Michael Vena

Floyd Mayweather Jr and the curse of being number 1

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Floyd Mayweather vs Manny PacquiaoBy Yannis Mihanos: To be at the top spot in any sport means that you have beaten the best out there. Still, the quest as number 1 never ends.

To stay on top and reign supreme means that you still need to work hard, you still have to take care of business. There is no rest for the number 1. So except from a gift, it can also be seen as curse for those who can’t handle the pressure.

Today in boxing, things have changed and don’t happen like they used to. Often fighters to stay on top for long periods of time choose the easy way out: They take on lesser challenges more often, they pick opponents that can easily beat with eyes closed and hands tied.

Julio Chavez Jr. faces Marcos Reyes tonight

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Chavez and ReyesBy Yannis Mihanos: An elite fighter should be in top shape any day and anytime. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an elite fighter for the last 18 years. He has been consistent with his work ethic and training; his mojo is plain and simple: “Hard work and dedication”. Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-2-1, 32 KOs) fights Marcos Reyes (33-2, 24 KOs) in a 10 round bout on Premier Boxing Champions on Showtime from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Often professional fighters fail to arrive close at this level because they fail to follow this rule. Their dedication in the sport of boxing has many holes to fill. Their hard work and dedication comes consistently under doubt.

Is Mayweather showing unsportsmanlike behavior by not giving his opponent time to train?

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Floyd Mayweather JrBy Yannis Mihanos: They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. While still waiting for the official announcement of the next opponent for unbeaten WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26 KOs) for his next fight on September 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada, I couldn’t help but thinking that phrase.

Not to give to your opponent, whoever may be, (Andre Berto, Amir Khan…etc.) enough time to train and prepare puts you (Mayweather) immediately ahead of the game.

Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. unbeatable?

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Floyd Mayweather JrBy Yannis Mihanos: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26 KOs) is one fight away from equalizing a historical record made in the fifties by former heavyweight world champion Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs).

Mayweather Jr. is also very close to retirement as he already stated back in last May after his 12 round unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Controversy” Tim Bradley survives the Vargas storm

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bradley222By Yannis Mihanos: It seems that controversy and Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley (35-1-1-1) have finally become one and the same thing.

I might as well call him from now on Controversy Tim or at least he should consider changing his nickname to “Controversy”.

I really don’t know how Bradley manages to put himself into trouble every time, but he certainly has something special going on with it.

Will Porter vs. Broner 2 be better than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2?

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broner565656By Yannis Mihanos: Last Saturday, I watched a highly competitive and entertaining encounter between former three division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) and Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) in their bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Porter wound up winning a 12 round unanimous decision in a fight that was televised on Premier Boxing Champions on NBC.

Porter and Broner gave a strong reminder to all boxing fans of how competing at this level should be.

I heard Porter prior the match on an interview highlighting that this fight will be a much better fight than that of the May 2nd fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course at that time I didn’t believe him. I had my sincere doubts. Let’s not forget that Pacquiao and Mayweather belong at the elite level of boxing. It’s a fact that last May we witnessed a fight that met not our expectation in terms of quality.

Is Adrien Broner facing Shawn Porter at the wrong time?

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_DSC8527(Photo credit: Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions) By Yannis Mihanos: This Saturday night at the MGM Las Vegas Nevada an interesting match-up is taking place between two talented contenders in Adrien Broner (30-1) and Shawn Porter (25-1-1) in a fight at a catch-weight of 144 pounds. They both have suffered at least one defeat during their careers, and they both have come back from it one way or another. Very often the 25-year-old Adrien Broner presents himself in the media as the rightful successor of the one and only Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Broner has never been shy about being seen as the successor to Mayweather, and his way of life and style in boxing help with that. But after Broner’s bitter 2013 defeat at the hands of Marcos Maidana things have slightly changed for him. Broner cannot anymore play the unbeatable superstar because he’s no longer undefeated like Mayweather. Broner’s last three encounters have been soft ones just to set him again for the big stage and it has worked out as planned.

Golovkin and Mayweather: Why their opponents think so different of them

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golovkin101By Yannis Mihanos: WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) is from Kazakhstan and has knocked down almost all of his opponents (30) so far, but it seems he has difficulty to find and fight other top contenders like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto.

The prime reason and most obvious is that Golovkin cannot be stopped by anybody at this current moment. Coaches and promoters try to avoid Golovkin so they can preserve and protect the unbeaten status or winning streak of their fighter.

Should Mayweather give Pacquiao a rematch?

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Floyd MayweatherBy Yannis Mihanos: In the film industry and especially in Hollywood a sequel is always welcome if the sales are good and the story is pretty solid and inspiring.

In boxing this is common too. Fighters give in to rematches in order to settle their differences for a second time or even more: sometimes they might fight 3 or even 4 times like the unforgettable epic series of Arturo Gatti vs. Mickey Ward or more recently the one of Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez.

Who dares to fight Golovkin today?

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1-vlcsnap-2015-05-17-05h03m54s131By Yannis Mihanos: Last Saturday night I watched for the first time Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) in his 6th round knockout victory over Willie Monroe Jr. (19-2, 6 KOs) at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and I think I got a good taste of what he is about:
“Fist Power.”

In front of him was a not so easy opponent Willie Monroe Jr. with a style (moving target) not so easy to hit and handle.