HANDS OF STONE REVIEW: Watch on Netflix

March 15, 2017 — Leave a comment

Hands of Stone: The Humanity of Roberto Duran & Panamanian Anti-Imperial Politics
Film Review*

By Rudy Mondragon
Twitter: @boxingintellect

Hands of Stone is a movie that should have been made a long time ago. It is an important biographical film about Panamanian professional boxer, Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), directed and written by Jonathan Jakubowicz. What is significant about the film is that it situates Duran as the protagonist. It is rooted within Panama’s political climate and United States manifest destiny imperialism of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, which allows for the unveiling of Duran’s complex humanity.

The last film that shed light on the life of Duran was ESPN’s No Más documentary, which actually focused on Sugar Ray Leonard. The film explored Duran and Leonard’s heated rivalry, seeking the truth behind Duran’s infamous “quitting” in the 8^th round of their 1980 rematch. In the end, the documentary more so served as a healing process for Leonard, who felt he never got his due credit for beating Duran in their rematch.

Hands of Stone is all about Duran, starting in 1971 when he defeated Benny Huertas at the Madison Square Garden. This was a turning point in Duran’s career as he first met Hall of Fame boxing trainer, Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro). The film ends with Duran beating Davey Moore for the World Boxing Association Super Welterweight title in 1983. Although the film does not mention it, Duran would eventually go on to be regarded as one of the best lightweights of all time.

The flashbacks in the film are important because they take us back to Duran’s formative childhood. Through them we are able to better understand Duran’s upbringing and political development. The January 9, 1964 Martyrs’ Day Riot for example, is shown as having a direct impact on Duran. At the time of the conflict, Duran was 12 years old. United States soldiers killed 21 Panamanians, mostly students, who resisted US occupation and protested over sovereignty of the Panama Canal. Not only did Duran grow up poor, but he also had a first hand account of the harsh realities of US manifest destiny and geopolitical imperialism in Panama.

The film also captures heartfelt scenes that illuminate Panamanian moral victories over US power. This is what makes Hands of Stone a politically charged sports film rather than just a watered down movie about a sport. In one scene, Duran yells at a US officer, “You in jail!” With this, Duran was expressing his awareness of the affects of the mental and physical colonization that was taking place in his homeland. In calling out their false sense of power, the future world champion was signaling the need for US military officers to liberate themselves from being used as imperial tools for a greedy, money hungry US government.

The rivalry between Duran and Leonard is more than just sport. It symbolized an opportunity for Panamanian’s to resist US power and colonialism. Duran’s hate for Leonard stemmed from his political disgust with US foreign policy, occupation, and control of the Panama Canal. In order to achieve a victory over the US, Duran would need to beat their idol: The Golden Boy, Sugar Ray Leonard. This is the fascinating part of boxing. Boxing rivalries are not just about two fighters who are pinned against each other in the ring. Boxing rivalries embody nations, political ideologies, power, and enacted identities that are used to spark the emotions and alliances of fans.

Hands of Stone is victorious in providing the necessary context to see beyond the popular narrative that Duran was simply a savage beast that hated Leonard. Their rivalry was deeper than that. Duran, who once said “The poor are born happy,” was not at all thrilled to make acquaintances with the corporate friendly fighter that Leonard once was and represented. For Duran, Leonard was implicated in US power and domination. For a short moment, Duran’s victory over Leonard united the people of Panama because it symbolized a moral victory over the Yankees.

The cinematography beautifully captured and retold the story of what took place in their 1980 matches. At times I was not sure if I was watching a movie or actual fight footage from Duran and Leonard’s fights. From Duran shoving Leonard at the end of the 15^th round, to Leonard unleashing two body shots at Duran as he walked away, the ring action truly showed why boxing is a like a sacred choreographed dance. The film showed the intimacy and personal relationship prizefighters share inside the squared circle. Fighters give each other their best efforts and as a result, they develop unique bonds inside and outside the ring.

Beyond the taunts, shoves, insults, and animosity, Hands of Stone demonstrates the unique and intimate relationship that Leonard and Duran will always share, a relationship that people outside of boxing can never fully understand.

*Originally posted September 19, 2016

Pugilistic Defeat & Struggle: Jonathan Walley’s Fight Experience Part II

January 15, 2017 — 1 Comment

By Rudy Mondragón
Twitter: @boxingintellect

Fight Night

The night of the fight was finally here. July 30th marked the day that Jonathan Walley would raise his arms in victory. This was the plan. What transpired, however, was the beginning of Walley’s biggest pugilistic struggle.

