Khan's win leaves more questions than answers

On Friday night in Brooklyn's Barclay Center Amir 'King' Khan was supposed to solidify himself as the next obvious opponent for the true "King" of boxing Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. Yet, although Khan (pictured @ left) may have secured a victory, his win against native New Yorker Chris Algieri left more questions than answers when it comes to Khan (31-3, 19 KO's) as a viable challenge to Money May.

Sure at just 28 years old, Khan has a 10-year age advantage to Mayweather, now 38, and is going into his prime right now. However, I witnessed many flaws and holes in his game against Algieri, especially on defense, that could and will be exposed by a master like Floyd. Less we forget that those 10 years, though considered a negative in terms of age, are actually a positive when it comes to wisdom; say what you will about Floyd Mayweather, but nobody is smarter in the ring.

Khan appeared ready to make the statement he needed Friday night as he started out crisp and clearly superior in speed against the game Algieri. He pitched a shutout through the first three rounds, however the former 'Big Apple' champ showed glimpses he was there to win. Eventually those glimpses turned into moments as he began to connect regularly with overhand right leads to Khan's face. If Algieri had any punching power, he may have actually finished the favored Khan with one of those.

Algieri (20-2, 8 KO's) tried his best, as the slick boxer who used that skill nearly one year ago in the same arena to surprisingly win a world title against one-dimensional Ruslan Provodnikov, flipped his game and actually sat down on his punches. A perfect game plan devised by his new trainer John David Jackson, as Khan admitted afterwards that he got caught off guard; however the light punching Algieiri just couldn't pull it off.

In the middle rounds as Khan began to slow down a bit, besides the overhand right, Algieri began to land lead left hooks with regularity. Again, with no punching power to go along with them, they garnered him a round here and there, but that's about it. Luckily for Khan, he too has a wise man in his corner in Virgil Hunter.

Hunter, the no nonsense trainer who has guided undefeated super middleweight champion Andre Ward, not only realized what Algieri was doing, but more importantly knew that Algieri did not have the necessary power to pull it off. He yelled at Khan to stop going in and out, where he was getting caught, and instead told him to stay within punching range. This simple adjustment made all the difference in the world as Khan took control again in the latter half of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory.

In his post fight interview, Khan stated he wants Mayweather, which of course everyone expected, but I'm not sure he sold everyone on the idea. The light punching and relatively world class inexperienced Algieri actually gave him problems. This was only Algieri's third fight on the world class stage, and although he's lost his last two in a row, he showed definite improvements since his lopsided loss to Manny Pacquiao. His union with Jackson as his trainer should only continue to make him better.

Khan meanwhile, a former Olympic Silver medalist and former world champion, who currently holds the WBC Silver welterweight title, whatever that is, though showing improvements as well under Hunter, still has deficiencies and a suspect chin. Floyd Mayweather is a major level change from Chris Algieri, the highest level to be exact. Mayweather, though not the biggest puncher either, would definitely throw more follow-up punches and eventually hurt Khan.

The one thing in Khan's favor is the age. At any point Father Time can swing his cane and Mayweather can get old in the ring overnight. However, though 38, he has not been prone to much punishment and never comes into a fight unprepared physically and mentally. Thus, barring that, I see Mayweather defeating Khan easily if they should meet later this year, especially after Khan's win left more questions than answers about his game.

The champ is here; or is he?

For the first time in four years, the UFC has a light heavyweight champion not named Jon Jones. Daniel Cormier (16-1, 6 KO's 5 subs), who just four months ago lost in his bid to wrestle (no pun intended) the title away from Jones, made good on an unexpected golden opportunity when he defeated number one contender Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson (19-5, 13 KO's) on Saturday night.

With the now former champion Jones being stripped of his title after yet another legal matter, this time a hit and run traffic accident, Cormier (pictured above) was more than willing to step in on just three weeks notice and fight Johnson for the vacant championship. He did so in convincing fashion too as he withstood an early first round knockdown by Johnson, to get up and inevitably begin a ground and pound barrage against the former top contender who came in to the fight riding a nine fight win streak. The punishment eventually led to Cormier sinking in a rear naked choke submission in the third round for the victory.

