Can Pacquiao Rebound Against Rios?

There is little doubt that Manny Pacquiao has become a box office superstar for the sport of Boxing. After an unprecedented winning streak that lasted over seven years, which saw Pacquiao climb up the weight scale to not only defeat men who were bigger than himself, but frankly dominate them in the eyes of most observers. This winning streak included victories over such notables as Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Antonio Margarito just to name a few.

Prior to his controversial decision loss to Timothy Bradley in June 2012, there was a consensus among Boxing fans and experts alike that Pacquiao was certainly one of the two best pound for pound fighters in the world, rivaling only Floyd Mayweather in the eyes of most. Despite the controversial loss however, many did not consider the loss as damaging to Pacquiao in the sport’s mythical pound for pound ratings. Although Timothy Bradley was deemed to be the winner that fight, many did not consider it to be a legitimate victory over Pacquiao due to the controversial scoring of that bout.

In the minds of many the only fighter who had come close to defeating Pacquiao since his 2005 loss in his first fight with Erik Morales was Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez, who had fought Pacquiao in three close battles with a healthy difference of opinion as to who won those fights. Pacquiao earned close decisions in two of three of those encounters, having earned a draw against Marquez in their first fight in 2004. Although Pacquiao was victorious in two of those fights, those fights frankly could have gone either way. This fueled demand for a fourth fight between the two future Hall of Famers.

In a fight that was just as exciting and just as violent as the previous encounters, the two warriors battled each other, unlike the first three fights however, Marquez who had been knocked down in two of the first three fights was able to turn the tables on Pacquiao knocking him down in the third round for the first time since his fight against Nedal Hussien in October of 2000 when Pacquiao was competing as a 122lb. Jr. Featherweight. 

Despite the knockdown Pacquiao was able to rebound and score a knockdown of Marquez in the fifth round. Pacquiao inflicted much damage to Marquez who suffered a broken nose during this contest and was a bloody mess. Pacquiao continued to punish Marquez for much of round six and seemed to have him in trouble when a sudden and devastating right hand by Marquez knocked Pacquiao out cold with only seconds remaining in the round. Manny Pacquiao had suffered his first loss since 2005 and his first knockout loss since losing the WBC World Flyweight championship to Medgoen Singsurat in Thailand in 1999.

The loss to Marquez is viewed by most as the first legitimate loss Pacquiao has suffered since his first fight with Erik Morales. Now eleven months after suffering that devastating knockout, Pacquiao returns to the ring against rising star Brandon Rios in Macau, China on November 23rd.

The obvious question that will face Pacquiao in this fight is what affect did the knockout at the hands of Marquez have on him? As a lifelong fan and in many years of covering the sport of Boxing, I have seen several devastating knockouts. Marquez’ knockout of Pacquiao ranks among the most devastating that I have seen. 

Although there is no dispute as to how devastating that knockout was, it is important to remember the sudden nature in which that knockout occurred. One could make a justifiable argument that Pacquiao was in control of that fight right up until it’s sudden and dramatic conclusion. Some have said that Marquez may have landed a lucky punch. This observer respectfully disagrees. Upon the knockout taking place thoughts began to run through my mind of an MMA bout between MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin that ended under similar circumstances which took place at UFC 115 in June of 2010.

In that contest much like Pacquiao, Liddell had Franklin hurt and was caught by a right hand by Franklin which brought the fight to a sudden and dramatic conclusion with just seconds remaining in the first round. The similarity is that both Liddell and Pacquiao were caught by right hands as they pressed forward and walked into the punch. In both cases neither fighter saw the punch coming. There was no luck involved in either knockout. Much like Marquez, Franklin was able to capitalize on an opening that his opponent left him in a split second. Much as this observer has said many times over the years that anything can happen at any given time in the sport of Boxing, the same holds true throughout all of combat sports.

The one question that I have in my mind as this fight approaches is not only what affect did the knockout have on Pacquiao, but also if it will affect how he fights? What has made Manny Pacquiao so difficult for his opponents is his ability to throw punches from every conceivable angle and his ability to throw punches anticipation of where a fighter will move. He hits them where they ain’t.  

Pacquiao also has the ability to overwhelm opponents with speed do to his ability to use angles to set up his offense. It will be interesting to see if Pacquiao will take a more measured approach in his attack particularly if he is able to hurt Rios. 