I drove to Van Nuys early in the afternoon to pick up my tickets for the KO Boxing With The Stars event from Jonathan. Instead of receiving tickets from him, I was greeted at the door by his older brother. From the doorstep, I could hear Walley’s voice and the shower head running. I looked over to the bathroom window and saw an excessive amount of steam exiting. Jonathan was still trying to cut weight.

Unlike professionals, amateurs are expected to make weight the day of the fight. Rather than resting, focusing, and relaxing before his fight, Walley was forcing his body to make weight to remain eligible for his evening contest. Jonathan’s day started with a 6am run in the gym while wearing his sauna suit. After his run, he went into the jacuzzi and steam room to force himself to sweat some more. He then went home for a nap and when he woke up, he went straight to the bathroom to create a steam room like environment in his home (this is when I came to pick up the tickets). Next, Walley showered to freshen up, put his sauna suit back on, and went back to the gym for another run. From the gym, he walked home (3 mile walk) in his sauna suit under the summer sun to sweat off more weight. On top of all this work, Jonathan still had to fight.

I arrived to Los Angeles Valley College and found a seat in the old school wooden bleachers of this community college’s basketball gym. It definitely was a night of stars, as notable figures were in attendance. Obba Babatunde (The Notebook, John Q, and Philadelphia), Laila Ali, and Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav to name a few. Amongst the stars were parents, family members, and friends supporting the many amateurs who were scheduled to fight that night.

After a couple of exciting matches, it was time for Jonathan to fight. Originally scheduled as the co-main event attraction, there were some last minute schedule changes that moved up Walley’s fight sooner than expected. Obba Babatunde, the emcee for the night, announced Jonathan, prompting his entrance to the ring. Nothing happened. The crowd looked towards the locker room entrance, but Jonathan was not walking out. After a second announcement by Babatunde, Walley finally appeared. He seemed to be in a rush, still trying to put on his head gear for the fight. From my perspective, it seemed like something was off. Walley looked physically ready to fight, but looked flustered and mentally uncomfortable.

Jonathan fought three hard rounds. At times it seemed like his mind was working faster than his body, not being able to execute his game plan, falling short of his abilities and skills as a counter-puncher with power. Maybe the hard work to make weight over-fatigued him, or the schedule change threw him off mentally. Whatever it was, Walley was not performing like his usual athletic, skilled, and intellectual self. Something definitely wasn’t right.

The final bell rang and it was time to hear the judge’s decision. It was a close fight. Judge’s scorecards called for a split decision, in favor of his opponent, Ivan Beltran. This wasn’t what Jonathan envisioned. He came to win, yet the reality, on this night, was Jonathan experiencing his first career defeat.

Post-Fight Rollercoaster

Boxing is not like any team sport. Boxers don’t compete in three-game series or on a weekly basis. On a sports team, you have a collective community you compete with and a shorter amount of time to think of defeat as you are expected to get back on the court/field to perform. For Jonathan, athletes in team sports have “shorter memories of defeat.” He states that in boxing, you are alone and therefore, “you hold on to that shit.” This is what I call the arc of redemption* in boxing, which is the traumatic time a boxer experiences between defeat and their next match. For boxers, the arc of redemption can last months, even years, before they are able to step back in the ring to correct their career paths.

I sat down with Jonathan five months after his first career defeat. For the most part, he was in high spirits and energized every room we walked into. As we began our conversation, the first thing Jonathan shared with me about his defeat was that going into the fight, he felt he was better than his opponent and that he did not expect to lose. He went from being a confident fighter to all of a sudden feeling emotionally drained and alone.

He originally had plans to hang out with friends after his fight. He felt that things changed as a result of losing. “I lost and then there was no party… there was no party… everyone went out to eat and my phone was dry as fuck.” At one point, Walley questioned whether his friends would have given him love had he won. Maybe his friends just didn’t know how to support him at this crucial moment in his life. Either way, Jonathan’s mind, the mind of a fighter, went towards a dark space where loneliness sank in, and feelings of abandonment felt real. Jonathan occupied a mental space at the extremes of sadness and anger.

The days that followed were extremely difficult on his overall wellbeing. He had a hard time sleeping, didn’t want to talk to anyone, and despite draining himself to make weight for his fight, Walley did not have an appetite. Jonathan explained to me that, being the food lover that he is, it was especially difficult feeling hungry and not having a desire for a meal.

In an effort to turn his struggles into a positive, Jonathan decided to leave the state of California to get away. At this stage, Walley was avoiding people and wanted to process defeat in isolation. When people asked where he was, he would tell them he was in Las Vegas, including me. The reality however, was that he was in Arizona reflecting on his defeat and life.

