I don’t cover boxing here, but if you’re looking to catch the Manny Pacquiao Vs. Oscar De La Hoya match head on over to Filiapina Soul. They are covering the fight via live-blogging tonight with an open mic. You can find the link below.

http://www.filipinasoul.com/open-mic-this-weekend-the-pacquiao-de-la-hoya-dream-match/

The wooing is over, the coy glances have stopped, the contractual bickering has been worked out and the most anticipated fight since Larry Merchant suggested it to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael in October 2007 is on!

That same Dan Rafael reports that at a 2:00 p.m. press conference today Oscar De La Hoya will his December 6, 2008 opponent in what he claims will be his last fight. That adversary is expected to be the popular pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

There are so many stories, plots, and intrigues with this super fight. Most pressing to me is: will Larry Merchant get to work the HBO PPV fight he imagined or will the slick Gen X media starlet Max Kellerman get the nod?

OK, that’s not really our first thought. The basic string of early questions? What weight will the fight be fought at? Is it really going to be at welterweight? Will the Filipino have enough power in this incredible step up in weight class? Will Manny’s speed be too much for Oscar? Will Oscar’s power be too much for Manny? Did Oscar get his 70-30 pay split? Is this really going to be Oscar’s last fight. Where will a win by either fighter put them in boxing’s pantheon?

The basic point is that at this early stage De La Hoya - Pacquiao ranks a megafight. It’s one that has me looking forward to December, will mark and end to another terrific year of boxing, and might stand as a touchstone in a new classic era of pugilism

Boxing promised us a welterweight fight for the ages and for 11 rounds Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito provided. Margarito charged relentlessly with defiant straightforward abandon while Cotto skillfully bobbed, weaved, counterpunched and scored with inspired boxing. Power punch after power punch from both fighters, bomb after bomb.

But in the 11th it was the Mexican, the Tijuana Tornado Antonio Margarito, who proved to have the greater will as the Puerto Rican Cotto quit on his feet, too battered, unwilling and unable to summon strength in the championship rounds.

Cotto’s corner ostensibly threw in the towel but Miguel’s sinking eyes and drooped shoulders had already betrayed his self-defeat and resignation; he had to decided to give away his title rather than defend it with his last breath. It was a disappointing conclusion to what had been a thrilling study in contrasts and a ceaselessly exciting fight. As good as the fight was it deserved to be and should have been better.

Margarito started out slow, just as he had in his defeat one year ago to Paul Williams, looking outsmarted and outclassed in the first. But by the second Antonio had picked up the pace only to have his whirlwind flurries picked off and evaded by Cotto’s quick defenses and then countered by skilled straights and hooks.

Superficially in this chase Margarito looked to be dictating the action, but it was Cotto who was really in charge. He looked at ease, confident, and in control. All the while, however, Margarito was taking Cotto’s best punches and he must have realized that the Puerto Rican could not hurt him. He was the stronger man and his adversary couldn’t run forever. He was going to tire out.

The tide of control began turning in the middle rounds. The script, however, had not changed. Margarito was still charging, throwing countless flurries, uppercuts, and hooks to the body while Cotto was dodging and countering. Only now more of Margarito’s flurries and uppercuts were landing. Cotto’s left eye was cut and he was leaking blood from his nose and mouth. His counters had less force and less accuracy.

Margarito was the turned ocean, he was getting more powerful and more forceful, while Cotto’s time had passed. Cotto needed to hang on, he needed to stand steadfast against the rushing force, and he needed to bring forth the powers that make great fighters transcendent, that turn great fights into legends.

That switch never happened for Miguel Cotto and one has to wonder if his spirit is gone, like his countryman Felix Trinidad’s was after his similar shrinking against Bernard Hopkins. Tito was just 28 then and he has never returned to greatness; Cotto is just 27. We hope Miguel quickly shakes off his demons and returns to the ring soon. A prolonged departure from meaningful competition could lead him down the Trinidad path and that would be a tragedy to the sport of boxing. Cotto is still a great fighter, but tonight he just ran into a ruthless buzzsaw.

After the fight Margarito joined the litany of fighters wishing to become Oscar De La Hoya’s “final” opponent on December 6 joining every lightweight through middleweight who has won on Showtime or HBO since Oscar dropped Steve Forbes in early May. Margarito’s hook is that it’s one for Mexican supremacy, a bookend for Oscar’s illustrious career whose greatness began with his June 1996 TKO of Mexico’s all-time best Julio Cesar Chavez.

Maybe somewhere somehow you’ve read something about Saturday’s Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito welterweight title fight. About how it’s the going to be the greatest fight of all time, about how if there’s one fight you should watch this year this should be it, about how this is the fight to bring casual fans in, about how the action will be scintillating and non-stop, about how if you can’t get excited about this fight then you’ll never be excited about any fight ever. Ever, ever, ever.

Am I excited? Yes. Do I think it’s going to be a great fight? Of course. Non-stop brawl. But the excessive hype from fight fans and scribes feels disingenuous, desperate, and based in the misconceived notion that boxing needs resuscitated. I don’t react well to guilt trips and spending $50 on this fight has become a “must do” for anyone who truly loves and appreciates boxing.

I’m going to buy the fight but I’m under no illusions that the welterweight competitors are equivalent to Leonard-Hearns, Leonard-Duran, or even Whitaker-De La Hoya. Margarito lost just one year ago to Paul Williams for heavens sake.

What fight would have been an equal to those transcendent bouts?

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto. That’s really the fight everyone wanted to see at 147. It’s the elephant in the room, it’s the answer, it’s the “fight for the ages” that we all want so bad. It’s also the reason this event is being hyped up to levels not exactly commensurate to its historical value.

