'via Blog this'
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Glass is Half-full is a good working philosophy
to be Edited --- There's no exact science to scoring the sweet science - latimes.com
There's no exact science to scoring the sweet science - latimes.com: "
No exact science to scoring the sweet science
Many factors come into play in scoring a boxing match, most recently evidenced by the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. Watching a bout in person as opposed to on television is one of the biggest reasons for disputes.
The boos started at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas right after the ring announcer read the scorecards and revealed that Manny Pacquiao had won a close majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.
The booing was understandable.
Most of the boxing world wanted Pacquiao to defeat Marquez convincingly Nov. 12 to set up the long-awaited super-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. But what I saw from my second-row seat at ringside was something different — from the HBO broadcast team, from my colleagues watching on television, even from the ringside judges.
I scored the bout 115-113 — seven rounds to five — for Mexico's Marquez
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty giving two other rounds to Pacquiao and tweeted right after the bout that Marquez was robbed by the official judges' scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Pacquiao. The third judge had the fight a 114-114 draw.
Marquez wisely stayed back and landed the more powerful punches. Meanwhile, Pacquiao appeared to be desperately chasing scoring blows while Marquez merely waited and expertly found his target.
Of course, controversial decisions are part of boxing's tradition, especially when it involves a big fight.
Nevertheless, a few of my boxing-savvy colleagues were surprised by my round-by-round scoring. Watching the fight on television, they believed Pacquiao had won. Pacquiao landed 176 punches to Marquez's 138, according to ComuBox's statistics. Pacquiao also beat Marquez, 117-100, on power shots.
From my view, however, Marquez won most of the close rounds by landing the more substantial blows.
Now, something else was at play. The difference between watching a close fight on TV and in person.
"The two main variables in a heated boxing match are that on television, the 'tell' part of show and tell has an influence," said veteran HBO analyst Larry Merchant, who didn't work the Pacquiao-Marquez fight but was aware his longtime colleague Jim Lampley was effusive in praise for Pacquiao during the fight telecast. "In the arena, the number of fans for each fighter, and which side is more passionate, carries the weight.
"Pacquiao's fans were suppressed by the expectations that Manny's always powerful and dominant. Just winning no longer draws an emotional response from them and, meanwhile, Marquez was doing better than anyone expected. Those expectations influence how you see something happening."
Indeed, Pacquiao was booed fiercely as he tried to explain his 15th consecutive triumph.
Veteran Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein said he watched Pacquiao-Marquez from the Las Vegas media center and scored it 7-5 in rounds for Marquez.
"Television clearly gives you the better view of the fight unless you're on the apron, where the judges are," Bernstein said.
In a sampling of Twitter followers watching on television, @66jay66 said he believed Marquez "gave away the last two rounds" to allow a draw. Another, @dsmith3633, said Pacquiao's "lack of skill [was] exposed … just being an athlete only gets you so far" and he scored the fight for Marquez.
Lampley said he and HBO analysts Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward were "categorical these were hard rounds to score" on the broadcast.
"After 25 years of doing this, I have a pretty good sense of what the judges respond to and who's doing the things the judges will recognize," Lampley said.
Lampley, Kellerman and Steward will also call the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch Saturday at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Boxing judges are schooled to take pre-fight expectations out of the equation. Boxers who force the action typically score better than fighters who are overly calculating.
"You want to win? Throw more punches," Lampley said. "Scoring for the aggressor helps the sport. Those are the types of fights we want to see."
Another reason it was a hard fight to score is there was little action at the start of most rounds. CompuBox numbers revealed Pacquiao and Marquez threw many more punches in the final minute of each round. And because Pacquaio landed more in those segments, he won the fight.
That didn't matter to Marquez's trainer, "Nacho" Beristain, who said his fighter's defeat was "robbery of the utmost."
Merchant recalled telling friends he watched the fight with, "There might be a surprise here." But he agreed that if someone scored the bout "seven rounds to five either way [it was] a reasonable view."
"Fans come to boxing with an emotional investment in one of these guys, and that's a big part of the experience that I love. The great writer Red Smith once said, 'If you want to know who won a fight, watch it with a 12-year-old. He'll tell you,' " Merchant said.
Many factors come into play in scoring a boxing match, most recently evidenced by the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. Watching a bout in person as opposed to on television is one of the biggest reasons for disputes.
