Brandon Campbell

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Furious Five. We will cover a variety of topics today, including a couple of highly anticipated summer matches scheduled for the near future.

1) First and foremost, let me begin this article by stating on behalf of everyone here at sportstalkbuzz that our thoughts and prayers are with critically injured welterweight Oscar Diaz. The young fighter collapsed unconscious after the 10th round of his fight this past Wednesday night in San Antonio and was immediately rushed to hospital. Although doctors are cautiously optimistic, Diaz currently remains in a coma and isn’t breathing on his own. There has already been some discussion from certain media outlets that the fight should have been stopped much earlier in the night, but this isn’t the right time to discuss the circumstances of the match. Once again, our thoughts and prayers are with Diaz and his family during this extremely difficult time.

2) We are now only one week away from arguably the most highly anticipated match of the summer, as Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito will fight to determine the new king of the welterweight division. The style of both fighters has the potential to make this one of the most exciting fights in recent memory, as both Cotto and Margarito are power punchers that aren’t afraid to exchange blows. When you factor in the Mexico vs Puerto Rico dynamic, the undefeated Cotto facing his toughest challenge yet, and the WBA welterweight title at stake…..this fight has the potential to be a classic. For the record, my money is on Margarito to pull off the major upset.

3) The depth of the Welterweight division will further be on display during the week following Cotto/Margarito, as Joshua Clottey and Zab Judah will fight for the vacant IBF title in Las Vegas on August 2nd. Although it probably won’t rival the caliber of the Cotto/Margarito fight, it presents an intriguing bout for a variety of different reasons. There is no question that Zab Judah is one of the most talented athletes in the sport when he is mentally prepared to fight. However, we haven’t seen a truly dedicated Judah enter the ring for years now….so why should we expect August 2nd to be any different? Well essentially, this is the last opportunity for Judah to remain relevant in the sport and garner the attention he obviously craves. I think Clottey is the more dangerous fighter and will use this opportunity next month to secure a prominent position in the welterweight division by defeating Zab. However, I wouldn’t bet against a desperate Zab Judah.

4) The boxing world continues to hear whispers about potential opponents for Oscar De La Hoya on Dec 6th, as Golden Boy Promotions continues its efforts to secure one last mega fight for Oscar. As of right now, the two most popular options seem to be Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquaio. Although the presence of either Cotto or Pacquaio on the Dec 6th card would make it a blockbuster, I would personally prefer to see Pacquaio get a shot at De La Hoya. For one, Pacquaio recently assumed the mantle of best pound for pound fighter in the world and it would be extremely entertaining to watch the battle tested De La Hoya in the ring with him. Secondly, the style of Pacquaio makes him one of the most exciting fighters currently in the sport and he wouldn’t disappoint in a fight of this magnitude. Third, who knows what condition Cotto will be in after his fight against Margarito next week. I’m sure Golden Boy Promotions will wait for the outcome of the Cotto/Margarito fight before making a decision. However, in my humble opinion this decision is already an easy one…….Pacquaio should be the choice.

5) I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I learned that Kelly Pavlik will move up in weight class to fight Bernard Hopkins on Oct 18th. If you follow this column on a regular basis you will know that I don’t hold Hopkins in the highest regard, as his dirty tactics in the ring and lack of sportsmanship have always annoyed me. That being said, I will thoroughly enjoy watching Pavlik give Hopkins the type of beating he has deserved for years. I also find it interesting that Pavlik was unable to secure a fight with some of the big name fighters currently available, like Joe Calzaghe, Paul Williams and Winky Wright. I think this is a reflection that some fighters are a little intimidated by just how dangerous Kelly Pavlik has become in the ring, and I believe they will be even more hesitant to fight him after Oct 18th.

Alright Everyone, that’s all I have for now. I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer weekend, and be sure to check out some of the other great articles across this site.

Brandon Campbell

Hello Everyone, welcome to the latest edition of the Furious Five.

The boxing world is still buzzing after the brutal victory Manny Pacquaio scored against David Diaz last night, but there are also plenty of other noteworthy issues in the sport deserving attention. So let’s get started, shall we?

1) The boxing world crowned a new WBC lightweight champion last night, as Manny Pacquaio thoroughly dominated David Diaz before scoring a 9th round knockout. This was one of the most viscous beatings witnessed in recent memory, with Pacquaio utilizing his superior hand speed and punching power to brutalize Diaz throughout the entire nine rounds. When you consider just how badly Pacquaio outclassed the former U.S. Olympian and defending champion, can anyone still question those anointing Pacquaio as the best pound for pound fighter in the world?

