Boxing: February 7-9

[H2O Man]

(All bouts subject to change)
THURSDAY - at Las Vegas (Versus) -
10 rounds, light welterweights: Kendall Holt
(22-2, 12 KOs) vs. Ben Tackie (29-8-1, 17 KOs).
10 rounds, light middleweights: Vanes Martirosyan
(18-0, 12 KOs) vs. Michi Munoz (20-1, 13 KOs)

FRIDAY - at Dover, Delaware (ESPN2) -
12 rounds, cruiserweights: Darnell Wilson
(22-5-3, 19 KOS) vs. BJ Flores (20-0, 13 KOs).

SATURDAY - at Temecula, California (HBO) -
12 rounds, welterweights: Paul Williams (33-0, 24 KOs)
vs. Carlos Quintana (24-1, 19 KOs); 10 rounds, welterweights:
Andre Berto (20-0, 17 KOs) vs. Michel Trabant (43-2-1, 19 KOs);
10 rounds, heavyweights: Chris Arreola (22-0, 20 KOs) vs.
Cliff Couser (26-14-2, 14 KOs).

SATURDAY - at Guanajuato, Mexico (PPV) -
10 rounds, light middleweights: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
(34-1, 27 KOs) vs. Jose Celaya (31-3, 16 KOs); 12 rounds,
super bantamweights: Juan Ruiz (21-4, 6 KOs) vs.
Bernabe Concepcion (23-1-1, 13 KOs); 12 rounds, WBC
light flyweight title: Edgar Sosa (30-5, 16 KOs) vs.
Jesue Iribe (8-4-1, 4 KOs). 12 rounds, middleweights:
Jose Luis Zertuche (19-4-2, 14 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio
Rubio (40-4-1, 35 KOs).

This is an interesting week for boxing fans. It is never safe to count on a Versus card actually coming off. Holt has some talent; Tackie did, but has been way over the hill for some time.

The ESPN FNF main event might be the most exciting fight of the week. Wilson scored an intensely violent KO last year on ESPN, and if he is in good shape, could win. But you never know when you fight an undefeated guy.

The HBO card looks good. It's hard to say how good Williams really is. This fight should showcase his talents. Berto is a tough kid, and looked to have improved in his last fight. This looks like a safe fight for him. I think that by the end of '08, he'll take a real step up. Then we'll see what he can do against the top ten.

Chavez Jr is being brought along slowly. I'm thinking there is a reason his people are going at this pace.

Enjoy the fights.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. This might be a good test for Paul Williams

I'm not sure how good Carlos Quintana is at this point. He's only had one fight in the last 14 months, and that was against a "B" fighter on his way down, after his knock-out loss to Miguel Cotto. Quintana though is not a pushover and he can punch and he's a southpaw, as is Williams. Williams has faced only one decent southpaw, and that was an aging Sharmba Mitchell. Quintana has got a good right hook and Williams can't be pulling straight back as he sometimes does. I like Paul Williams and if he can put Quintana away, then some of the doubts about him might be erased. He looked good against Margarito and showed a tremendous amount of stamina, with his incredible work rate and non-stop punching. Berto is another promising fighter who has a few doubts to erase, especially about his defensive skills.

[H2O Man]

2. I agree.

Williams should probably out-box and out-smart a tough foe who has some ring rust. It's a good fight for him, especially in light of his having another tougher fight postponed, through no fault of his own.

When I saw Berto at Saratoga, he started throwing his hook a little wide after 4 rounds. He wasn't using as much upper body movement. I remember commenting on that to one of the guys I was with. The opponent had begun measuring him, and was looking to unload. Within a round, he got decked, and was in real trouble. The guys in the row behind us were surprised that we had picked up on the hook so accurately. If I noticed it at ringside, I'm confident other trainers and fighters have picked up on it, as well.

In his last fight, Berto had tightened up his defense. He appeared to be in good shape, in a fairly competitive fight. He brings excitement into the ring, and could become a top fighter. I must admit that I think Williams might go further, though. Fighters who don't get hit do better in long careers.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. Thanks for the learned observation about Berto

I'll be looking for the wider punches and the decreased upper body movement, unless maybe Berto's trainer has noticed it too and corrected the problem. I agree that Williams may have a shot at a longer career, unless he eventually has to go up in weight due to his tremendous height for his weight class. He's still a young fighter, younger than Cotto.

[H2O Man]

4. I like guys

who don't get hit. Williams has some good natural defensive abilities, and he is clearly an intelligent fighter as well.

The Berto fight may have been his first ESPN main event, and television can make a lot of young guys react ..... some freeze, and others go out and waste energy. Berto's people seemed good -- they pulled an Angelo Dundee with his glove to get him extra rest after he got decked! -- and I think they noticed what he did wrong. But fighters with his build are relatively easy to hit. One thing is sure: his fights are almost always exciting.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. Disappointing performance by Williams

While I didn't see the fight as entirely one-sided as the two judges who had it 116-112, I think Williams definitely lost. I think Williams was out-thought by a clever opponent and wasn't able to adjust. It was to me a very ugly fight to watch, not very enjoyable. Quintana ran for much of the fight, but would suddenly burst forward with a punch and then clinch for all he was worth. There must have been at least 20 clinches a round, which made for a less than entertaining fight. Williams could never get himself set to punch and was also troubled by the head movement of Quintana. Quintana ducked many of Williams' punches. Williams wasn't able to cut off the ring, either, but I don't think he's faced a mobile, elusive, and quick-footed fighter like Quintana. Williams missed quite a bit and Quintana timed him beautifully with counter-punches. I'm not sure if the fact that Quintana was a southpaw made a difference, but Williams didn't seem to see some of the punches coming. Williams though showed what a good sport he is during the post-fight interview, making no excuses for his loss. Max Kellerman, though, really bugged me with the way he completely dissed Williams, saying that Quintana had really "exposed" him and suggesting that Williams therefore never really was much of a much while talking up Miguel Cotto. Kellerman has a big mouth. Williams was not really badly beaten by Quintana and was never in trouble, but simply outsmarted by a very clever and mobile opponent who matched up very well against him. Kellerman should realize that match-ups are a big part of boxing and that Williams might not be all that washed up yet.

[H2O Man]

6. It was close.

I thought it was about 6-5-1, or even 7-5.

Max is good in the studio, and not as good at ringside.

Williams did not seem well-prepared. I am troubled to hear that his corner is now having him study Bob Foster. "He who knows why always beats he who knows how," as Rubin used to tell me. It isn't good to copy anyone's style -- especially after you have already won a title.

He should have moved side-to-side, sliding backwards, using a double jab. His corner should have remembered that when he is facing another southpaw, he gets hit more than against a right-handed foe.
Jab, jab, jab. Catch the opponent coming into his range. Then move away.

Moving forward was a bad call. And he never adjusted in 12 rounds. Coming forward, he cut the distance for his opponent. Why? What were they thinking? That because he watched Bob Foster, he punched like him? Did you notice how when he threw his jab, his elbow was moving strange? He doesn't throw it correctly coming forward. So he isn't going to follow with a good hook.

Berto looked good, but not really good. He had a punching bag in front of him.