The boos started at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas right after the ring announcer read the scorecards and revealed that Manny Pacquiao had won a close majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.
The booing was understandable.
Most of the boxing world wanted Pacquiao to defeat Marquez convincingly Nov. 12 to set up the long-awaited super-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. But what I saw from my second-row seat at ringside was something different — from the HBO broadcast team, from my colleagues watching on television, even from the ringside judges.
I scored the bout 115-113 — seven rounds to five — for Mexico's Marquez
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty giving two other rounds to Pacquiao and tweeted right after the bout that Marquez was robbed by the official judges' scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Pacquiao. The third judge had the fight a 114-114 draw.
Marquez wisely stayed back and landed the more powerful punches. Meanwhile, Pacquiao appeared to be desperately chasing scoring blows while Marquez merely waited and expertly found his target.
Of course, controversial decisions are part of boxing's tradition, especially when it involves a big fight.
Nevertheless, a few of my boxing-savvy colleagues were surprised by my round-by-round scoring. Watching the fight on television, they believed Pacquiao had won. Pacquiao landed 176 punches to Marquez's 138, according to ComuBox's statistics. Pacquiao also beat Marquez, 117-100, on power shots.
From my view, however, Marquez won most of the close rounds by landing the more substantial blows.
Now, something else was at play. The difference between watching a close fight on TV and in person.
"The two main variables in a heated boxing match are that on television, the 'tell' part of show and tell has an influence," said veteran HBO analyst Larry Merchant, who didn't work the Pacquiao-Marquez fight but was aware his longtime colleague Jim Lampley was effusive in praise for Pacquiao during the fight telecast. "In the arena, the number of fans for each fighter, and which side is more passionate, carries the weight.
"Pacquiao's fans were suppressed by the expectations that Manny's always powerful and dominant. Just winning no longer draws an emotional response from them and, meanwhile, Marquez was doing better than anyone expected. Those expectations influence how you see something happening."
Indeed, Pacquiao was booed fiercely as he tried to explain his 15th consecutive triumph.
Veteran Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein said he watched Pacquiao-Marquez from the Las Vegas media center and scored it 7-5 in rounds for Marquez.
"Television clearly gives you the better view of the fight unless you're on the apron, where the judges are," Bernstein said.
In a sampling of Twitter followers watching on television, @66jay66 said he believed Marquez "gave away the last two rounds" to allow a draw. Another, @dsmith3633, said Pacquiao's "lack of skill [was] exposed … just being an athlete only gets you so far" and he scored the fight for Marquez.
Lampley said he and HBO analysts Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward were "categorical these were hard rounds to score" on the broadcast.
"After 25 years of doing this, I have a pretty good sense of what the judges respond to and who's doing the things the judges will recognize," Lampley said.
Lampley, Kellerman and Steward will also call the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch Saturday at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Boxing judges are schooled to take pre-fight expectations out of the equation. Boxers who force the action typically score better than fighters who are overly calculating.
"You want to win? Throw more punches," Lampley said. "Scoring for the aggressor helps the sport. Those are the types of fights we want to see."
Another reason it was a hard fight to score is there was little action at the start of most rounds. CompuBox numbers revealed Pacquiao and Marquez threw many more punches in the final minute of each round. And because Pacquaio landed more in those segments, he won the fight.
That didn't matter to Marquez's trainer, "Nacho" Beristain, who said his fighter's defeat was "robbery of the utmost."
Merchant recalled telling friends he watched the fight with, "There might be a surprise here." But he agreed that if someone scored the bout "seven rounds to five either way [it was] a reasonable view."
"Fans come to boxing with an emotional investment in one of these guys, and that's a big part of the experience that I love. The great writer Red Smith once said, 'If you want to know who won a fight, watch it with a 12-year-old. He'll tell you,' " Merchant said.
Bob Arum: Boxing Promoter
Jason Gay: Taking a Ride With Boxing's Big Cheese - WSJ.com:
Boxing promoter Bob Arum was in NYC to pump Saturday's Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch at Madison Square Garden and the writer rides downtown with Arum.
Saturday's fight offers the backdrop of bad blood (Cotto lost in 11 rounds in 2008) and a lingering controversy—the revocation of Margarito's boxing license...
Boxing promoter Bob Arum was in NYC to pump Saturday's Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch at Madison Square Garden and the writer rides downtown with Arum.