For Rios this is the biggest fight of his career. Rios, who has previously held interim/regular status in the WBA’s Lightweight ratings has an exciting come forward pressure style and can punch. Rios has registered a near 70% career knockout ratio in his career and has scored exciting knockouts over the likes of Urbano Antillon, John Murray, and Mike Alvarado just to name a few.

Rios comes into this fight following two exciting battles with Mike Alvarado, scoring a knockout win in the first fight in October of last year and suffering the first loss of his career via unanimous decision in the rematch, in his last fight in March of this year. A question that could be asked is what affect have those wars had on Rios as this fight approaches? Both Pacquiao and Rios have been through grueling battles throughout their respective careers, but it goes without saying that the toll a fighter goes through is different for each fighter. One has to wonder what toll those battles have had on both fighters.

It will be interesting to see how Rios will deal with Pacquiao’s lateral movement and ability to use angles. Some may expect Rios to implement pressure from the opening bell and attempt to cut the ring off and neutralize Pacquiao’s movement. A task that has proven to be easier said than done for previous Pacquiao opponents. Rios did seem to have trouble in his April 2012 bout with Richard Abril. In that fight Abril used lateral movement to keep Rios at distance and seemed to get off first with his offense throughout most of the fight. Although Rios would score a controversial split decision victory, most observers this one included felt that Abril won the fight decisively. Even though the styles of Pacquiao and Abril are different,  it will be interesting to see if Pacquiao intends to fight Rios in a similar way. 

Although some may feel that Rios’ style is tailor made for Pacquiao, Rios is definitely dangerous and should not be taken lightly. Pacquiao after all is coming off of a knockout loss and one might argue that he has more to prove than Rios in this fight.

What looks to be an exciting fight between two exciting fighters was overshadowed somewhat earlier this week by an altercation that took place between Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach and members of the Rios camp at a gym in Macau where both fighters are making final preparations for the bout. The dispute started when Roach asked Rios trainer Robert Garcia for his camp to leave due to it being the scheduled time for Pacquiao to train. Garcia and the Rios camp refused and it resulted in a physical altercation between Alex Ariza the former strength and conditioning coach for Pacquiao, now with the Rios camp and Freddie Roach. Video of the altercation showed  Ariza kicking Roach in the chest resulting in a melee.

Although it is understandable that tensions would be high so close to a fight where both sides do not care for one another, it is unfortunate when things like this happen. Some may believe that this was an attempt to somehow hype this fight, but this observer believes that if it was, it definitely wasn’t warranted and that this fight did not need any hype whatsoever. Hopefully the incident will not be what is most remembered when all is said and done.  This fight potentially could be a fight of the year candidate.  Both Pacquiao and Rios are warriors in the ring what more could the public ask for?

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow  Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

David Tua Calls It A Career Following Loss To Alexander Ustinov

When the soon to be forty-one-year-old former Heavyweight contender David Tua entered the ring to face rising contender Alexander Ustinov on November 16^th  in Hamilton, New Zealand there was a healthy sense of curiosity going into the fight. Tua was after all entering the ring coming off of a two-year layoff. In addition to that the 5’10 236lb. Tua would have to contend with a fighter who is nearly 6’8 and outweighed him by fifty-six pounds. The natural curiosity in a fight where there is such a difference in both size and weight is whether or not the smaller man can get on the inside of the bigger and taller man, and more specifically can the smaller man do so without being tied up and find ways to be effective more than occasionally with his offense.

Although Tua was seemingly at a disadvantage, the one question that I had in my mind as this fight approached was how Ustinov would respond if David Tua could get close enough to land his power punches. When the fight got underway Ustinov made his natural advantages immediately apparent using his near 80” reach to his advantage keeping Tua at distance. Tua however, did seem to have a good strategy in that he attempted to make himself smaller in a tactic that would attempt to make Ustinov miss and allow Tua to attempt to get on the inside and look to execute offense. One thing that was also noticeable that Tua did well in this fight was his head movement. Despite having difficulty getting inside the long arms of Ustinov, Tua’s ability to use head movement was effective in that although Ustinov was clearly the effective aggressor as the rounds went on, not everything that the contender from Belarus threw landed cleanly.

