Boxing: HBO Tripleheader!

[H2O Man]

SATURDAY - at New York (HBO) - 10 rounds, light welterweights:
Paul Malignaggi (21-1, 5 KOs) vs. Edner Cherry (21-4-2, 10 KOs);
10 rounds, light middleweights: Sechew Powell (20-1, 12 KOs) vs.
Ishe Smith (18-1, 8 KOs); 8 rounds, welterweights: Andre Berto
(16-0, 14 KOs) vs. Ben Tackie (29-6-1, 17 KOs).

HBO's hit late-night boxing series showcases a roster of exciting young fighters from the Big Apple when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: PAULIE MALIGNAGGI VS. EDNER CHERRY, SECHEW POWELL VS. ISHE SMITH, AND ANDRE BERTO VS. NORBERTO BRAVO is presented SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 at 9:45 PM (ET/PT), from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, exclusively on HBO.


All three fights look interesting. The main event could be very good: Malignaggi is coming off his first loss, and he is going against a tough, athletic, hard-punching contender. It should be fun!

[MessiahRp]

1. Berto was fun to watch

It's a shame Tackie backed out of that fight. I am already finding Berto one of the most exciting fighters on television and can't wait for his next appearance, however brief it might be. When I watch Berto punch everything, even his jabs, come off with so much force. He reminds me a lot of Mike Tyson with that explosiveness.

I was quite disappointed with the Malignaggi-Cherry fight as Cherry seemed to ignore his corner the entire night and let his frustration override his skill. I for one think Malignaggi-Hatton would be a disaster because Malignaggi's style (tonight was proof) ends up causing clinching and Hatton does a ton of that anyway. I also think Malignaggi's chin could sustain Hatton's power and since Malignaggi himself has no power it would be a long drawn out affair and probably very ugly.

Speaking of ugly, Iche Smith and Sechew Powell put out stinkers. Iche didn't throw enough early, Sechew got lazy late and neither was particularly active throughout. Sechew really hasn't done anything impressive enough to me in the last two B.A.D. showings to warrant another HBO fight. He seems to turn it off as the fight goes longer and he doesn't have the intensity or the heart to be a champion...

Oh an one other thing. Winky Wright vs. Bernard Hopkins has the chance of being the most boring waste of time fight ever. Neither guy takes a chance. Neither guy presses too much. They both play slow tactical games. Probably my two least favorite fighters of the past decade. HBO should be really smart and put some lightning on the undercard. Quick, aggressive, all heart fights who engage. It would be the change of pace to save a ton of suckers who will pay for a fight with big names but little action.

Rp

[H2O Man]

2. I agree.

Berto will be fun to watch as he moves up the division. He adds excitement to the sport, and his 1 round TKO had fans on the edge of their seats.

The Powell vs Smith fight was a great example of a match that looks good on paper, but failed to produce excitement. Add to it Max Kellerman's constantly saying the business about the front feet -- in which he is 50% correct -- and I was glad it was 10 rounds, not 12. Also, while I both like and respect Max, it's clear he doesn't have the same understanding as someone who has fought: Smith is appreciated as a sparring partner not because he is remarkably different in sparring and then in the ring .... did he not fight more like a sparring partner than a guy looking to step up and win?

Cherry could have done better. The proof was the last round. If he had fought like that the entire match, it might have been different. He let a slick boxer set the pace. And tried to out-jab him! I said to my son that Cherry needed to fight with that old Smoking Joe Frazier intensity, if he were to have any chance. Cherry seemed pleased after the match, to a degree I was unhappy with.

Malignaggi is gifted, though I do not think he will necesaarily win a real world title. Again, I found Max annoying .... the obvious comparison is with Willie Pep, not Billy Conn. I'm not saying that the young man is in either's class yet, of course. (Two weeks ago, at my son's request, I went through a box of clippings etc from my days in the ring; he wanted to put together a frame of things from Pep as ref in one of my contests, and the autographed program, etc. I took a quote from a recent Ring magazine from Willie: "You couldn't hit me with a handful of stones." We're working on a few defensive tricks before the semi-finals of the Gloves in March.)

I can't imagine paying to watching Hopkins vs Wright. I admire both of these warriors, but think it is going to be more painful for the audience.

In that sense, I also think the Oscar DLH vs Floyd M could be a rather slow-paced event. It certainly could be an exciting war in the ring, but both guys are capable of fighting at a slow pace that is fascinating to real boxing fans, but not the type that appeals to the casual fan.

[MessiahRp]

3. I have the same feeling about Mayweather-De La Hoya

Mayweather likes to get in and get out and doesn't like to fight. I'd love nothing more than a DLH 1st round destruction where Mayweather tries to be pretty and gets caught.

But since Mayweather doesn't like to fight I can see the crowd turning on the fight like they did when he fought Baldomir.

Rp