Beatdown at The Forum: Juan Manuel Marquez survives Mike Alvarado

Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) came out to fight Saturday night and put on a show in California against tough American Mike Alvarado to win the inconsequential WBO International Welterweight title and put him in contention for a probable megafight with old nemesis Manny Pacquiao this fall.

The Mexican legend earned the nod of the three judges: Robert Byrd (119-108), Julie Lederman (117-109) and Max De Luca (117-109), who were unanimous with their judgment.

Prior to Juan Manuel Marquez's showdown with Mike Alvarado, The Forum, the historic arena in Inglewood and the past home of the Los Angeles Lakers during their "Showtime" era, was the site of Juan Manuel Marquez's 12 previous fights as a young fighter on the rise, but he last fought there in 1999. That's why Juan Manuel Marquez's triumphant return to what he referred to as his 'home' was nothing but sweet, as his stock went down following his split decision loss to Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas last year.

The victory against a young fighter like Mike Alvarado proved that Juan Manuel Marquez is still a formidable fighter at 40 years old. When younger fighters have fallen by the wayside, the 'old' Juan Manuel Marquez, like fine wine, continues to amaze the boxing world with his age-defying hand speed, durability and power.

With the majority of the crowd of 12,000 behind him, Juan Manuel Marquez, ever the technician, took the fight to the tentative and gun-shy Alvarado and controlled the first half of the 12-round bout. But Marquez found himself into a firefight when the sleepwalking Alvarado suddenly came to life right after being sent crashing to the canvas and into the ropes in the 8th on a powerful right to the face, reminiscent of the punch that knocked Manny Pacquiao out. Alvarado survived the round and got a tongue-lashing from his corner "to let his hands go."

Having jolted back to his senses, Mike Alvarado went for broke in the 9th and engaged Juan Manuel Marquez in a dogfight. And with 2 minutes left in the round, the Denver native beat the Mexican to the punch and landed a powerful right to the chin to send Marquez on the seat of his pants, reminiscent of the way he landed when Manny Pacquiao bombed him in their first fight.

Then in the 10th, instead of sustaining his form from the last round, the enigmatic Mike Alvarado chose to dance around, evade a brawl and fight in spurts, while Juan Manuel Marquez pressed the action more and landed hard-thudding combinations on Mike Alvarado.

After being berated again and reminded that "you know you need a knockout" by his corner, Mike Alvarado came out smoking in the 11th and stayed in front of Juan Manuel Marquez in a slugfest. A right hand from Alvarado connected and buckled Marquez's legs (like the way they buckled in the Timothy Bradley fight), but Marquez was able to hold his body up, regain his balance and come back to battle until the bell sounded.
After the hard-fought fight, Juan Manuel Marquez said, "I expected this kind of fight. I said it was going to be a tough fight and I said it was going to be a difficult fight."

As that old cliche goes, it was the fight that "separates the men from the boys" -- and Juan Manuel Marquez proved why he is still the man to beat in the welterweight division and one of the best fighters in the history of the sport.

The 12th was all vintage Juan Manuel Marquez as he pressed the action while Mike Alvarado elected to revert to his old shell and let Marquez dictate the tempo and outcome of the fight.

Alvarado, with both gloves up and close to his face, waited for the opportunity to land his big shots, but Marquez did not let him be. There's an old saying that "patience is a virtue," but it is not the case in the fight game -- as the clock ticked away, suddenly gun-shy Mike Alvarado just let the biggest fight of his career pass him by.


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*This article was first published Detroit Boxing Examiner

Mayweather wins ugly fight, dangles September rematch with Maidana

 

After all the last-minute hullabaloo (see: #glovegate) en route to Saturday night’s ‘The Moment,’ as well as the last-ditch effort by the fighters and promoters to make a ruckus of the possibility that the Mayweather-Maidana fight may not push through -- which many boxing observers noted to be just for show to hype and encourage the fence-sitters to buy the pay-per-view... whether the people behind the punch-and-judy show succeeded with their objective remains to be seen.

The fight that many fans lambasted from the get-go produced an unexpected twist inside the ring but turned up with the usual expected result -- a win by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to snatch Marcos Maidana’s WBA welterweight belt and add to his WBC and Ring versions and stay undefeated at 46-0.

