Jay's Play: Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley
First of all, to give us some reference, let's go over the odds on the welterweight title fight between Miguel Angel Cotto and Shane Mosley, as they come from my friends over at BetUS.com:
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Charles Jay
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36 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Charles Jay byline.
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Latest Articles by Charles Jay
The Golden Acquisition of The Ring - Part 2
By Charles Jay - For a brief moment, I was wondering whether it would have been appropriate to rename this two-part story "The Good, The Bad and The Oh-So Lovely." But I've managed to contain myself. And so: ON THE OTHER HAND............ What are the ramifications attached to the acquisition by a subsidiary of Golden Boy Companies (i.e., Oscar De La Hoya) of The Ring magazine? What does it really mean for the boxing world, and is there something potentially harmful about it? Let's start by taking a look at the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which was passed back in the year 2000. Right at the top, under the section called "Findings," you will find this: "(4) The sanctioning organizations which have proliferated in the boxing industry have not established credible and objective criteria to rate professional boxers, and operate with virtually no industry or public oversight. Their ratings are susceptible to manipulation, have deprived boxers of fair opportunities for advancement, and have undermined public confidence in the integrity of the sport." And underneath that, "(5) Open competition in the professional boxing industry has been significantly interfered with by restrictive and anti-competitive business practices of certain promoters and sanctioning bodies, to the detriment of the athletes and the ticket-buying public. Common practices of promoters and sanctioning organizations represent restraints of interstate trade in the United States."
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The Golden Acquisition of The Ring - Part 1
By Charles Jay - Ring magazine, along with sister publications KO and World Boxing (not to mention Pro Wrestling Illustrated) have just been purchased by Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Companies through a subsidiary called Sports & Entertainment Publications, LLC. Almost immediately following the announcement of the sale, there was buzz throughout the boxing grapevine, both good and bad, along with a number of questions that must naturally be pondered. Among them: Does it constitute a groundbreaking convergence of marketing, media and promotion that will bring more beneficial attention to boxing, or a dangerous conflict of interest that will further bring down the reputation of a sport that doesn't need any more black eyes? Should we celebrate along with the undisputed box office champion of boxing, or be suspicious that he is actually getting too powerful? Is this a transaction that is entirely motivated by self-interest, for purposes of monopoly and manipulation, or is the intent to have an effect of improving the overall image of the industry, thus creating more value and helping everyone? Is this even significant enough to be the focus of much discussion or concern? This is some of the terrain we will attempt to traverse in this two-part commentary. ON THE ONE HAND........... I can understand exactly why De La Hoya would want to buy the publication, from a sentimental perspective. He says he grew up reading the magazine, anxiously anticipating its arrival each month. There are very few brand names that have the characteristics of recognizability and tradition, and Ring is one of them. The opportunity to revive something that is perceived in such a light is difficult for someone with sufficient financial wherewithal to pass up, and when those kinds of visions are dancing around in your head, possible conflicts of interest aren't the foremost thing on your mind.
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World Cup of Boxing: The Final Analysis
Daniel Ponce de Leon was not incredibly impressive against Gerry Penalosa, at least as far as getting his opponent out of there. But he did win by ten points on two of the judges' scorecards and twelve points on the third. And consider that Penalosa was a veteran opponent in every sense of the word; a former world champion with an 18-year career. Bautista is quite the opposite, in that he is 21 years old, a pro for only four years and a fighter who has not been in with a lot of world-class opponents.
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David Diaz-Erik Morales: The Final Analysis
I think I remember having David Diaz on my radio show in Miami once. I can't be absolutely sure, because it was so damn long ago. The point is, that's how long it's taken this guy to get his career to a place where he can be in a real meaningful fight. On Saturday night he'll have that fight against Erik Morales. For all the time that has passed, though, the timing for this fight might not be too bad.
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The Final Analysis - Hopkins vs. Wright
One has to regard the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright fight as important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is a clash between two of the world's best fighters - both now and over the past 5-10 years. At the same time, one couldn't be blamed for being a little apprehensive about this bout from the standpoint of pure thrills, inasmuch as these are two boxer-types who like to play the chess match, and who seem perfectly content engaging in a marathon as opposed to a sprint.
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'300' Not Such a Magic Number in Boxing
By Charles Jay - The number "300" is magic if you're on the Pro Bowlers Tour. In boxing, that's not the case.
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The Final Analysis - Super Saturday Lines, Picks
By Charles Jay - I did a daily radio show at one time in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Part of it involved handicapping football games. I was having a good year, hitting about 63% of my games. There was a guy who came on the air before me who would boast about how he hit 65% of his football games, and what I realized after a while was that he was picking the straight-up winners of games, rather than doing it by the pointspread.
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Klitschko vs. Brewster - The Final Analysis
By Charles Jay - People have a tendency to overreact to fighters, especially in the heavyweight division, often on the basis of fights that shouldn't be a reliable barometer. You've heard about "great white hopes" or lately "great American hopes." Well, let's just say people are extremely "hopeful." A couple of years ago, the subject of a lot of this hope was Lamon Brewster, a fighter who had lost to fighters like Charles Shufford and Cliff Etienne but then pulled a rabbit out of a hat to knock out Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO heavyweight title in April 2004.
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Hatton vs. Castillo: The Final Analysis
An old matchmaker once told me, "There ain't nothin' like a good, two-fisted brawl." No there ain't. Maybe that's what we have in store for us on Saturday night in Las Vegas, as Jose Luis Castillo and Ricky Hatton get together with the IBO junior welterweight title belt on the line. It's a nice strategic fight for both, because Castillo, after some very weird stuff having happened to him and around him over the past couple of years, looks for an opportunity to make people forget about his weight problems and the controversy surrounding his fights with Diego Corrales, while Hatton sees himself taking another step toward becoming boxing's next worldwide superstar. I don't know if this fight will get him there, but a victory would almost undoubtedly lead to the opportunity to take this sport's audience by the throat.
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