Scatter-Shooting

By Sean McChesney


I’ve received a few similar emails over the last month, the basic inquiry of which related to the absence of “The Monday After,” a feature I had hoped to make a mainstay on pound4pound.com.

Unfortunately business beckoned: (I’ve been out of the country traveling the Amazon with a group Primatologists attempting to locate a near-distinct primate species known as the Screaming Spider Monkey. Our plan was to study the animal’s peculiar behavior in an attempt to: identify a potential cause for their excessive violence, record the rate at which the adolescent primates displayed autistic traits, and test for greenhouse effects caused by their existence. Sadly our efforts were mostly unsuccessful.)

Enough about that… Now I am back in the States and ready to talk boxing. After plowing through articles and watching numerous fights I’m finally back up to speed. The following are my “Scattering Shots.”

The way Bob Arum abused the ‘Versus’ network irked me since the day the deal was announced. The ensuing garbage Top Rank televised on cable outlet (at the expense of a vast stable of quality Top Rank fighters) is a prime example of how exclusive contracts and boxing are less soluble than vinegar and oil. From what I understand the [Versus-Top Rank] contract has expired… thank the lord! Let’s hope ‘Versus’ learned from this business mistake. That is, in the future they will work with promotional outfits on an individual basis – selecting those that pitch the best one-time offer. Open competition drives quality and puts downward pressure on the price tag. (That television Executives didn’t know this is shocking or, shall I say “unbelievable.”) (emphasis added)

Count me in as a Chris Arreola fan. If he can genuinely commit to the craft (i.e., stay in shape year round) he will be a heavyweight title-holder. Looking at the Ring Magazine heavyweight top 10 it’s hard to say Arreola doesn’t belong. (The 6th and 7th positions are occupied by Sultan Ibragimov and Oleg Maskaev, respectively). I’d like to see Arreola test himself against a wily vet before he makes takes a stab at a top 5 talent. The winner of Toney-Rahman would make for a more interesting opponent than David Tua.

I continue to doubt Andre Berto. His team took him to the top in fast order: Four HBO dates in 18 months aren’t shabby, but you have to wonder – in hindsight – if this was the optimal path for the young man. In what can only be explained as brilliant string-pulling Berto backed his way into a title-fight winning the WBC welterweight strap by defeating Miki Rodriguez, whom most pundits ranked near the bottom of their top 50. To remain a staple on HBO Andre is going to be asked to step up the competition – probably to a significant degree. I simply don’t think he’s ready for the elite welterweights, and frankly I’m not sure he ever will be. Berto has serious hand speed, but make no mistake – regardless of what the HBO crew would like you to believe – he is not a power puncher. The lack of a concussive punch combined with hand-full of amateur tendencies has lead me to believe it’s only a matter of time before he gets clipped. I do, however, hope the young Floridian proves me wrong; he’s a class act, skilled and entertaining.

Forget about Winky Wright. Arthur Abraham is the clear number one challenger for Kelly Pavlik’s middleweight crown. As many have already stated, this fight needs time to stew. It’s unfortunate Abraham’s next title defense, against Raul Marquez, will take place in Germany. A Pavlik-Abraham co-feature would greatly accelerate interest in a future showdown.

Manny Pacquiao was sensational in lifting the lightweight strap from David Diaz, though the performance deserves perspective. David Diaz is not a top ten talent – at least not in today’s lightweight division (more on that below). What cannot be overlooked is the way in which The Pacman performed. He exhibited a killer instinct not shown since his third fight with Eric Morales. His footwork, balance, lead hand, and general boxing acumen vastly improved. He is the number one fighter on the planet (including those in temper-tantrum time-out… I mean retirement.)

Should Edwin Valero and Humberto Soto move up to 135, the division would be the most compelling in boxing. The lightweight talent is deeper and more uniformly distributed than at welterweight.

My top 10 lightweights:
1.) Joel Casamayor
2.) Nate Campbell
3.) Manny Pacquiao
4.) Juan Diaz
5.) Juan M. Marquez
6.) Joan Guzman
7.) Jose Armando Santa Cruz
8.) Edwin Valero
9.) Michael Katsidis
10.) Humberto Soto
* The division is so deep; Julio Diaz, David Diaz, Zahir Raheem, Amir Khan, Anthony Peterson and a number of other quality lightweights I likely overlooked don’t make the top ten.

Finally and perhaps most importantly: Can someone please explain why Larry Merchant was not ringside this past weekend? There is no excuse for this.


Questions or Comments, Please Email Sean McChesney