If Cotto can prove he’s a draw to the general public and a relevant sports figure then maybe, just maybe we’ll get a real fight for the ages. Maybe Floyd will un-retire like Leonard before him and save the day again.

It didn’t take long. In just two minutes Paul Williams regained his WBO welterweight title from Carlos Quintana revenging his unexpected February loss to the Puerto Rican. Williams put Quintana down twice in the first reminding us why he was once one of boxing’s most feared fighters.

This emphatic win puts Williams back on the welterweight map. He’s an exciting fighter and a powerful champ. Now that Oscar De La Hoya has nothing to do on September 20 why not take a chance on this up-and-coming star from Aiken, South Carolina.

The best part of Williams’ quick win is that it takes away many boxing fans’ impending 10 p.m. angst: “what will I watch when HBO’s broadcast starts?” Now there might not be much of a choice to make as the Showtime card might be done by that time. Thanks Paul for your quick work!

Photo Source: Newscom.com

I’m not bound by boxing and apparently neither is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Whereas I express myself by losing at poker for the majority of a Friday night and thus not watching the live boxing, Floyd demonstrates his determination by issuing a heartfelt and pained press release stating he’s gone for good and is forsaking his $20M fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

Boxing writers the blogosphere over have responded with their own heartfelt remembrances of the 31-year-old. Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole tells Floyd how much he’ll be missed, ESPN’s Kieran Mulvaney wonders what might have been and even the usually doubtful Tim Starks from Ring Report thinks that this time it might be real.

I don’t believe Floyd is permanently retired at all. I’m so dubious of his statement that it’s hard for me to even classify it as news. In fact, I’m only half-heartedly writing the blog post. Practically speaking his “retirement” means the De La Hoya fight is off. No more no less.

It also means that Floyd’s squared circle swan song is now officially his Wrestlemania XXIV match against Big Show. If that’s not a reason for un-retirement than I don’t know what is.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Fight fans everywhere are feeling a huge Zab Judah putting his arm through glass-caused void in their Saturday night fight watching plans. OK, maybe not. I wasn’t planning to buy Zab’s pay-per-view bout against Shane Mosley and am relieved that I didn’t have any last minute pangs and pressures to do so.

That doesn’t mean that Sugar Shane has kept himself out of the news. Today’s Los Angeles Times reported that Mosley’s former trainer, Derryl Hudson, swore in federal court on Friday that “Shane was fully aware he was using performance-enhancing drugs as he prepared for his victorious 2003 rematch against Oscar De La Hoya.” The accompanying picture was taken just before that fight.

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Image details: Oscar De La Hoya v Steve Forbes served by picapp.com

Outside of the ring and in the business world Oscar De La Hoya is obnoxiously confident, he revels in the vicious venture capitalist role, he’s gleeful in his greed, and delighted by the power his money brings. While I’m watching HBO’s wonderful one-off documentary Countdown to Oscar De La Hoya/Steve Forbes and a pre-fight Oscar interview with boxing poet Larry Merchant I see a forthright De La Hoya who is proud of his conscienceless business kingpin role and enjoys its prominent display.

He giggles when he says “greed is good”, when he likens making money and gathering riches to an addiction, and when he announces his goal to be a billionaire. Oscar emits an air of general disingenuousness, a snake oil salesman banter. I don’t want to believe anything he says; I feel like he’s always suckering me into believing something that isn’t true. And just when you want to be repulsed by De La Hoya’s monetary ruthlessness and insincerity he flashes his wide smile, reminds you how he’s fought every good fighter and suddenly all is forgiven.

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Image details: Oscar De La Hoya v Steve Forbes Weigh-In served by picapp.com

For all those pundits hoping and wishing that Bernard Hopkins would just go away, retire, and not be heard from again: your wish is not coming true. Hopkins will not go quietly into that good night. He hasn’t announced a next fight but he certainly has something to say about Chuck Giampa.

Who’s Chuck Giampa? He is the judge who scored in favor of Joe Calzaghe 116-111. Unlike Bernard, Chuck is leaving the fight game, retiring after scoring over 2,000 bouts. When ESPN.com told Hopkins of Giampa’s departure he responded pointedly, “He retired two weeks too late.”

Bernard also added his own interesting theory to the mix “Is he getting pressured? Is there something out there that we don’t know about right now, like when a politician resigns before [trouble] hits the fan? Or maybe he realized he was just too damn old to do the judging.”

The forty-three-year-old Hopkins, on the other hand, does not think he’s too damn old to keep on fighting. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We think his performance against Calzaghe proves that he’s still a top ten pound-for-pound. But might he need to leave the Golden Boy stable to get a fair shake from the judges?

Oscar de la Hoya himself seemed to agree with this statement adding in the same article that “(Golden Boy fighters) have had seven fights in Las Vegas, and when they’ve been close we’ve never got the decision. Why is that?” Presumably Oscar won’t need the refs help tonight against Steve Forbes. Nevertheless, the fight is being held in Carson, Calif. and not Sin City? Is that a coincidence similar to Giamba’s well-timed retirement? Hard to say.

Two 2004 U.S. Olympians are furthering their careers tonight in southern California. Sadly, they won’t be fighting on the same card and their matches take place at around the same time some 225 miles apart. Lightweight Vicente Escobedo headlines the Carson, Calif. Home Depot Center card while southpaw super middleweight Andre Dirrell is the draw at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez. You won’t be able to travel to both.

For our money we would go to Carson to see Escobedo (16-1) face wily Argentine vet Roberto David Arrieta (27-12-4). Escobedo dropped his first big match in 2006, a split decision loss to Daniel Jimenez and his confidence hasn’t been the same since. But none other than Oscar de la Hoya, his promoter, believes that he could still be the next Oscar de la Hoya.

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