Bill Scherer's Blog

Posted by Bill Scherer

Last Saturday's Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA was only 40 minutes from my house, which is better than a three and one-half hour drive from Las Vegas, to be sure. Especially at midnight, after a long day.

Unfortunately, I was also stricken with bronchitis and would rather have watched the fight on TV with Vicks Vapor Rub slathered an inch thick on my chest. But I went anyway. The writers sitting around me may have wished I hadn't. I hacked phlegm from the opening bell of the first fight to the completion of the post-fight presser held next to the ring, nine fights and eight hours later.

Too sick and exhausted to sit out in the chill night of the open air tennis facility and finish my fight report, I packed up my laptop, headed home and fell fast asleep.

Rising early the next morning, I finished my article and submitted it while pouring the last drops of cold coffee down my gullet. Peering over the top of my cup, I saw a spiral bound notebook open to what looked like one of my fight notes. I picked it up and immediately recognized the writing, but it wasn't mine, it belonged to my eldest son, who is ten-years-old today.

Written just as I would have, it had the fighter's names above the top margin and the rounds numbered on the left margin with a space in between for notes. He's been watching.

Among his entries:

"Both fighters using power punches."

"Head butt!"

"Great round of boxing!"

"Mosley wins by KO at 2:59 of round twelve!"

That's lump in your throat stuff, right there. Will he grow up to become a writer? I don't know and it doesn't really matter. What matters is that all the evidence points to him growing up to be my son.

Posted by Bill Scherer

This is the slow season for boxing, for the casual fan, at least. No Showtime or HBO fights until September. This Friday on ESPN2 we get Julio Gonzalez vs. Tavoris Cloud. For entertainment value it should be worth watching since Gonzalez never saw a tough fight he didn't want to be in.

About ten years ago when my wife and I still lived in La Habra, CA, I watched Julio spar at the La Habra Boxing Club and couldn't help but be puzzled about a 6'2" boxer who rarely threw a jab. Even his sparring sessions were wars because he didn't use the stick. Besides that, his punches always seemed a little slow to me.

By this time he was 22-years-old and had built a local fan base by virtue of regular fights at the Anaheim Pond and the Forum in LA. I was convinced that that's about as far as fame and fortune would take him.

He ended up winning the WBO light heavyweight belt.

It's natural to try and predict the future of young fighters in the gym, but it's an inexact science at best.

There are some kids who are smothered in talent, but never make it out of the gym, and others who will frustrate their trainers into using a whip and a chair to tighten up their technique, but eventually win a title.

Maybe it's as simple as this: The ones who cannot be discouraged succeed.

At the Bryant Ranch Gym over 50 kids signed up for the new boxing program we have there. Of those, only two or three will pursue boxing long enough to have an amateur fight or two, and a professional career of any length is a long shot. I think I know who they are, but I'm probably wrong.

Posted by Bill Scherer

No doubt about it, welterweight is the hottest division in boxing right now.

With Antonio "The Tijuana Tornado" Margarito's massacre of Miguel "Jim Lampley Loves Me" Cotto this past Saturday, Zab Judah and Joshua Clottey duking it out this coming Saturday, Andre Berto and Paul Williams with talent and titles of their own, and Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, Luis Collazo and others milling around among the division's elite, we should be entertained for the foreseeable future.

I don't see anyone beating Margarito at 147 any time soon. He's too big and he can't be hurt. He did swell quite a bit from all the leather Cotto landed, so maybe a fighter's best hope is to swell him up, bust him open, and stop him on cuts. To do that, you would have to, literally, look the Tornado in the eye to deliver that much punishment. I'll pass, thank you.

Poor Kelly Pavlik. He is the dominant player in a division rich in history and prestige, yet he has to settle for a fight with Bernard Hopkins at 170. Maybe he can close out the old guy's career and drop back down to 160. Maybe Arthur Abraham will be available. That's a good fight. Pavlik wins it, but it's a good fight.

What else? Among the lightweights we have Nate Campbell vs. Juan Guzman and Michael Katsidis vs. Juan Diaz coming up. Campbell and Guzman is a tough scrap but I give the edge to Campbell. Katsidis Diaz? I honestly don't know who wins that one.

