In the midst of the latest greatest boxing trilogy

Unfortunately it doesn't come around very often, but when it does it is something to behold. I'm talking about when two boxers come together that are just made for each other. I'm talking such a perfect combination, that the results are evenly matched, super exciting fights that result in a historic boxing trilogy.

Welcome to this generation's offering for inclusion into this special club between light welterweights Brandon 'Bam Bam' Rios (32-1, 23 KO's) and Mike Alvarado (34-1 (23 KO's). On Saturday night these two warriors engaged in a rematch of 2012's fight of the year and the result was just as good, if not better than last year. That is because this time the fight wasn't stopped before the end by the referee, so we got to witness all 12 rounds of this classic and more importantly, Alvarado won the decision; thus creating the need for the much anticipated rubber match.

How perfect are these two made for each other? Besides the fights, which speak for themselves, just look at the little things. Starting with their records, other than two more fights for Alvarado, they are virtually the same; by the way, if you haven't figured it out already the losses on their records are to each other. On HBO's 'Tale of the Tape' before the fight, they measured the same in both height and arm reach and then during the fight came the most glaring stat of them all. After round nine HBO displayed the punch count to that point and it showed Alvarado having thrown just two more punches total through nine and the both of them eerily landing the same amount; that's scary!

However, forget the numbers and the statistics, this is about two fighters that have come together during the peek of their careers and have put on a display of both skill and guts. On Saturday night the fight lived up to the hype, though it looked early liked there would be no reason for a third match. That is because in the second round Rios staggered Alvarado in his tracks with a straight jab of all punches. Alvarado was legitimately shook and struggled to get through the round; yet through his struggle he found the sense to keep throwing punches if you can believe that.

In between rounds he seemed to gather himself because he came out in the third round and during the course of exchanging landed an overhand right (pictured above) that rocked Rios. This was the turning point in the fight for two reasons. One is because it brought Alvarado back into the fight from an immediate two round deficit; and two was because that overhand right would be Rios kryptonite throughout the rest of this installment. Alvarado had found a home for that punch and Rios had no answer for it.

Nonetheless, just like Cameo's 1987 hit single, Rios and Alvarado went "Back & Forth" throughout, though Alvarado clearly separated himself in the latter part of the bout winning the last four crucial championship rounds. By doing so he won the WBO light welterweight title and redemption for his loss back in October 2012. However, the celebration was only minutes old before talks of a rubber match was spurred on by Rios himself.

During Alvarado's post fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman, Rios barnstormed in yelling about how he had given Alvarado a rematch and now he needed to do the same. Of course Alvarado immediately obliged saying he would, but that next time he wanted Rios to come to his hometown of Denver, Colorado the way he had gone to Rios hometown in their first meeting. Rios said he would and both called upon promoter Bob Arum to make it happen.

For boxing fans like me, the setting can't be more perfect. Meanwhile for the two combatants involved, their place in boxing history will be cemented, assuming the third fight is like the first two, but at what cost? It's no mystery that a trilogy of this caliber takes something from the fighters they can never get back. They put so much into hurting one another that regardless of how good they are, they are never the same afterward; history has dictated such.

Before my time in the early 50's it was Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler; though they fought in an era where boxers fought unbelievable amounts of fights in their career. Between the two of them they combined for over 400 professional fights; that's insane and unheard of today. One can argue the Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier trilogy in the '70's pretty much ended their careers for the most part; though Ali would defeat Leon Spinks later for his third title.

In more recent history we were treated to two such historical trifectas; Erik Morales versus Marco Antonio Barrera and Arturo Gatti versus Mickey Ward was Rios/Alvarado a decade ago. The six wars those four engaged in were so legendary they are linked to each other for eternity; but it took so much out of them they were never quite the same even with any success attained afterward. So here we are once again, in the midst of the latest greatest boxing trilogy. If you missed the first two fights, I suggest you catch replays if you can; because as I stated earlier, fights like these don't come around very often.