Even though he wanted to be alone to process, Jonathan realized that he needed words of affirmation and validation from his loved ones to help him overcome this vulnerable period of his life. Although he did receive some, he also recalls the negative energy he felt from his critics and the silent voices around him. “It wasn’t about the things they could’ve told me,” Jonathan said, “it was more the things that was said not to me, and then, the things that wasn’t said at all.” In other words, Jonathan found out people turned on him and spoke negatively about him behind his back. He also wished people would have been more vocal and attentive about his struggle instead of remaining silent.

Although Walley feels like he has learned from his first defeat, he doesn’t feel like he will ever fully recover from it. When it comes to experiencing his first defeat, Jonathan feels that “you can’t play it off and say you don’t care.” Defeat in a boxing context is still a new thing for him and a day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t think about it. He had a tentative match scheduled for the end of January, but with the unstable nature of amateur boxing, that fight was called off, further prolonging Walley’s opportunity at redemption.

In the mean time, Walley has to sit with the thought of his first defeat for six months, maybe more, before he can step back in the ring for his chance at redemption. What does a boxer do during that long time frame to physically, mentally, and spiritually heal? Talking about it with people is a good start. Talking about defeat and the emotional rollercoaster one goes through is not a sign of weakness. If anything, it is a sign of strength. Strength because Jonathan displayed vulnerability in sharing this experience of struggle with me. Opening up to one person about hardship is a brave act, but a willingness to share one’s story of defeat with the rest of the world is a manifestation of courage.

Jonathan’s road to recovery is embodied in stic.man’s hip hop track titled, Joe Louis from The Workout album. This track is about the famous black boxer, Joe Louis, who is considered one of the best heavyweights of all-time. One of the bars in this song states, “If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready,” which is what I see Walley doing as he waits for his next scheduled match. That is what he knows best. Staying in the gym keeps him feeling alive, ready, and prepared in case he is asked to fight on short notice. At this point, to overcome this difficult phase in his career, Jonathan manifests stic.man’s lyrical hook in Joe Louis: “I train to live, I live to train. It’s go hard or go home, no pain, no gain.” There is no quit in this young man. Healing through boxing and training is a one day at a time process.

As difficult as it was for Walley to open up, what I admired the most was that he made no excuses of his defeat nor belittled his opponent. He respects the decision. He respects Ivan Beltran. He accepts defeat and welcomes the ups and downs that come with it. One things for sure, Walley is eager and ready to rise up again.

*Special thanks to Dr. Samantha Sheppard for helping me think through this idea of temporal struggle in boxing to construct the concept of boxing’s arc of redemption.

______________
The photos below are of Jonathan Walley training at the Roy Jones Jr. Fight Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada the morning before our conversation

BMB Presents: “Boxing & Beyond”

January 1, 2017 — Leave a comment

Boxing & Beyond is a new installment brought to you by the blood money boxing team. Blood money boxing is committed to bringing you multifaceted commentary that focuses on the sport, individual boxers, politics, and all that comes with the good and bad and in-betweenness of the sweet science.

Boxing & Beyond will consist of 6 articles starting in January 2017. These pieces will look beyond upcoming matches, results, and summaries. This series will explore the intimate lives of boxers, exploring themes of struggle, success, and early beginnings to name a few.

If you have a topic you would like us to cover, please feel free to contact Rudy Mondragón at rudym@ucla.edu.

A Day With Andre Ward [Pictures]

November 3, 2016 — Leave a comment

By Rudy Mondragón
Twitter: @boxingintellect

No better way to spend Halloween than visiting the training grounds of boxing trainer Virgil Hunter and Andre Ward in Hayward, California. It was Ward’s official media work out in anticipation of his November 19th match against pound for pound great, Sergey Kovalev, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

I left my friends home in Richmond mid morning to make it on time to Ward’s 12pm scheduled workout. It was a beautiful morning in The Bay. The sun was out and the air was fresher than the stuff we breath in Los Angeles. I hit I-880 going south and exited Industrial Blvd. As I made my way around the neighborhood, I could feel its working class vibrations. It was a Monday morning and the workers were out getting their hustle on, including Andre Ward and his team.

I reached the parking lot of the gym, but the buildings all looked the same. I saw two gentleman talking in the parking lot and thought to ask them for directions. One was dressed in construction attire and the other in a Halloween costume of sorts atop a fork lift. I asked them if they knew where the gym was. With ease they responded, “straight ahead boss.”