The main problem in this fight for Tua was not being able to get on the inside of Ustinov consistently and thus not being able to let his hands go consistently. Ustinov however, did fight with his arms down and I felt that may have led to some opportunities for Tua as the fight went on. Tua did seem to have periodic success landing counter hooks on Ustinov and even though he had trouble finding his range, David Tua was still a very dangerous threat in that he has always had the kind of punching power that could turn a fight around instantly. The conundrum for Tua was whether or not he would be able to get close enough to land something significant.

One thing in addition to being able to land counter hooks periodically, Tua also had sporadic success landing to Ustinov’s body when he was able to come forward behind his jab. Tua however, did not do this consistently enough to make any headway on the scorecards in what gradually became a lopsided fight. The feeling of curiosity gradually turned to formality.

Even though this fight was lopsided, it was an interesting fight to watch. A contributing factor to that can be attributed to Referee Brad Vocale. In the last several years when a Heavyweight fight has taken place where there is a considerable size and weight disparity between two fighters, you have often heard criticism of referees for allowing the bigger/taller fighter to make full use of their physical advantages, specifically leaning and using their body weight to push down on the smaller fighter on the inside. This was demonstrated as recently as the last World Heavyweight Championship fight between champion Wladimir Klitschko and challenger Alexander Povetkin in October.

In that fight Klitschko was able to get away with a lot of holding and roughhousing on the inside by Referee Luis Pabon. Klitschko frequently held and shoved Povetkin down to the canvas throughout the fight. It was not until Pabon began to warn and eventually penalize Klitschko in the eleventh round that Klitschko seemed to not use those tactics perhaps for fear of potentially losing his title via disqualification in a fight that he dominated.

To Referee Brad Vocale’s credit he did not allow Ustinov to make full use of those advantages and warned him immediately when it appeared that Ustinov was trying to lean on Tua on the inside early in the fight. Although some have labeled the Heavyweight division as “Boring” partially due to fighters who use such tactics against smaller opponents, it is important to remember that in situations like that is up to the referee to caution, warn, and if necessary penalize a fighter for leaning, pushing, or roughhousing on the inside. For a taller and heavier fighter, if a referee will let you use your physicality to your advantage and allow you to get away with such tactics, why not use it? It all boils down to a referee’s discretion. In this case Referee Brad Vocale should be applauded for the job he did in this fight.

In this fight the story is simple. Alexander Ustinov being able to be the busier fighter throughout much of the fight won him the fight via twelve round unanimous decision in convincing fashion. David Tua however, should be given credit for the “Game” effort he put forth in defeat.

The win for Alexander Ustinov is the biggest of his career so far. It will be interesting to see if Ustinov will be able to secure a lucrative fight in the Heavyweight division off of this fight. The contention of some could be that even though Ustinov scored the biggest win of his career against Tua, he beat a fighter who was not in his prime and was not active prior to their fight. Although it is hard to argue against such an opinion, Ustinov still defeated a fighter in Tua who has never been knocked out and who is considered one of the most devastating punchers in the history of the Heavyweight division.  Regardless of what one’s opinion might be, the notoriety of the victory will benefit Ustinov in some way.

Immediately after the decision Tua announced his retirement stating in a post-fight interview quote “I did the best I could. I don’t know what it is… I actually got myself into great shape, because I believed I could do this and I believed that the fire still burns. But after tonight I’m sad to say my heart’s not in it anymore…I think it’s time for me to try something else. There will be two people at home right now who will be happy with this decision – my mum and dad.  That’s it for David Tua. I thank the public of New Zealand for their support and the people of the Pacific – your support has been absolutely ‘O for Awesome’ from day one and I couldn’t have done it without your support.  David Tua left the building tonight. Thank you very much. God bless. I love you New Zealand!”

There could be a variety of opinion among fans and experts alike coming out of this fight. An obvious question that some might have is should David Tua have opted to begin his comeback by facing lesser-known opposition instead of facing a legitimate top twenty contender right out of the gate. As I said in previewing this fight last week however, Tua’s choice in opting to face Ustinov was perhaps motivated by wanting to see what he had left right away. One has to remember Tua is almost forty-one years old.

In terms of his performance, Tua did look like a fighter who was in shape and in all fairness he gave it as good of a go as he could against a taller and heavier fighter. One might say that had the physics of this contest were a little more balanced, the fight may have been more competitive.

