Undercard Overview: Will Youth Be Served?

By Eric Raskin

Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto are from roughly the same pugilistic generation. They’re both in their 30s, separated by a single Olympic class. But their undercard is built around cross-generational matchups, pitting rising twentysomething talents against veterans nearing middle age. It’s Generation X vs. Generation Y, and here’s the A-to-Z of each bout:

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (39-0-1, 27 KOs) vs. Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs)
12 Rounds, Junior Middleweights

Canelo Alvarez, Shane Mosley - Photo Credit: Will Hart

Three-division former champ Mosley will waltz into the International Boxing Hall of Fame five years after he retires, and there are some who believe Alvarez has the ability to ensure that date comes five years after this Saturday night. Does Sugar Shane have anything left at age 40? He’s coming off a shutout loss to Manny Pacquiao, an ugly draw against Sergio Mora, and a one-sided defeat to Mayweather. On paper, it looks like Mosley is nearing the end. Then again, his defeats did come against the two best fighters in the world, and most observers felt Mosley deserved to win the Mora fight.

The 21-year-old Alvarez is no Pacquiao or Mayweather — at least not yet — but he’s earning more and more respect from the boxing community with each fight as his ability and accomplishment gradually catch up with his enormous popularity. He’s coming off of TKO wins over the veteran trio of Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez, and Kermit Cintron, and one compelling plotline here is whether he can run that streak to four straight knockouts against a legend in Mosley who has never been stopped in 54 pro fights.

Alvarez is the clear betting favorite, and he has most of the physical advantages. But it should be noted that hand speed has never been Canelo’s forte, whereas the prime version of Sugar Shane was one of the fastest fighters around. Even at 40, can Mosley’s punches get there first?

Jessie Vargas (18-0, 9 KOs) vs. Steve Forbes (35-10, 11 KOs)
10 Rounds, Welterweights

Jesse Vargas, Steve Forbes - Photo Credit: Will Hart

Vargas was given a prime slot on the last Mayweather undercard and neither excelled nor repelled. In an entertaining bout that could have gone either way, Vargas captured a split decision over Josesito Lopez to remain unbeaten. This Saturday, the 22-year-old Vargas will look to win more definitively over former world titleholder Forbes, a 35-year-old craftsman who is notoriously difficult to look good against.

Forbes, best known for a run to the finals on the second season of ‘The Contender,’ is filling in on short notice for fellow ‘Contender’ alum Alfonso Gomez. He’ll need to turn back the clock at least a few years to have a shot against Vargas. But Forbes always gives an honest effort, and the challenge for Vargas is not just to keep the zero on the end of his record, but to give his hometown Las Vegas fans something to cheer about along the way.

DeAndre Latimore (23-3, 17 KOs) vs. Carlos Quintana (28-3, 22 KOs)
10 Rounds, Junior Middleweights

DeAndre Latimore, Carlos Quintana - Photo Credit: Will Hart

 As the first man to defeat both Paul Williams and Joel Julio, Quintana is no stranger to spoiling the ascent of a young fighter. Latimore isn’t quite the mega-prospect that both Williams and Julio were at the time of their unfortunate run-ins with “El Indio,” but he is in his physical prime at 26 and has shown flashes of world-class talent. The 35-year-old Quintana is a perfect barometer of whether Latimore can reach that next level—while still having enough left in the tank himself that an impressive win over Latimore can potentially earn him another major opportunity.

This battle of southpaws looks like the most even matchup on the undercard. Quintana should have the edge in skill, Latimore the edge in power. Quintana has a bit more elite-level experience. Latimore has the advantages of youth.

Like Alvarez and Vargas, he’s hoping youth can prevail on May 5.

Stars Cross In Mayweather vs. Cotto

By Eric Raskin

Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather - Photo Credits: Ed Mulholland, Will Hart

The last time Floyd Mayweather fought, the event was dubbed “Star Power.” This time, that name fits even better.

