By Mike Samuels, The Grand Rapids Press
Due to the amount of e-mail cluttering my inbox after a couple recent columns I’ve penned, I’ve decided to open up the floodgates (... I may regret it, I know) and dish out a mid-week mailbag. I played around with the idea a few years back and the fan outpour was pretty stellar, to my surprise. So I’ll try it again – hopefully every couple of weeks or so. If my inbox shrinks because nobody can stomach reading my stuff, then I’ll consider it a bust (although, not quite this bad) and move forward with a deflated ego in tact ... somewhat. Let the games begin.
(Note: Some of the e-mails I received weren’t exactly written with an excellence in grammar as a top priority. I apologize if they’re difficult to read.)
I heard Nate Campbell is the front runner for a fight with Floyd Mayweather. What do u think of this matchup if it does happen? – Craig.
Originally that was the thought, Craig. However, with Andre Berto pulling out of his scheduled January 30 bout with Shane Mosley due to the earthquakes that struck Haiti this past week, it has been widely speculated that Mayweather will face off against Mosley as early as May 1. I wish I could tell you this is a guarantee, but nobody really knows in boxing. Mayweather is always talking about how Mosley ducked and dodged him as a lightweight (which is hardly true, in my opinion) and Mosley was reportedly to fight Mayweather after dispatching of Fernando Vargas a few years back, only to tell the public he needed a vacation and then complaining of a tooth ache.
Let’s hope it happens. Because Nate Campbell as an opponent is a complete waste of time for boxing fans. The Mayweather camp might as well call up Henry Bruseles and try their luck at promoting a rematch to their embarrassing HBO televised bout in 2005.
That story on the Huge Show’s Bill Simonson was nothing but the truth! I have told people for a long time that Billy has no business blogging or doing radio. He’s a clown! I’m glad you put him in his place. – Steven Grant, Royal Oak, MI.
Thanks Steve. Look, I’ve got nothing against Simonson – I’ve actually listened to him regularly since about 2004. But what I can’t tolerate is a guy using the MLive forum to bash a sport I love with no real insight to provide even the most casual fans. I’ll still listen to Huge on occasion and may even attend a few watch parties. I doubt my piece will faze him (have you read the comments MLiver’s have left him in the past? Scary stuff). Heck, maybe he’ll start watching some of the fighters I listed in my article and begin to gain a real appreciation for the sport. I won’t hold my breath, though.
There’s no way money Mayweather fights Shane. Pigs will fly first, money doesn’t know what it’s like to fight a welterweight and when he does he will get knocked and u know it. – James
I’m actually pretty confident the fight will happen, James. Both Mosley and Mayweather work closely with Golden Boy Promotions and in an interview with Greg Leon at Boxingtalk, Mosley pretty much agreed to be tested for steroids any which way the Mayweather camp requested and as many times as necessary. Boxing fans always see the glass half empty and probably with good reason. So while I’m glad Mayweather would finally be fighting a legit welterweight with Hall-of-Fame credentials in Mosley, I think that the fight could turn in to a lose-lose situation for the Grand Rapids native.
With the Berto fight being scrapped and no make-up opponent in sight for Mosley, by the time he faces Mayweather (assuming in the Spring) he will have been out of action for 16 months and at 38 years of age, one has to wonder what the reaction will be if Mayweather makes him look less than stellar between the ropes. All things aside, Shane Mosley is always a tough fight for anyone.
R u on Manny’s payroll or sumthin? – Croid
I wish I could say yes. I certainly would be living a hell of a lot more comfortably and probably going to some pretty sweet parties with the Filipino nation. Unfortunately, I’m just a struggling looking-for-work freelance writer with a full-time job. But if things change I’ll be sure to let you know. Until then I’m going to continue to give my opinion – right or wrong – and I’m sure you’ll continue to disagree.
I noticed you pull a lot of information from different boxing sites around the net. What are your favourites and which ones do you think are the best out there? I’m trying to find some different sites to check out from time to time. Charles Fitzgerald II
I have to rely on other sites, as I only have a few personal sources that I tap from time to time. However, the sites I often get information from vary as much as the Michigan weather. Personally I’ve been a big fan of Maxboxing (despite Steve Kim’s extreme bias towards Floyd Mayweather and man crush on Antonio Margartio) and RingTV. Other credible sites like Secondsout and Boxingscene are good reads, too. If you’re looking for strictly information – press releases, interviews and breaking news – the best out there are Fightnews and Boxingtalk. You can always do a ‘Google search’ on boxing and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with what comes to your attention.
Boxing will be better without Floyd. Bottom line and truth, all day long. – Tim
I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say it would be better. After all, Mayweather has been one of the best fighters over the last decade and while he couldn’t sell his skills to the pay-per-view audience or general audience at that time during the beginning of his career, he’s surprisingly turned the media’s hate on him into quite a profitable business. If you can fight a lightweight on pay-per-view and over a million tune in to see such a mismatch, well then son, you must be doing something right.
Boxing will go on, though, after Floyd retires. The same way it survived the demise of Ray Robinson, Ali, Tyson and most recently Oscar De la Hoya. I don’t know if the sport has a cross-over star on the horizon but it’s definitely got a few stars in the making. Like a good meal, they make just take a little seasoning and marinating before igniting the sport the same way guys of the past have done.
MMA is better than boxing for a NUMBER of reasons man. Boxing is going to charge us pay per view money to see Pacquaio fight Clottey and then charge us even more money to watch two old timers (Hopkins-Jones) fight after Roy just got schooled by an unknown white guy!! This is why MMA rules the fight world. – Shane
Boxing went away from the pay-per-view trend in 2009 to the surprise of everyone, but it seems like they will fall victim to the scheme of pay-per-punch in 2010, which is really a sad reality that fight fans have lived for since the days of Don King’s super card (and hey, at least those cards were stacked with good fights). I have to cover the sport’s biggest fights so unfortunately that means I will have to sit through Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins – who are fighting ten years too late to satisfy their greed along with their pocket books – but luckily a bunch of friends will help contribute to the pay-per-view price. I’m just a boxing junkie, so I would probably find a way to watch the fight even if I didn’t have to write. Most people though, would be better served just skipping it and spending it on something else – hey, perhaps one of those MMA pay-per-views?
I’m not here to criticize MMA/UFC because I prefer boxing. I watch both and I’m sick and tired of the same old arguments about MMA fighters kicking the crap out of boxers who step in the octagon and how much greater the damn sport is. There are pros and cons to each sport – boxing has a lot of cons, I’ll be the first to admit it. Chances are your job has flaws, your girlfriend has flaws and your mother-in-law definitely has flaws. Do you quit your job or dump your girlfriend or divorce your wife? Probably not. (OK, it’s probably smart to divorce your wife with a crazy mother-in-law). You just focus on the good and hope that someday things change for the better. Boxing will probably never get it exactly right, but some of the way is better than nothing, right?
Source: blog.mlive.com
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