Vitali Klitschko Is Underrated!

I feel Vitali Klitschko is extremely underrated by boxing fans and doesn't get the credit he is deserved. Yeah, Vitali Klitschko fights in a weak heavyweight era, but that's not his fault; Vitali takes care of business every time out and is always in shape. You cannot say that about any of the heavyweight pretenders on the scene. What other 6'7'' 250 pound behemoth heavyweight do you know who can fight moving backwards? I'll answer that for you: None.

Vitali Klitschko isn't the prettiest looking heavyweight, but he's effective; as you saw last weekend when he put on a clinic against Chris Arreola. Vitali boxed beautifully - fighting going backwards, while being pressured hard by Arreola - dodging punches and then countering. And not running out of steam. Klitschko was on pace to throw 1000 punches, had the fight went the full distance!

When you put Vitali Klitschko into proper perspective, you'll see that he would have been a decent challenge for any heavyweight in history. Vitali has the size, footwork, speed, chin, power and an unorthodox, yet effective boxing style to be a threat to any past all time great.

Vitali might not have the athleticism of his younger brother, but I feel his defense is superior to Wlad's.

Vitali has also never been behind in a fight - even the two fights that he lost. He was up on the judge's scorecards in the Chris Byrd fight, and against Lennox Lewis.

I think Vitali Klitschko has already secured himself as an ATG. Some will argue against that - but at the very least, he's a shoe in for the hall of fame.

You can best define Vitali Klitschko's greatness by the fact that he took 4 years off from boxing - comes back in his first fight to dominate a legit heavyweight belt holder - dominating where he left off. I don't care who you are; coming back to compete at the highest level of the sport, after being absent for close to 5 years, is amazing.

The older Klitschko brother is 38 years young and looks better than ever. I don't see anyone out there posing a threat to him, besides David Haye.

Vitali is a rare athlete, great fighter, and clearly underrated by boxing fans.

Vitali Klitschko Vs. Chris Arreola - Full Fight

Is Time Running Out For Manny Pacquiao?

Part of the problem boxing fans have, is constantly looking into the future, without living in and appreciating the now. The time has come for boxing fans to stop, and cherish what we have in fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, the Klitschko brothers and especially Manny Pacquiao.

Even though Manny Pacquiao is in his prime, there is already talk by his trainer, Freddie Roach, that time is short for his fighter; Manny himself has discussed an interest in politics. Roach recently had this to say:

“If he retires after this (Cotto) fight I’ll be fine with that also,” Roach told the Inquirer over breakfast at the Manor Hotel in Baguio City Monday.

“If negotiations with Mayweather fail and Manny wins against Cotto, he’ll be having seven world titles. Nobody has done that before, so there’s nothing else to prove.”

http://sports.inquirer.net/professional/professional/view/20090929-227376/Roach-not-looking-past-Cotto-Mayweather

I think we're witnessing one ore two more big fights from Pacquiao, before he calls it quits. If Manny does get past Cotto, he'll likely face Floyd Mayweather Jr., and win or lose, that will probably be his last fight. And who can blame Manny? He's had a tremendous career and given boxing fans some great fights to watch.

The only troubling thing about the retirement talk now is, it's so close to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Hopefully it isn't a sign that Manny has lost his passion for the sport. He needs to bring the fire against Cotto. He needs to bring it all. Because if Manny has lost even an ounce of passion for the sport, Cotto will snuff out what's left of the flame.

Roy Jones Jr. And Bernard Hopkins To Fight In Early 2010

Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins have signed a deal to face each other in early 2010, according to ESPN writer, Dan Rafael:

"Sixteen years ago they fought each other and went on and made history in their own way," said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins' promoter. "Each one is considered today as ring royalty. That's why I think when those two guys are going to fight it will be to determine who will be king of the ring. We went back and forth for so long, but we finally pulled it off. They both signed and they will fight. It will be a truly historic showdown. A lot of people didn't believe it would ever happen. But guess what? It's going to happen."