With Mayweather and Miguel Cotto sharing the prize ring, Saturday’s main event brings together two of the three biggest attractions in the sport in America. Mayweather is either “1a” or “1b” on that list, and Cotto has proven himself at the gate to the point that he’s clearly number three. Some fans will forever dwell on the fight that isn’t happening, between Mayweather and the other “1a/1b,” Manny Pacquiao. But if those fans focus on the fight that’s in front of them, they’ll see it’s the next best thing—or, at the very least, the next biggest thing.

Every boxing writer or fan has, at one time or another, criticized Mayweather’s choices in opposition. The chorus grew particularly loud back in 2005, when arguably the best boxer in the world marked time against Henry Bruseles and Sharmba Mitchell. But now, for the second fight in a row, “Money” is about to take on an opponent who is younger than he is, is probably bigger and physically stronger than he is, and is coming off a noteworthy victory. Sure, there was room to criticize the selection of Victor Ortiz last September, and the same goes for Cotto (hey, it’s hard to find a matchup that satisfies everyone). But you can make a valid case that, Pacquiao aside, Mayweather has taken on the toughest available opponent in each of his last two fights.

The question the boxing world will debate all week until the opening bell is, just how tough will this particular toughest available opponent make it on Floyd? Cotto is the underdog, of course—everyone is against Mayweather. But there are many who believe Cotto, fighting at his natural weight of 154 pounds, is a very live ’dog.

“Nobody is invincible in life,” Cotto stated at a recent media workout, acknowledging Mayweather’s undefeated record. “I’m ready for anything Floyd brings me on May 5. The question is, is Floyd ready for anything Miguel can bring to him?”

There will be plenty of time this week to break down the Xs and Os, and we’ll do quite a bit of that here at InsideHBOBoxing.com. But before the fight takes center stage, let’s appreciate what Mayweather vs. Cotto means as an event. These are two men each with their own massive fan bases, each with distinct personalities, each experienced on boxing’s grandest stage.

They’re calling this one “Ring Kings,” and that’s a name that fits just fine. But it’s the “Star Power” that brought these ring kings together.

Mayweather vs. Cotto: A Master in the Art of Defense

By Hamilton Nolan

Photo Credit: Will Hart

Floyd Mayweather has several things that Miguel Cotto does not: some of the fastest hands inboxing, steel trap defensive skills, and all of the gloating self-indulgence of a classic anti-hero.Miguel Cotto has at least one thing that Floyd Mayweather does not: grace. Unfortunately forCotto, in boxing, the bad guys often win.

The most spectacular thing in this sport is not a crushing Klitschko knockout, or a blinding flurryfrom Manny Pacquiao; it is the sight of Floyd Mayweather—by all appearances possessed ofthe same human body as the rest of us—disappearing behind an impenetrable defensive cageof shoulders, hands, and elbows. Mayweather has the eerie ability to stand in front of a verygood fighter and never get hit. A rolled shoulder there, a lifted forearm there, a bend at thewaist there, and next thing you know, he's 42-0 and you can count on one hand the numberof clean punches he's taken in the past five years. Since he can't be hit, Mayweather prefersto luxuriate in the ring, picking his preferred spots, demoralizing his opponents with sharp jabsalong with left hooks and straight rights that both fly just as fast and connect as often as jabs,leaving an opponent with no offensive or defensive weak spots to key on. Besides the bestdefense in boxing, Mayweather is also boxing's most precise puncher, and one of its smartestring tacticians. It really doesn't seem fair, sometimes.

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Waiting for the Day: From Leonard-Hagler to Mayweather-Cotto

By Kieran Mulvaney

Floyd Maywether, Miguel Cotto - Photo Credit: Hogan PhotosWhen Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto clash on HBO pay-per-view from Las Vegas on May 5, it will be the culmination of years of on-again, off-again discussion about the two men meeting in the ring. Extenuating circumstances and alternative dance partners have kept them on separate paths since the concept was first discussed, but in that time each man has won titles at 147 and 154 pounds, Mayweather has exploded into a crossover sensation, Cotto has become arguably the biggest pay-per-view star not named Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, and their fight is likely all the more anticipated than it might have been in 2006.

If that's the case, it would not be the first time something like this has happened. In fact, 25 years ago today, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler met at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas long after it seemed that particular ship had sailed. By the time the bell eventually rang, it was not just a fight, but a phenomenon.

