TheLukieBaby
Pro
On Thursday night news broke that Erik Morales failed a drug test, though he would still be able to compete in Saturday's main event. This news left many members of the boxing community scratching their heads. It wasn't just that Morales had tested positive on a random drug test, it was also that he missed weight prior to fighting Danny Garcia. Rumors were also floating that Morales had not trained hard for the first fight and may not even have been taking this fight seriously.
What is the point of such a drug test for a man in his 30s whose best years are behind him? Clen, from all that I read, appears to be routinely cycled in during a weight cutting period to allow the fighter to reach optimum shape and retain muscle mass. Since Morales missed weight in his last fight and numerous issues in the build up to this fight had been around weight it makes sense that he may having been taking the banned substance. At the weigh in on Friday afternoon it seemed that all systems where go as the exchange between Garcia and Morales' family was followed by Garcia berating Morales for cheating. The fighters were separated by Bernard Hopkins as Oscar De La Hoya took part in making sure Morales did not further the conflict.
The night came and the Barclay Center was alive with excitement. In a trend that is becoming more and more a theme of boxing cards the undercard featured compelling match ups. Most notable was the fight between Luis Collazo and Danny Jacobs. Collazo, a bald, heavily tatted up welter weight, who seemed to charge forward and strike the body as if it was a bongo drum was unable to get a signature knockout on this night. He was able to become a compelling fighter in the eyes of the fans in attendance. I was a bit troubled at times by the fact that he kept his hands low - even though he was not getting hit. Something rang louder than the fight, nearly everyone in the ring seemed to scream his name, and though not even making it to the ShoExtreme card, Collazo attended the post fight press conference.
Danny Jacobs, on the other hand, was one of the people who I had come to see. The fact that Jacobs has overcome cancer to come back and fight makes for a compelling story line. In the post fight press conference Jacobs referenced coming out Kanye West's "Stronger" as a metaphor for what the last two years have made him. The Miracle Man (a nickname that Jacobs coined) did something that no one saw coming, he kayoed his foe within one minute. Let me be fair. To say he kayoed him is an understatement. With one punch Jacobs leveled his opponent to the point that everyone watching knew the fight was over. In a rare moment with in sports, I felt pride not just for Jacobs. The night was Jacobs' from that very moment. The fact that he overcame so much to fight back and stop his opponent in such a compelling manner left a deep impression.
In what was the most predictably boring fight, Devon Alexander recorded a comp-u-clinch high 93 clinches in his very dull decision against Randall Bailey for the IBF Welterweight title. For the second time, Bailey fought only looking for one punch, the right hand, and no sense of urgency. Alexander, who has the physical attributes of a body builder and understandably fought a cautious fight as Bailey's key to victory was a lucky punch. Still, Alexander never sat down on any punches and even after being reduced to clinching, he continued the strategy of hit and hold, using just enough volume to out strike and win rounds easily over a slow plodding Bailey who never really had a plan b. For Alexander, this was what he needed - a belt that now sets him up for potentially lucrative fights. For Bailey, this may be the end of the road as he may have one to two more fights left, but the big money fights are now gone as he was never fully expected to beat Mike Jones in the first place and more or less shouldn't have. It is also important to note that neither fighter came to the post fight press conference showing that even fighters with a big bark at the weigh in, can become less talkative after a drowsy performance.
In what was the fight of the night - Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin fought Hassan N'Dam for the WBO middleweight championship in what could only be described as a modern day war and, potentially, a classic in boxing history. Where fights like Alexander/Bailey are boring with clinching and no sense of urgency, the middleweight title fight was quite the contrast. Quillin knocked down N'Dam six times in the fight, eventually winning the title. At the same time, it seemed as though in almost any round that Quillin did not knockdown N'Dam, N'Dam won. N'Dam never once faltered or considered backing down. N'Dam was confrontational, especially considering all of knockdowns and the way he seemed to come forward in the fight appeared to wear on Quillin.
In the press conference, Quillin, who was dressed in a fashionable jacket, spoke well and insightfully about his love of the city of New York where he had moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to pursue his boxing dream and stay out of the street life. Quillin then issued the media a challenge stating that we need to talk less about our opinions and more about the beauty of the sport itself. It seemed as though Quillin felt a lack of empathy and understanding in the human condition in the boxing community as fighters engage in battle while metaphorically teaching lessons of survival.
From Left To Right Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, Richard Schaefer and Hassan N'Dam
Hassan N'Dam took the other side of the stage and spoke with respect about Quillin, but demanded a rematch. It was then noted by CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer that the WBO does not allow for its champions to fight in instant rematches, spawning a bit of confusion from N'Dam. This theme was intensified when his trainer raised his hand as a member of the press and asked about the re-match. At the end of the day, N'Dam will be back, but Quillin is the champ and could potentially be headlining the Barclay Center in the next few years as a young charismatic boxer with ties to the area and a style that even brought a smile to the face of Mike Tyson when he was shown on the big screen. Either way, Peter Quillin is a star in the making.
Paulie Malignaggi Post Fight
In the Co-Main event, Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi fought Pablo Cesar Cano in a fight that was supposed to be for Paulie's WBA Welterweight title until Cano missed weight. Paulie, fighting in his hometown and against a fighter who had been fighting in lower weight classes, seemed to be the easy favorite. With rapper Maino by his side, he walked to the ring in what was supposed to be a showcase fight to potentially set up the Ricky Hatton fight. The key word here is supposed. Though Paulie won the early rounds, Cano began to charge and hit Paulie as hard as he had been hit in the Cotto fight, something that even he himself admitted after the fight. In the end, it came down to a simple equation, how do you score a fight? Do you look at who landed more punches? Do you look at who landed the harder shots? For Paulie, who landed more punches in most rounds, but Cano landed the harder punches even doing the unthinkable, knocking Paulie down in the 11th.