Dan Rafael's full column can be read here: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4504737

Roy Jones will first have to get past Australian, Danny Green. Roy said he thought about pulling out of the fight with Green, but decided against it, because he already gave his word and signed a contract. Roy will be facing Green in Australia, December 2.

It's good that Jones is keeping his word, but I still think he should cancel his fight with Green, in order to focus attention on Bernard Hopkins. And there is always the possibility that Green upsets Jones. If that happens the fight with Bernard Hopkins will be in jeopardy ; Hopkins wouldn't want to face a Roy Jones Jr. that was knocked out in a previous bout, and I'm sure fans wouldn't be hyped up enough to order the ppv.

Anyway, I'm ecstatic that this fight will finally be made. I feel Roy Jones' style will give Bernard Hopkins enough trouble, even now. I'm picking Jones by UD - if the fight really materializes. Crossing my fingers!

Max Kellerman Is Forgiven - Larry Merchant Needs To Go!

I can forgive Max Kellerman for the horrible interview he conducted after the Marquez-Mayweather fight. It's now more apparent than ever, after watching last night's fight on HBO, Larry Merchant is past his prime and over the hill. He needs to go!

Larry Merchant is an HBO boxing icon. He'll always be remembered for his funny (sometimes witty) remarks. But for the last couple of years, he's taken on the image of a drunken old man - and sounds like one too!

Last night was painful; usually I welcome Larry Merchant's wise remarks, but he's gotten to the point where he can't think on his feet like he used to. He rambles on, usually during the most exciting and important parts of a fight, where Jim Lampley is/should be explaining what the viewer is witnessing. For those of us who understand boxing, I guess it isn't a big deal, but there are a lot of casual boxing fans who do not have the hardcore fans' knowledge of boxing. And from listening to the HBO crew for years, it's apart of the routine as a viewer to hear good, flowing commentary. That isn't the case anymore, thanks to Larry Merchant.

There were parts in the fight where you could tell even Lampley was getting annoyed by Merchant's long, drawn-out rambling. At least Max Kellerman can speak fast enough and make his point without interrupting the flow of the commentary.

Larry, we love you, but you have overextended your stay.

Vitali Klitschko Dominates Chris Arreola

Vitali Klitschko successfully defended his WBC belt Saturday night, dominating and putting enough beating on Arreola that his corner eventually stopped the fight, before round 11.

Chris Arreola certainly made the fight interesting, even though it was one-sided in Vitali's favor. Chris made Vitali fight on the move for the majority of the fight, and didn't really let him relax. Arreola gave it his all, but it just wasn't enough to overcome Klitschko's size and boxing ability.

This fight was interesting in my eyes, because Chris seemed to push himself and try harder than previous Vitali challengers. So many times, after Vitali or his brother come away with the win, fans come with the ready made excuse of, "If only the challenger tried harder, or put some effort in." Well, Arreola did, and it wasn't enough - not by a long shot. This fight just reinforces my opinion that Vitali, not Wlad, is the best heavyweight in the world.

Vitali arm punches, and doesn't put his weight behind his shots, unlike his brother Wladimir, but Vitali, unlike Wlad, can improvise - and he's far better defensively. Not to mention, Vitali has the better chin between the two and is more game.

Even more impressive about this dominant win for Vitali, is the fact that he's 38 years old! In every round he was busier than Chris Arreola, the younger man, while constantly on the move.

I rate this win as one of Vitali's most impressive performances.

So what is next for Vitali Klitschko? Well, I would love to see him fight his brother; if that is not an option (and it's probably not), I'd like to see him face Eddie Chambers.

Mayweather-Marquez Generates A Million PPV Buys

So much for boxing being dead as a lot of UFC/MMA fanboys like to say. The Mayweather-Marquez bout did over a million ppv buys.

Mayweather-Marquez went up against UFC 103 on the night. It has been reported that UFC 103 did around 500,000 ppv buys.

Dana White was constantly saying, in the lead up to the fight, that no one was interested in the Marquez-Mayweather fight - and went on record saying that UFC 103 would generate more ppv buys. It looks like Dana White has to eat crow, along with the very vocal UFC fanboys. And this also proves, boxing is far from dead.