Congratulations and all respect due to the new champion, who I happen to like very much, and since my personal disdain for Jones is publicly known, all the more better. However that said, I could not help but think to myself after Johnson, in a very classy move, strapped the belt around Cormier after the fight, "Does Cormier truly relish winning the title this way?"

I ask that question in no way as a slight to 'Rumble' Johnson or his skills as I thought and publicly stated going in to the fight he would win. I ask it rather on Cormier knowing he did not beat Jones in their meeting four months ago and Jones technically never losing the title in the cage. I feel I got the answer to my question immediately after the belt was strapped on and Joe Rogan interviewed the new champ.

Rogan came in and asked Cormier the obligatory, "How does it feel" question after winning the title. Cormier's response was to grab the microphone and tell Rogan he has only one thing to say; "Jon Jones, get your sh** together because I'm waiting for you." With that Cormier walked out of the cage to celebrate his reign as the new light-heavyweight champion.

I have mixed emotions about Cormier's statement. In one sense I say kudos to Cormier because it should be his only mission right now to truly establish himself as the champion considering he loss to Jones just four months ago. However, on another note I think to myself, he looks foolish saying it considering he loss to Jones just four moths ago. It appears Cormier now finds himself in a catch-22 situation.

He's won the championship he's coveted for so long and deservedly so, but do fans of the sport and even he himself look at him as such. I feel as though right now he's like Apollo Creed was in 'Rocky II'; he won the fight against Rocky in the first film, but he was not satisfied because he did not win the adulation. Thus, the reason he wants to face Jones again and actually needs to. Because till then wherever he goes he'll always be greeted as, "The champ is here; or is he?"

Don't be misled, boxing is far from dead

It's been 16 days since the supposed disappointment or let down of the fight of the century. I say supposed because while the fight surely did not live up to the massive hype, I also didn't expect anything less. However, the backlash the sport of boxing has taken since is totally unjust. More importantly though, those who claim boxing is dead are not just mistaken, they couldn't be more wrong.

Truth is right now boxing is better than it has been in quite sometime and as a hardcore fan, I haven't been this excited about boxing in a very long time. The reason is because for a while now it's been Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao that have kept the sport afloat. Thus, the question has been, where are the new stars that will keep this sport alive when they are done?

Well it took awhile, but the new stars are here and casual fans better recognize, there are more than a few out there; you just have to give them a chance. In the last two weeks since the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight, there have been some exciting, even extraordinary bouts that have taken place; and if you missed them solely because you felt disappointed two weeks ago, you have done yourself a disservice.

At the top of the list of rising new stars of the sport stands the man pictured above, world middleweight (160 lbs.) champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (33-0, 30 KO's). A magnificent combination of boxer and puncher, this native of Kazakhstan appears ready to take the mantle from Mayweather as the sports "Pound for Pound" King. Not only in the ring either as he's moved to the United States, learned the language and as this past weekend's performance in Southern California showed. has endeared himself to the U.S. fan base.

So much so, that when he was asked about a potential fight against rising Mexican star Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO's) the partisan Mexican crowd did not boo Golovkin, but instead cheered. Alvarez, ranked number one in the world at 154 lbs., is another young beast ready to break out to the casual fan base. Already known to hard core fans, if you missed the three round war a week ago Saturday he had with James Kirkland, you missed an all-time classic. I am not overstating it when I say it was eerily similar to the 'Three rounds of Fury' fight between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns 30 years ago in April '85.

While Golovkin and Alvarez top the list, there are other talented young champions out there that are about to become household names. Champions such as last years recognized 'Fighter of the Year', WBO Super lightweight (140 lbs.) champion Terence Crawford (26-0, 18 KO's), world flyweight (112 lbs.) champion Roman Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KO's), light-heavyweight champion (175 lbs.) Sergey 'Krusher' Kovalev (27-0, 24 KO's) and Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KO's), the first American heavyweight champion in nearly 10 years. Other names include Andre Ward, Nicholas Walters and Mikey Garcia; all undefeated and all champions in their respective weight classes.

