By Alphonso Costello
Winky Wright won’t be sporting any new “bling-bling” in his future music video appearances. Wright strayed away from his airtight defensive formula for the second straight fight. In failing to capture the middleweight title, Wright appears to be on the decline.
The tightly contested middleweight bout between Wright and Jermain Taylor was a battle of skill and strength. Taylor dominated the fight in the middle of the ring, using his power to break through Wright’s defensive shield. At the same time, Wright used his ring generalship to punish Taylor against the ropes.
The split decision draw was a justifiable conclusion to an exciting, tough and close fight. Wright should blame himself for not capturing Taylor’s world championship. Wright allowed Taylor to retain the title by giving away the final round.
The former junior-middleweight champion was auditioning for another music video cameo with his twelfth round dancing performance. Wright stepped in the name of love instead of pinning Taylor against the ropes. It’s plain and simple, Wright’s one-two step cost him the middleweight title. He should have taken matters into his own hands instead of reciting a seven-year-old excuse during his post-fight interview.
Contrary to popular belief Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not the world's top pound-for-pound fighter ,but he is the most talented fighter in the world…
Did you know? The World Boxing Council was created by 12 countries in 1963 to unite boxing commissions from around the world and to control the expansion of boxing. Unfortunately, the WBC does the opposite by undercutting regional and global commissions in order to expand its meaty bank account.
Winky Wright is close friends with New York Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield. Too bad Sheffield’s power hasn’t rubbed off on the “hard luck” middleweight...
Oscar De La Hoya’s decision to delay his inevitable retirement was a sound resolution. The “Golden Boy” wants to maintain his legacy as one of the great champions of all-time. Yet, he doesn’t want to be labeled as a fighter who hung on too long. Besides, a lucrative showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is too scintillating to pass up.
Shannon Briggs is blazing a trail straight to a world title by destroying unknown stiffs. For his efforts, the NABA named Briggs the Fighter of the Month for June.
Why was there such shock and outrage at Jose Luis Castillo’s failure to make weight for his June 3rd showdown with Diego Corrales? Castillo struggled and failed to make weight in the first rematch. When Corrales went down with an alleged rib injury, Castillo failed to make weight against last minute substitute Rolando Reyes. In addition to Castillo, others must be held accountable for the weigh-in fiasco. This incident also falls on the shoulders of Gary Shaw and Bob Arum in association with the WBC and the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Diego Corrales’ safety was a focal point during the June 2nd fight cancellation. However, the well-being of a fighter who can no longer make the 135-pound weight limit was overlooked.
In light of Jose Luis Castillo’s “disgraceful” failure to make weight, let’s look at other disgraceful moments in boxing history:
-Phantom knockouts and fixed fights
-Hitting a fighter with two illegal punches and instigating a 30-man battle royal
-Biting another fighter’s ear off
-Controversial ringside scoring
-Losing a championship bout and allowing the former champion to retain his world title
-Countless number of scorecard discrepancies
-Using banned substances to gain an unfair advantage
-Continuously fouling an opponent and setting off an arena-wide riot
-Stripping a champion of his world title for monetary/political purposes
-Big name promoters bribing sanctioning bodies to manipulate the championship rankings
Floyd Mayweather Jr. officially vacated his worthless IBF welterweight title. His generous act forces the IBF to match up its two top contenders to crown a new paper titlist…
Antonio Tarver boxed more like his “Magic Man” moniker, pulling off a disappearing act during his light-heavyweight championship loss to Bernard Hopkins.
“The Executioner” is a true warrior who should be appreciated for his toughness, skill and ring savvy. A true throwback fighter that will grow in stature with each passing year. Decades from now Bernard’s legacy will be greater than what it is today.
Don King’s loquacious blather doesn’t measure up to Bob Arum’s outlandish hyperbole…
It’s back to “Growing Up Gotti” for Paul Malignaggi. The would-be contender wasn’t slick enough to avoid a punishing Miguel Cotto beat down. However, he proved to be more than flash by enduring the twelve round trouncing. The amount of punishment Malignaggi absorbed was truly courageous.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. whipped another corn fed mid-western handyman during the Cotto-Malignaggi undercard. Now it’s time for him to step up and face a Los Angeles hot dog street vendor…
Rob Calloway Alert: The “All-American Prizefighter” will be in action on July 21 in Oklahoma City. The 57-win veteran will be taking on David Robinson. Not be confused with the former NBA star, Robinson is a 39-year old hometown punching bag with a career record of 23-53-4.
Despite his recent hand injury Joe Calzaghe is boxing’s true pound-for-pound king…
Calvin Brock’s ascent atop the heavyweight rankings has produced a flawless 29-0 record. The 31-year old “Boxing Banker” is now in title contention with his victory over Timur Ibragimov.
On the other hand, Brock is one decisive loss away from becoming a heavyweight disappointment, joining the likes of Dominick Guinn, Monte Barrett and Kirk Johnson.
It’s not easy losing weight just ask James Toney…
Roy Jones Jr. is set to fight “Prince” Badi Ajamu on July 29 in Boise, Idaho. The former light-heavyweight champion will be vying for Ajamu’s obscure regional title.
Instead of living in his own private Idaho by continuing his boxing career, Jones should pack his bags and head to Del Boca Vista…
It’s back to Warrior University for Rocky Juarez. He has signed on to fight a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera on September 16. Their controversial bout on May 20 was a close, hard fought battle. Give credit to Barrera and Golden Boy Promotions for giving Juarez a well-earned and much deserved rematch.
The boxing public should be treated to a Joe Calzaghe-Winky Wright showdown this fall on HBO…
Carlos Quintana propelled himself atop the welterweight rankings with his impressive win over Joel Julio. Quintana figures to give any top welterweight a tough time with his great boxing skills.
Muscle weighs more than fat and so does the almighty dollar…
Bob Arum can breathe a huge sigh of relief. The FBI officially dropped its 2 ½-year inquiry into Arum’s Las Vegas based promotional company. Top Rank was being investigated for allegedly fixing boxing matches. The investigation proved no wrongdoing and no indictments were handed down.
“Baby” Joe Mesi shouldn’t continue his boxing career after looking slow and sluggish during his ESPN2 televised fight. Mesi should preserve his health and strongly consider working in a meatpacking house.
A man unable to lose 4 ½ pounds is not a “disgrace” it is called human nature…
Chump of the Month (multiple winners):
-Clifford Etienne: The former heavyweight was sentenced to 150 years in prison for attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery. How many years would Jose Luis Castillo get for being overweight?
-Peter McNeely: Best known for his 1995 loss to Mike Tyson, McNeely was charged and arrested for driving a getaway car in an armed robbery. If McNeely needs a payday, he could help pad Shannon Briggs’ stellar 47-4-1 record.
-Andrew Golota: The Chicago area resident is facing multiple weapons charges and is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault that occurred in his home. If convicted Golota faces a maximum sentence of 150 low blows to the groin…
Alphonso Costello can be reached at acostello@boxingscene.com
