Mike Tyson: Gone Half Crazy, Back Full Circle
"Iron" Mike Tyson sat down this week and spoke to Oprah Winfrey about everything! Everything from the intricate details of his sex life, to the tragic loss of his daughter, Exodus, and his love for former trainer Cus D'Amato. Of all the things said, there were two things that seemed to really reverberate in the end, as it relates to the sport of boxing. One was the daily ritual of countless hours that he and Cus examined fight footage of all the greats of the past. During these video sessions, Tyson would sit in awe at the skill level of the likes of Liston, Dempsey, and many others, and ultimately ask Cus the same question with each man. "How do you beat him"? The irony here was that Cus was able to give Tyson a strategical ring concept to adopt to deal with the greatness of each man, but one. That one.....Muhammad Ali. The second thing to really reverberate was a moment in Tyson's childhood where he was confronted with bullies who picked on him by attacking his flock of pet pigeons. When one of the bullies grabbed a pigeon and literally snapped his neck off, holding it headless and in the face of a young Mike, his late Mother (RIP) failed to respond, but a friend close by didn't, and apparently the words thy spoke initiated the explosive phase in Tyson's life that to this day still holds each of us capture. The words of that person: "Mike, fight him"! When asked was that the beginning, (of his obsession with never backing down in a fight), Mike responded to Oprah by saying, "Yeah, that was a wrap"! These two points carried the most heavy weight in the entire interview because they not only outline why he was such a great fighter in the ring (constantly analyzed the best of the best), but also how he developed the rage (the bird incident) to use those skills. His story is one that I wouldn't wish on my best enemy, but to see him reach a level of peace in a tumultuous life that has finally come full circle is a testament to who he is and why we have never been able to get enough of him.
Pacquiao Rumor Control: Little Bit Of This, Little Bit Of That
Rumors from the Philippines about Manny Pacquiao have gone from holy high to valley low lately. Generally, the truth lies some where in the middle, but considering the fact that that the term itself (TRUTH LIES) is a contradiction, the quest to learn what's really going on gets more murky by the second. One week, he's getting the hell beat out of him, the next, he's sending guys back home with broken ribs and busted lips. Of all the chitter chatter going on, there's only one man talking that I truly believe, and that's Freddie Roach. A man who's more informed than most, and a man who tells you exactly how it is....whether you can handle it or not! In a recent interview, Roach was very adamant in saying "No, no one has knocked Pacquiao down", but "Yes, he is getting hit (a lot)". Sparring partner, Jose Luis Castillo has gone on record speaking about Pacquiao's "powerful left hand", but according to Roach, Castillo himself has been "a bit off" in training. Those truths make you wonder if it would be safe to assess that Pacquiao is landing with power, but it's coming against a man who probably isn't too hard to hit? Like the other rumors themselves, that question would be hard to answer, but in the end it doesn't matter because as evidenced in many fights before, when faced with a skilled fighter, Cotto can be (hit a lot) too.
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Oscar's 'Vision of a Sunset'
In a recent interview with Sports Media Pro, Oscar De La Hoya spoke of his thoughts leading up to his humbling showdown with Filipino Manny Pacquiao. His former trainer, Floyd Mayweather Snr., always spoke of the fact that Oscar had (what he felt was) an issue dealing with his nerves and anxiety in big fights. Whether Mayweather Snr. was right or not, listening to some of De La Hoya's thoughts out loud truly put things into perspective. Apparently, he had already confirmed in his mind what many of us often thought in ours for quite some time. That confirmation.....his best days were well behind him. Oscar used the Forbes fight as a measuring tool, stating that the fact that he was able to get nailed with so many "combinations", and the fact that leading up to that fight was the first time "in his career" that he was literally getting beat up in sparring. All of those things when assessed together made it clear for Oscar that the sun had finally set on his career. He failed to see those signs when they were right in front of him. Without naming names, somehow this scenario seems very close to life. Too be continued.....
JuanMa: Relevant, Or An Arrested Development?
Wow, what a difference a week makes. Last week at this time, we were saying how Juan Manuel Lopez was well on par to be mentioned in the likes of Trinidad, Cotto, and the great Puerto Rican ring kings of the past. Suddenly, there's a new tune to sing, and to many, the keys it struck isn't completely in accord. Lopez has been touted as a solid guy on the rise from day one, but many have found reason to question the young 'banger' after a performance that saw him end the fight with literally nothin' in the tank. I've always said that he has the body capacity to one day become a jr. welterweight at least, and if Arum was correct, the weight issues that depleted him for this fight were a sign of the times. It'll be interesting to see how he bounces back, but no question, the spotlight is on him now more than ever. Stay tuned.
Roger Mtagwa: The Juan Manuel Marquez Factor
In the ever-so-vibrant welterweight world, you have the Mayweather/Pacquiao/Marquez triangle, where both men (Mayweather and Pacquiao) have faced the third guy (Marquez) and many fight fans have drawn their own conclusions of how a fight between them would go based on their individual efforts against that third guy. Well, there's a similar scenario brewing in the featherweight division after Mtagwa - fresh off of his remarkable performance against Lopez - is now a front-runner for Gamboa as a prelude to his proposed showdown with Lopez. While Lopez is a solid fighter, the speed and reflexes of Gamboa would surely make for a solid fight against Mtagwa. Another wildcard in this whole affair is that coming so close, yet so far against Lopez, Mtagwa will undoubtedly elevate his game a few notches to make sure the same outcome doesn't materialize. That could mean a very tough night for Gamboa. I just hope he's ready.
Taylor/Abraham: 1 Up, 1 Down
Jermain Taylor enters his showdown this weekend in Germany with Arthur Abraham knowing full well what's at stake. Although a lot of pressure is on Taylor, Abraham won't walk in the area without a set of butterflies either. There's great pressure associated with fighting in front of your hometown crowd, and when you enter the ring for an event this grand with an "0", that pressure intensifies. There's been a lot of talk, and even more anticipation, but come Saturday night, nothing will matter but the end results. The old adage states: "Whatever goes up must come down". This case is no different. If Taylor steps up, Abrahams "0" will fall down. To the contrast, and far more detrimental, if Abraham steps up, for Taylor, a storied career could very well be on it's way down. Should be interesting to watch!
Dirrell/Froch: Don't Be Surprised
Coming into this showdown between British phenom Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell, there's a lot of subplots. Who is more tested? Who is more proven? Who is more dangerous? At the end of the day, all are valid questions, but the answers are probably easier to find than many think. Dirrell is a very skilled fighter, but a glimpse of his past fights show there may be quite a few kinks in the armor. Froch, on the other hand, has shown a level of consistency against arguably a better level of competition. And as valuable as that may sound, the fact that he wears a granite chin only adds volume to an already blaring equation. Some seem to think it'll be an easy night for Dirrell, but if I may introduce the truth squad first to the those who seem to feel that way....."DON'T BE SURPRISED"!
Miguel Cotto: Will He Peak Too Soon?
Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto has been in training for quite some time now in preparation for his pending showdown with Manny Pacquiao. For some, this was a well needed extension, designed to work out all the previous conditioning kinks of the past. To others, this extension could be more of a hindrance than a help, as Cotto opened workouts in early August, and full camp on roughly August 24th. Time and time again in the sport we see fighters attempt to gain an edge by extending a camp, only to end up flat on the night that they need that energy and effort the most. For now, it's too early to tell, and reports have been pretty good from the Cotto camp. That being said, there are only two sides of the fence, and if Cotto has already 'peaked', a rough night with Pacquiao could see him be 'flattened'. Time will tell.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Myspace, and Facebook).
(Posted with permission from the author.)
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