This of course does not even include the established stars in the sport that are still fighting at a championship level such as Miguel Cotto, Vladimir Klitschko, Timothy Bradley along with the aforementioned Mayweather and Pacquiao. Boxing is alive and thriving and one underachieving mega fight or what is being spewed from the uneducated masses should not be your barometer. Watch the fights and don't be misled, because boxing is far from dead.

Don't hate the player, hate the game

Before I begin, I always feel I need to state the following disclaimer whenever I write about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and that is, for the record I am not a Mayweather fan. However, I am a fan of boxing.

Say whatever you want, "Mayweather ran the whole fight," "Pacquiao didn't fight his fight" or "the fight did not live up to the hype." When push comes to shove, Floyd 'Money' Mayweather, Jr. (48-0, 26 KO's) did exactly what he always does and Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO's) did just the opposite, which is not fight the way he always does and that was the difference. What fans need to realize is that Mayweather had everything to do with that.

Going into this fight I told people two things; one was that Manny Pacquiao had a chance, if he were able to cut off the ring and pressure Mayweather against the ropes. Based on my scorecard (pictured above) written on a pizza restaurant menu, Manny Pacquiao was only able to do that in four rounds. The other thing I told everyone before the fight was that my heart was with Pacquiao, but my money was with Mayweather.

While I believed Pacquiao had a chance if he were able to do what I said, it was Mayweather who was able to implement his game, which regardless of what any casual fan wants to say is the true art of boxing. 'The Sweet Science' is not called such because it means to stand and trade toe to toe; it really means to hit and not be hit. That is the object of this game and Mayweather plays it to perfection.

Of course this is not the most pleasing style to the fans, but Mayweather for as much as he is hated for this, has never lied or misled anyone about how he fights. This is what he has done for 48 straight fights now and to think he was going to fight any different, especially when it has worked every single time to this point is ignorance on behalf of casual boxing fans.

I say casual fans because true knowledgeable fans would and should understand that there is no question about how two of the judges and I came up with a 116-112 score. People asked me last night, "How can Mayweather win a fight running?" It's simple, while he ran, he did punch from time to time, which is what he does, and did so effectively. Meanwhile, Pacquiao did chase, but did not punch effectively; when he was able to do so, he was given the rounds. Unfortunately for him, it only happened for one third of the fight.

Commentators and analysts calling the fight last night such as Al Bernstein and Max Kellerman pointed out during and after the fight that Pacquiao did not fight with the same punch output as he normally does. Even during his post fight interview with Pacquiao, Kellerman told him we did not see the same ferocity we usually see from him. As much as fans don't want to, we must give credit to Mayweather for that.

In sports we hear all the time, whomever is able to impose their will, will win the game. In this case it's clear that Mayweather was able to do that and Pacquiao, though he did for four rounds, was not. Important to note that the only round I was unsure about, round eight, I scored for Pacquiao; it could have easily been scored for Mayweather, which prompted HBO's Harold Lederman's score of 117-111.

I know the fight was not the classic everyone had hoped it would be, but for those that paid $100 expecting to see Gatti/Ward, Castillo/Corrales or Morales/Barrera you should have already known. People need to recognize that Mayweather is a boxer, not a fighter and there is a difference. Sure it's not pleasing, but it's the name of the game. The sport is called boxing, not fighting and Mayweather is just playing the sport. So don't hate the player, hate the game.

UFC's strongest division literally, but that's about it

This past weekend's heavyweight tilt between legendary Mirko Cro-Cop and Gabriel Gonzaga was a battle for sure, as both fighters have the scars to prove it. However, as I watched the fight, one thought came to mind.

The current state of the UFC heavyweight division may possess the strongest fighters on the roster literally, but that's about it. Take an objective look at today's UFC rankings of their top 15 heavyweights and it's easy to argue that the heavyweight division has seen better days. As a matter of fact, it looks as though it's going backwards and in a way it is.

