Of Matters Puerto Rican, Mexican and the Many Shades of Golden
posted by Large
After a Beijing-ian layoff of note, the professional wing of the sweet science gets back to the bigtime blackboard tonight with another notable Puerto Rico/Mexico smackdown of note, a junior flyweight contest between P.R.’s Ivan Calderon and Mexico’s Hugo Cazares for Calderon’s WBO title at 108 pounds. This is a rematch, as I’m sure you know, of the Calderon/Cazares bout that went down almost a year ago today, where Calderon won the WBO belt from Cazares in a hotly disputed split decision despite being knocked down in the eighth round. With the atmosphere of Margarito/Cotto still hovering around the fight game, and with Tony himself planning to be ringside to support Cazares (who calls Margs his personal hero), it seems likely that from the opening bell this thing will get all “el mas macho” to the nth degree of mas. What with the break, I have to say I’m more eager than I usually might be for a light-fly title fight.
The Margo/Cotto fallout hovered over the big boxing news of the week as well, which involved a Mexican from one of the most infamous P.R./Mexico showdowns in history, none other than The Golden Goose himself, who finally threw Manny Pacquiao whatever extra points on the package he needed to get that deal done once and for all. As I mentioned in my Friday boxing notes over at The Sporting Blog, the real news from the Golden Boy camp wasn’t the announcement of the Pac Man debacle, but the fact that Oscar has backed away from his retirement plans in no uncertain terms.
To reiterate my Sporting Blog position, the rationale for this change of heart couldn’t be more clear. Oscar’s plans for a Big Golden Farewell Party turned into a clusterfuck of the highest order, the intial clusterfucking coming from one Lord Money May, who rained a golden shower on Oscar when he took his many gold-toothed hounds and retired to his manor made of bling. Suddenly De La Hoya had to confront a strange situation – there was no one out there who wanted to fight him who he wanted to fight (and this despite the fact that Winky Wright was gracious enough to make his services available).
Ricky Hatton already had a deal signed with Paulie Walnuts. Tito Trinidad can’t get his fatass below 185 pounds. Sergio Mora had a rematch clause with Vernon Forrest (and honestly, was Sergio Freakin Mora ever really considered as a viable candidate for this bout? it’s hard to imagine…).
And then, of course, there was the Margo/Cotto situation, the winner of which was once deemed by Oscar his dream opponent, until, uh, Margs became that winner, and the dream became a nightmare, the second bit of clusterfucking that fucked up Oscar’s plans. Cotto hangs to win that fight and I think we all agree that he would be slated to face Oscar in December right now and everybody at Golden Boy enterprises would be happy as pigs in shit.
Unlike many of my peers, however, I’m not of the opinion that Oscar is running from Margarito. To me, the piece de resistance on the Margo question is not fear, and not even money, but the latest entry in that fat dossier in De La Hoya’s file cabinet – The Mexican Problem.
If there’s one thing that it seems like Oscar might care about more than being The Uncontested Mack, it’s his standing with Mexican fight fans. Which always has been a bit of a problem for the guy, because let’s face it – Mexican fight fans don’t like him very much. He’s pretty and he’s rich and his voice is all girly, he plays in celebrity golf tournaments for Christ’s sake, and what with his wife and his training camp and everything, he seems almost like a provisional Puerto Rican nowadays. He beat The One True Mexican (Chavez), he ran from Tito, he squirmed like a bitch on the canvas to Hopkins, and he all but gave up on Floyd. Personally, I’m not even sure Mexicans will side with him over Pacquiao, because despite the Pac’s status as a Mexican Assassin, he is exactly the type of fighter that Mexicans embrace and he’s earned their respect. But Margarito? Oscar fights Margarito in Vegas right now, it’s a straight-up away game. Tony got himself some instant Chavez credentials after that Cotto win, and there’s nothing the Mexican fight community would like more than to see him mangle Oscar’s diamond-crusted smile.
Floyd walks away, then Tony beats Cotto. Those two situations combined forced Oscar to throw in the towel on his retirement. Pacquiao is the biggest money fight he can make at the moment, and never one to shy away from making a lot of money, Oscar is taking the bout. But even he is hip enough to know that all his “Pacquiao is the PFP king and I want to fight the best, I want to avenge Mexico” talk isn’t going to fly with anyone. This fight is lose-lose for him in the public eye – if he loses to a considerably smaller man, he looks terrible, and if he wins, who cares, because, hey, he’s fighting a considerably smaller man.
So Oscar says, fuck it. I’ll take this thing and make my money and then I’ll do my big benediction fight next spring. Word is he’s talking Hatton at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to try and solve The Mexican Problem once and for all.
