CjR wrote:I’ve watched Barerra fight for over ten years, and it didn’t seem like he really wanted to tangle last Saturday with Manny. He was more tactical and was content in just boxing (moving backward and clinching, for the most part) and didn’t leave it in the ring. I have better respect for Morales who showed heart and fought Manny toe-to-toe, despite getting destroyed, eventually. Manny rocked Barerra in the 11th, and if wasn’t stopped for that cheap shot Barrera threw, I thought Manny had a chance to take Barerra out.

It was good victory for Manny, and the fight certainly had exciting moments and exchanges, but it lacked the true fireworks and the KO I wanted. Manny just drew a conservative Barerra, who was more concerned about not ending his boxing career in the hospital.

completely agree.

btw, pavlick vs. taylor=fight of the year

Barrera was frightened. I think he knew what was coming if he committed too much. That's too bad, because being conservative or actually committing spells L-O-S-S either way. Damn fool did a headbutt, what a loser. Makes me, as a filipino, respect what Morales brought to the table no matter what would happen against Manny. Cheers to Erik.

d1mex wrote:

CjR wrote:I’ve watched Barerra fight for over ten years, and it didn’t seem like he really wanted to tangle last Saturday with Manny. He was more tactical and was content in just boxing (moving backward and clinching, for the most part) and didn’t leave it in the ring. I have better respect for Morales who showed heart and fought Manny toe-to-toe, despite getting destroyed, eventually. Manny rocked Barerra in the 11th, and if wasn’t stopped for that cheap shot Barrera threw, I thought Manny had a chance to take Barerra out.

It was good victory for Manny, and the fight certainly had exciting moments and exchanges, but it lacked the true fireworks and the KO I wanted. Manny just drew a conservative Barerra, who was more concerned about not ending his boxing career in the hospital.

completely agree.

btw, pavlick vs. taylor=fight of the year

Completely agree, too! That fight was electric.
Pavlic vs. Calzaghe in the future should be great, too. But Calzaghe has to get past Mikkel Kessler first (both undefeated).

xbaywarrior wrote:Barrera was frightened. I think he knew what was coming if he committed too much. That's too bad, because being conservative or actually committing spells L-O-S-S either way. Damn fool did a headbutt, what a loser. Makes me, as a filipino, respect what Morales brought to the table no matter what would happen against Manny. Cheers to Erik.

Yeah, his trainers were telling him to throw more punches and fight, which is very uncharacteristic of Barerra's style. He was still thinking of the first beating and didn't want to see it repeated. I want to see Manny and Marquez II.

You're telling me... I've been waiting for a while for it to happen. Manny's next fight better be against Marquez. Apparently, that fight just may have been Barrera's last.

CjR wrote:

d1mex wrote:

CjR wrote:I’ve watched Barerra fight for over ten years, and it didn’t seem like he really wanted to tangle last Saturday with Manny. He was more tactical and was content in just boxing (moving backward and clinching, for the most part) and didn’t leave it in the ring. I have better respect for Morales who showed heart and fought Manny toe-to-toe, despite getting destroyed, eventually. Manny rocked Barerra in the 11th, and if wasn’t stopped for that cheap shot Barrera threw, I thought Manny had a chance to take Barerra out.

It was good victory for Manny, and the fight certainly had exciting moments and exchanges, but it lacked the true fireworks and the KO I wanted. Manny just drew a conservative Barerra, who was more concerned about not ending his boxing career in the hospital.

completely agree.

btw, pavlick vs. taylor=fight of the year

Completely agree, too! That fight was electric.
Pavlic vs. Calzaghe in the future should be great, too. But Calzaghe has to get past Mikkel Kessler first (both undefeated).

And also,

IT WAS FREE!!!!!!!!!!! AND IN HD!!!!

while the Barrera vs. Pacqiuao was 50 bucks, and not in HD. (COMCAST SUCKS IN THAT WAY)

xbaywarrior wrote:You're telling me... I've been waiting for a while for it to happen. Manny's next fight better be against Marquez. Apparently, that fight just may have been Barrera's last.

I’m sure Manny and Marquez’s people are arranging the fight. Marquez didn’t want a rematch initially, but now Marquez wants that payday, and Manny needs to settle that draw—which, I thought he clearly won, no doubt.

And if I remember correctly, I think 1 judge failed to score a 10-6 first round for Manny with the three knockdowns—which would have been the correct scrore and would have given Manny the decision. But that's fine, gives me and the guys another excuse to do a Vegas run.

d1mex wrote: And also,

IT WAS FREE!!!!!!!!!!! AND IN HD!!!!

while the Barrera vs. Pacqiuao was 50 bucks, and not in HD. (COMCAST SUCKS IN THAT WAY)

That really sucks. Need HD for that. But yeah, keep checking the HBO fight schedule. They usually have great championship fights.

On the other hand, I missed seeing Bojado. I was out and got stuck in traffic and missed the 1st fight. Too bad he lost, but he took on a really good and crafty vet in Steve Forbes. How did Bojado look? Can anyone fill me in?

Yeah, actually it's currently in the works right now. Can't wait. It may happen very soon like maybe in the next 5 months or so.

CjR, where have you been? I've been waiting for your reviews on some of the past couple fights that have happened.