It would not shock this observer to see David Tua have a change of heart and try again to resume his career. Many fighters over the years have retired multiple times only to come back. Tua gave a good account himself in a fight where in all truth and honesty the odds were not in his favor. Perhaps after some reflection, Tua and those around him may consider taking a more methodical approach in building a comeback instead of attempting to face an emerging contender who has been active right out of the gate.

There may be some debate as to where David Tua will rank among the all-time Heavyweights. As devastating of a puncher as he has been, Tua never reached the very top of the division and some may contend that because he was not able to win a world title that it might hurt his all-time standing. Although Tua has not won a world championship, there is little dispute as to where he ranks in terms of fighters who are labeled “Knockout Artists.”

In terms of the greatest knockout punchers in the history of the Heavyweight division this observer believes Tua is very much in that discussion. Where Tua might rank all-time among the greatest knockout punchers in the division is a subject for debate.

If this is indeed the end for David Tua as a fighter, this observer would like to repeat what I said on social media shortly following Tua’s retirement announcement. “Congratulations to David Tua on what has been a fine career.”

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 Follow Beau Denison on Twitter:www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Tyrell Biggs Documentary One Week Left In Kickstarter Campaign

Press Release: November 16, 2013 By LunchBox Communications-  While Kickstarter has given the film more national and International press than we imagined, including this week's feature coverage on WHYY Newsworks, we are far away from our $35,000 campaign goal for any comfort since Kickstarter is an all or nothing crowd funding platform. 

It takes a village... or in this case, sports fans, boxing enthusiasts, after school program supporters, production crew and anyone standing next to you with a credit card... to complete this documentary that not only presents a compelling biopic of the first Super Heavyweight Champion of the world but highlights the struggling community in West Philadelphia that is giving the champion-- and the sport of boxing--a hopeful comeback.  

This is such an important project -- not just for those of us who have dedicated ourselves to it, but for the many that can be helped and inspired by this incredible story.

Don't wait! Be a champion for this project and back our Kickstarter campaign. Share the links with your social networks, your good friends and colleagues.  

For more information on “Whatever Happened to Tyrell Biggs?” please visit: 

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/602060953/whatever-happened-to-tyrell-biggs

www.facebook.com/TyrellBiggsdoc

www.twitter.com/TyrellBiggsDoc

 www.tyrellbiggs.com

Material Courtesy of: LunchBox Communications Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

David Tua Attempting To Reemerge In The Heavyweight Mix Against Alexander Ustinov

When the subject of the most devastating punchers in Heavyweight Boxing history is discussed along with names like Tyson, Foreman, Frazier, among others it is hard while in such discussion to not include David Tua. Tua, known for his ability to end fights with one punch burst on the Boxing scene after winning a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic games. As a professional, Tua after compiling twenty-two straight wins, Tua faced future Heavyweight champion John Ruiz on March 15, 1996 Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It is not often that one can say that a fighter can become a legitimate star of the sport in one fight. Tua however, did become a star that night against Ruiz. After unleashing what may arguably be the most devastating left hook ever thrown in Boxing history, Tua knocked out Ruiz in nineteen seconds. From that moment on David Tua was a force in the Heavyweight division.

Tua continued to defeat contenders, some of whom would go on to become world champions. For the contender from Samoa however, it would not be a clear-cut path to the Heavyweight championship of the world. Tua would suffer the first loss of his career in 1997, losing a hard-fought twelve round unanimous decision to then contender Ike Ibeabuchi in a fight where the two Heavyweights set the all-time record for most punches thrown in a Heavyweight fight at the time.

Despite suffering the first loss of his career, it did not really have all that much affect in Tua’s standing among the best Heavyweights in the world. Tua went on to win ten straight fights, scoring knockouts in nine of those ten culminating in his challenge of then unified Heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis in November of 2000.

Although having a great deal momentum prior to that fight, the 5’10 Tua could not successfully get on the inside of the 6’5 Lewis and was dominated for twelve rounds in route to losing a unanimous decision.  Tua would also go on to lose a unanimous decision to former Heavyweight champion Chris Byrd in 2001.