It’s a nice idea – 130,000 Mexican fans watching Oscar beat up on another smaller and infinitely less talented fighter. Huzzah. But, well… wasn’t the talk from the Hatton camp a few months ago that Ricky’s not interested in getting his ass kicked by De La Hoya? Plus, can’t Ricky Hatton fill a football stadium any time he chooses, and fill it with gringos no less, all chanting his name? Seems to me like the De La Hoya retirement clusterfuck number three might be on the horizon.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Large – I agree with your peers – lol. I think Margo being a relatively popular Mex is only a small part of the problem. I think it’s mostly that Oscar knows Margo is still less $$ and more whoopass than he needs right now. I don’t begrudge Oscar his chosen exit strategy of smaller guys and his wet dream of being adored by 130,000 Mexican fans. He’s still American boxing’s biggest meal ticket and he’s given a lot of himself to the sport. So if he wants to go out on his feet with his hand raised (assuming he wins as expected) – instead of his back – I can’t hate on him.
I think Margarito beats him if they ever fight. I just don’t think Oscar can hurt him, nor does he have the legs and slick to keep Margo turning for a full 12 rounds. As a fan, I’d want it, as it would be a classic torch-passer. But I’d be shocked to see it made at this point.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
A 24-7 with Hatton and Oscar would make me puke.
Hatton has no shot against a anyone who can move. He is better off fighting someone like Oscar who can’t crush his non-moving beer filled skull. If he tried to fight Pacman he might take Hatton into la-la land.
Hopefully not likely though.. Oscar cashes in big and it sparks Money May’s interest and he gets back into the 147 merry-go0round.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I feel you Kurt, and you’re right – it’s a combination deal. There are three essential elements at play here – The Mexican Problem, the bling factor, and the whupass factor. If two of the three were in Margs favor, he would probably get the fight. I mean, do you agree that Cotto probably would have gotten the bout? And Cotto obviously is an A+ on the Mexican Problem (despite Oscar’s PR/Wife bullshit), while probably coming in for Oscar as a B on both bling and whupass. Margs meanwhile is an F for Mexican, a D for whupass and bling. Which is to say that if Margs was an A+ in the Mexico part of the equation, he probably still wouldn’t get the fight.
I do think that Mexico shit animates Oscar pretty heavily though. I heard where he’s going to pay to fly in a bunch of Mexican icons for the Pac fight to sit ringside. He almost bizarrely craves that Mexican respect, and it’s just like when you’re trying to land some superfine lady – the harder you try, the further away you get.
I agree with you too that Oscar/Margs will never happen. It’s hard to imagine Tony making a fight in the interim that would make Oscar feel like he HAD to fight Margs. Maybe, MAYBE, if Margs beat Pavlik. But if he beat Pavlik, well, shit, nobody would fight him. Klitschko probably wouldn’t fight him.
Hey, how’s Dmitriy’s training going for Kotelnik? We should do a little No Mas piece about that.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Speaking of Dima…
We shot him in Prospect park and are planning to go up to the Poconos next week for an Undercard episode that would broadcast pre-fight. Would love to talk to you on that Kurt.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Speaking of Oscar’s Mexican cravings, that reminds me of Kobe and how badly he wants people to like him and why it somehow diminishes his popular appeal, especially in comparison to Shaq. Now, I know everybody at this point is aware that Kobe is the better basketball player; however, it would be just as one-sided if you asked who you’d rather spend a night on the town with.
(The answer for that from a boxing perspective is probably Money May, not because dude is especially sincere, he’s just the most likely to deliver An Experience.)
(To a lesser extent, I would bring in LeBron as well in terms of his public persona, him and Kobe want to be liked and to a certain extent we can read this (a friend believes that this is why John Edwards got punked in the primaries), whereas someone like Jordan could give a shit.)
September 4th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Everyone has been asking…where is The Rooster, what is The Rooster’s take on this.
The Rooster wants to state that this fight is a shame and a sham. We, The Rooster included, should not under any circumstance buy this fight. I was with a bunch of Filipinos at Central Park this past weekend who were happy and thought Manny had a shot. Sorry…Oscar is like a whole man bigger than Manny.
I want you to read the following closely.
THIS FIGHT IS NOT GOOD FOR BOXING.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Jack Johnson vs. Stanley Ketchel:
Good for boxing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78msYCUaQuE
September 4th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Large and I-Berg,
Spoke to Dmitriy today, preparations are going well. The biggest adjustment is trying to file down to 140 again. He hasn’t had to make it in a few years. The fact that he’s already in camp – nine weeks out – will help. Anything you guys want to do I’m game, just let me know. Cross your fingers that Kotelnik wins easy and suffers no injuries on Sept. 13th so that we have a title fight on Nov. 8th. If not Kotelnik, I think we still have Willie Limond on tap. Either way it’s going to be a great night at the Garden.
September 5th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Anyone else get the feeling that Oscar needs to sit down w/ a psychotherapist and sort out this Oedipal complex when it comes to Mexican fans?
I feel you Large when you said that you don’t think Goldie’s afraid of Margs, cause I don’t think he is either. Doesn’t mean that he hasn’t internally assessed the situation though and figured that the odds are pretty long on him winning that fight, and further more, winning it while making a boatload of scrilla and still having that pretty mug in one piece.
But still…this is a carnival type fight. It’ll do well over a million buys and capture the imagination of my arch nemesis: the casual boxing fan. But what’s the goddamn relevance?!? Ok, DLH wins and he proves that if you’re twice the size of someone, then you can beat them up. He loses, and his legacy is forever tainted and he walks away in embarassment. Maybe I’m the only one, but I still say that going out on your shield, guns blazing against Tony for shorter money does more for both his rep, and boxing’s. How many hundreds of millions does the dude need?