How else could you explain booking a rematch of a fight that took place eight years ago? Then again, how else were you going to promote and justify resigning a 40 year old Cro-Cop? I mean when the UFC let him go back in 2011, it was because he looked old, slow and disenchanted; so it makes no sense to sign him now.

However, look up and down the roster and it's evident the UFC is in need of some heavyweight talent.
Sure these are not the days when the division featured the likes of Tim Sylvia, Cabbage Correia, Fabiano Scherner and Gan McGee. No disrespect to those fighters, but any of the big boys featured in the photo above would destroy that posse. Yet outside the top five of the current edition of heavyweights and it starts to look like old timers day.

Honestly, I should say four of the top five because Junior Dos Santos as great as he was, is not the same fighter anymore. Sure he recently won a disputed decision over #4 ranked Stipe Miocic, but I personally think he lost that fight. You couple that war with the two beatings he suffered at the hands of champion Cain Velasquez before that and he just does not look like the same fighter.

Velasquez is a great champion undeniably, but he's prone to injuries, which have shortened his career. So much so, we haven't seen him in action since that October 2013 beating of Dos Santos. A rescheduled bout with interim champ Fabricio Werdum is rescheduled for June in Mexico, but only time will tell if he'll have to pull out of that fight as well. Meanwhile, Werdum is at the best stage of his career, but at 37 years old the clock is ticking on him also.

Travis Browne and the aforementioned Miocic are the only younger generation heavyweights with any promise and that's it. After that it's a who's who of former champions who should be getting ready for the Hall of Fame and not the octagon. Names like Barnett, Mir, Hunt and Arlovski deserve respect, but look at their recent past and they have more losses than wins. Guys like Mir and Arlovski were on their way to journeymen/gatekeeper status before a couple of wins propelled them back in the picture.

Speaking of which, how is a guy like Mir who is only (1-4) in his last five fights still in the top 10? That alone makes my argument for me. The division is so weak right now, a couple of wins and Mir could actually be talked about as being in the title hunt; that's crazy! I never thought the day would come where I would personally say, I miss Brock Lesnar.

What constitutes being considered the G.O.A.T.?

What constitutes being considered the greatest of all time? Okay, I realize that's a debate that can never be won. However, earlier today a friend of mine asked a question that I could debate and feel very strongly about. He asked me if Floyd Mayweather will be considered the greatest of all-time in the same breath as "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali?

My response was pretty simple and clear or at least I thought so. I said that the fact that he is now fighting Manny Pacquiao would help boost that argument. Had he retired without ever facing Pacquiao, there is no way he would be considered on the same level as Ali because that would forever have been a question mark on his career. I also went on to say that should he defeat Pacquiao and go on to retire undefeated, there is no question he should be considered on the same level.

His response was, even considering his weight division? My response was once again, simple; even the greatest welterweights of all-time such as Leonard, Hearns, Duran, De La Hoya and Trinidad all suffered defeats. His response was to question Mayweather's opposition. This is what prompted me to write this blog and expand on my argument.

This is the same bull sh** argument people use against Larry Holmes whenever discussing his place among the greatest heavyweights of all-time. The fact that he fought at the end of the "Golden Era" of heavyweights and dominated in the '80's when the division wasn't as "good." This is a ridiculous stance and I'll explain why.

It is not Mayweather's fault, the same way it wasn't Holmes fault that they dominated in an era when the star power within their divisions just wasn't there; they fought the best that were there at the time. When it comes to Mayweather, whom did he not fight that he should have? The only one was Pacquiao and now that is about to happen. The fact that his opposition wasn't on his level was not his fault. That's basically penalizing a fighter for being too good, or in this case great.

Sadly in the end this will be the downfall for current Heavyweight Kingpin Wladimir Klitschko. If Holmes has difficulty garnering respect for his generation of heavyweights, I can only imagine what people will say about Klitschko when he's finally done. Unfortunately for him the best heavyweight opponent of his era was probably his own brother; so because of that he should be looked upon as not great?