Does the organization make the fighter or vice versa?

With March Madness in full swing, I've been consumed by college basketball the last couple of weeks. Thus, the reason I haven't been blogging as much. However, that is not to say I haven't been watching the fights; thank God for the invention of Digital Video Recording (DVR).

With the use of my DVR I was able to catch replays of both Thursday night's Bellator 93 card and Saturday night's World Series of Fighting 2 card. Both were extremely entertaining, chock full of highlight reel KO finishes and exciting main events; which made me think of a couple of things.

One is it's such a shame that casual fans of mixed martial arts only know and watch the UFC. Both of these promotions, especially Bellator with 93 events under its belt, are proving that their events are just as professional and can provide high quality fights. The second thing I thought of as I watched both events is, is it the organization that makes the fighter or does the fighter make the organization?

The reason this came to mind is because to hear UFC President Dana White tell it, his organization is where the best fighters in the world are. For the most part, this is probably true at the very top of the food chain as the UFC champions, Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Jose Aldo etc. are clearly the very best in their respective weight classes. However, I'd argue that when it comes to contender and even up and coming star status, the playing field is quite level.

Bellator Fighting Championships has built quite an impressive stable of fighters by implementing a simple formula. They scour the earth for untapped (no pun intended) talent and then use their tournament style setting to create stars within the sport. Sprinkle in a UFC veteran here and there and 93 cards later, the formula has worked to perfection.

If you don't believe me, just look at some of the names that have developed through the Bellator system; Eddie Alvarez, the number one free agent in MMA, Ben Askren, Michael Chandler, Pat Curran and this past Thursday the name Dave Jansen, a veteran of over 20 fights with an impressive (19-2) record, was the latest to come from MMA obscurity to becoming a tournament champion and earning a title shot.

Anyone thinking that Bellator fighters are second rate just because they are not in the UFC, need to take a look and recognize. On another note, The World Series of Fighting promotion, with just two events in its short history, is taking a different approach. Their roster, primarily made up of UFC castoffs and MMA veterans, is rejuvenating new life into well known names while sprinkling in a young gun of their own here and there.

The result has been two very successful events, which included this weekend's main event that featured former UFC welterweight (170 lbs.) Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, pictured above, fighting at heavyweight as he took on former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. As you can see in his face from the photo above, which was taken in July 2009, Johnson is no stranger to weighing above 220 lbs.

However, at 230 lbs. for this fight, Johnson was neither fat or out of shape and was just as fast and powerful as always as he took it to Arlovski earning a unanimous decision. Other UFC cut fighters featured on this card that looked very impressive in their performances were David Branch, who destroyed former WEC middleweight (185 lbs.) champ Paulo Filho over three rounds and Josh Burkman who took out fellow UFC vet Aaron Simpson. Burkman is now slated to fight recent UFC reject Jon Fitch, possibly for the welterweight strap.

As a guy who has built an extensive vinyl record collection over the years, many of them bought used, I have come to learn that one man's trash definitely can become another man's treasure. The last thing I will do is call any fighter not in or cut by the UFC trash; but I will say that from what I've seen from both Bellator and WSOF, they are definitely reaping rewards from their fighters. Thus, in response to my question above, I'd have to say that the fighter clearly makes the organization; as it should be.

Over the hill or a freak of nature?

At 48 years of age, is a professional boxer over the hill or a freak of nature? In most cases, for the few that do exist, he would probably be considered a bum. However in the case of newly crowned IBF light-heavyweight (175 lbs.) champion Bernard Hopkins, a freak of nature doesn't seem to aptly describe this growing legend.