The Golden Businessman is trying to lure Manny Pacquiao away from 135 for a December 6 fight at 147. Funny thing is, a lot of folks think that's a dangerous fight for the golden one....

Posted by Bill Scherer

Some time ago I described the first time I met Alex Suarez at The Lincoln Gym in Riverside California. I had gone in simply to work out, not as a journalist. In fact, I really didn't want anyone there to know that I was a writer. Then Alex, a trainer, walked up and asked, "So what's your story?"

Since then, it seems, Alex decided that I'm not "just" a boxing writer, but I actually know something about the sport and has asked me to help him train some of his fighters, which I've been doing on a very limited basis. In doing so, I've watched one of Alex's dreams come true.

The ratty old Lincoln Gym was where Alex and his brothers learned to box under the careful guidance of their father, and beloved local trainer, Andy Suarez. Andy died a few years back, in a small office built behind Alex's house, leaving his family in grief and disarray. For Alex, though, the memory of his father eventually sent him back to the gym to train boxers.

Now Alex has a stable of young fighters: Kahn, Travis, Felix, David, Angelica, and others, along with a new home: The Bryant Park Fitness Center.

The Center, located in the Arlanza community of Riverside, has a state-of -the-art weight room, a beautiful gymnasium as well as rooms for aerobics, martial arts and more, but it's centerpiece is it's boxing gym.

A brand new ring, new punching bags, and even an overhead camera for filming sparring sessions make this gym a dream come true for it's new head trainer--Alex Suarez.

Posted by Bill Scherer

A couple weeks ago I was in the ring with a young welterweight, Travis Samuel, working on his defense. Travis has a brawler's mentality and his trainer, Alex, wanted him to be more mindful of his defense. We weren't sparring, really, I just put on the gloves and threw a lot of jabs along with a few rights and three-punch combinations, all so Travis could work on blocking and slipping punches. He wasn't throwing back, it was a purely defensive drill.

While working with him, I noticed that when I threw a double jab and a right, Travis would block the jabs with his right hand and slip to the left. Just as he should. But...

He always responded the same way to that particular combination, so I began looking for a weakness in his response and it didn't take long to find it--after throwing that combination several times I realized that Travis dropped his right glove when he slipped my right, leaving his chin exposed. All I would have to do is feint the jab and throw my right where his head was going. I didn't, though.

What I did do was take a step back and explain to him what I saw. He seemed genuinely shocked that one could actually throw a punch where his opponent's head was going to be.

All the drilling on proper form, necessary as it was, and is, kept Travis from improvisation. Learning to throw straight punches is absolutely vital, but in the ring one's target isn't always straight ahead.

Boxing, for all of its technical complexities, is still a simple matter of landing more clean punches than one's opponent--wherever he happens to be.

Posted by Bill Scherer

It dawned on me (it's about time that something did), while dissassembling the lockwork of my 1895 Nagant revolver, that most of my pursuits, recreational or otherwise, are, by and large, solitary. My modest gun collection, of which the Nagant is a part, requires virtually no help from anyone else for me to enjoy.

Of course, in competition, firearms requires more than one shooter, but it can be practiced, and thoroughly enjoyed, all by my lonesome. This is also true of being a musician, a motorcyclist, a writer, or a boxer.

At 43, I'm too old to box competitively anymore, but I still feel weird, even a little guilty, if I haven't worked out for a couple of days. Being in the gym is addictive and while slinging leather with guys 20 years younger than me might not be too smart, I enjoy setting up next to them on a heavybag to test myself, to see if I can still keep up. Once in a while I do.

It seems to me that boxers, like musicians, writers, and shootists (think cowboy here) are all derived from similar temperment, and very likely, environs. Something makes us individuals in the extreme.

Miles Davis, the most influential jazz trumpeter of all time, loved to box. Ernest Hemingway, the most influential American writer of the last century, loved to box and was an accomplished hunter. Many prominent boxers, including Oscar De La Hoya, and Roy Jones Jr., have successfully dabbled in music.

I could play amateur shrinkologist and try to give you reasons for all this, but sometimes too much analysis ruins the romance.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora could be interesting. What we have here are two men who feel they haven't reached their full potential and see one another as a springboard to big money. Granted, Forrest is the current WBC junior middleweight champ, but he won the vacant title with a unanimous decision over Carlos Baldomir. Baldomir's a tough guy, but didn't have enough firepower at 154 to threaten Forrest.

