H.A.N.D.S. BOXING 

 
 
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by Troy J. Hines 10/23/09

It has been said in regards to Prize Fighting that a good big man will beat a good little man any day of the week.  But what about a GREAT little man?  Let’s back up a minute.  Who is Mr. Hines referring to?  Most people would probably believe that I am referring to Pacman, as the“little man”, because most people are still under the fallacious impression that Cotto is the much BIGGER guy.  Let’s look at the tale of the tape:Height:  Cotto 5’7”/ Pacquiao 5’6” ½:   Advantage Cotto by ½ inchReach: Cotto 67 in/ Pacquiao 67 in:  EVENChest Normal:  Cotto 39 in/ Pacquiao 38 in:  Advantage Cotto by an inchChest Expanded:  Cotto 41 in/ Pacquiao 41 in:  EVENForearm:  Cotto 12”/ Pacquiao 12”:  EVENThigh:  Cotto 22.5”/ Pacquiao 20”:  Advantage CottoNeck:  Cotto 16” / Pacquaio 16”:  EVENFist:  Cotto 11”/ Pacquiao 10”:  Advantage Cotto by an inchSIZETo say Cotto is the bigger guy would be an honest, but sophomoric, answer that hides the truth via the lack of details.  There is no significance in size that changes the outcome of this fight.  But edges in Speed, Power, Chin, and Skill are significant.SPEEDThe speed edge goes to the South Paw from the Phillipines--  Mr. Pacquiao.  He has the faster hands, and is more complex than just his signature overhand left.  Credits go to Freddie Roach and the genetic master himself—GOD!POWERThe power edge goes to the” Boricua de Caguas”--  Sr.  Cotto.   I believe his thunderous shots are the reason many believe he is the bigger man-- he throws “bigger”.   Of course this is only my opinion.  After all, I haven’t allowed either gentleman to hit me in the liver.   But if we want to look at knockout percentages Pacquiao’s is 75% of his wins.  Sr. Cotto—79%.   Actually 0.794117, but who’s counting?  CHINThe Chin edge goes to Pacman even though he was knocked out twice early in his career.  I have seen too many fighters wobble the gifted and talented Miguel Cotto, with the inabilityto finish him.  Ricardo Torres, Zab Judah, and even DC’s own DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley hurt the heavy punching Puerto Rican.   I would have mentioned earlier the Cotto/ Margarito Classic, but there are too many question marks on the use of DRY WALL in connection with the “Tijuana Tornado” to comment.   But Pacquiao is of another breed.   He’s a finisher!SKILLThe last and most important column of discussion is SKILL.   In the words of legendary trainer Roger Mayweather, “The fighter with the most skill is going to win the fight…”  Cotto’s most impressive victory to date, in my opinion, is his win against Sugar Shane Mosley.   Although he won by a narrow margin, he won, and  he arguably out boxed one of the best pure boxers, pound-4-pound, on the planet.   Make no mistake, Miguel Cotto, is a dangerous boxer whocan fight orthodox or south paw making him arguably one of the most skillful fighters in the sport.  Similarly, Manny Pacquaio’s most impressive wins to date are against the “Golden Boy” and Ricky Hatton.  I am purposely not mentioning his win against Marquez, because in my opinion he LOST the rematch.   In addition, it is without question that the coach of “The Pride of the Phillipines”, Freddie Roach, has given the formerly one-handed fighter, two dangerous hands.   So who does Mr. Hines give the advantage of skill to?  I’m calling it EVEN.So let’s recap:  Size—EVEN…  Speed—Pacquaio…  Power—Cotto…  Chin—Pacquiao…  Skill—Even…   In my opinion I would favor Pacquiao 2:1, Pacquiao’s innate aggression and speed will make the difference in this fight. Cotto’s best opportunities will come by setting traps for the aggressive South Paw and countering.  Stick and move!

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by Troy J. Hines 10/12/09

Many boxing pundits would argue that it is an impossible task to further inflate the ego of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. At the dismay of many “Pretty Boy Haters” I would like to give it a try. The most powerful META TAG for boxing in the internet world is—you guessed it—MAYWEATHER. Did I succeed? In the words of Kanye West, another egomaniacal genius, “I got a big ego, hahaha, I’m such a big ego, hahaha, I got a big, hahaha, ego, she love my big, hahaha, ego…” Yes, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a big ego. Colossal!

Boxing fans, in many ways, are similar to NASCAR fans—true fanatics who support their favorites. The difference is that we admit we watch boxing to see another man lying peacefully on the canvas, while many NASCAR fans will not admit they watch auto racingfor the crashes. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has “crashed” himself into the cast as the principal antagonist, in the “theatre” of Modern Prize Fighting. Networks, Promoters, Media, Advertisers, Governing Bodies, Attorneys, and last but not least Fighters, are cast in this production we call boxing. We can berate him for not being the “throwback” we would like him to be, by not fighting every single fighter in his division, or we can celebrate what our grandchildren will not see live-- Mayweather “The Antagonist”. A post Y2K bad boy, who has all but mastered every skill set in boxing minus an above average knockout percentage (62.5%). In an attempt to be objective, I separate my media-influenced perception of the man from what he accomplishes in that 20 x 20 arena. In my opinion, antagonists are necessary to the success of any "story", and those perceived malevolent components "fuel the fire." Cowboys have Indians, David has Goliath, and Reagan had the War on Drugs!

One of the latest sizzling episodes of “egomania” came by way of what may stand to be atimeless interview of “Money May” by R.A. The Rugged Man. Mr. Rugged successfully aggravated the Pound-for-Pound Champion, by needling all of the right “hot buttons”, and goading Mayweather to shift into egomania-mode. Larry Merchant and Brian Kenny provided the blueprint. The interview, while genius and entertaining, was not shocking if you understand the psycho-sociological make up of many prizefighters. Pugilists make their living through the effective use of aggression, whereby aggression is not only acceptable, it’s the rule. Most boxers are socialized in neighborhoods where diplomacy is viewed as “weak”, whereas force is the most powerful tool utilized to gain a “rep”. We see this socio-behavioral pattern manifest itself physically in the ring, and often times verbally in press conferences, interviews, etc. Ironically, these same outbursts that we criticize as fans provide entertaining build up that eventually translates into millions in PPV dollars. Mr. Rugged’s interview may serve as a unique catalyst to increase the desire for Mayweather to fight “all-comers”. I too would love to see a “Sugar Ray Robinson-esque” Floyd Mayweather, if only for my own selfish reasons-- Blood. But boxing has changed, and the onus of our bereavement does not fall onto one fighter alone-- even if his name is Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Fighters emphasize who they are and what they do by donning themselves with nicknames like “The Brown Bomber”, “The Rock from Brockton”, “Marvelous”, “Sugar”, “Manos de Piedra”, and yes “Money May”. Boxing is the business that Floyd Jr. knows best, as the seeds of success were planted, figuratively and literally, by Mayweather, Sr. It seems as though genetics and skills have meshed harmoniously, while the perceived discord with so many boxing fans, is in the personality of the fighter. So what is “The Antagonist” missing to solidify his place amongst the greats of pugilism? It’s simple, a protagonist. Marquez, while arguably still in the top 5 Pound-for-pound, proved to be no more than a “tune-up” bout for the unbelievably gifted fighter from the “D”. Oscar DeLahoya was formerly cast in that role, but the aging Golden Boy could not deliver physically, what the marketing campaigns and PPV buys did financially. Perhaps on November 14th a "qualified" protagonist will emerge for Team Mayweather. A humble and soft spoken, politically correct champion, in his prime—the anti-ego. Or not.

 

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