This past Saturday, 'The Executioner', known more today as B-Hop, continued to defy the odds and boxing logic as he became the oldest person to win a major title when he defeated former champion Tavoris Cloud (25-1, 19 KO's) via unanimous decision. In typical Hopkins fashion, he was able to defuse the younger fighter's strength, in this case Cloud's power, while imposing his own boxing prowess and veteran tricks of the trade. Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO's) may not make it pretty, but as Tim Hardaway used to say about his jump shot, "It may be ugly, but it's deadly."

Hopkins who had his first professional fight, a decision loss, nearly 25 years ago is now rated the number one light-heavyweight in the world. That feat alone should be afforded a certain amount of respect; but to do it at 48 years of age when most boxers are reminiscing about their heyday, one has to stand up and recognize. Hopkins is a marvel that continues to make so called experts and people like myself eat their words.

I openly told people before this past Saturday, "Nobody is checking for Bernard Hopkins anymore" and I may be right. Yet, when it came down to it, regardless of how unexciting Hopkins may make a fight, I was there watching with full interest. That is because as long as he keeps making chumps out of this generation's champs, as a 50 year old it makes me feel good.

As Hopkins stated in his post fight interview, he is living proof you can still perform at a high level without the assistance of any performance enhancing drugs. In this day and age when all pro athletes need to be scrutinized, there's no reason to think Hopkins is anything but what he says he is; natural. For 15 years from 1990-2005, regardless of his age, he maintained his weight and level of excellence as a middleweight (160 lbs.)

Say what you will about Hopkins, when it came to his body he's always been disciplined and a true professional. He may have served a five year prison stint before his career, but since becoming a pro, he's never been accused of anything but winning ugly; winning ugly on his way to a record 20 middleweight title defenses and multiple weight division champion.

What's next for this future Hall of Famer and living legend? Who knows? I think at this point to deny he'll still be punching at 50 years of age and at a top level is not out of the realm.  One thing is for sure; B-Hop may be over the hill in boxing age, but that just means he is a freak of nature.

Back to the Future; at least for one night

For six years from 2000-2006, Wanderlei Silva ruled the MMA world in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. Already a living legend and future Hall of Famer, the former Pride light-heavyweight champion has seen better days as he had only won three of his previous 10 fights before Saturday night. However, at least for one night on Saturday, the 'Axe Murderer' went back to the future.

On a return trip to Japan, this time as part of a UFC main event, Silva (36-12, 26 KO's 3 subs) turned back the clock as he went toe to toe with contender Brian Stann (12-7, 9 KO's 1 sub) and like he used to do so many times before, took out his opponent in typical 'Axe Murderer' style. However, it was not without anxious moments for Silva and his many fans, myself included, as for the round and a half that it lasted, Silva took as much as he gave.

As a matter of fact, there were a couple of times during exchanges in the first round that Stann buckled Silva with punches and dropped him in his tracks; but Silva was able to immediately recover and shoot for a take down, at the very least to clear his head. Yet, on those couple of occasions he was staggered, he was also able to come back and inflict his own damage; bloodying Stann with a serious cut on the bridge of his nose.

As my buddy Alton Dunham pointed out during an exchange of texts post fight, all respect due to Brian Stann for willing to stand and trade with Silva, which accommodated Japan's adopted son and his fans. Honestly, I, as many, thought that standing and trading with the younger stronger Stann could prove fatal for Silva. Yet, just like a basketball player who is willing to live or die with his jump shot, Silva was willing to live or die by his striking.

Midway through the second round, while aggressively pursing Stann, he caught the former Marine with a straight right hand that rocked him and then dropped him with a crushing left hook follow-up. With Stann falling straight back to the mat, Silva pounced on him with four successive right hands that made their mark and literally stretched Stann out. For one night, 'The Axe Murderer' was back.

Now the question begs, where does he go from here? I personally was hoping he would use the opportunity to go out on top and retire a winner in a main event that took place in Japan where he is revered. He did not do that and while the book is still out on whether he'll fight again, I'm afraid that the warrior he is won't allow him to.