At 37, Forrest needs to show some pyrotechnics against Mora if he wants a seriously lucrative fight before hanging the gloves up for good.

Mora, on the other hand, needs to light up the ring with Forrest's hide or he can plunk his career in a jar of formaldehyde and forget it. I know that sounds crazy since the former Contender star hasn't lost a pro bout, but his stale performances against mediocre opposition didn't win him any fans. The 27-year-old Mora is a decade younger than Forrest. He needs to look like it.

I recieved a note from BZA Public Relations asking for a prediction on the Carlos Quintana/Paul Williams II fight and had a hard time coming up with an answer. Although Quintana took William's WBO welterweight title rather convincingly in their first fight, I thought Williams looked flat and Quintana fought the fight of his life.

Williams is, depending on who you believe, somewhere between 6'2" and 6'4" which is freakishly tall for a welterweight ; he may simply be dead at the weight. If so, Quintana wins. But if Williams found a sensible way to manage cutting weight just one more time, he'll be better able to deal with Quintana's lateral movement and corner the Puerto Rican with the usual Williams' 100-punch-per-round assault. Williams by unanimous decision.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Witter vs Bradley

Did you see the Junior Witter/Timothy Bradley fight this past Saturday? Congrats to Bradley for hanging in there with a very awkward fighter, not getting frustrated, and coming away with a belt. Bradley even looked sharper as the rounds went on. Nice job.

As for Witter, he can be a little dull to watch and at 35 the sun is probably setting on his career. I won't miss watching him.

Zab Judah Finds Yet Another Way to Make the News

By now you've probably heard that the May 31 Shane Mosley/Zab Judah fight has been cancelled due to Judah accidentally filleting his right forearm. Fifty stitches worth. How, exactly, did it happen? This is Zab Judah we're talking about, so I'm not sure I even want to know.

Chris Byrd at Light Heavyweight

This Friday night on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights Chris Byrd step in the ring against Shaun George (16-2-2, 7 KOs) at 175 lbs. Byrd's first pro fight was at middleweight, but that was back in 1993. Still, even as a heavyweight he walked around in the 190s and had to put on weight for his fights. He's 37, but I think he can do damage in that division, he may even show a little more power--something that he just couldn't muster with the big boys.

There has been some talk of Byrd vs. Jones Jr. in the future, but those guys are pretty good friends and if it did happen, you can expect a chess match at best.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Alex Suarez dropped me off at my house a little before 1:00 am this past Sunday. Alex and I had just been to the Pala Community Center (Pala Indian Reservation, CA), along with Joe and Tony Salazar, where Travis Samuel (18), Felix Soria (7), and Justin Salazar (Joe's grandson) had their first organized amateur bouts.

As noted in a previous blog, these boys have just recently begun training in earnest at the Lincoln Boxing Club (Riverside, CA), and all of us who watched them perform, including Felix's father, Ray, couldn't be more proud.

I'll post a more in-depth account of the evening on FightTube.tv, where I'm working on a series of stories about Travis and his foray into the world of boxing, but I'll give you a snippet here.

Felix's fight was with a more experienced kid with a frustrating style, i.e., constant lateral movement and quick counters when Felix got close. To his credit, Felix pressed the kid for three rounds and delivered punishment on the inside. One could tell that Ali Jr. wanted no part of our boy in close quarters.

Travis' opponent had, like Travis, no amateur experience, so they were on fairly equal terms, technically. Although Travis' better jab and solid uppercut, coupled with superior power, made for a short fight as the referee stopped the contest half way through the first round.

We were a little surprised at the stoppage, but, frankly, the outcome would've been the same no matter how long it went. Travis was just too strong for him.

Nine-year-old Justin (Joe's grandson) started a little rough, but had his man walking into a stiff left jab by round three.

Posted by Bill Scherer

If you want to know how something works, and how you can improve it, take it apart. That includes boxers as well as machines.

On May 1, the conclusion of a mandatory 10 day waiting period, I'll pick up a 1942 Mosin Nagant M91/30 Russian surplus rifle. Once home with it, I'll completely disassemble it, painstakingly clean it, reassemble it, and take it to the rifle range. I'm giddy.