Still, Marcos Maidana, who, before the fight, was condemned to the slaughterhouse by oddsmakers, writers and fans alike, defied expectations and made Money Mayweather worked hard for his money, as the Argentine banger brought the fight to Mayweather right off the bat and made it ugly.

Thus, the anticipated 12 rounds of one-sided shellacking that many expected Mayweather would dish off to Maidana quickly vanished into thin air the moment the bull from Argentina came out of his corner and started firing in the first round.

Marcos Maidana rushed Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to the corner and bullied the American champion to the ropes as he unleashed his unorthodox but powerful shots with mean intentions. Maidana threw wicked left hooks in succession as well as those bad and swift overhand rights, combinations that would make a lesser fighter cringe in horror and abandon all hope in the face of adversity.

But Marcos Maidana is not fighting an ordinary fighter. He is fighting one of the best fighters of his generation, with a prodigious boxing talent to boot and a defensive whiz. Despite the early hiccups, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., as was his wont, put his game face on and buckled down to work. Mayweather found a way to escape all the traps that Maidana laid out for him: he timed and pot-shotted the slow and plodding Argentine, and held and wrestled his way to clinch the victory.

After Jimmy Lennon, Jr.'s announcement of the 114-114, 117-111, and 116-112 majority decision victory in favor of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the powers that be at Showtime and Golden Boy, as well as the camps of the protagonists, immediately jumped the gun and announced that they planned to have a rematch of the fight in September.

And because of the said announcement, some boxing fans have already shared a piece of their mind regarding the possibility of a Mayweather-Maidana rematch via social media. Many opined that they smelled a fix, but whether their allegations or conclusions are true or not, we really do not know, since there is really no evidence to support the said issue. But as the late Jimmy Cannon once wrote, “boxing is the red light district of sports,” and so we can say in a way that everything is possible until proven otherwise.

As for this writer, all I can say is thanks but no thanks. There is really no rhyme or reason nor a compelling narrative to warrant a repeat performance of what has just transpired right before our very eyes.

Do we really think that a slow and plodding fighter like Marcos Maidana will be better off the second time around and do his thing against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.? Do we really think that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will change his style and stand toe-to-toe and knock out El Chino in a rematch?

Yes, the fight was close, but not really close. Yes, Marcos Maidana gave Floyd Mayweather, Jr. something to think about in the future, but there was really no way that a rematch can top the result of the first fight.

To illustrate the fight, it was not what many would have expected, but it failed to provide the necessary fireworks to be considered an exciting fight. At first, there was an element of surprise, a surge of adrenaline in anticipation of what could potentially unfold inside the ring, but as the fight wore on, round after round, it was just the same old refrain that eventualy became tiresome, predictable and futile. Mayweather may have been caught off guard by Maidana’s game plan, but he was never in serious trouble, let alone in any danger of losing the fight. To paint the big picture, Marcos Maidana tried his best, but his best just was not good enough to put a dent in Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s undefeated run.

One Hit Wonder: Maidana's chance against Mayweather

Marcos ‘El Chino’ Maidana, the bull from Argentina who sports a record of 35-3 with 31 wins coming by way of knockout, has worked his way up the boxing ladder due to hard work, brave heart and punching power.

Marcos Maidana always comes to fight, and has persevered and overcame adversity on his way to become one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today. He packs a wallop in both hands, and with the exception of one or two occasions, he was never involved in a dull fight.

After taking the brash and then undefeated champion Adrien Broner to hell to snatch the WBA welterweight belt, Maidana won the biggest sweepstakes of them all -- the megafight tonight with the current pound-for-pound king Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Jr. for the WBA, WBC, and Ring welterweight belts and then some.

But the boxing world has already written him off and proclaimed that Mayweather will just waltz through him en route to 46-0 to maintain the American champion’s unblemished record and move on to another fight in his quest of being The Best Ever (?) in the history of the sport.

They say that Marcos Maidana is no match for the skill and talent of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and that Money will just blitz El Chino with his blinding hand speed and dazzling footwork to carve out the customary lopsided UD victory that is the hallmark of every Floyd Mayweather, Jr. victory.

Yet Marcos Maidana is unperturbed by the odds stacked against him for he believes in himself; he knows how to handle pressure, get out of a bad situation, and come back to win the fight. Most of all, El Chino has confidence in the power behind his fists that have brought him to where he is now -- the biggest fight of his boxing career.