Unfortunately, I think that Wanderlei Silva will fight until he is forced to retire and sadly I think that will be the next time he gets viciously KO'ed; which has happened in four out of his seven previous losses. Nonetheless, instead of dwelling on what may possibly happen in the future, I will rejoice in one of my favorite fighters going back to the future; at least for one night.

Experience pays off, while lack thereof costs

It doesn't matter what the profession is, there is no substitute for experience. However, nowhere is that more prevalent than in the submission game of mixed martial arts. UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and her opponent Liz Carmouche proved that on Saturday night.

In the main event of what was the first time women had ever competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the two ladies delivered. Though the fight only lasted 4:49 seconds, they provided non-stop thrills throughout and stirred emotions back and forth in both directions. Ultimately though it was Rousey ending the fight victorious winning by what else; her patented arm bar.

I stated before the fight that Carmouche was not afraid of Rousey and she proved it as she never ran from the champion. What surprised me even before the fight was that Carmouche wasn't afraid of the moment. She came into the cage smiling, relaxed and poised considering this was a spotlight she had never been in before.

Rousey meanwhile came into the cage with her stoic game face on looking much like the scary beast everyone has made her out to be. Another arm bar victory inside of a minute right; I don't think so, not on this night. As can be seen in the photo above, Rousey was in trouble, serious trouble, for a moment and it looked like a major upset was brewing.

Strange thing is, before it got to that point it looked as though it was going to be typical Ronda early as she took down Carmouche and had her in side control while controlling her via bulldog headlock. However, while trying to gain better position Carmouche, who showed tremendous poise, determination and skill while in this position eventually got out.

Quick as a cat, she not only reversed the position but got Rousey's back. She eventually put herself in the position seen above, not quite able to secure a choke hold, so instead applying a neck crank. Now I don't profess to have the Olympic judo experience Ronda Rousey has, but 12 years of martial arts training, including submission grappling, has put me in more than my fair share of neck cranks.

If you've never been in one, it is even scarier than a choke hold for this reason. In a tight choke, the fear comes from losing consciousness; it is not painful, but scary. With a neck crank, not only can it be a bit painful, the fear comes from your opponent snapping your neck! It's that simple, there is no other way to put it.

So with that said, Carmouche was cranking pretty good as can be seen above. However, that Olympic experience I made reference to earlier and 17 years of Judo paid off because obviously Rousey had been in this position before. How can you tell? Besides not panicking, her escape lets you know.

Unlike Ivan Menjivar earlier in the night who lost to Urijah Faber via standing rear naked choke; Rousey went after Carmouche's leg to escape. She figured "if I can get one of her legs unhooked around me, then she'll lose balance and control and I can wriggle out."

Menjivar, who is very experienced in his own right, attempted to do what most do in his position; attack the opponents arms and hands to try and release the hold. Suffice it to say, Rousey got out, while Menjivar tapped out. However, it is two fold in this case.

While Rousey's experience helped her get out of the submission, Carmouche's inexperience cost her to lose the one opportunity she had to pull off the upset. Inevitably Rousey got Carmouche back on the ground in side control and this time, try as she might, Carmouche wasn't getting out.

Rousey peppered Carmouche with punches while in side control and as everyone in the world knew she would, eventually worked her way towards an arm bar submission attempt. Carmouche valiantly and for a few seconds successfully defended; and it even looked like she may make it out of the round. However, there is no substitute for experience or lack thereof, so Rousey's paid off, while Carmouche's cost her.

Looking back on it, major props to the ladies for a delivering a historic first fight for the women. I watched the fight at a local bar establishment and I can attest that the cheers and excitement were heard and seen throughout. These girls showed they can do it just as good as the men do and on this night they did.

UFC 157: Five factors people are neglecting to see

This Saturday February 23rd when Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche step into the octagon, it will be history in the making. It will be the first time, other than referee Kim Winslow, that female feet have actually touched the mat. Even those of octagon girls such as Arianny Celeste and Brittany Palmer have always walked on the outside of the cage.

