drugs is that some fans seem to think that they will make a fighter invincible. The drugs enhance your performance and give you an edge, but you still have to work just as hard as ever with preparation, training camp, and studying video in order to have success on the highest level.

There is debate among doctors and experts as to whether or not HGH has any enhancement effect whatsoever for athletes. Athletes tend to think that HGH has anti-aging properties and allows athletes to heal from injuries faster. That is the myth but there is not concrete evidence to support the myth. Perhaps HGH only works because of the placebo effect? More research need to be performed.

EPO is more likely a candidate for Manny Pacquiao to be on (although I should reiterate that I think Manny is clean). EPO increases red blood cell count and therefore increases stamina because oxygen can flow more efficiently through the body. Pacquiao has other-worldly stamina, among the best I’ve ever seen. EPO is what cheating cyclists use to gain an edge in stamina over their peers. Lance Armstrong was recently thrown under the bus by former teammate Floyd Landis for using EPO.

Top 10 Heavyweights

Brian,

As a fellow heavyweight junkie what did you think of former WBA Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev’s win over Kali Meehan? I thought that he looked just as good as ever. Chagaev is a rare skilled big man in today’s heavyweight landscape. The way he blocks, counters, and uses angles makes him pretty tough, well-rounded heavyweight. Sure, he couldn’t beat Wladimir Klitschko, but there is a reason Klitschko looked nervous in that fight and didn’t take any chances. I think the win over Meehan is enough to put him back in the top 10 heavyweights because really, who else is out there to bump him out of it? What do you think? What is your top 10 heavyweights?

-Dimitri

Dimitri,

Chagaev beating Meehan was not an upset by any stretch but I agree with you that Ruslan looked like himself in there and likely has some gas left in the tank. There is no shame is losing to a Klitschko so I still have Chagaev in my top 10. Here is how I rank the big men:

1.Wladimir Klitschko – clearly the man in the division.
2.Vitali Klitschko – older brother’s comeback has been a smashing success.
3.David Haye – impressively stopped John Ruiz last time out.
4.Alexander Dimitrenko – deserving of the title shot but wisely side-stepped it to gain more experience.
5.Tomasz Adamek – proved his heavyweight credibility against Chris Arreola.
6.Nikolay Valuev – still looking to rebound after Haye loss.
7.Ruslan Chagaev – crafty Soviet makes his opponents look bad.
8.Tony Thompson – extremely underrated American .
9.Eddie Chambers – another Klitschko victim trying to bounce back.
10.Odlanier Solis – largely unproven but extremely promising prospect.

That’s all for now folks. Send in your emails and questions and I will be happy to feature them in next week’s bag.

To Email Brian Wilbur a Question For His Email Bag

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