In 1982, Leonard, the welterweight champ, rented a Baltimore ballroom to make a major announcement, to which he invited middleweight champion Hagler. The prevailing assumption was that he would express his desire to make what was the biggest potential matchup in the sport, an assumption that was only strengthened when Leonard extolled Hagler's virtues and the potential significance of a fight between the two. But then Leonard pulled a swerve. It was "too bad," he said, that the fight wouldn't happen. Because of concerns following surgery for a detached retina, he would be retiring from boxing instead.

Humiliated, Hagler focused his energies on a succession of title defenses, capped by a three-round war with Thomas Hearns that continues to amaze even after repeated viewings. Leonard came back for one fight and promptly hung up his gloves again. But all along, even as he commentated ringside for HBO, he yearned to test himself inside the ropes anew, and eventually, in 1987, he laid down the challenge that the middleweight king had long awaited.

Few gave Leonard a chance. The prevailing opinion was that Hagler was too strong, and Leonard too inactive. In a poll of 67 boxing writers, 60 picked the defending champ, including Leonard’s HBO broadcast partner Larry Merchant, who observed that, "I wouldn't go onto an operating table if I knew the surgeon hadn't been practicing regularly for five years."

But Hagler was over-confident; content to look for one explosive punch, he allowed Leonard to build up a big lead over the first third of the fight. In the fifth, the champion began to land heavy blows; over the rest of the fight, Hagler pursued while Leonard sought to steal rounds with flurries in the final 30 seconds. At the bout's conclusion, Hagler was convinced he had prevailed, but the split decision win was awarded, in a shocking result, to Leonard.

Although one judge scored the fight ludicrously widely, 10 rounds to 2, for Leonard, the two others split seven rounds to five in either direction. Had Hagler not thrown away the first few rounds, he would have won. Even today, he still insists he did. And he is not alone: a quarter-century later, the result continues to raise hackles, split opinion and spark arguments among fight fans – evidence that it doesn’t necessarily matter how long it takes a fight to happen, as long as, eventually, it does happen.

Eras & Icons: From Ali to Pacquaio/Mayweather

By Eric Raskin

Oscar De La Hoya, Mike Tyson - Photo Credits: Will HartSports fans always want to know who's next. But it's important not to lose sight of who was last.

Through almost the entirety of the existence of HBO Boxing, there has been a clearly defined superstar carrying the sport, a man (or, sometimes, "men") who served as the face of the fight game. Here's a look at the fighters who ruled their eras, in the ring and at the box office, since the first boxing broadcasts on HBO in the early 1970s:

(RELATED: Eric Raskin examines the next generation of up-and-coming superstar hopefuls.)

Muhammad Ali: Arguably the most famous sports figure of all-time, Ali's inclusion on this list should require no explanation, even to the uninitiated. He was never the same as a fighter after 1975's "Thrilla in Manila," but Ali's star status remained unsurpassed up through his final bout.

Sugar Ray Leonard: While Ali was losing three of his last four fights between '78-'81, the Olympic gold medalist Leonard turned welterweight into boxing's glamour division. Undefeated heavyweight champ Larry Holmes played second fiddle to Sugar Ray throughout the first half of the '80s – even when Leonard was largely inactive.

Mike Tyson: There was some overlap with the Leonard era thanks to Sugar Ray's legendary comeback win over Marvin Hagler, but from the moment he won a piece of the heavyweight crown in '86, "Iron Mike" brought the worlds of tabloid journalism and sports journalism together like no one before.

Oscar De La Hoya: "The Golden Boy" began to emerge when Tyson was in jail, and broke through as the man to put boxing on his shoulders around the time Tyson's teeth replaced his fists as his weapons of choice. It's safe to say there's never been a fighter with a bigger female fan base than Oscar. But he also fought every great fighter of an exceptional era.

Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather: Together—but very much separately—the last two fighters to defeat De La Hoya have replaced him. Pacquiao drives pay-per-view sales with charm and dynamic offense; Mayweather does the same with a persona that many love to hate and a defense that few can penetrate.