Rousey (6-0, 6 subs) the newly appointed first UFC Women's World Bantamweight champion will defend her title against Carmouche (8-2, 5 KO's 2 subs) in the main event of UFC 157. Yes, it has been over 19 years and 156 Pay per Views, but the women have finally arrived in the UFC. Yet, according to all the so-called experts, the outcome is a forgone conclusion.

That is because Rousey has taken the MMA world by storm and she's done it all in a relatively very short period of time. Her first pro fight was in late March 2011, less than two years ago, and since then she's finished off all six of her opponents in a total time of 7:39; that's an average of 1:16 per fight. On top of that she carries with her Olympic pedigree from two Olympic Games, 2004 & 2008, where she medaled in Judo winning the bronze in '08. Those athletic achievements, plus gorgeous California girl looks that earned her the cover of the ESPN Magazine Body Issue make her the face of women's MMA.

That said, so much for Carmouche winning this weekend right? Wrong! While I too believe Rousey will end up victorious, (I'll state my reasoning at the end), there are factors people are neglecting to see. Five reasons why I believe Carmouche will give Rousey all she can handle before eventually losing in the long run.

Here they are:

1.) Cage experience - Rousey's lack of time spent in her fights may end up proving to be a detriment if Carmouche is able to get out of the first round; something none of Rousey's opponents have managed to do. If so, Carmouche has proven more than once she can go the distance if need be and she has actually gone into a fourth round once, already having been in a title fight. The book is still out on Rousey if she has to go into deep waters.

2.) Lack of challenge - Rousey has never been tested in her fights. If Carmouche is able to push her into the second round and more importantly land some strikes on her while doing it, it can be a whole new experience for Rousey. Granted she's tough and also a former Judo champion, however she was never punched in the face while taking someone down in Judo. If Carmouche is able to do that more than once, it'll be interesting to see how Rousey reacts.

3.) Size difference - Carmouche's stature may actually present a problem for Rousey. Unlike her toughest challengers to date Meisha Tate and Sarah Kaufman, who were tall and slender with long limbs, Carmouche is short and stocky with short limbs. Thus, it won't be so easy to grab Carmouche to throw her and it won't be as easy to catch and extend one of her arms in her patented arm bar submission.

4.) Battle tested - Carmouche is a former Marine who did three different tours of duty in Iraq. Granted this is sport not war; but when you've been battle tested in that fashion, competing in a sport pales in comparison. Not to mention that sort of discipline has to play a positive role in your preparation for a fight.

5.) No Fear - When it comes to fighting Rousey, Carmouche has no fear. Besides the obvious of being a combat veteran, when the champ was signed by the UFC, Carmouche was the only one that openly campaigned to fight her. On top of that, to exhibit the courage it takes to openly admit you're gay as a professional athlete while in your fighting prime, just shows you're not afraid of anything. Thus, when you have no fear of losing, anything is possible.

All that said I am still picking Rousey to win because of one reason; competition experience. Though she's actually been fighting professionally one year less than Carmouche, Rousey has been competing since she was a little girl. First, as a swimmer while a child and then as a Judoka since here early teens. Competing at the highest level of Judo, the Olympics, at only 17 shows that the bright lights and the screaming crowd should not have an adverse effect on her come Saturday.

Rousey seems to have handled the so called pressures of being a media darling with ease. It's as though she has known all along this is what she wanted and has prepared herself not only physically but mentally and emotionally for it. Whatever the outcome, I anticipate the excitement for these two ladies to be at a fever pitch equivalent to any two men who have ever fought in the octagon before. Thus, as only a true gentleman would say, "Ladies first."