The man has held a portion of the heavyweight title for nearly 10 years and has not lost a fight in 11. He fought whoever was put in front of him and won and in most cases easily. It is ridiculous to not acknowledge his greatness. Had Klitschko fought in the '70's, I'm not saying he wouldn't have suffered a few losses, but to think he could not have possibly defeated some of the greats of that era, especially at his size and skill is crazy.

Considering that argument, then Mayweather's case strengthens. Forget not losing in over 10 years, Mayweather has never lost in 47 fights; and as for holding a title, Mayweather has been a world champion in multiple weight divisions for nearly 17 straight years now. Should he go on to defeat Manny Pacquiao, considered an all-time great in his own right, and ultimately retire undefeated I think he would have answered the question; what constitutes being considered the G.O.A.T?

MMA may have made a mistake and woke up boxing

For a century when it came to combat sports, boxing above all else reigned supreme. Sure wrestling had been around just as long as an Olympic sport, but as great a sport as it is the public could never relate to it. Most likely it is because people can relate to throwing a punch versus a fireman's carry.

As decades passed other sports or variations of sport attempted to loosen the stronghold boxing had, such as pro wrestling in the '70's when they promoted a match between "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali and Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki. However, it turned out to be a bust when the promotion ended up being more exciting than the fight itself. In the '80's kickboxing created a minor buzz with fighters such as Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Benny 'The Jet' Urqiduez, but in the end their top performers turned to becoming movie stars versus star athletes. Then in 1993 UFC 1 debuted and it would mark the beginning of a global phenomenon now known as mixed martial arts or MMA.

During its run in the '90's MMA would have its share of struggles and political backlash. Regardless of its presence though, boxing was still top dog around the world; especially in a decade that featured such high profile stars as 'The Golden Boy' Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones, Jr. and Mike Tyson. Boxing fans and purists alike laughed at the mere thought that MMA would even come close to touching its own popularity and for a while there they were right.

However, at the turn of the century Zuffa took ownership of the UFC, changed the rules of MMA and its popularity began to soar. The advent of  'The Ultimate Fighter' TV series in 2005 began its ascension into the mainstream and slowly, but surely MMA started to creep up on boxing. Boxing meanwhile didn't take any of it serious; they continued to disregard MMA's presence, but more importantly, it appeared they disregarded their public's outcries.

It appeared they got greedy and felt they could give the public whatever they wanted to at a premium. The only boxing worth watching was now only on a Pay-Per-View basis and even those were just one high profile fight every few months with a lackluster under card not worthy of the $50+ price tag. Meanwhile, the UFC laid out a blueprint of stacking cards with not just one, but many high profile fighters in evenly matched bouts. More importantly they would offer you free fight cards and even when they did have pay-per-view events, they would give you access to the under card fights for free.

MMA was smart in their approach and sure enough by the beginning of this decade they started to over take boxing in popularity. Many casual boxing fans and even some hard core started to believe the best days of boxing were now behind them. However, it appears MMA may have made a mistake and woke up boxing in the process.

In the last week alone we've been treated to fights featuring champions and former champions in high profile contender fights all for free on HBO, Spike and NBC; yes network television. NBC's debut of its 'Premium Championship Boxing' series looks as though we are taking a step into the past when boxing was showcased on network TV and even housewives and mothers knew the stars of the sport.

Whether boxing will admit it or not, stacking the under cards, creating more evenly contested bouts and showing those fights to the public as part of the product, is directly attributed to MMA. Also, the pride of boxing has come forward as its biggest stars have finally agreed to make the fights the public wants to see. Just this past Saturday night after Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey Kovalev finished former champ Jean Pascal, his biggest opponent who had previously been avoiding him like the plague, Adonis Stevenson, told the HBO crew he would be fighting him.

Of course no example of this is bigger than the "Fight of the Century" in the highly anticipated welterweight showdown between Floyd 'Money' Mayweather and Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao. For years this fight could not be made and it all but looked like it would never happen. However, we're less than two months away from it becoming reality. Sure there are many reasons for this, including the proposed $200 million the fighters can make between them. However, I believe MMA may have made a mistake and awoken a sleeping giant in boxing and for fight fans like you and I, that's a great thing.