BOXING NEWS 24

@James_theGrad

James_theGrad is a U.S. Navy veteran and a college graduate with a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and a graduate certificate in Human Resources from Brandman University (formerly Chapman University). A dedicated family man and longtime boxing fan, James brings a disciplined, levelheaded approach to covering the sport. His analysis draws on years of following fighters, matchmaking trends, and championship landscapes with the sharp eye of a committed student of the game. You can find him discussing boxing daily on Twitter/X at @James_theGrad.

Keith Thurman: Why “One Time” is the Real Deal

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thurman53by James Le Blanc: Keith “One Time” Thurman (19-0, 18 KO’s) has an opportunity yet again on HBO this weekend to win over some fans as well as gain some more respect from top fighters in the welterweight division.  Some say Keith is overrated and clever match making has put Thurman in the position to score most of his fights by KO. It appears as though HBO and Golden Boy Promotions are shoving an unproven Thurman down our throats like they did Andre Berto, who has proven to be far from elite, losing 2 of his last 3 fights and being dropped 4 times altogether.

Thurman was criticized last year for calling out the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Paulie mMlignaggi, and Timothy Bradley all belt holders in the Welterweight division. But here are a few things that you may not know about Thurman.

Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Aldimar Silva Santos on Saturday in Puerto Rico

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lopez4334By James Le Blanc: This Saturday, Juan Manuel Lopez has an up-hill battle to begin in a 10 round tune-up fight in trying to restore his image against Aldimar Silva Santo at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico. As a very fan friendly fighter, Lopez was making a big name for himself having been featured on the Showtime telecast several times.  Like many other exciting fighters to watch it was his ability to overcome adversity within the ring that made watching him so special. Juanma is a heavy hitter, yet extremely vulnerable at times, and it was this vulnerability that got him Knocked out twice by veteran Orlando Salido.

But after the second KO loss to Salido, Juanma demonstrated one of the most classless post fight interviews of all time, accusing the referee of having a gambling problems insinuating that the fight was stopped because the referee needed to ensure it was stopped.  Of course this accusation surprised everyone because we all saw a guy that was getting pummeled to his defeat and a referee that had no other alternative than to end the fight.

Still Waiting, Floyd…..

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floyd4534By James Le Blanc IV: It’s been roughly about a month since Floyd Mayweather Jr. committed to fighting May 4th with an opponent to be determined.  Among the many athletes that have called out Mayweather and would love to challenge the Pound for Pound King the options for Floyd’s next bout was a relatively small list.  The names that have been floating around were Robert Guerrero and Saul Alvarez, and just in the past few days I heard Timothy Bradley.

Bradley seemed very quiet when it came time to make a match with him and Amir Khan happen in late 2011. This frustrated me because Bradley was on ESPN calling Khan out.  Next thing you know Bradley lands a match with Manny Pacquiao. So in light of Bradley recently turning down a rematch with Lamont Peterson, and making negotiations between him and Yuriorkis Gamboa extremely complicated, don’t be surprised if he lands that match with Floyd.

Freddie Roach’s terrible year

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roach45By James Le Blanc IV: I’ve read countless articles making various suggestions for Manny Pacquiao and what his next move should be. Should he retire, or fight Marquez right away, or have a tune up fight before having a 5th fight with Marquez. What I have read very little about is the decline of trainer Freddie Roach and the terrible year he had in the year of 2012. Let’s reflect for a moment on the 2012 year of the Hall of Fame trainer who has won multiple Trainer of the Year awards by ESPN and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Manny Pacquiao UD Loss to Timothy Bradley June 9th 2012-Title bout
Amir Khan KO Loss to Danny Garcia July 15th 2012-Title bout
Julio Chavez UD Loss to Sergio Martinez September 15th 2012-Title bout
Manny Pacquiao KO Loss to Juan Manuel Marquez December 8th 2012

Will 2013’s Fight Night game deprive us of the Mega Match as well?

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By James Le Blanc IV: The great thing for boxing fans/gamers here in 2013 is that we are due for another Fight Night.  The last few boxing games have not featured Floyd Mayweather and what surprised boxing fans two years ago when the roster for Fight Night Champion came out was the incredible number of top fighters that were not show cased in the game. There are a lot of political reasons as to why some of our favorite fighters are not in the game and not every case is the same.

Amir Khan should not move up in weight

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khan42 - CopyBy James Le Blanc IV: It’s not how brash and over confident Amir Khan can be that makes him one of my favorite fighters.  That description could be said about almost any fighter from Great Britain, it’s just the way they are. It’s Amir Khan’s dedication to the sport that makes him one of the most exciting and fan friendly fighters out there today.

Amir is one of few fighters that dedicates his craft to collecting belts.  He set out to rule the junior welterweight division by fighting the very best.  A showdown with him and Tim Bradley never fell through for Khan so he was forced to take on Lamont Peterson in late 2011. 

2013 Year of the Rematches

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pac454By James Le Blanc IV:

As we wrap up this incredible year of boxing that had excellent drama and excitement surrounding  multiple fights we begin to look forward to this upcoming years match ups.  Whether boxing fans feel these rematches in the works are unfortunate, or whether they are looking forward to them, here is a long list of rematches that are more than likely going to happen next year in 2013.

Marquez vs. Pacman 5

Martinez vs. Chavez 2

Rios vs. Alvarado 2

Garcia vs. Khan 2

Froch vs. Kessler 2

Marquez has absolutely nothing to prove

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marquez5by James Le Blanc IV: After DVR’ing every sports show on ESPN the next day to hear what all the analyst had to say about the knockout victory Juan Manuel Marquez scored on Manny Pacquiao and what it meant to the potential showdown of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather I was utterly disappointed in what I was hearing.  It seemed like everyone was automatically calling for a Pacquiao vs. Marquez 5 showdown.  As a fan I never wanted to see those two fight a fourth time, or a third time for that matter (but I understand how some do).

This rivalry has held back a few potential match-ups that I would rather have seen and while we can credit Manny for taking on a hard task as he knowingly has issues when he fights his rival Marquez, I preferred he would have taken a different route.

Some fans hope that Marquez tests positive for PEDs

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Image: Some fans hope that Marquez tests positive for PEDsWhat if I told you that I sincerely hope that Juan Manuel Marquez tests comes back positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) this Monday on the December 17th.  Would you call me a hater, shameful, an idiot? Hear me out….

I have heard people say that they’re hoping Marquez’s test turns up positive for PEDS. I think that is shameful to blame Marquez for juicing without evidence, and that we are allowing this discussion to over shadow his major accomplishment this past Saturday in destroying Manny Pacquiao.  Well, I say its Marquez’s choice of strength coach, unusual muscle growth, and a dirty sport that is overshadowing his major accomplishment.

Bay Area Boxing: It’s the Take Over

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Image: Bay Area Boxing: It's the Take OverLeading the charge out of the Bay Area would be 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward who won a very grueling (as he would say) Super Six Tournament last year defeating Carl Froch with one good hand.  Shortly after the tournament in 2011, Andre Ward received Fighter of the Year and deservingly so. 

This year it’s without a doubt in my mind that another Bay Area native WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire will receive the Fighter of the Year award upon winning his fourth fight this year against Jorge Arce on Saturday December 15th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.