The Curse of 'The Contender'

With the continued success of 'The Ultimate Fighter' TV reality series, now in its 17th season in just eight years, I've often wished the boxing equivalent 'The Contender' would have enjoyed similar success. As a fan of both MMA and boxing, I was really excited when both TV shows began in early 2005. However, 'The Contender' for some reason didn't have the same staying power. (No pun intended)

The big question has always been why? I attribute it to the fact that NBC mismanaged it right from the start. The first three episodes of season one aired on three different nights, beginning on a Sunday, then moving to Thursday, then to Saturday; thus not giving it a fair and solid base from the beginning.

When I posed the question to Hall of Fame boxing analyst Al Bernstein, he agreed with that assessment along with the instability of moving from network to network in the first three seasons; beginning with NBC, then ESPN and finally the Versus network for seasons three and four. However, a little further research has me thinking something more may be to blame. Could it be that 'The Contender' TV series had a curse on it?

Since the show aired from 2005-2009, I've always tried to follow-up on the careers of some of the more notable fighters on the series. Upon doing so, I noticed a sad and unsettling trend. At least one fighter from the first three seasons has passed away along with other criminal circumstances befalling a couple of alumni.

For those that don't know, the series began with a dark cloud over it right from the start as a fighter who had competed in season one actually committed suicide less than a month before the first season was to air. This coming Valentine's Day, February 14, will mark the eighth anniversary of the untimely passing of light middleweight prospect Najai 'Nitro' Turpin.

Turpin was a promising fighter out of Philadelphia who entered the shows competition with a (13-1) professional record; though he would lose his first round fight against eventual tournament winner Sergio Mora, I'm not sure how much of that loss and the pressure of such may have weighed on Turpin taking his life as the shows premiere drew near. On the show he was quiet and shy and appeared to have some personal demons hanging over him; just my assessment from what I could see on the show. Whatever it was, Turpin took his own life after an argument with the mother of his two-year old daughter.

Another mystery we'll never know about is how and why Jeff 'Hell Raza' Fraza (pictured above) was walking along train tracks in the middle of the night when he got hit by a commuter train? Fraza was actually a fighter who appeared in both season's one and two, but he never got a chance to compete in season one after being diagnosed with chicken pox early on in the show. Thus, the producers brought him back to compete on the following season.

A hard punching professional from the Boston area trained by former world champion Mickey Ward, Fraza had a (17-2) record going into the second season of the show. Unlike Turpin, Fraza was more outgoing and open, but just like Turpin he too lost in his first round match. Though he would never fight again after that, he stayed close to boxing by working with kids at his local gym. For some reason a year ago on February 4, 2012, he was walking on the tracks late at night while on his cell phone and even stranger, got hit by a train. Fraza left behind a son.

Moving on to season three, one would think that an Olympic Bronze medalist and former world title challenger would be a favorite going into the tournament. Yet, Rhoshii Wells AKA 'The Great One' never made the cut as he was eliminated before the competition even began. With a new format that only took 10 fighters versus 16 in the previous seasons, Wells surprisingly did not make an impression to the trainers during the fighter evaluations.

Wells, who won the Bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, carried an (18-2) pro record into 'The Contender' with his only two losses coming to former world light middleweight champion Alejandro Garcia. Originally from Austin, Texas, Wells lived in Las Vegas. On August 11, 2008 he was in a shady area of Vegas with his son when he was involved in a dispute that resulted in him being shot and killed; luckily his son was unharmed. Wells was the father of six children.

In that same season three, another fighter with a promising future, Les Ralston sporting an (18-2) record was also eliminated before ever competing. Never having fought ever again, Ralston was arrested last summer in a hit and run incident in which he struck two teenagers. Meanwhile season two participant Andre Eason, (20-5), was shot in the arm and leg in 2006 right after his appearance on the show; luckily he survived.

Sure, it could very well be that all these cases are just incidents of coincidental circumstance; or it could even be that all these talented young fighters just happen to come across some bad luck in their lives. Whatever it is, one has to stop and wonder if these fighters and the show as a whole were all victims of "The Curse of The Contender."