Saturday's fight offers the backdrop of bad blood (Cotto lost in 11 rounds in 2008) and a lingering controversy—the revocation of Margarito's boxing license...
Casual fight fans are more curious to know about the next move by Pacquiao. Arum confirmed that negotiations are underway again for a dream bout between Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"If we're going to do that fight, we're going to do it on the best economic terms," he said, sounding far more confident than in the past. "We've had groups approach us—how real they are, I don't know—offering a lot of money to be involved in the promotion…it's not fast-talking guys with no money."
"Realistically, they're talking about doing the fight in Las Vegas, Dallas or New Orleans," Arum added.
The car arrives at the Trinity Boxing Club, where Cotto would be training that afternoon and Arum exited to a scrum of photographers waiting for Cotto. Arum posed for a few pictures and did a couple of interviews touting the big weekend fight. He discussed Cotto's "anger." He called the treatment of Margarito "unfair." ...goosing the main event with volleys of enthusiasm and provocation.
"If we're going to do that fight, we're going to do it on the best economic terms," he said, sounding far more confident than in the past. "We've had groups approach us—how real they are, I don't know—offering a lot of money to be involved in the promotion…it's not fast-talking guys with no money."
"Realistically, they're talking about doing the fight in Las Vegas, Dallas or New Orleans," Arum added.
The car arrives at the Trinity Boxing Club, where Cotto would be training that afternoon and Arum exited to a scrum of photographers waiting for Cotto. Arum posed for a few pictures and did a couple of interviews touting the big weekend fight. He discussed Cotto's "anger." He called the treatment of Margarito "unfair." ...goosing the main event with volleys of enthusiasm and provocation.
Both of these fighters have been through some epic battles and taken plenty of punishment since thier last meeting. Are they shot fighters or do they both have a good fight left in them. This sizes up to be a brutal fight and will probably be worth the price of a ticket to watch it.
Boxer Matt Remillard sentenced to 5 years
Boxer Matt Remillard sentenced to 5 years for beating Connecticut man with baseball bat - The Washington Post:
Before losing in March, Matt Remillard had held the featherweight titles of the North American Boxing Federation...
The victim, 22-year-old Jordan Evans, said Remillard pummeled him with a bat asRemillard went berserk.
After the attack, doctors had to reconstruct the top front of Evans’ head using plates, screws and 150 stitches.
The assault happened at the home of Danielle Napolitano, Evans’ then-girlfriend and Remillard’s ex-girlfriend.
Danielle Napolitano was charged with conspiracy to commit assault in connection with the beating. Her brother and her cousin were charged with assault, conspiracy and criminal mischief. The charges against all three were dropped because of their cooperation in the prosecution of their friend, Matt.
Before losing in March, Matt Remillard had held the featherweight titles of the North American Boxing Federation...
The victim, 22-year-old Jordan Evans, said Remillard pummeled him with a bat asRemillard went berserk.
After the attack, doctors had to reconstruct the top front of Evans’ head using plates, screws and 150 stitches.
The assault happened at the home of Danielle Napolitano, Evans’ then-girlfriend and Remillard’s ex-girlfriend.
Danielle Napolitano was charged with conspiracy to commit assault in connection with the beating. Her brother and her cousin were charged with assault, conspiracy and criminal mischief. The charges against all three were dropped because of their cooperation in the prosecution of their friend, Matt.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca Fist Fight
Many people wanted to discuss happened at the Canadian Football League alumni luncheon. Joe Kapp, 73, fought an old C.F.L. adversary, Angelo Mosca, also 73, on the stage.
Drew Edwards of The Scratching Post blog, which covers the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, gave the background:
"The animosity between the two dates back to the 1963 Grey Cup game, when Mosca hit running back Willie Fleming with a shot that many – including Kapp – felt was dirty. It knocked Fleming from the game, which the Ticats won 21-10. Kapp refused to shake Mosca’s hand afterward."
Mosca said Kapp started things on Friday by swearing at him after he tried to say hello. Mosca was also quoted by Edwards as saying:
“They showed the Willie Fleming incident on the screen – it was like it was a setup. He comes up to me with a flower in his hand taken from the table, one of the centrepieces, and he sticks the flower in my nose.Then he shoves it in my nose. I reacted with my cane and then he punched me and I went down. Then he kicked me.”
