| |
The
Square Ring
by Howie Reed
(MAR 18) On Sunday morning as you awake from Saturday Night in Paradise
there is going to be the most wondrous box fight on the telly. Well
maybe. Got to add the “maybe” cause one never knows what the air
gremlins or TV sports programmers are going to do. About 10 a.m. on
Sunday Manny “The Pac Man” Pacquiao (39-2) will be being introduced to
an aver flow crowd at the MGM’s Grand Arena in Las Vegas. You can bet
there’ll be a lot more boo’s than cheer’s case across the ring will be
the Pride of Tijuan , Baja de California Eric “El Terrible” Morales
(47-2). Here’s a fight for no world title that far out shadows the
Calzaghe (38-0) - Brian McGee (23-1) contest of the previous evening in
Belfast for the WBO Super Middle weight crown. Brief
note on Calzaghe and his “over protective” manager
Frankie Warren, their next out will be in Germany
against Mario Veit (45-1). Calzaghe KO’d the German in
under one back in April of “Ought 1”.
Since then Veit has gone 15-0 against a
few fighters that were actually breathing. Although Veit did KO Charles
Brewer last out for a bit of respectability. Still a
“Tomato Can is a tomato can is a tomato can.”
You’re probably saying to yourself or the significant
other (That is if that person is still talking after a
Pattaya Saturday night and not doing “is there someone
in here” routine which just happened to catch you with
a “new friend”.) How the heck can this fight not be
for a world title? Well it is for the meaningless Ring
Magazine World Title which means less than a maiden’s
promise. (“I will love you always or at least until
your baht run out”) back to the why no world title.
Easy! In his last Eric Morales got beaten for the
second time in three tries against Marco Antonio
Berrera (58-4) by the hair of his “chinny-chin-chin”.
How close was it? 113-115, 114 all and 114-115. That
was in November of last year. That fight took place at
130lbs. This one will be contested at the same weight.
Should that be a problem for the Pac Man? Not so you’d
notice. Fighting at 126 he KO’d Marco Antonio Barrera
in 11 stanza’s November of 2003. In fact that was a
fight that had the fight game buzzing that maybe
Barrera should think about hanging’em up. The fight
crowd buzz and 10 baht will allow you to make a local
phone call. In August of last year Pacquiao battered
Juan Manuel Marquez from pillar to post in the MGM
Grand but only got a draw after having Marquez kiss
canvas three times in the first round. The draw came
about because a Nevada Judge (name withheld because
he’s a really good guy) had “brain lock” and didn’t
understand or remember that three knockdowns in one
round is a 10-6 round not 10-7. Marquez escaped with a
draw.
A win for Manny will give him
victories over the
top three Mexican fighters currently active. Last out
the “Pac Man” laid a whipping on 3K Battery, Fahsan
Por Thawatchai (44-7-7) dropped him 4 times in four
rounds. It’s always dangerous to pontificate on the
outcome of a fight. “I don’t know the meaning of the
word dangerous.” Omitting the fact that there are
other words whose meaning also escapes me, I’ll take
Panquaio with a “very” close decision over 12. Say
115-114.
Fahlan Sakreerin (54-4) gets another chance at the an
IBF title On April 3rd. In May of last year he took a
fight in Las Vegas against IBF Light Fly King Jose
Victor Burgos. His hopes lasted 16 minutes and 43
seconds. That equates to a TKO at 1:43 of the 6th
stanza. This time out he gets IBF Minimum Champ
Muhammad Rachman (49-7) of Indonesia in the champs
home town. That home town is called Merauke City in
the Papua Province which is eastern most part
Indonesia. If nothing else, Indonesia leads the boxing
world in ring deaths, which no one seems to care
about. No one axed me but I don’t like Sakreerin’s
chances. If he knocks the champ down once a round for
12 he might get a draw. But I could be wrong.
Some of the local ranked lads have been in action
lately with mixed success. WBO #2 feather Terdsak
Jandaeng (15-0) had no trouble with Dondon Lapuz(4-14)
when they met at The Mall Shopping Center in Bangkok.
Terdsak registered four knockdowns before stopping
Lapuz at 1:20 of the 4th. In an effort to build
Jandaeng’s record he’s put in with a guy that is 4-14
and lost his last 12 on the trot. Here’s a case where
Lapuz is not as bad as his records as he’s been in
with some “really good fighters” Who? Yoddamrong
Sithyodthong (41-2), Somsak Sithchatchawal (40-1) and
Fahprakrob Rakkiatgym (47-3)
The WBO#1 superbantam Sod Looknongyangtoy (22-0) had just as little
trouble as he got a 6 round TKO over
visitor Filipino Jun Macsipoc (17-21). Hard to believe
but true that Macsipoc’s record is even worse than it
look. In his last 22 his 2-17-3. Hell, these match
up’s made the Christians against the Lions look
competitive.
Last Sunday at The Stadthalle in Zwickau Germany,
Aussie Danny Green got his chance to capture the WBC Super Middle Weight
Title for a second time against Champ Markus Beyer. Their first match
ended in some controversy when Green was “DQ’s” by a Yank referee while
ahead on most scored cards. During the lead up Green reckoned that the
fight would go the distance. It did. Beyer indicated that he was ready
for Green’s “tactics.” “I let him surprise me by his rough boxing, the
way he fights, which is sometimes really dirty and unfair. Of course, I
know him better now. I’m
warned... I know what I’m up to this time and I’m
preparing for it... I don’t actually care how the
fight ends, as long as I’m the winner.”
The rematch had none of the controversy
but lots of action. Beyer seemed in control by out boxing Green until
the 12th when a series of uppercuts forced the champ to the ropes.
Referee Cole gave the Beyer a standing 8 count which allowed him to
survive the round. Beyer (32-2) retained his title by a razor thin
majority decision from judges Anek Hongtongkam (Thailand) 114-113, Marty
Denkin (USA) 115-112, Massimo Barrovecchio (?) 114-114. Both Hongtongkam
and Denkin are rated as among the best judges in the world. That’s more
than can be said for Referee Lawrence “The Clown” Cole of the USA who
again may have screwed up a good match. If he did my Pal Steve will be
typing away at the computer. Next week the Pattaya Mail will have a
special report live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Boy this
typing stuff is hard work. Best have a
beverage.
|
|