It seems that everything I acquire gets stripped to it's bones and rebuilt. My wife says that's because I buy junk that needs fixing, but there's more to it than that, though I'd be lying if I said she was completely wrong.

Among the things I've torn apart and managed to piece back together: several 1970's era Japanese motorcycles, including the 1978 XS750 I currently have; a few tube-driven guitar amps; at least a dozen electric guitars; a handful of electric basses; and an el cheapo upright bass that I bought new for $400.00 then stripped and refinished to look, and play, more like a European antique. I'm proud of that one.

Taking these things apart uncovers any inherent flaws, reveals how they work, and presents opportunities for improvement.

Good trainers do the same thing with boxers. These trainers watch everything: hands, head, eyes, feet, legs, shoulders, hips, etc., looking for strengths and weaknesses. Then the trainer becomes an engineer and devises the best way to reassemble his fighter so that his strengths are maximized, weaknesses minimized, and proper amendments given to best suit the young man.

Not every boxer will look, or work, the same as others once reassembled. My two Fender Stratocasters don't sound or play alike either. That's the point.

Posted by Bill Scherer

If, after the Antonio Margarito vs. Carlos Cintron welterweight fight, boxing writers and fans everywhere are complaining that this turned out to be a dull affair, then Cintron did his job and probably won. Exciting, action-packed fights are fun to watch and are undoubtedly good for boxing, but they aren't always what's best for the fighters.

In their first fight, Cintron stood in front of the heavy handed Margarito and got blitzed. This time around, I expect Cintron's trainer, Manny Steward, to have him using his jab and lateral movement as Tommy Hearns did so successfully against Sugar Ray Leonard in the middle rounds of their first fight. Of course, Leonard eventually caught up to Hearns and knocked him out. There's a good chance Margarito could do the same thing in this fight.

Margarito is the typical old-school Mexican fighter--tough, well conditioned and strong with good in-fighting skills, but lateral movement can give him problems. Expect Cintron to win a nervous first half of the fight by boxing on the outside. Late in the fight Margarito, well behind on the cards, lets it all hang out and catches Cintron with a left hook counter when Cintron leaves his chin on a tee after throwing a long right. Once Cintron is hurt, Margarito will swarm him until there is nothing left but bones.

Margarito by late TKO.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Alfonso Gomez is going to beat Miguel Cotto. There, I said it. I know my boxing writer brethren are going to think I'm nuts, but I just can't shake the idea that Gomez is going to pull off an upset. There is some substance to my prediction too.

Gomez is a natural welterweight, where Cotto moved up to 147; he is well grounded, technically; and he is mentally tough and won't allow Cotto to own the ring. It's the mental toughness that will make the most difference.

When Cotto fought Shane Mosley, it was Cotto who ended up giving ground as the fighters marched into the last rounds. Gomez noticed. I'm sure the entire welterweight division noticed. From that point forward, Cotto's future in the division got a lot tougher, as potential opponents caught a glimpse of weakness.

That's a little unfair, I know. After all, it was Shane Mosley standing across from Cotto, and Shane flat brings it. But the image of Cotto as an immovable force, which no man is capable of maintaining, has been broken.

To Gomez, Cotto is just another man.

Yes, other writers will think I'm nuts, until Cotto and Gomez face each other in the ring for pre-fight instructions, then they will size the fighters up and begin to doubt.

Gomez by TKO in the championship rounds.