September 5th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Oh, and Kurt, I-Berg, & Large…I vote hell-to-the-motherfuckin-yes on any potential Salita feature you guys can cook up.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
is anyone keepin tabs on money may?
is he training for mma?
whats he doin?
that retirment line is bs.
ps ill put down 10 pesos on manny for this fight.
any takers?
ps. ps.
we can have a rooster/718 no mas edition of 24/7
September 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
OMG… What happened to Amir Khan? That was a shocker… KO’d in 54 seconds?
September 6th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Khan: Baddest matchmaking..ever.
My star has a weak chin? Why not bring in a unknown bomber from colombia… yeah sure.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Kevin,
The Roowster told people Margarito in 11 and nobody said anything after the fight. The Rooster wonders why? The Rooster recently said, Rashad Evans by KO over Chuck and nobody believed it. Then what happened? The Rooster puts big money on these fight because The Rooster knows what The Rooster is talking about. I wanted to bet the Khan fight but The Rooster didn’t know enough about his opponent. In any case, just know that The Rooster knows of what The Rooster speaks.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:34 am
no one puts the rooster in the corner.
when layin down wood, u have a site you use or just take your money out of your sock for some dude?
the 718 needs to cash in on his predictions.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Trickster Says:
September 6th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Khan: Baddest matchmaking..ever.
My star has a weak chin? Why not bring in a unknown bomber from colombia… yeah sure.
hahaha yep…seriously…when will people learn not to put their guys in with dangerous colombians….in the last 3 or so months i could name a bunch of guys who got knocked out by a unheralded colombian…mike oliver and aaron williams both come to mind…its bad business…ricardo torres almost tore down everything bob arum had tried to build with cotto….these guys can crack…when will they learn
September 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
rooster
Add to columbian necktied list locally Gary kid stark Jr. and almost kid chocolate in that Kushner ep on nomas.tv
Pretty much it’s like don’t play pool with a dude named after a city at this point. A 15-7 columbian will fuck you up. We need to get bogota for Friday night fights because their local scene must be the illy.
Writing from Salita/Maliggnagi training camp at fernwod resort in poconos…
Old school!
September 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
One more Columbian who shocked me – Epifanio Mendoza. He put one of my favorite fighters out of business Tukumbo Olajide. Olajide fought a few more times but was never the same. Mendoza almost got Jeff Lacy about a months ago.
Rule no. 1 of matchmaking for a prospect – never put them in with a puncher.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:21 am
The Rooster can walk the yard alone.
Yet, The Rooster doesn’t feel ashamed to say this. But there were some places in Columbia where The Rooster walked that even The Rooster was like….this is a bit sketchy. There are only a few places The Rooster has ever felt that…where he grew up and Columbia. Nuff said.
In closing, can we start to talk about a real fight…Marquez and Casa”use my head”mayor.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:11 am
sure thing Rooster….i love JMM…probably one of my favorite fighters right now…and i desperately want to see him get one more crack at pac…JMM is such a good fighter and i want to see him get a few more paydays…horrible that nacho beristain took him over to indonesia to fight john for about 50k…i like him to cruise to a decision
no love for the galaxxxy warrior/joan guzman tilt??? campbell is +170 which im all over…wish i coulda got it at around 200…which i think it was about a week ago…guzman isnt busy enough…and now that nates got a strap yer gonna have to pry it out of his hands…nates gonna be too big for joan…and nate will walk through the 20 or so punches guzman throws a round
September 10th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I’m all over Nate at +170 too, Ricky. I just love the mindset he’s shown lately, and I think he guts out a tough decision. I don’t see Guzman outworking him, and that’s exactly what he’ll need to do.
Not quite as confident in calling JMM-Casa. I’ll go w/ Marquez by UD, but you never know what you’re gonna get w/ the old Cuban. And w/ his flying iron head and Juan’s disposition to nasty ass cuts, this one might be pretty interesting. I’m hoping Casamayor finally got old though and gets his ass handed to him.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
the bets for nate are too good, though I think Guzman will be a tough fight for galaxy.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
CI,
that paulie guys drives me nuts when he has the mic.
is that just for the camera?
KM
September 10th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Fellas,
I will be posting something on the blog when I come up for air tonight but Large and his wife Nicole had a baby boy late Saturday night. Reginald Larzelere.
All hail Reggie Large!
Pics to follow…
September 10th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Grats!
September 10th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Congrats Large. Just don’t consume too many Red Bull & No Doze tonics.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
congrats large & mrs large!
September 10th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Way to go Large(s)! I foresee him hitting Homeruns in October!
September 10th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
so close.
a few weeks could have a been a new mr october.
congrats my man.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Congrats. If there were any doubts that your sun loving Cali-self wasn’t a NY’er…well look at the name of the kid. He needs a candy bar and lets just hope that the kid isn’t the straw that stirs the drink at Casa De Large…haha!
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September 19th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
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September 23rd, 2011 at 6:41 pm
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