2) That being said, I still think there are a few different fighters that can legitimately challenge Pacquaio for the title of the best pound for pound fighter in the world. You could make convincing arguments for fighters like Kelly Pavlik, Miguel Cotto, and Joe Calzaghe. However, what separates Pacquaio from these other fighters is his entertaining style and ability to dominate the sport across numerous different weight classes. When you consider his title win last night (at 135 pounds) was the fourth different weight class he has earned a belt in, you can’t help but be impressed by the slender Filipino who started his career at 106 pounds. Personally, I would rank Pacquaio as the best pound for pound fighter in the world right now. However, I can certainly understand how some people would disagree with this decision.

3) I would like to discuss the controversial 4th round disqualification of Humberto Sotto last night during his match against Francisco Lorenzo for the interim WBC junior lightweight title. The disqualification against Sotto was issued by referee Joe Cortez after Lorenzo had taken a knee and Sotto landed a glancing blow seconds later. We all know the rule Cortez cited was implemented to protect vulnerable fighters from further damage, and we have seen it cost fighters decisions before. However, Sotto dominated the fight from the opening bell and Cortez probably should have intervened earlier in the round to stop the fight. When you consider the short amount of time (half a second) between when Lorenzo took a knee and Sotto landed his glancing blow. how could Cortez conclude Sotto was intentionally trying to hurt his vulnerable opponent.  Thankfully, the WBC corrected the situation by immediately announcing a rematch will be held . Even still, this is just yet another controversy involving referee Joe Cortez and let’s all hope this is the last time he officiates a major fight.

4) With the fight almost official, can someone please tell me why Joe Calzaghe is fighting Roy Jones Jr? Let’s just hypothetically assume the rumors are true and Calzaghe will retire after fighting Jones, how does taking this fight add any credibility to his legacy? Roy Jones Jr. is a shadow of the fighter he once was, and can’t be considered a legitimate opponent for a fighter the caliber of Calzaghe. This fight serves no purpose besides being an easy pay day for both fighters, Calzaghe will earn one more large paycheck and Jones gets one last minute in the spotlight. There are very few fights I have absolutely no interest in watching, but this will definitely be one of them.

5) I figure I should try and end the article off on a positive note, so I’m pleased to discuss the upcoming match between Jermain Taylor and Carl Froch for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title. Although most casual North American boxing fans aren’t familiar with Carl Froch, he is an exciting undefeated fighter that has knocked out 19 of his 23 opponents. Although the unheralded Froch has never fought an opponent who possesses the raw athletic ability of Jermain Taylor, the size and punching power of Froch would make this an extremely intriguing match. However, there is still a slight possibility that this fight won’t proceed as there are rumors Jermain Taylor would prefer to fight Jeff Lacy instead. Albeit Lacy is a recognizable name amongst American boxing fans, he would be an easy opponent for Taylor and wouldn’t present the same challenge as Froch. The WBC has already ordered this match, but HBO controls the contract of Taylor and will play a large role in determining his next opponent. Let’s all hope Taylor makes the right decision and convinces HBO to let him fight Froch, it would be a highly entertaining fight.

That’s it for now, I hope everyone remains safe and enjoys the rest of their weekend.

Brandon Campbell

Wow, what can you say about a performance like that.

Tonight we witnessed one of the more dominant victories in recent memory, with Manny Pacquiao capturing the WBC lightweight title with a spectacular 9th round knockout of David Diaz. The entire fight was controlled by Pacquaio, who utilized his superior speed, power punching and foot work to completely dominate the defending champion. This is now the fourth different weight class that Pacquiao has won a title in, an extremely impressive and rare feat in modern day boxing. It’s all the more impressive when you consider the spectacular way he went about accomplishing it, dominating Diaz from the opening bell.

I think I should also acknowledge the effort of David Diaz, who took a lot of punishment during this fight and continued to come forward despite the onslaught. There is no question Diaz was completely outclassed tonight, but you can’t really fault his effort. He fought a superior opponent, one who arguably just solidified his position as the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining fight and easily one of the best so far this year. If you missed the fight, I definitely recommend you try and catch the highlights. I will be posting a new edition of the Furious Five tomorrow, so be sure to check back for more post fight analysis and to see how this dominant performance could potentially impact the future plans of Pacquaio.