Friday, November 11, 2011 at 2:48PM Legendary fighter and HBO boxing analyst Roy Jones Jr. responds to fan questions from Twitter. See what his favorite weight class was to fight in, whether he thinks Marquez has the chin to deal with a bigger Pacquaio, and who he thinks has the more dangerous right hook.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 2:57PM Boxing writer Chris Mannix gets fight predictions from experts and fans alike and the fighters speak their minds one final time at the press conference.
Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 1:42PM By Eric Raskin
Photo: Will HartAs a wild week of commotion, promotion and emotion gives way to Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz showdown, let’s take a look through what everyone’s been buzzing about—from the HBO.com insiders to the fight fans following along:
Mayweather and Ortiz didn’t arrive at this mega-event by accident. They each scored significant wins on the road to “Star Power,” and now find themselves jockeying for position in the upper reaches of the talent-loaded welterweight division. With his sublime skills, Mayweather is the consensus favorite in the fight. But not everyone sees it that way. HBO expert analyst Emanuel Steward broke down the strategic intricacies of the fight and gives Ortiz an excellent chance, and not surprisingly, Ortiz’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya feels the same way—and has the first-hand experience fighting Mayweather to validate his viewpoints.
But there are countless different ways to analyze a fight beyond just what the industry insiders have to say. You can explore the finer points of the matchup. You can crunch the CompuBox numbers. You can even try to figure out who won the verbal joust at the final press conference.
And when it’s all said and done, you make your predictions. The experts had their say, and unanimously went with the chalk and tabbed Mayweather to win. The fans were a little more divided. On Twitter, @rcollick and @crucifixio picked Mayweather via varying margins, but @odogg33 went with the underdog Ortiz. Meanwhile, on the comment boards on the HBO Inside Boxing blog, Elvin T. took the Ortiz side as well, predicting “Floyd is gonna be looking up at the lights thinking, WTF happened?” But commenter Ish A. envisions a knockout win for Mayweather, claiming “Victor Ortiz is nervous, has no defense, and come Saturday will receive a boxing lesson of a lifetime!”
In addition to the 12 rounds (or less) of Mayweather vs. Ortiz, there’s plenty of before and after to consider. Prior to the main event, we’ll see an intriguing undercard, featuring a plethora of popular Mexican and Mexican-American fighters—many of whom, like Mayweather, come from boxing families. And after the main event is over, attention will inevitably turn to what’s next. No matter the outcome, Manny Pacquiao’s name will be on fight fans’ minds. Two HBO.com contributors explored this in detail on different corners of the web, with Chris Mannix tackling the Pacquiao factor on SI.com and Kieran Mulvaney experiencing Floyd’s many personalities on ESPN.com.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The opening bell of Mayweather vs. Ortiz is almost here, and there’s nothing more thrilling than that moment when fight week gives way to the fight itself.
Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 1:33PM In this week's final installment of The Sweet Science, our hosts Bert Sugar and Kieran Mulvaney take a tactical look at how the young and promising Victor Ortiz can shake off his underdog status and land a victory against an undefeated Floyd Mayweather this Saturday night. Chris Mannix also reports from the fighters' final press conference in Las Vegas, where Floyd was doing everything possible to get inside his opponent's head.
View all of our latest news about the Mayweather-Ortiz mega-fight
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 1:14PM Fight week is in full swing in Las Vegas, and as Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz make their entrances into a fan-packed MGM Grand, boxing experts Bert Sugar and Kieran Mulvaney break down the story lines playing out in the historically stacked welterweight division. Also, SI.com boxing reporter Chris Mannix brings the latest on-the-ground chatter from fighters and fans alike. Post your comments below, and your analysis might be featured in an upcoming post on InsideHBOBoxing.
View all of our latest news about the Mayweather-Ortiz mega-fight
