By Alphonso Costello
Similar to the proud and mighty Aztec civilization, the careers of Fernando Vargas and Arturo Gatti are headed toward extinction. Dispatched by crushing left hooks, HBO’s most beloved moneymaking warriors crumbled in defeat.
Shane Mosley’s first legitimate knockout victory at the 154-pound level demonstrates how frail Vargas’ body has become. If Vargas decides to continue his boxing career, any commission willing to give him a license should be terminated. However, Vargas’ post-fight behavior may suggest he is ready to retire at the age of 28.
Similarity, Arturo Gatti fell to Argentina’s new boxing sensation Carlos Baldomir, a week after Vargas suffered his fourth career loss. Failing to capture the welterweight championship, Gatti’s fighting spirit never died. After the fight, Gatti seemingly acknowledged that his career might have come to an end.
Bush League Screwjobs: It’s commonplace to see a fighter get robbed of a hard-earned victory in the state of Florida. The Florida Boxing Commission lacks consistency, integrity and intelligence. Appointed by the Governor, the five-member boxing commission employs incompetent judges that render deplorable decisions.
Any boxing commission regulated by a member of the Bush family has no credibility…
Trainer Kevin Cunningham did a magnificent job during Cory Spinks’ title winning bout against Roman Karmazin. Spinks was able to tug the IBF Jr. Middleweight belt away from Karmazin by following Cunningham’s intense and animated instructions.
Although, Cunningham guided Spinks to a majority decision victory, he couldn’t control Spinks’ emotions during the post-fight interview.
Spinks made Nancy Kerrigan look like John Wayne. His cries of joy were truly emasculating.
Those castrating sounds emanating from the Savvis Center in St. Louis were strong enough to impale one’s manhood…
Raw substance over Hollywood gimmicks is the way to go for “The Contender” reality television series. The show’s producers should allow the boxing matches to stand on its own without using motion picture editing techniques to mislead the television audience.
Decking a sparring partner in a training session is like hitting a homerun in batting practice…
Prize Fight Boxing announced the return of the “Swamp Donkey” Adam Richards. The 25-year old sports a 14-1 record with 11 wins coming by way of knockout. Richards will be facing Tipton Walker 13-12-2 (6 KO’s) in a six-round bout on August 26.
With a name like “Swamp Donkey,” it’s just a matter of time before we see Richards get whipped by the “Ballroom Bully” Shannon Briggs…
In a deep and talented welterweight division, fighters are now writing open letters to each other in hopes of landing a lucrative fight. Then again, no one is willing to take on a high-stakes challenge.
In other words, the future of the welterweight division is in the hands of a 154-pounder…
Cheering on Gatti: A little more than a month after being brutally beaten by Miguel Cotto, Paul Malignaggi attended the welterweight title showdown between Carlos Baldomir and Arturo Gatti.
Viewed as one of boxing’s future stars, Malignaggi’s slick boxing style, courage and penchant for absorbing punishment are traits that can turn the light-hitting boxer into a successful attraction.
A sly marketing campaign may capture the public’s imagination if he’s advertised as a hybrid version of Arturo Gatti and Hector “Macho” Camacho…
Rematches are made to settle a disputed score, not milk the public out of their hard-earned cash…
Boxing enthusiasts will enjoy shelling out $49.95 to watch the heavyweight title fight between Hasim Rahman and Oleg Maskaev, as much as Spike Lee enjoyed the high school basketball film “Hoosiers.”
It would be fascinating to see “Soul Train” Cory Spinks go toe-to-toe with Winky Wright in a future edition of “Dancing with the Stars.” Both fighters can engage in a twelve-round dance off…
After scoring a knock out victory on the July 12th edition of ESPN2’s “Wednesday Night Fights”, Jason Litzau received a post-fight scolding from Teddy Atlas. It seems Litzau’s youthful exuberance was too much for Atlas and the candid fight analyst told Litzau to calm down.
Yet, that youthful exuberance figures to propel Litzau into superstardom. His confidence and fighting spirit could turn him into boxing’s next cult-hero.
Police Blotter: Former Heavyweight Champion James “Buster” Douglas joins a long list of former heavyweights to have a run-in with the law.
Douglas, 46, faces a maximum of six months in jail for falsifying an application for a motorcycle license. At least he didn’t charge a Pay-Per-View fee of $24.95 to stage a fight in Boise, Idaho…
Any chance of seeing Martin Castillo square off against Jorge Arce or Rafael Marquez has been derailed by Japan’s Nobuo Nashiro. In his eighth professional bout, Nashiro knocked out Castillo in the 10th round to capture the WBA super flyweight title.
One fighter’s demise is another fighter’s opportunity to flourish in the spotlight…
Surely, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has faced a high number of quality opponents in his career. However, his resume pales in comparison to the list of fighters he has apparently eluded in recent months.
Mayweather sidestepped the likes of Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Winky Wright, in hopes of finding the “Golden” jackpot at the end of the rainbow.
In all likelihood, Mayweather doesn’t fear his welterweight adversaries. His reluctance to fight anyone but Oscar De La Hoya is nothing more than a calculating business decision.
Showboating antics like turning away from an opponent to chitchat with ringside announcers is like driving down a busy highway with your eyes closed…
Sadly, Evander Holyfield is continuing his boxing career in quest of winning the undisputed heavyweight championship. His August 18th fight against Jeremy Bates is a disaster waiting to happen. Winning another heavyweight title is a far-fetched idea.
Holyfield should end his delusional pursuit of capturing another world title by auditioning for the role of Vincent Chase’s bodyguard on the HBO series “Entourage.”
Warriors Boxing staged an exciting title elimination bout between heavyweights Sultan Ibragimov and Ray Austin on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” Both fighters rewarded the Florida based promotional company with an exciting momentum-changing bout. The hotly contested IBF title eliminator was declared a draw.
A rematch is inevitable, since there happens to be a score to settle…
Being called “The Quiet Man” is a misnomer for the heavyweight bore-fest John Ruiz. According to a press release, Ruiz is patiently awaiting the return of his prized memorabilia from his former trainer Norman Stone. Ruiz says Stone is in possession of robes, trunks, gloves, shoes and championship belts.
In most circumstances, those items tend to belong to professional prizefighters…
Jermain Taylor has a long list of opponents to choose from for his next middleweight title defense. He should consider fighting Sam Soliman or Kelly Pavlick, not a glorified 6-round prospect pretending to be a world-class contender…
Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera may be joining Fernando Vargas and Arturo Gatti in a retirement home later this year. Both fighters are running low on the amount of punishment they can endure. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to engage in all-out wars. As their tolerance for pain decreases, the risk of a serious bodily injury increases.
Having officially announced their respective bouts, Morales and Barrera are in the final stages of their glorious prizefighting careers.
With nothing left to prove both fighters should exit the sport and plan a trip to Canastota, New York in five years…
Chump of the Month: Zab Judah.
According to the New York Post, Judah was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to pay child support after participating in a celebrity basketball game on July 23rd. Judah was taken into custody at Madison Square Garden and spent the night in jail.
Guess that’s better than playing basketball for the New York Knicks…
Questioning the manhood of fighter that knowingly and willingly risks his life to quench the public’s thirst for “blood and guts” can only be found in boxing.
Alphonso Costello can be reached at acostello@boxingscene.com