Kapp, the only person to play quarterback in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Grey Cup, was later a head coach at Cal, most memorably when the Bears beat rival Stanford on a madcap series of laterals that culminated with a touchdown amid celebrating Stanford band members. Kapp said, “The Bear will not quit, the Bear will not die.” Apparently, the Bear does not forget either.
See video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkEROiQsa8
Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca get into a fight on stage at the 2011 CFL Alumni Legends Luncheon in Vancouver. It appears there is still some Bad blood between these two after a controversial hit on the field nearly 48 years ago....
Drew Edwards of The Scratching Post blog, which covers the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, gave the background:
"The animosity between the two dates back to the 1963 Grey Cup game, when Mosca hit running back Willie Fleming with a shot that many – including Kapp – felt was dirty. It knocked Fleming from the game, which the Ticats won 21-10. Kapp refused to shake Mosca’s hand afterward."
Mosca said Kapp started things on Friday by swearing at him after he tried to say hello. Mosca was also quoted by Edwards as saying:
“They showed the Willie Fleming incident on the screen – it was like it was a setup. He comes up to me with a flower in his hand taken from the table, one of the centrepieces, and he sticks the flower in my nose.Then he shoves it in my nose. I reacted with my cane and then he punched me and I went down. Then he kicked me.”
Kapp, the only person to play quarterback in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Grey Cup, was later a head coach at Cal, most memorably when the Bears beat rival Stanford on a madcap series of laterals that culminated with a touchdown amid celebrating Stanford band members. Kapp said, “The Bear will not quit, the Bear will not die.” Apparently, the Bear does not forget either.
See video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkEROiQsa8
I put this on a blog about Boxing because it reminds me of the hatred Joe Frazier seemed to harbor against Muhammad Ali and because it shows the hot-headed behavior old men are capable of displaying. It is just lucky neither of them was packing a firearm....
Emotions run high in sports and fire-in-the-belly must be a character trait that stays long after you leave the game. They were not Greats in their sport because they lacked the kind of emotion to drive them forward. To go to the gym religiously and to take horrendous punishment in football games. Remember they competed 50 years ago when safety was not a first and foremost consideration. These guys really hurt each other..
Emotions run high in sports and fire-in-the-belly must be a character trait that stays long after you leave the game. They were not Greats in their sport because they lacked the kind of emotion to drive them forward. To go to the gym religiously and to take horrendous punishment in football games. Remember they competed 50 years ago when safety was not a first and foremost consideration. These guys really hurt each other..
Topics for posting
My connections within the Boxing community are limited so reporting about the ins and outs of modern fighters and boxing matches leaves me without much original material to report. My knowledge is based on reading other boxing writers on the web and in newspapers which would allow me to be a news agglomerater but that is not an ambition of mine.
Boxing involves many aspects that I can report on like motivation, training techniques, footwork, diet and mental preparation. These aspects are individual and somewhat different with every fighter. Training and trainers are the behind the scenes aspects of the sport but the preparation needed by every fighter who hopes to succeed in the ring.
Safety and injury prevention are other areas that get taken care of behind the scenes people like promoters, trainers, ambulance crew and so on.
The purpose of the blog is to shine a light on things I find interesting, disturbing or outrageous about the sport to the best of my ability given my total lack of resources.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
"This is your Life" - Muhammad Ali - YouTube
"This is your Life" - Muhammad Ali - YouTube: ""
Nice Episode of the "This is your Life" Series with Muhammad Ali. Ali's parents and Joe Frazier are also involved, just like singer Tom Jones and Joe Louis !Tags: this is your life series episode muhammad ali howard cosell cossell boxing documentary larry holmes leon spinks trevor berbick joe frazier louis mike tyson ken norton george foreman freddie roach Joseph Campanella ralph edwards nbc frazier mike tyson ali muhammed muhamad Belinda
Nice Episode of the "This is your Life" Series with Muhammad Ali. Ali's parents and Joe Frazier are also involved, just like singer Tom Jones and Joe Louis !Tags: this is your life series episode muhammad ali howard cosell cossell boxing documentary larry holmes leon spinks trevor berbick joe frazier louis mike tyson ken norton george foreman freddie roach Joseph Campanella ralph edwards nbc frazier mike tyson ali muhammed muhamad Belinda
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