What is the point of such a drug test for a man in his 30s whose best years are behind him? Clen, from all that I read, appears to be routinely cycled in during a weight cutting period to allow the fighter to reach optimum shape and retain muscle mass. Since Morales missed weight in his last fight and numerous issues in the build up to this fight had been around weight it makes sense that he may having been taking the banned substance. At the weigh in on Friday afternoon it seemed that all systems where go as the exchange between Garcia and Morales' family was followed by Garcia berating Morales for cheating. The fighters were separated by Bernard Hopkins as Oscar De La Hoya took part in making sure Morales did not further the conflict.
The night came and the Barclay Center was alive with excitement. In a trend that is becoming more and more a theme of boxing cards the undercard featured compelling match ups. Most notable was the fight between Luis Collazo and Danny Jacobs. Collazo, a bald, heavily tatted up welter weight, who seemed to charge forward and strike the body as if it was a bongo drum was unable to get a signature knockout on this night. He was able to become a compelling fighter in the eyes of the fans in attendance. I was a bit troubled at times by the fact that he kept his hands low - even though he was not getting hit. Something rang louder than the fight, nearly everyone in the ring seemed to scream his name, and though not even making it to the ShoExtreme card, Collazo attended the post fight press conference.
Danny Jacobs, on the other hand, was one of the people who I had come to see. The fact that Jacobs has overcome cancer to come back and fight makes for a compelling story line. In the post fight press conference Jacobs referenced coming out Kanye West's "Stronger" as a metaphor for what the last two years have made him. The Miracle Man (a nickname that Jacobs coined) did something that no one saw coming, he kayoed his foe within one minute. Let me be fair. To say he kayoed him is an understatement. With one punch Jacobs leveled his opponent to the point that everyone watching knew the fight was over. In a rare moment with in sports, I felt pride not just for Jacobs. The night was Jacobs' from that very moment. The fact that he overcame so much to fight back and stop his opponent in such a compelling manner left a deep impression.
In what was the most predictably boring fight, Devon Alexander recorded a comp-u-clinch high 93 clinches in his very dull decision against Randall Bailey for the IBF Welterweight title. For the second time, Bailey fought only looking for one punch, the right hand, and no sense of urgency. Alexander, who has the physical attributes of a body builder and understandably fought a cautious fight as Bailey's key to victory was a lucky punch. Still, Alexander never sat down on any punches and even after being reduced to clinching, he continued the strategy of hit and hold, using just enough volume to out strike and win rounds easily over a slow plodding Bailey who never really had a plan b. For Alexander, this was what he needed - a belt that now sets him up for potentially lucrative fights. For Bailey, this may be the end of the road as he may have one to two more fights left, but the big money fights are now gone as he was never fully expected to beat Mike Jones in the first place and more or less shouldn't have. It is also important to note that neither fighter came to the post fight press conference showing that even fighters with a big bark at the weigh in, can become less talkative after a drowsy performance.
In what was the fight of the night - Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin fought Hassan N'Dam for the WBO middleweight championship in what could only be described as a modern day war and, potentially, a classic in boxing history. Where fights like Alexander/Bailey are boring with clinching and no sense of urgency, the middleweight title fight was quite the contrast. Quillin knocked down N'Dam six times in the fight, eventually winning the title. At the same time, it seemed as though in almost any round that Quillin did not knockdown N'Dam, N'Dam won. N'Dam never once faltered or considered backing down. N'Dam was confrontational, especially considering all of knockdowns and the way he seemed to come forward in the fight appeared to wear on Quillin.
In the press conference, Quillin, who was dressed in a fashionable jacket, spoke well and insightfully about his love of the city of New York where he had moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to pursue his boxing dream and stay out of the street life. Quillin then issued the media a challenge stating that we need to talk less about our opinions and more about the beauty of the sport itself. It seemed as though Quillin felt a lack of empathy and understanding in the human condition in the boxing community as fighters engage in battle while metaphorically teaching lessons of survival.
From Left To Right Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, Richard Schaefer and Hassan N'Dam
Hassan N'Dam took the other side of the stage and spoke with respect about Quillin, but demanded a rematch. It was then noted by CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer that the WBO does not allow for its champions to fight in instant rematches, spawning a bit of confusion from N'Dam. This theme was intensified when his trainer raised his hand as a member of the press and asked about the re-match. At the end of the day, N'Dam will be back, but Quillin is the champ and could potentially be headlining the Barclay Center in the next few years as a young charismatic boxer with ties to the area and a style that even brought a smile to the face of Mike Tyson when he was shown on the big screen. Either way, Peter Quillin is a star in the making.
Paulie Malignaggi Post Fight
In the Co-Main event, Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi fought Pablo Cesar Cano in a fight that was supposed to be for Paulie's WBA Welterweight title until Cano missed weight. Paulie, fighting in his hometown and against a fighter who had been fighting in lower weight classes, seemed to be the easy favorite. With rapper Maino by his side, he walked to the ring in what was supposed to be a showcase fight to potentially set up the Ricky Hatton fight. The key word here is supposed. Though Paulie won the early rounds, Cano began to charge and hit Paulie as hard as he had been hit in the Cotto fight, something that even he himself admitted after the fight. In the end, it came down to a simple equation, how do you score a fight? Do you look at who landed more punches? Do you look at who landed the harder shots? For Paulie, who landed more punches in most rounds, but Cano landed the harder punches even doing the unthinkable, knocking Paulie down in the 11th.