Posted by Bill Scherer

After a good, hard rain this morning, a gentle northern breeze has moved the heavy, leaden clouds to the south, leaving mostly clear skies and a kind of hyper-oxygenated energy to the air. It's a Missouri Spring. I traveled out here for the Cory Spinks vs. Verno Phillips fight in St. Louis, but scheduled a two week stay with family down the Mississippi river in Ste. Genevieve. OK, my wife, Shelly, arranged for me to stay with family. She seemed rather adamant about it too. Whatever, I'm enjoying the slower pace and post card scenery of country life while I'm here. The boxing world has moved at such a torrid pace lately, it's been difficult to track the reprecussions of it beyond simple fight reporting. The current lull in the action gives me a chance to mull over Hopkins vs. Calzaghe on April 19, and Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gomez on April 12. Frankly, Hopkins/Calzaghe doesn't interest me much. Cazaghe, while talented and busy enough in the ring, is a bit of a slapper, and Hopkins is so good at controlling the pace of his fights the become a bit dull, even for a boxing junkie like me. Oh, and the undercard is a liitle thin too. I'll just catch the free replay on HBO the following week. Cotto/Gomez, however, will be a good fight. Anyone who thinks Gomez is going to lay down for Cotto is very much mistaken. Gomez is strong at 147 and, more importantly, is technically sound and mentally tough. Cotto has been given too much credit for a virtual draw with a faded Shane Mosley. Forget spending 50 bucks on the 19th, and instead, enjoy beer, pizza, and a good fight with your buddies on the 12th.

Posted by Bill Scherer

After Alex Suarez approached me at the Lincoln Boxing Club in Riverside, CA, we talked about his training philosophy. We talked about his fighters. And we talked about his brother, Mark Suarez. Yes, that Mark Suarez.

Mark is a former top ten ranked welterweight whose last fight was a sixth round TKO loss to Kermit Cintron in 2006, for the vacant IBF welterweight title. Alex insists that the death of their trainer/father, Andy, prevented Mark from victory in that fight. "He came out in the third round looking around for dad, and I knew the fight was over," admitted Alex. "But he has what it takes to be a champion."

But not at 147. "I'll train him when he gets out (Mark is currently serving a jail sentence for breaking and entering a vehicle), but at 160. He's tall enough (5'11) and can carry the weight, no problem. I just need to get him to use his jab."

It's obvious when talking to Alex, that he places as much confidence in his training abilities as he does in his brother.

"I learned so much from my Dad," he said. "He was a great trainer and he taught me everything he knew. Most of all he taught me how to study fighters, how to pick apart (fight) film.

His enthusiasm is infectious and it's fun to watch as he trains an 18-year-old welterweight named Travis and a seven-year-old named Felix Soria. The little guy attacked a heavy bag like it was a grade school bully who stole his lunch money.

"I think he's a natural," said Alex. Trainers can be naturals too, I thought.

Riverside area residents interested in Alex's services may contact him at bigal_64@sbcglobal.net

Posted by Bill Scherer

I had just finished my workout at the Lincoln Boxing Club in Riverside, CA, and leaned against an unused training table to watch everyone else get their work in. At 43-years-old I'm still fascinated by the sport and its practitioners.

Watching various trainers teach, in their own peculiar yet familiar ways, and watching how each fighter responds to instruction, can keep me mesmerized for hours, like Rain Man with a phonebook.

Although I'm a boxing writer (you may have picked up on that), I don't go to the Lincoln Gym to find stories or do interviews. It's good to have a place to work out and not have the fighters around me wondering if I'm going to ask for an interview. On the other hand, sometimes interviews come looking for me.

As I watched and listened to a gym full of young men and women learn to walk the tightrope of "hit and not get hit" that is boxing, a man walked over to me and asked, "So what's your story?"

Not wanting to bore the poor guy into a coma with the truth, I tried to formulate some fantastic tale of heroism and daring-do that had somehow led me to the gym. Couldn't do it. "I'm just here to work out," I said.

"What do you do?" Now, I thought, the cat is about to exit the bag and thrash the furniture.

"I'm a writer," I said. "A boxing writer."

At which point he didn't run, roll his eyes and go silent, or ask me if I wanted to spar with the biggest baddest dude in the gym. What he did was engage me in an enjoyable and highly informative conversation. In the next blog, I'll share it with you.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Sometimes we get more than we expect. Yesterday afternoon, the South El Monte Community Center was overrun by a horde of boxing journalists. We all waited outside the doors of the boxing gym waiting for Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez to show up, bounce around the ring for a few photo ops, and take some questions. Nobody said there would be food. Great food.

These publicity gatherings often have a spread of some sort, often dry sandwiches and soda. But this one had a darling little Mexican lady grilling up fresh carne asada, the smell of which wafted over the parking lot and diverted nearly everyone's focus from the job.

Poor Vazquez and Marquez, who have to make weight for this weekend's fight at The Home Depot Center, had to walk through the intoxicating smoke to get into the gym. Sometimes life isn't fair.

