Boxing Weekend

One of the things I am most passionate about in life is the sport of boxing. I have an obsession with the Sweet Science that started the very first time I stepped into a boxing gym in Phoenix when I was about 8 or so. Like most fight fans, I have been disappointed with all the dirty parts of the fight business that seems to have clouded the sport over the years, but I just can’t help but to love the sport.

 

Like all the major sports, the amateur ranks represent the purest form of the game. Boxing is the humblest of all sports and is something that is usually dominated by kids that grew up on the wrong side of town, whether it was Hell’s Kitchen, Boston, South Philadelphia, East LA, Segundo Barrio, South Phoenix, Quezon City, Managua, Mexico City, or Culiacan. A true blue collar sport. At the amateur level there are no high-priced camps for the rich kids to go to, no edge in equipment, no personal trainers and sports psychologists. All you need to two hands, a set of gloves, a strong heart, and the ability to get back up when you get knocked down. A lot like life it self.

 

So this weekend was a pretty decent weekend for fight fans. Johnny Tapia was in town for a fight on Friday and Oscar De La Hoya was on HBO.

 

Johnny Tapia

 

This fight was to take place at the Barn, El Paso County Coliseum. But remember all the dirty parts of the fight business that disappoint fight fans; well I was talking about stuff like this. The fight was canceled at the last minute. There was a dispute over the contract; or rather if one in fact existed. 

 

 

Johnny Tapia said that he’d come to fight, but apparently he meant his lawyers. KVIA’s website has some video of the lawyers and promoter discussing what the issue was, so you can check it out here, http://www.kvia.com/Global/category.asp?C=28317&nav=menu193_4.

 

His career has been a train wreck at times, mostly due to his drug problem. But like the family of all addicts, we fight fans always want to believe that this is the last time, and that it’ll never happen again. And then it usually does happen again.

 

The attorney that does all of the talking in the video for Team Tapia is clearly in damage control mode, mostly because it appears that he may have been the one to drop the ball. Tapia participated in promotional events including public workouts and the weigh-in. Tapia, who’s wife has been his business manager for years, never should’ve let things get as far as fight night if there was in fact no contract as they allege.

 

Not saying that this had anything to do with his long struggle with drugs, but it is yet another disappointment for his fans and fans of the game. It was disastrous for him when you factor in the fact that it happened here in El Paso. This town is one of the great fight towns and fans here are extremely educated fight fans. Don’t think he’ll come off the canvas after this one.

 

 

 

Oscar De La Hoya

 

Oscar De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes, a former runner-up on The Contender. While most people think he looked good against a fighter who’s made a career out of being a sparring partner, I saw some things that concern me if he’s going to be able to finalize a deal and get in the ring with “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for a scheduled September rematch. 

 

 

Oscar clearly won the fight, 120-108, 119-109, 119-109 on the judges score cards. I scored the fight 119-109 as well. For the casual observer, that means that he two of the judges thought De La Hoya won all but one round. The other judge thought he pitched a shut-out and won every round.

 

So let’s start with what Oscar did right. For the first time in a long time, Oscar did not give up his height advantage. Oscar is a tall fighter, especially for whenever he’s fighting at a weight below 156lbs. He notoriously gives this advantage away by bending at the waist during a fight. This is a big deal because when a shorter fighter has to fight a taller fighter, it makes things more difficult. You are punching upwards, so you lose a little zip and fatigue faster. Another reason this is important is because the taller fighter is usually the fighter with the greater reach advantage. What this means is that if both fighters through a punch at the same time, the fighter with the longer reach will land first and harder.

 

Oscar seemed much more committed to the jab, which is nice to see again. He spent a little more time up on his toes and that was also GREAT to see again. I’d still like to see him up on his toes a little more because he’d be more mobile, but hopefully its something they are going to work on in camp.

 

He didn’t fade down the home stretch so it looks like he’s gotten a handle on that. The fading is not a matter of his conditioning. He’s always come into fights in great shape. His walking around weight is 160-165lbs, so he never has to struggle much to make weight. The fading down the end was always a matter for tactics, not his corner, his own internal thought process. He wasn’t tired; he just had a bad habit of taking his foot off the gas when he thought he was ahead in the fight.

 

I was pretty disappointed in a few things though. He fought a career sparring partner and the fight looked like sparring but De La Hoya was clearly marked up by the fourth round. He seemed to have a problem with Forbes’ hand speed. Oscar got hit by punches that he never got hit with before. That’s mostly because he’s on the down slope. Don’t get me wrong, his skills are still good enough to keep him in big fights, but they may not be enough to help him win fights. Don’t believe me? Check out his record, he’s 2-3 in his last five fights.

 

I also saw him back off Forbes when he had him in trouble without Forbes throwing a punch back or moving off the ropes. Oscar cannot afford to let people off the hook. The old Oscar would’ve gone in for the kill at the first sign of weakness. The sight of blood used to enrage the old De La Hoya and encourage him to go in for the knockout.

 

Boxing is about opportunities. Patience is key and it’s important to avoid head-hunting but when an opponent is in trouble, you have to execute and finish them off. We’ve all seen fights that the tide changed several times and if De La Hoya doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to finish him off, he might be next.

 

Mayweather is a special fighter. His hands are as fast as his mouth. I can’t stand his attitude and wish someone would knock his head off, but I have to respect his ability. Oscar has a problem with hand speed and Mayweather has plenty of that.

 

Still rooting for De La Hoya, but it will be an uphill battle. I saw diminished hand speed, limited defensive skills against a fighter with ZERO power, and a little problem with execution. Hopefully the slightly diminished skills will make him a smarter fighter and better tactician in the ring.

 

Better tactics, plus the skills he still has, might be enough to make it a competitive fight with Mayweather. But De La Hoya better stay the hell away from Miguel Cotto. That guy will put him in a wheel chair if he gets in the ring with him.