Miguel Cotto vs Shane Mosley.
Ricky Hatton vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.

And Mayweather has said he'll stay away from boxing his weightclass for the next two years. That's interesting.

Upcoming bouts...

Roy Jones Jr. vs Felix Trinidad.
Kelly Pavlik vs Jermain Taylor 2.
Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 2. (My buddy is tryna land tickets)

CANNOT WAIT!!!

Hey, XBay, sorry I missed your post, but I haven’t been on this board much of late.

As for the fights:
Miguel Cotto vs Shane Mosley:
I missed this one, and I forgot to catch it on HBO.
From what I read, the fight was a great battle, and I expected Cotto to win on a TKO, but didn't happen. I love both fighters (and I’ve followed Shane since before he was a champ, being a local fighter here in SoCal), but Cotto is more complete and the heavier hitter of the two. Props to Shayne and Cotto for a great fight. I say rematch.

Ricky Hatton vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Had the fight in the house, and I was a bit disappointed with all the holding. I expected Floyd to win this on a decision, but he surprised me with the TKO (since Kostya Tszyu couldn't even KO Hatton). I still remember the punch. It was perfect hook (lured Hatton in, stepped back, spun and threw the beautiful left hook), a checkhook, as he said, which is taught heavily in the Kronk Gym. (Emanuel Steward recognized the punch immediately.)

As for Mayweather, yeah, he said he’ll take a break for a couple of years, but I also read he wants to go to MMA. Now, that would be interesting. No money there, and he doesn’t need it, but I think he wants to prove a point. I say do it!

Upcoming bouts...

Roy Jones Jr. vs Felix Trinidad: I missed this last night. My buddy and I waited and couldn’t organize the place last minute. The result was expected. Jones is just too big for Trinidad—and he floored him twice. But props to Tito for fighting through it and not getting knocked out. That’s what boxers are really trained to do, get up and never give up.

Kelly Pavlik vs Jermaine Taylor 2. This will be a great rematch. Pavlic is a solid, no-nonsense fighter. But I hope Jermaine takes this rematch.

Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 2.
A few of us are also looking for tix! Great time out for the guys in Vegas!
Let me know if you guys end up going.

Hey CjR, it's cool.

I haven't seen much boxing matches lately since I've got back to school and when I do have time watch sports, it's Warriors basketball I'm watching. But I pretty much agree with your reviews.

Tickets for the Marquez/Pacquiao fight are still in the air. My buddy is still trying to land some tickets. I'll sure to let you know if we do get some.

Same here, XBay. I’ve been pretty busy with work and travel (mostly international). And anytime it’s on PPV, it’s more difficult to organize.

Yes, please let me know and if you get a good deal somewhere. Vegas is close, just 3 ½ from me, so a roadie for us is easy.

X-Bay and other boxing fans, try to check out the replay of Roy Jones and Trinidad tonight.

Also, I’ve never seen these two fight, but here’s a heavyweight eliminator bout after the Jones-Trinidad replay:

From HBO boxing (Young Guns):

With two undefeated records on the line, Alexander Povetkin (14-0, 11 KOs) takes on Eddie Chambers (30-0, 16 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round heavyweight eliminator bout. A gold medalist at the 2004 Olympics, Povetkin, from Tschechow, Russia has taken the heavyweight division by storm. Coming off an 11th-round knockout of former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, he's out to secure a shot at the heavyweight crown.

Just 25 years old, fast-handed Pennsylvania native Chambers is already a seasoned ring veteran with 30 pro bouts under his belt. Scoring a 12-round decision victory over heavyweight contender Calvin Brock in his last fight, Chambers has proven himself one of the top talents in the division.

I think Povetkin will be very impressive and KOs Chambers.

Damn, didn't catch it. Did you? I was out and about partying once again so I didn't get to seeing it. What's your take on it?

Hey, party away, Xbay. Do those girls a favor.

The replay of the Jones-Trinidad was more competitive than I thought. Tito won 4 of the first 6 rounds, but Jones took over after that, knocking down Trinidad twice (but the second knockdown was more due to Trinidad being off-balanced). Trinidad did very well, but Jones could have finished Tito off after the first knockdown, but he didn’t really assert himself. Jones really could have ended the fight anytime, but he was more content engaging in a chess match and being a bit more defensive minded. Anyhow, it was a good fight. Supposedly, Jones will fight the winner of the Calzaghe (44-0) v. Hopkins (48-4) in April.

As for the heavyweight eliminator, it was an okay fight. Chambers was just outmatched by Povetkin’s combinations and aggressiveness. Chambers took many hits and I was surprised he lasted till the end. He has a great chin, that’s for sure.

If I’m available, I’ll probably be going to see Paul Williams (33-0, 24KOs) vs. Carlos Quintana (24-1, 19 KOs) fight here in Temecula. I love Paul Williams.
The undercard is Andre Berto (20-0, 17KOs) vs. Michel Trabant (43-2, 19 KOs).

BTW: the rematch of Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor is February 16.

Thanks. Partied hard, stayin' young while I could.

I managed to catch the 12th round of the fight but really didn't see much but Jones in control pretty much.

I'll be sure to catch Pavlik/Taylor, though. Or at least, I'll try. Thanks for the reviews CjR. Hope to land the Marquez/Pacquiao tickets!