Once inside, it was time for business. I asked Vazquez what he thought about the probability of his long, accomplished career being defined by his trilogy with Marquez.

"Yes, even though I fought Jhonny Gonzalez and Oscar Larios and many other fighters. But this is the reason that this trilogy is so important to me, because I understand that it will define my career," said Vazquez

When I asked Marquez if he planned to slow the pace of the fight in order to use his boxing skills to beat Vazquez, he would have none of it.

"No. I'm not that type of fighter. I don't know how to do a boring fight. I'm fighting for the title and I know in order to win the fight I need to throw punches. Obviously I'll fight smart and I know how to box, but it won't be boring, because I'm not that type of fighter," said Marquez

Posted by Bill Scherer

The Kelly Pavlik vs. Jermain Taylor rematch was close; most of the boxing writers I talked to in the press room afterwards had scored it a one or two round fight. We were all basically split as far as who we thought won, but no one was willing to be dogmatic about their opinion.

As I saw the fight from press row, Taylor seemed to control the first half of the fight with his handspeed and effective counters. According to my notes, the tide began to turn in round six as Taylor's punch output waned and Pavlik kept chugging along. The "crowd noise" shots were still coming from Taylor, but with lesser frequency. Eventually, Taylor seemed content to attempt stealing rounds with a hard combination after he heard the ten second warning.

I'd love to say more but my memory is poor and I lost my notes somewhere in Las Vegas. Fortunately, I managed to peck out most of my fight report on my laptop from my notes in between rounds. I don't type well enough to use only the laptop. I scribble what I see in the ring into my little notebook, then use that precious 60 seconds between rounds to get it on the hard drive.

Someday, maybe, I'll risk using only the laptop at ringside, but not any time soon. Until then, I'll go get me another cheap spiral bound notebook. I'd rather have the old one back, since it has notes from several fights and interviews in it. If anyone reading this happens to have found some nearly illegible scratching on a small spiral notebook, please email me. Next time I'm in Vegas I'll buy you a beer.

Posted by Bill Scherer

This Friday night Shelly and I are dumping the kids at Grandma's, then early Saturday morning we'll be heading north on Interstate 15 to Las Vegas. Romantic getaway? Not so much. I'll be sitting ringside to cover the Kelly Pavlik vs. Jermain Taylor rematch for Suite 101 while wifey lives it up on the strip.

At 9:00 a.m. I'll be in line to get my press credential and photo ID. Hopefully that won't take too long so Shelly and I can live it up for a few hours before I have to be back at the MGM at 4:30 p.m.. We've been saving change in our couch cushion fund for months, so it's hard to predict which will run out first, time or money.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Last night's edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights entertained from beginning to end. Monty Meza Clay took it to Eric Aiken from the opening bell of their featherweight bout until :39 of the seventh round when the referee had had enough Aiken doin' the bobble head from Clay's punches.

The undercard was great too, but what I enjoyed the most was Roy Jones Jr's knowledgeable and insightful commentary. Boxers, as a rule, make horrible expert commentators. No matter how knowledgeable a fighter is, there is no guarantee that he can call a fight from ringside.

Like a good teacher, an expert commentator needs to take what he observes, apply what he knows, and synthesize that information--distill it, really--so that the layman understands. Roy nails it. Even for a guy like me who has been around the sport in some capacity for over three decades, Roy made it all seem fresh.

What's fascinating about his ringside observations is that his comments reveal his fundamental knowledge of the sport and complete command of boxing technique, yet he is commonly criticized, if not berated, for his lack of proper technique in the ring.

What boxing "experts" need to remember is that Roy was a world class amateur boxer. One doesn't become a highly decorated amateur without understanding proper technique. He simply chooses to be unorthodox as long as it suits his purpose. Watch the eleventh round of his fight with Trinidad. (You do have Tivo or DVR, don't you?) He gives a master class on the jab during that round.

When Roy finally puts down the gloves, I hope someone is smart enough to sit him behind a microphone. He could have a second Hall of Fame career behind the mic if he wants it. Or maybe as a trainer...

