Styles Make Fights: Pacquiao, Marquez, Mayweather and More …

By Kieran Mulvaney

In the wake of Manny Pacquiao’s controversial win over Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, promoter Bob Arum underlined the old boxing adage that ‘styles make fights.’ He reminded media at the post-fight press conference that George Foreman thumped Joe Frazier both times they fought, Frazier went nip-and-tuck three times with Muhammad Ali, but Ali took apart Foreman. So what, if anything, does that mean for the Pacquiao-Marquez rivalry, any upcoming HBO clashes and, down the road, a possible Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather superfight?

Pacquiao-Marquez

Photo Credit: Will HartThe third fight underlined what had been well established by the previous two: that Marquez and Pacquiao have each other’s number. Marquez is sufficiently effective to nullify Pacquiao’s strengths, but his style in doing so is unlikely ever to be enough to render him an obvious winner. He is at his best when his opponent comes at him, enabling him to return fire with counterpunching combinations. That can disrupt his foe’s aggression, but sometimes a reliance on sitting back and waiting for your opponent to make his move first, no matter how effective, can make it difficult to clearly elevate yourself over him, at least in the eyes of the judges.

Upcoming HBO Fights

Photo Credit: Ed MulhollandWhat can the ‘styles make fights’ dictum tell us about upcoming HBO matchups? Frankly, that the bouts may be more closely-fought than is immediately apparent. Both Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Saul Alvarez enter their contests as big favorites over Peter Manfredo Jr and Kermit Cintron respectively. But both Mexican fighters are more comfortable against opponents who are there to be hit and willing to exchange, and while Manfredo does not have the quick hands of Sebastian Zbik, who gave Chavez all he could handle recently, he doesn’t have clay feet like Andy Lee, whom JCC Jr sent into retirement last year. And if Alvarez can have early-round problems against blown-up welterweight Alfonso Gomez, he could be in a world of hurt against Cintron – who, as Alfredo Angulo can testify, can be surprisingly dangerous when allowed to box and move. Conversely, Cintron has been known to fold mentally under pressure of the sort Alvarez brings. It all promises genuine intrigue …

Pacquiao-Mayweather

Photo Credit: Ed MulhollandMarquez is a counter-puncher. Mayweather is a counter-puncher. But they are different sides of a similar coin. Marquez thrives on being attacked and responding with flurries; Mayweather seeks to stymie his foe’s offense entirely and pick his man apart with lightning-fast solo punches. Will that have the same effect against Pacquiao as JMM’s counter-combinations? As the dust settles over the coming weeks and months, we should learn whether or not we will soon have the chance to find out for sure, the only way that matters: In the ring.

Ortiz Fans Turn Out in Force at Weigh-In

Photo: Will HartFloyd Mayweather is the betting favorite. But if the weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday afternoon is any indication, Victor Ortiz will definitely be the crowd favorite.

Photo: Photo: Will HartWith ring announcer Michael Buffer and comedians Kevin Hart and Paul Rodriguez acting as emcees, the fans booed every mention of Mayweather and exploded for every utterance of the underdog Ortiz’s name. Not that anyone should be surprised that the Mexican-American fighter would own the crowd on Mexican Independence Day weekend. Ortiz brought fans both from his native Garden City, Kansas and his adopted hometown of Oxnard, California, not to mention those without any geographical allegiance who simply support Ortiz—or are praying for somebody to finally defeat Mayweather.

It was Mayweather—the title challenger, ostensibly, but the man with more to “defend” in a sense—who entered the arena first, looking relaxed and vaguely dapper in a forest-green track suit. “Vicious Victor” came out next, to resounding chants of “Or-tiz! Or-tiz!” from the approximate crowd of 4,000, though it’s uncertain how much of his fan support he could hear with his oversized noise-canceling headphones on.

Photo: Photo: Will HartThere was a brief discussion between the fighters over what the weigh-in order would be, and Mayweather apparently won the debate, as it was Ortiz who stripped down to his boxer shorts first. He looked chiseled and confident as he scaled the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. But then Mayweather and his famous eight-pack of abs showed what “chiseled” really looks like, and Buffer announced his weight as 146½.

Ortiz played to the crowd, and his supporters let loose with a chant of “41-and-1,” which is how Mayweather’s record would read if he loses on Saturday night. The crowd reached new decibel levels moments later, when Mayweather and Ortiz engaged in what has become something of a tradition: the nose-to-nose, jaw-to-jaw verbal joust that can only end when managers, trainers, and bodyguards yank them apart.

