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I was thinking about how fights, careers and legacies can easily turn on a dime. It may be one round or even a single punch. Very often , the difference is being able to bridge just a few seconds in a fight.
FOR EXAMPLE, imagine how different things would have been if Shane Mosley landed ONE more big bomb on Floyd in the second round. Or if Manny was able to floor Marquez ONE more time in the first round of their first fight.
I was thinking about Miguel Cotto. I think he sucks at "fighting hurt". Every time Miguel gets buzzed, it's readily apparent and he either has to pull a miracle (Torres) or get dirty (Judah)... or he simply runs away until he gets knocked out (Margarito, Pacquiao). He doesn't clinch, doesn't know how to bide time, doesn't know how to turn an opponent in the ring.
Diego Corrales (RIP) was great at fighting hurt. He recovered quickly, but more importantly, he stays calm and throws sharp punches while hurt. Arturo Gatti (RIP) fought great while hurt. In addition to Mayweather and Marquez that I mentioned above, Casamayor fights great while hurt. He keeps his wits and makes smart decisions.
Juan Diaz doesn't know what to do when he gets hurt. He has more balls than brains.
I see that Popo is coming back. I used to think that he was a great 'hurt fighter' because of his Barrios fight. But then I saw he had the 'quit gene'. I don't think he was even really that hurt against either Chico or Baby Bull.
Victor Ortiz has learned. That was a helluva punch that Berto landed in the sixth round. Better than any of Maidana's punches. But he stayed calm. Soeaking of which, props to Maidana for getting up from that Khan bodyshot. caught cold, and muscled through it.
Zab Judah seems to have learned. I was very impressed by the way Judah survived vs Mathysse. When he went down, I thought the fight was 30 seconds from over. That had been Judah's history.
Whenever you land a good shot on Floyd, he immediately puts his back against the ropes. Trainers tell you NOT to do this, but Floyd is special. In the middle of the ring, punches can come from more angles. Against the ropes, he can limit your options.
Pacquiao is so seldom hurt (recently) that it's hard to tell. He recovers quickly, but I was a bit concerned that he almost sat on the bottom rope from Marg's bodyshot. A faster-handed guy would have swarmed his head.
If you hurt Wlad, you are nearly assured of beating him.
Both Jones and Hopkins had Calzaghe hurt early, and Joe came back nicely.
Carl Froch is a G.
If you hurt Jermain Taylor, it's a wrap.
When you hurt Ricky Hatton, he would either go straight backward, or straight forward.
Amir Khan thinks that he proved something against Maidana. I disagree. What I saw was a guy who was on ice skates for the last three rounds.
FOR EXAMPLE, imagine how different things would have been if Shane Mosley landed ONE more big bomb on Floyd in the second round. Or if Manny was able to floor Marquez ONE more time in the first round of their first fight.
I was thinking about Miguel Cotto. I think he sucks at "fighting hurt". Every time Miguel gets buzzed, it's readily apparent and he either has to pull a miracle (Torres) or get dirty (Judah)... or he simply runs away until he gets knocked out (Margarito, Pacquiao). He doesn't clinch, doesn't know how to bide time, doesn't know how to turn an opponent in the ring.
Diego Corrales (RIP) was great at fighting hurt. He recovered quickly, but more importantly, he stays calm and throws sharp punches while hurt. Arturo Gatti (RIP) fought great while hurt. In addition to Mayweather and Marquez that I mentioned above, Casamayor fights great while hurt. He keeps his wits and makes smart decisions.
Juan Diaz doesn't know what to do when he gets hurt. He has more balls than brains.
I see that Popo is coming back. I used to think that he was a great 'hurt fighter' because of his Barrios fight. But then I saw he had the 'quit gene'. I don't think he was even really that hurt against either Chico or Baby Bull.
Victor Ortiz has learned. That was a helluva punch that Berto landed in the sixth round. Better than any of Maidana's punches. But he stayed calm. Soeaking of which, props to Maidana for getting up from that Khan bodyshot. caught cold, and muscled through it.
Zab Judah seems to have learned. I was very impressed by the way Judah survived vs Mathysse. When he went down, I thought the fight was 30 seconds from over. That had been Judah's history.
Whenever you land a good shot on Floyd, he immediately puts his back against the ropes. Trainers tell you NOT to do this, but Floyd is special. In the middle of the ring, punches can come from more angles. Against the ropes, he can limit your options.
Pacquiao is so seldom hurt (recently) that it's hard to tell. He recovers quickly, but I was a bit concerned that he almost sat on the bottom rope from Marg's bodyshot. A faster-handed guy would have swarmed his head.
If you hurt Wlad, you are nearly assured of beating him.
Both Jones and Hopkins had Calzaghe hurt early, and Joe came back nicely.
Carl Froch is a G.
If you hurt Jermain Taylor, it's a wrap.
When you hurt Ricky Hatton, he would either go straight backward, or straight forward.
Amir Khan thinks that he proved something against Maidana. I disagree. What I saw was a guy who was on ice skates for the last three rounds.
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