Posted by Bill Scherer

Back in December, after the Mayweather/Hatton fight, I wrote an article for TigerBoxing.com (may she rest in peace) on the aftermath of the fight and how it would effect the welterweight division. In it I wrote that an Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto fight was inevitable, but a couple other things had to happen first. They're happening.

Margarito and Kermit Cintron have signed to fight each other in April with the winner (duh--Margarito) facing the winner of Cotto/Alfonso Gomez, probably this summer of early fall. Of the aforementioned fighters Cotto is the big name, the guy that even some casual boxing fans are aware of. If he gets by Gomez--which isn't the sure thing that most boxing writers make it out to be--a clash with Margarito will be the toughest test of his career.

If Margarito wins, he captures much of Cotto's star power, but if Cotto wins, he reinforces his own. Meanwhile Floyd Mayweather either fights the GoldenBoy one more time or waits around doing whatever rich people do when they're bored.

Floyd won't be bored for too long, though. By the fall of this year he's going to start training for the most lucrative fight of his career.

Note to Those Who Want Me To Write For Them:

Occasionally I'll get an email from from someone who admires my writing and wants to know if I would like to write for them. These folks usually have "big plans" but no budget.

While I appreciate the compliments, if you don't have the money to pay me for my work, don't ask me to write for you.

Duh.

Posted by Bill Scherer

I enjoyed the Trinidad/Jones fight last night. In fact, I enjoyed the entire card. Fight cards are a bit of a crap shoot for promoters--match-ups that seem certain to provide good entertainment sometimes end up rather dull and vice-versa.

Referees, on the other hand, are more consistent and when certain referees are chosen, I cringe. Joe Cortez makes me cringe. Besides his poor officiating, he always seems to know where the camera is. His belabored on camera pre-fight instructions and "I'm fair but I'm firm" nonsense nauseates me.

Then there are the good ones, like Arthur Mercante Jr., who worked Trinidad vs Jones last night. His father was one of the greatest referees of all time and worked fights up into his eighties without losing a step. Like his father, Mercante knows that the best referees often go unnoticed in the ring. And in the locker room.

Mercante's pre-fight instructions to the fighters? "This is your show." I hope Joe Cortez was listening.

For once, I agree with Jim Lampley that Roy Jones looked better last night than he did against Prince Adjamu and Anthony Hanshaw. Besides his body having adjusted to losing nearly twenty pounds of muscle after his fight with John Ruiz, Jones seems to have found the style to compliment his age.

To make up for his lesser reflexes, Jones keeps his hands high and tight when he's in the range of his opponent and drops his hands when on the outside so he can deliver with speed, which he still has plenty of. He also uses his jab more, and uses it well.

This could be interesting.

Posted by Bill Scherer

Back in the Fall of 1968, before game five of the World Series, Puerto Rican recording artist Jose Feliciano gave an unconventional rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that caused quite a commotion, and instantly got him dropped from radio airplay.

Fast forward 40 years and virtually every major boxing event is preceded by some clown or clownette trying to make an impression with his/her rendition of the national anthem. It has gotten to the point that I turn down the sound because I can't stand listening to the self-important vocal gymnastics and inevitable build up to the "See what I can do" head voice high note on the word "Free."

It's plainly obvious that these "performers" are more interested in bringing attention to themselves than to the song and the patriotism it represents.

A few nights ago my wife and I watched the Republican debate that was held in South Carolina and it too was preceded by our anthem. A small group of men sang it traditionally and beautifully. My wife turned to me and sighed with relief, "That was nice," she said. There is hope.

Then last Saturday we took our boys to Anaheim Stadium to see Monster Jam. Before those big trucks started spitting dirt and breaking things a five-year-old girl in a frilly black dress gave a plaintive, deliberate and sometimes slightly off key, but very traditional rendition of the anthem. Tears all around. And hope for the future, too.

Posted by Bill Scherer

This could be good. The latest young, shooting star on the light heavyweight boxing scene (okay, the only one in years), Chad Dawson has signed to fight tough veteran Glenncoffe Johnson on April 12. Johnson, you might remember, was the second man to knock out Roy Jones. At 39, he's one of the old men in a division dominated by old men, but he's still a player and deserves respect.

Kudos to the WBC champ Dawson for making this fight; it shows that he's serious about being a champion.