Despite not getting the opportunity to again challenge for a World Heavyweight Championship, Tua remained a player in the division for several years. Most will remember Tua’s most recent battles with former longtime contender Monte Barrett.  In their first fight in 2010 Tua and Barrett engaged in a grueling back and forth battle that saw Tua suffering the first knockdown of his career in the final round of that fight by a Barrett left and right hook. Some including this observer felt that Barrett had done enough to earn the decision in what was to be the final contest of his career. The judges however, scored the fight a majority draw. The two would meet again in August of 2011. This time Barrett’s greater activity and ability to keep Tua at distance was enough to earn him the fight in his favor by a lopsided margin in the eyes of most observers. Tua however, did provide drama in the final round of the rematch knocking Barrett down and nearly scoring a come from behind knockout.

Now after a two-year hiatus David Tua prepares to return to the ring against Heavyweight contender Alexander Ustinov on November 16^th in Hamilton, New Zealand. The current landscape of the Heavyweight division one may argue lacks marquee value outside of the Klitschko brothers who continue to rule over the division. It will be interesting to see what Tua, who will turn forty-one years old on November 21^st will have to offer after being out of the ring for two years.

In comparison to another fighter in the division that is on the comeback trail, Oleg Maskaev who was knocked out by Tua in eleven rounds back in 1997, Maskaev the former WBC Heavyweight world champion now forty-four years old has taken a gradual approach in his comeback thus far facing three fighters Owen Beck, Jason Gavern, and most recently Danny Williams. Three fighters who are known to most Boxing aficionados, but fighters who most would consider not present contenders. Tua meanwhile, will face what some will consider a stern test when he faces Alexander Ustinov.

Ustinov, a winner of twenty-eight out of twenty-nine professional fights comes into this fight ranked number twelve in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Heavyweight ratings. The lone defeat for Ustinov came in September of last year when he was knocked out in eleven rounds by undefeated current International Boxing Federation (IBF) number one contender Kubrat Pulev.

The story of this fight seems clear. Can Tua find a way to get on the inside of the 6’7 Ustinov? Can Ustinov keep Tua at distance for a full twelve rounds? The fight which was originally scheduled for August 31^st was postponed by a calf injury suffered by Tua. 

When this fight was originally announced I had several thoughts. The natural question that ran through my mind was how would David Tua look after being out of the ring for two years? It was also somewhat curious in my eyes to see Tua elect to face someone who is a top twenty contender right out of the gate in his comeback. On one hand, one could say Tua’s choice in facing Ustinov is a sign of confidence, perhaps wanting to test himself against a legitimate contender right away rather than facing an opponent who most would not recognize. Perhaps Tua’s choice is motivated by wanting to see what he has left right away and more specifically attempting to reenter the Heavyweight championship picture as quickly as possible. On the other hand, one may say that Tua might have benefited by having a couple of fights against lesser-known opposition, or taking a more measured approach in his comeback as Oleg Maskaev has.

It will be interesting to see in this fight whether or not Ustinov establishes the pace from the outset. Will Ustinov adapt a similar strategy against Tua that worked so well for fighters like Lennox Lewis and Monte Barrett?

The key to this fight in my eyes is whether or not David Tua will fight in a more aggressive manner from the outset than he did in his rematch with Monte Barrett. In addition to dealing with the height differential, Tua will also have to contend with being outweighed by fifty-six pounds by Ustinov who weighed in at the official weigh-in at 292lbs to Tua’s 236lbs. 

As this fight approaches many may be tempted to say that not only based on a two-year layoff, but also the height and weight disadvantage that David Tua should be viewed as a considerable underdog in this fight. In all truth and honesty it is hard to argue against such an opinion. It is worth remembering however, that David Tua built his career on a reputation of being able to get an opponent out of there with one punch at any given time. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Ustinov could find himself in control of this fight for the majority of rounds and then suddenly see the fight turned in Tua’s favor. Tua has shown the ability to turn a fight around suddenly specifically in his first fight with Hasim Rahman, and in his 2002 fight with Fres Oquendo. 

David Tua will always be known as one of most devastating punchers in Heavyweight history compiling a near 75% career knockout ratio. Tua’s status as a knockout artist will not be affected regardless of what happens in this fight. If however, Tua still possesses the punching power that made him a major player in the division for many years, if he can find a way to execute his offense more than occasionally, this could be the beginning of yet another good comeback story that the sport of Boxing tends to be captivated by.

Does David Tua have enough of the fighter he was in his prime left in him? We will have to wait and see.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison