Dougie's MASSIVE Monday Mailbag

ECSTASY TO AGONY

Dougie Man,
WHAT A FIGHT! I was so excited while watching Williams-Martinez, thinking over and over “this is what makes boxing worth it.” There are some ridiculous things in this sport but it all comes together in a fight like this. Then…..

119-110

You have to be kidding me. I thought Sergio Martinez won the fight but I was not about to argue with anyone that said otherwise. I agreed with Manny Steward, it was a question of effective aggressiveness vs. clean effective punching. I thought Sergio landed the cleaner more effective punches.

Do it again fellas, and this time leave it out of the judges hands. I’m bummed Dougie, I could see a close loss but 119-110? Ugh. -- Tony, LA

Like the first Diaz-Malignaggi fight I think Williams-Martinez was a matchup of contrasting styles that resulted in a toss-up fight after 12 rounds. What makes both fights controversial is that one of the three judges saw an obviously close fight as one-sided (at least in terms of points/rounds won).

I scored the fight even, 114-114, giving rounds one, two, three, eight, 10 and 11 to Martinez. I can see either guy winning by a 115-113 (seven rounds to five) or even 116-112 (eight rounds to four) margin, because I thought there were one or two really close rounds that could have gone either way depending on what you value more (forward-marching aggression and activity or clean/harder punching). However, scoring the fight 11 rounds to one for either fighter is inconceivable to me and absolutely unforgivable.

It really sucks that after such an awesome fight 75-percent of the fan feedback I’ve received since Saturday night has been outrage on one scorecard. It’s tragic, really. We should all be buzzing about the heart, skill and professionalism that both Martinez and Williams exhibited during their slugfest. Nobody should know or care about Pierre Benoist, but that’s who everyone’s going to be talking about all week. When I get calls from sports radio shows to talk about what’s going on in boxing Pierre-freakin’-Benoist’s name will be brought up along with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. I’m getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

MARTINEZ, 115-113

Hey Doug,
I have to admit that, going into the Martinez-Williams fight, I wasn’t expecting to see a whole lot of excitement; I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. I don’t know how to even begin to describe that 119-110 scorecard, so I’ll just move right along.

In my eyes, Martinez landed the harder shots throughout the fight, rocking Williams several times. The Martinez knockdown of Williams was from a flush shot while Martinez went down on a grazing punch while he was off-balance. While Martinez was winning early rounds (I thought he won 4 of the first 5), I thought George Peterson perfectly summed up what Williams was doing with the line: “You’re throwing one jab and you’re tryin’ to throw it from across the street.” As the HBO crew noted during the fight, it was interesting to see Martinez change tactics effectively over the course of the fight, from repeated right hooks, to jabs to the body, to lead lefts. But, I’m not dismissing any of the work Williams did (and he did a lot of good work in the middle rounds), which is why this truly was a toss-up fight. I had Martinez winning 115-113, so based on a score like that I can't have a problem with Williams getting the decision, though anything more than a 2-point margin for either fighter is a bit much. Thanks. -- Jesse, New Jersey

I agree, Jesse. Well stated. I was also pleasantly surprised we got such a barnburner Saturday night. I knew Williams would bring the heat, but I didn’t expect Martinez to be able to match the badass beanstalk’s offense. I know Martinez is a ring savvy dude, and I thought he could trouble Williams in the early rounds with his speed, stance and style, but I thought that even if the Argentine vet boxed a perfect fight Williams would still outwork him and eventually overwhelm him to a late stoppage.

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about the fight and Martinez. He fought his ass off! I honestly didn’t know he had it in him, but now that we all know what kind of heart he has we just have to give him his props and demand that HBO puts him back on as soon as possible. Likewise for Williams. He overcame a very rocky start to help make a fight of the year candidate, proving once again that he’s a real fighter with amazing conditioning and tenacity.

An immediate rematch is a natural conclusion to such a fight and controversial outcome, but if the management of both fighters prefer to hold on a return bout to spare their fighters back-to-back punishing affairs I’d love to see either guy take on the likes of Felix Sturm, Cory Spinks or Sergio Mora at 160 or 154 on HBO. They deserve the money and exposure against solid opponents who don’t figure to bring as much pain and punishment as they experienced Saturday night.

PAUL WILLIAMS

Dougie,
What an incredible fight! Two evenly matched and highly skilled guys who (for the most part) threw caution and tactics to the wind and spent the evening trying to knock the other guy's head off. Watching at home, I stood up when Williams knocked Martinez down in the 1st round and didn't sit down, even in between rounds, until the decision was read.

I had Martinez winning 8 rounds to 4. I thought he swept the last 5 rounds with cleaner punches though Williams's volume was carrying Lederman's card on HBO. I thought Martinez could have made it easier for himself if he had maintained the same approach as he did in the first few rounds, when he was patiently landing nasty counterpunches every time Williams threw. I think his early success had him thinking he could take Paul out, and as a result, he opened himself up and tired himself a bit, letting the Punisher get back in the fight.

But overall, Sergio was terrific. He showed speed, power (knocking down and hurting an iron-chinned man who is naturally bigger than him), courage, and desire. He showed great boxing intelligence when, after Williams had dominated the middle rounds, he changed up his game plan by throwing body shots and lead lefts to set up his right hook. That was superb stuff, reminiscent of how JMM changed up his game plan after the early rounds to befuddle and ultimately knock out Juan Diaz. And, most of all, he showed a heart and toughness that belied his pretty boy image and slick southpaw style. Martinez showed boxing fans game that we didn't know he had.

I think this was a fight that elevated both guys. If Paul Williams is widely regarded as a top 10 P4P, then Martinez should be somewhere in the vicinity. And other than Williams, I think he handles easily anybody at 154 or 160 currently walking free. Best. -- Sugar Sam, Chicago, IL

That’s a good point about Martinez’s standing in the sport. If Williams is in everybody’s pound-for-pound top-10, Martinez should at least be considered a top 11-15 pound-for-pound player, right?

For the record, although I believe Williams is an elite fighter, I thought the No. 3 ranking he’s held on Yahoo! Sport’s P4P list was a bit overblown (and I’ve stated this opinion in past mailbags, so don’t think I’m hopping off the P-Will bandwagon just because he had a tough fight). For months I’ve been getting a steady stream of emails asserting that future hall of famer Shane Mosley is “scared” of Williams and that P-Will is the only guy who can beat Floyd Mayweather. Whatever. I’m sure Mosley wasn’t eager to hop in the ring with Williams, and yeah, maybe a 6-foot-3 guy with an 80-inch-plus wingspan who can fight comfortably at middleweight and still average 100 punches a round would give Mayweather fits, but jeez, that doesn’t mean the dude’s invincible.

I don’t think your 116-112 scorecard for Martinez is out of line at all but I do wonder if you were giving the underdog just a wee bit of the benefit of the doubt in those late rounds.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR?

Hey Dougie,
I'm sure you've had plenty of messages about Williams-Martinez but just thought I'd try to get your thoughts on Amir Khan at the moment. I know he was expected to win against Dimitriy Salita on Saturday but he didn't look too shabby did he.

Is he a shoe-in for comeback of the year?

What are your thoughts on all the other annual awards too, I'm assuming you've got Pac-Man for fighter of the year - are there any others even worthy of consideration? Keep up the good work man. -- Max, Gloucestershire, England

Khan’s had very good year, hasn’t he? He beat a legend, won a major world title by shutting out a legit top-five contender and then blew out an undefeated mandatory challenger. Considering that last September he was flattened in one round by a guy who is now somewhere between fringe contender and opponent status, Khan certainly has come a long way in a relatively short period of time.

What’s impressive about Khan is that he’s appears to be improving with each outing. That’s what it’s all about for a young fighter, especially one with the natural talent and star potential of Khan. I’d say that Khan has to be considered a front-runner for Comeback of the Year, but I would also consider Robert Guerrero for that honor. He began the year coming back from a period of inactivity due to a contested promotional switch and then had to suffer through questions about his heart and manhood after a badly cut eye led to a three-round no-contest with Daud Yordan in March, but he fought through a cut in his next fight and then won a major 130-pound belt from a tough guy in impressive fashion.

The other year-end awards are simple choices in opinion. The Pac-Monster is the only choice for Fighter of the Year. Yohhny Perez and Vitali Kitschko (if he beats Kevin Johnson this Saturday) are two worthy honorable mentions for this award.

There are many contenders for Fight of the Year, including Dunne-Cordoba, Berto-Collazo, Agbeko-Perez and Williams-Martinez, but my first choice is still Marquez-Diaz (I was ringside for that classic, unlike the other fights I mentioned, which probably influenced my decision but I still think the ferocious pace set by the Baby Bull and the dramatic manner in which the old champ clawed his way back into the fight and closed the show sets it the lightweight bout apart.)

KO of the Year has got to be Pac’s second-round decapitation of Ricky Hatton, I mean, I was scared for the Brit’s life for Christ’s sake!

Trainer of the Year HAS to be Freddie Roach (never mind Pacquiao, look what he’s done with your boy Khan).

I’m not sure about Prospect of the Year, though. Nobody’s REALLY made a statement this year, IMO. I’m high on featherweight/junior lightweight Miguel Garcia. I think Top Rank, manager Cameron Dunkin and trainer/older brother Roberto Garcia are doing a very good job with Mikey. I saw a few very promising up-and-comers get some much-needed activity and exposure with Golden Boy’s Fight Night Club series, Frank Espinoza’s boys (Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina and Ronny Rios) in particular but also “little” Ricky Lopez, who improved with every outing this year. I think the most talented and technically proficient prospect I’ve witnessed this year is light heavyweight Ismayl Sillakh, who I had the pleasure of watching fight up close on the Chambers-Peter and Dawson-Tarver II undercards and recently witnessed kicking the butt of Ola Afolabi at the Wild Card gym. Sillakh is one to watch in 2010, folks. Trust me.

WAR OF THE WILLS

Dougie,
Great night of boxing which will probably be overshadowed by that ridiculous scorecard. More on that later. Well said about Chris Arreola before the fight. He is frustrating because you know he has the heart and skills but just not that extra dedication needed to push him to that next level. He reminds me of the smart kid in school who can pull a 4.0 easy in college with discipline but will settle for a 3.0 and party all night and day. Anyways props to Minto for the courage he showed.

On to the main event. What a hell of a fight!!! I know you will get a lot of emails stating that Paul was exposed by the message board fanatics but he fought a style that will always give him problems. Showed world class stones getting up from that knockdown and kept on coming. He seems to give away his height though after throwing more than two punches and likes to mix it up more than he should. Either way he is a hell of a fighter and would love to see him in again. Now, I don't know what Emmanuel Steward kept alluding to about Sergio's determination but he showed world class heart to me. I love the way he rolls with punches and moves in and out. Still clinches a lot but man he is an athlete and quick like a cat. He mixed up his strategy more than a few times which at times befuddled Paul. First 6 rounds both men showed their skills and what they do best and the 2nd half of the fight showed their will and what they are about.

I saw the fight a draw but if I had to pick a winner I saw it for Sergio based on clean punching. I don't know how the hell anyone saw 119-110. Which leads me to my final point. How do I become a judge? Seriously, I don't know how I would fare but I know I could do a better job than Gale Van Hoy, Pierre Benoist, and the two ass clowns who saw Funeka-Guzman a draw. Boxing needs to do better than this because these decisions overshadow what a tremendous fight this was. Who had a worse year though, Ali Funeka or Sergio Martinez? Anyways you are doing a great job and good seeing you get more exposure. Peace out Doug. -- Jay from Chi-town

Thanks, Jay.

I think both Funeka and Martinez got boned bigtime in their high-profile American fights this year, but Martinez got it hardcore prison style because he should’ve had a seventh-round KO of Cintron instead of a bogus draw and he didn’t even get one judge to score it his way in the Williams barnburner. I don’t think Funeka was “robbed” in the Campbell fight and at least one judge scored the Guzman fight for him (with the correct tally).

If you’re serious about becoming a boxing judge visit this website:

http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/WHO/athltc.asp

And select “Referee, Athletics Licensed” under “Licensee Application/Forms” on the right side of the homepage.

Go for it. Boxing is in need of talented young officials, probably more so than it's in need of talented young fighters.

I’m as impressed with Martinez’s mix of skill and will as you are. And I’m ignoring the “exposed” emails directed to Williams. I’ve received more than a few emails stating that Kelly Pavlik or Shane Mosley would have KO’d him. Weeeellllll, maybe, but maybe not. I’m not going assume that just because Martinez got in his ass. Pavlik and Mosley are not savvy southpaws. Pavlik doesn’t have anything near Martinez’s hands speed and mobility, and Mosley can’t carry 154 or 160 pounds as well as the Argentine.

I still think Williams an elite fighter (but he’s lower top-10 and he’s definitely more fighter than boxer).

We can assume that Williams has trouble with southpaws, but in fairness I think Quintana and Martinez are very skilled, very gutsy mobile boxers who will give any fighter trouble.

As for Arreola, I thought he did what he should have against gutsy Brian Minto, but he still has a lot of room for improvement (mainly in the defense department). I think he needs to make an effort to come in under 250 pounds in his next fight, just to shut people up about his weight. I’m sure he’s put on some muscle under that fat while working with Darryl Hudson which adds to his weight, but he can still come in lighter if he sticks to a healthy diet during camp and between fights.

If Dan Goossen and Al Haymon keep him busy next year (and I’m talking four to five fights) I think he’ll be ready to go for a title again in early 2011 (I‘d aim for David Haye). Whatever happens, he’ll be fun to watch.

WHO IS THAT GUY?

Hi Dougie,
Who was the black guy with gray hair in the tux that was in Arreola's corner tonight? I always see him (and sometimes it looks like his sons too) in the ring before fights. What does he do exactly? Thanks. -- Joe

That’s none other than Sam Watson. He works for Al Haymon, who manages Arreola and a dozen other world-class fighters, which is why you see so much of Mr. Watson. He’s a good man.


Doug Fischer can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com