This time, however, Mayweather got his right hand around Ortiz’s neck for a moment before they were separated. It’s hard to know whether that inappropriate use of hands gave him the upper hand mentally going into Saturday’s showdown, or whether it will spur Ortiz on to an emotional edge.

On the scales for the undercard fights: Erik Morales and Pablo Cesar Cano both weighed the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds, and the 21-year-old Cano didn’t seem fazed at all by the moment … For a non-title bout with a 142-pound limit, Jessie Vargas came in at 142, Josesito Lopez at 140½, and an intense staredown gave way to shoving that did nothing to diminish the sense that this could be fiery battle … And at Staples Center in Los Angeles, a smiling Saul “Canelo” Alvarez scaled 153½ and a deadly serious Alfonso Gomez came in at 152½ for their junior middleweight bout.

War of Words: Mayweather Forces the Fight at Final Press Conference

By Eric Raskin

Photo: Will HartThe three judges who will be sitting ringside at the MGM Grand on Saturday night weren’t scoring Wednesday’s final press conference at the Hollywood Theatre. But that doesn’t mean the press conference doesn’t count.

When Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz faced off via their respective microphones, both were looking for that mental edge, that minor victory that will pave the way for a major one three days later. And just like in a fight, both seemed to enter with a game plan but were prepared to make the necessary adjustments.

Photo: Will HartMayweather went on the offensive first, coming after Ortiz’s trainer, Danny Garcia, after Garcia insinuated that Mayweather is a dirty fighter.

“We all know how you fight,” Garcia said. “Yeah, I win,” was Mayweather’s snappy retort. Then he proceeded to assert himself as the A-side and the alpha dog. “All these people are here because of me. I’m pay-per-view. I’m doing the numbers.”

When it was Ortiz’s turn, he tried to play it cool, opening with the classic defensive strategy, levity. “Finally, man, I was falling asleep over there,” Ortiz joked as he took the podium nearly an hour after the press conference began.

But Mayweather was in no mood for humor, and while Ortiz tried to take command of the room, he couldn’t help but notice Mayweather talking over top of him in hushed tones. “It’s going to be easy work,” Floyd insisted. He was allowed to talk trash, but his friends and family in the audience apparently weren’t; when they tried, Mayweather silenced them, saying, “Carry yourselves with class.”

Photo: Will HartAnd that’s when Ortiz adjusted his game plan, big-time. He was about 30 seconds into what was seemingly shaping up to be a lengthy speech, when his emotions suddenly took over. “Oh, we’re talking about class?” he said in disbelief. Ortiz paused a moment, and ended his discourse abruptly. “Saturday night, I’m going to put you on your ass!”

Mayweather slid to the podium with the calm of a man who’s been here a hundred times before.

“I don’t have to brag and boast about my accolades, it speaks for itself,” Mayweather said, effectively bragging and boasting about his accolades.

“I’m going to go in there with class and leave with class,” he continued. Then Mayweather contradicted himself by saying something slightly less than classy. “I know the real truth, that his father didn’t leave,” Mayweather said, perpetuating the occasionally spoken rumor that parts of Ortiz’s backstory are exaggerated, but never expanding on his assertion.

By the time the two fighters were nose to nose, posing for staredown photos and jawing at each other, you got the sense their dislike for each other was very real. But it’s hard to know for sure; boxing press events are often one part reality, one part performance art.

Whichever this was, Mayweather was the clear aggressor in their mental scrap. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he scored any points.

Also on hand at the press conference were undercard fighters Erik Morales, Pablo Cesar Cano, Jessie Vargas, and Josesito Lopez, plus Canelo Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez had their say via satellite from Los Angeles. For more on all of those matchups, see our Undercard Overview.

Undercard Overview: Morales, Alvarez Offer Early Action

By Eric Raskin

Photos left to right: Ed Mulholland, Jan Sanders, Hoganphotos.com

Two themes carry across the televised undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz event: (1) A plethora of top Mexican and Mexican-American attractions are featured, this being Mexican Independence Day weekend; (2) Generation gaps are on display, with young prospects facing hardened veterans in all three fights. Here’s a glimpse at the matchups and what’s at stake:

Saul Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 KOs) vs. Alfonso Gomez (23-4-2, 12 KOs), 12 Rounds, Junior Middleweights

“Canelo” Alvarez is the burgeoning mega-attraction in North American boxing. With skills that seem to improve with every fight and power that’s been there from the start, the 21-year-old Mexican is the favorite over the 30-year-old Mexican-American Gomez, best known for capturing viewers’ hearts as the plucky underdog on the first season of the reality show The Contender.