Marcos Maidana’s list of victims is not as impressive as his foe’s, but is quite solid. The list includes Victor Ortiz, Victor Cayo, Jesus Soto Karass, Josesito Lopez and Adrien Broner, just to name a few. After tonight’s fight, the Argentine banger wants to add to that list the biggest fish of ‘em all -- Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But that is easier said than done considering that “45 have tried and 45 have failed” against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Marcos Maidana is “not as talented and skillful” as the American superstar and will surely be outworked and outclassed as pointed out by many boxing observers -- that’s why he is a huge, huge underdog in this fight.

There is one thing that is going for Maidana in this fight, though: unlike many of Floyd Mayweather, Jr’s opponents in the past, El Chino is not afraid nor in awe of Mayweather’s mystic as a fighter and aura of invincibility because El Chino believes in himself -- that he will be the one that can blemish Mayweather’s immaculate record.

So, the question that will be answered tonight is: can Marcos Maidana do it?

It will be a very long shot, but Marcos Maidana has the shot that can drop an opponent with one punch, and Floyd Mayweather’s chin has not been tested this much since Shane Mosley cracked and penetrated the pound-for-pound king’s vaunted defense in 2010.

And yes, as they usually say, “if you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK.”

Note: any comments, reactions, suggestions are welcome. Hit me up at detexam@yahoo.com or join us at Detroit Boxing Examiner Facebook Page.

*This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

Moment of Truth: The Mayweather-Maidana fight is a hard sell to boxing fans

It is the eve of the big event in Las Vegas dubbed ‘The Moment,’ which features Floyd Mayweather, Jr and Marcos Maidana vying for the world’s welterweight championship, yet as of this writing, a lot of tickets remain unsold or still available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com and other ticket outlets that this writer checked online.

It is unfathomable that a big fight that will purportedly showcase the talent and skill of undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, against Marcos Maidana, one of the most determined and biggest punchers in the division, is having a hard time selling tickets. Unless a miracle happens, ‘The Moment’ is bound for a disastrous showing at the box office.

It is unthinkable because Showtime Networks and MGM Grand, together with their friends in the boxing media, are not remiss in advertising, pushing and promoting this fight at every nook and cranny of the boxing world (which even sparked the ire of Top Rank impresario Bob Arum because of the way MGM Grand handled their promotional end on the recent Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch last April 12). Yet the responses from the fans are anemic at best, and most show derision and contempt for what many perceive as a ‘sham-down’ between two opposing fighters who should have no business facing each other and should have been squaring off against different opponents this coming Saturday night.

On various social media outlets and boxing forums, the sentiments of the majority of boxing fans are very palpable and glaring. Yes, while they have nothing but respect for Marcos Maidana’s achievements in the ring, they are unanimous in proclaiming that Maidana has no chance whatsoever against Mayweather. Thus, they regard the Mayweather-Maidana bout as just not worth their time and money.

That is why, no matter how hard the promoters are pushing Mayweather-Maidana’s ‘The Moment’ down the boxing world’s throat, they are having a hard time convincing the majority of boxing fans (except for the die-hard supporters of the contending fighters) to buy the $70 pay-per-view price tag.

Here are some of the comments one can encounter on social media regarding ‘The Moment’:

“Mayweather 11 rounds to 1. I will not pay $70 for this bull****.”

“Set up fight... Slow Maidana got no chance.”

“Who cares?”

“We all know Money May is going to tear his a** up!!!”

“One-sided fight. We deserved a better fight than this one.”

“Boring fight. A waste of money as Floyd will just dance the night away.”

Judging from the comments above and the ones that will inevitably pop up on social media in the wake of this fight, it is a far-gone conclusion who in their minds will emerge victorious on Saturday night. To many of them, ‘The Moment’ is just a formality or a validation of what they expect as another easy win for Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

It is really interesting how the fans’ overt outrage affects the pay-per-view sales of the Mayweather-Maidana tiff off -- or how the vitriol towards the ‘The Moment’ will affect Floyd Mayweather, Jr.‘s future fights with Showtime to fulfill his rich contract.

Note: any comments, reactions and suggestions are welcome. Hit me up at detexam@yahoo.com or join us at the Detroit Boxing Examiner Facebook Page

*This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner