This week on the show, we've got two of the most entertaining people that I know in the sport. Lightweight champ Nate Campbell will join us. He is always outspoken and he and I often go toe to toe on various subjects.
You're also in for a treat with matchmaker John Beninati. He currently works for Gary Shaw Productions and has worked for Don King in the past. John has hilarious stories to tell including his experience of making the big time with Don. He'll also talk about his experience over the past week in trying to find an opponent for Alfredo Angulo after Ricardo Mayorga pulled out of the fight.
By the way, if you're interested in what went on in Margarito's dressing room, this is the best story I've come across that describes those moments. http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2009/0124_margarito_mosley/columns/nazim_profile.html
7 comments:
Hey Marc
Nate Campbell 3 pounds over
and loses title at the scale
guess that explains his irritated tone on the show last night
didn't seem like the same Nate at all
Sergio Martinez was robbed of a knockout/decision win. Martinez clearly hit Kermit Cintron with a straight left. No way was it a draw. Martinez should look to fight Angulo or Vernon Forrest.
I would say Martinez is certainly a better boxer than Angulo and Martinez does have a chin to take on Angulo and win a decision.
It wasn't a head butt, but it wasn't a knockout either. Kerm beat the count (barely) and the ref's ambiguousness as to what exactly he was calling caused the intervening chaos. But definately a knockdown, 10-8 round--as I think it was ultimately scored by all judges (I hope).
As a Kerm fan, I admit I was surprised by the draw too, but upon watching it again (and a 3rd time tonight-- just call me a glutton for punishment) it is not out of the question that those early snooze inducing rounds could conceivably go to Cintron- and give him a combination of rounds resulting in a draw (I haven't seen the round by round scores yet). So was Kerm fortunate to eek out a draw? Id say yes. Is it the Great Brinks robbery of 2009 ? Hardly. Frankly, neither Kerm nor Martinez looked particularly impressive to me and I have no interest in seeing any rematch to resolve this controversy. Let's call this an experiment in contrasting styles that failed and move on..
I've got the judges scorecards in front of me. After 6 rounds, two of the judges had Kermit ahead by 2 points, while one had Martinez up by 4.
After the knockdown in the 7th, the two judges had it even while Tommy Kaczmarek had Martinez 69 - 63.
That's a hell of a difference in scorecards.
I like Kermit a lot in and out of the ring. I was absolutely rooting for him Saturday night. But Martinez deserved the decision.
Thanks for the round by round scoring details Marc. Sounds like it confirms the scenario I speculated on upon above (albeit anonymously) watching it a 2nd and 3rd time. Again, I think its arguable those early rounds were "close" enough (in that not a whole lot happened) to go one way or another. While most of the boxing press I've seen has been (regrettably and all too predictably) harsh on Kerm (give it a rest guys and leave the one-note psychobabble to Dr. Phil), there was one I saw that let Martinez have it too--- saying he didn't do enough to make it convincing if he was so in "control" of the bout as many suggest. Which I think is a fair point.
Any additional insight on the knockdown? I neglected to note originally that Kerm has some blame in this as well--- he shouldn't have tried to argue his foul/head butt case (which I truly believed he believed at the time and even right after the fight) while on the canvas with the count ongoing (but which conduct I also think indicates that he wasn't grievously hurt or without his full faculties) and he did get up (barely) before ten-- I think moreso because the bell had rung and he thought the round was over and was getting back to his corner. So though not KOed hurt, I do think there was a little bit of luck involved too. The rest of the chaos I lay at the hands of the ref for not being clear. The long delay shouldn't have happened, but it the end I don't think it would have made a difference (i.e., I think Kerm recovers sufficiently in the alotted minute, but of course we'll never really know). And Martinez doesn't come close to hurting him again the rest of the fight. So in the end, my take is they got it "right enough". I also hope Kerm acknowledges looking forard that it was a good shot and a legit knockdown.
I see Lou DiB is talking up Cintron/Cotto next-- and that certainly would be huge in the PR community. Knowing what I know of Kerm he wants it too. But for Kerm's long term prospects, I'm not sure that's the right next move-- I'd like a "confidence builder" first to let us really see some skills development and improvement under Ronnie Shields (while N'Dou was a decent win, its wasnt a pretty fight with lots of clutching/grabbing, and Saturday was obviously stylistically even uglier). Any idea of how Kerm's problematical hands are doing? Taking the leap of the Martinez fight instead of Clottey for the purse difference is understandable, but now talking Cotto almost immediately after this bout-- is there a chance Kerm is taking the money fights now while he can because the long term prognosis for his hands isn't good? That would be a darn shame--I'm hoping he keeps working on skills development and has a long career ahead of him and am still pulling for him.
Great show tonight. Glen is my favorite fighter and Juan Diaz my fav lightweight. Both good people who are willing to fight any one.
Gosh, I wish I could have made it through on the phones. I had so many question about Nate Campbell....very curious that he has a lawsuit against Don King..the same Don King that was up to his "business" in Cancun during the Diaz fight. I was disappointed that I was unable to ask, and surprised that you never asked Nate about the Diaz fight in Cancun- specifically the more than double than average punches per round thrown by Nate and the cut on Diaz that never closed despite the corner work. I'm not sure of the truth to it but I heard rumors that when Diaz' cutman went to retrieve his equipment from the locker after the fight, it had disappeared. I would have asked Nate if he had knowledge of that same rumor. Also, I never heard but was there or was there not drug testing during that fight? I would have asked him if they were drug tested after the fight. Reporters need to ask questions.........So so curious...Is that why Diaz has said he won't fight Nate as long as Nate is with King?
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