Gomez is not just some reality-TV fabrication. Since losing to the much larger Peter Manfredo in the semifinals of the Contender tourney back in 2004, Gomez has gone 11-1-1 with the lone defeat coming against Miguel Cotto. He beat Jesse Brinkley, Jesus Soto-Karass, and Jose Luis Castillo and ended the career of Arturo Gatti.

But if Alvarez is what he’s billed to be, Gomez might be in over his head here. Fresh off a thorough destruction of Ryan Rhodes, Alvarez is regarded already as one of the top three or four 154-pounders in the world and should be ready to fight for the top spot by 2012.

Erik Morales (51-7, 35 KOs) vs. Pablo Cesar Cano (22-0-1, 17 KOs), 12 Rounds, Junior Welterweights

Morales has seen it all in his 18-year pro career, so he wasn’t particularly rattled by having to endure three opponent switches for this fight. What he ended up with is a bout against someone who was all of three years old when “El Terrible” turned pro. The 35-year-old Morales meets the 21-year-old Cano in a fight where the action is assured but the competitiveness is uncertain because, well, everything about Cano is uncertain.

Here’s what we know: Cano likes to slug it out, he’s undefeated but has faced nobody close to Morales’ level, and he’s trained by Rudy Perez, who just happens to be the longtime trainer of a guy named Marco Antonio Barrera. As you may recall, Morales and Barrera aren’t best buddies. So that plotline should be fun. And of course, regardless of the opponent, there’s the ongoing intrigue over just how far Morales can take this unlikely career comeback.

Jessie Vargas (16-0, 9 KOs) vs. Josesito Lopez (29-3, 17 KOs), 10 Rounds, Junior Welterweights

This one smells like a show-stealer. Vargas is the 22-year-old hot prospect, Lopez the 27-year-old veteran who’s spent much of his career bumping off hot prospects. Both will be looking to make a statement—and there’s some pressure on Vargas because he’s a Mayweather protégé who has been propped up by “Money May” as the guy Amir Khan needs to defeat in order to “earn” a fight with Mayweather.

In the last two years, Lopez has beaten Mike Dallas Jr., Martin Cordova Jr., and Patrick Lopez, three up-and-comers with a combined record of 53-2-2. His bid to add the gifted Vargas to that list looks like a 50-50 proposition.

Family Ties Bind the Stars of ‘Star Power’

By Eric Raskin

Photo: Will Hart

When you think of boxing families, surely the first one you think of is the Mayweathers – the lewdest, crudest, family-feudest bunch the sport has ever known. And put aside their over-the-top personalities for a moment; the Mayweathers are also one of the most accomplished fighting families ever, vying with the Spinks clan for the top spot among pugilistic family trees.

And this Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather is just one of many fighters with boxing in his blood. Among the eight featured combatants, three have immediate family members who have boxed professionally, and a fourth fighter on the show is trained by his father. Here’s a glimpse at the field:

Photo: Hoganphotos.comFloyd Mayweather Jr.

Uncle - (and trainer) Roger was a two-division titleholder in the ’80s

Father - Floyd Sr. was a welterweight contender who faced Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978

Uncle - Jeff was a journeyman who fought Oscar De La Hoya in ’93

Photo: Hoganphotos.comErik Morales

Father - Jose fought briefly as a flyweight in the ’70s

Brother - Diego held a belt at 115 pounds in ’99

Brother - Ivan is currently an undefeated bantamweight prospect.

Photo: Hoganphotos.com

Canelo Alvarez

Brother - Rigoberto is a respected junior middleweight contender

Brothers - Ricardo and Ramon are clubfighters at junior welter and junior middle, respectively.

Photo: Hoganphtos.comAlfonso Gomez

Father - Alfonso Gomez Sr. trains him (but was never a pro fighter).

Each of these four fighters is the best professional his family has produced. You might say, to one extent of another, they were each bred for success, either learning the sport from the generation that preceded them or by trying to compete with their older siblings.

One man who has experience traversing the sport under the watchful eye of a family member is HBO expert boxing analyst and former pound-for-pound champ Roy Jones Jr., who sees both positive and negative in being brought into boxing by your father.

“It helps because you become very educated in what you’re doing because your father loves the sport and he loves the fact that you’re involved,” says Jones. “It gives you a great start, and you get a great foundation from your own parent more than you would anywhere else. But it hurts because as you mature and grow up, once you become a grown man, your father sometimes has a problem letting go. The father wants to be the one who still calls the shots. But you can’t call the shots when your boy’s champion of the world. He has to call his own shots. And most fathers don’t want to understand that, at least in American society.