Assuming I would hit traffic on the road, I arrived to the gym ahead of schedule. This gave me some extra time to explore the gym, take pictures (see below), talk with media, and engage in conversation with a bright young amateur boxer named Joey Spencer (Click here for his Instagram). Spencer is a 15/16 year old from Linden, Michigan (25 minutes south of Flint). He recently moved to The Bay to train inside Virgil Hunters Boxing Gym where Andre Ward training sessions become a classroom for the young pugilist.

At his young age, Spencer discussed how he intentionally uses his amateur fights to raise funds for good causes. It was refreshing, but not surprising to hear that boxers like Spencer use their platforms to give back to their community. He was also well aware of the Flint water crisis and the relief efforts put forth by the Dirrell brothers (boxers from Flint) and Claressa Shields. It is worth mentioning that Claressa Shields, two time Olympic gold medalist for the US, will make her professional boxing debut on the undercard of #WardKovalev. History will be made on the night of the 19th on multiple levels.

I also had a humbling experience talking with Virgil Hunter. I confused a Nazim Richardson quote (swim without getting wet) for one I thought Virgil had said. Rightfully so, Hunter corrected me, but we continued to talk. We spoke about his intimate relationship with his fighters. He sees them more than bodies, they are like his grown up children. Beyond the bright lights, media events, ShowTime All Access, and overall commodification that takes place in the boxing industry, there are many stories of vulnerability, intimacy, family, love, struggle, and humanity. Hunter’s relationship with his fighters is evident of this on many levels. These are the stories that need more in-depth exposure and sharing. Boxers are trained and disciplined to fight, but they are also sons and daughters, siblings, parents, hustlers, and human in their imperfections.

My interactions with Ward were limited. I did get to ask him which song he wanted to enter the ring to for his fight against Kovalev. I also asked him who made that decision. He said he would be picking the song, but wasn’t sure at the moment. He mentioned the possibility of using a song by Hip Hop artist, Bizzle. The reason for this is because Ward believes the song gets him pumped up and contains a positive message. Him picking his own song due to its content showed me the level of intentionality and agency Ward has.

What touched my heart the most was the fact that Ward spent an extra hour talking with youth from a nearby juvenile institution. Ward talked about his story, family upbringing, struggles, and how his faith helped him stay on track and focused. At one point, Ward used hip hop music to educate the youth. He played “Just Sayin” by Bizzle. The boxing gym turned into a classroom and the lesson was about the downfalls of capitalism and consumerism, nurturing one’s consciousness with knowledge of self, and embracing change.

Ward acted in the spirit of Bizzle’s words: “I don’t care if you signed up to be a role model or not, Kids gon’ follow you regardless, It come wit the fame”

Inside the gym, Ward demonstrated his ability to use his lived experience to become relatable to the youth and share wisdom with them. Granted, the power structures that maintain the juvenile system, school to prison pipeline, and hyper-criminalization of black and brown youths no doubt needs to be changed. What is important is that Ward used his sphere of influence to do something. He started a dialogue and created a space where the youth spoke about their passions, their dreams, and their struggles. It was truly an intimate and vulnerable space where boys and men were speaking freely. Some would even say thats the way to start a process of liberation.

Best of luck to Andre Ward and his team come the night of November 19th.

Hands of Stone: The Humanity of Roberto Duran & Panamanian Anti-Imperial Politics

September 19, 2016 — Leave a comment

By Rudy Mondragon
Twitter: @boxingintellect

Swift vs The Ghost: Reflections on Latino Politics

January 25, 2016 — Leave a comment

By Rudy Mondragon
Twitter: @boxingintellect

On Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 Danny “Swift” Garcia defeated Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero via a 12 round unanimous decision (all three judges had it 116-112). Garcia’s victory earned him the vacant WBC Welterweight title that once belonged to The Best Ever, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

This was a unique match up as these two boxers were both trained by their fathers for this fight. Both fathers have a reputation for being charismatic trash talkers who have contributed to the build up of their son’s previous matches. What was also unique about this match up was that both Danny and Robert are US born fighters who redefine the famous Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry. Danny was born in North Philadelphia and Robert was born in Gilroy, California.

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero

Danny “Swift” Garcia

Things got heated at the final press conference and weigh in. Leading up to the final presser, interviews with Ruben Guerrero surfaced in which he was commenting on the silence of Angel Garcia as well as questioning Danny Garcia’s Puerto Rican identity. When asked by Martin Gallegos who he thought the Puerto Rican fans would be cheering for come fight night, Ruben responded by saying:

“Well I think they are going for Robert, because this guy don’t even speak a licking word in Puerto Rico bro, like he said he’s not real Puerto Rican. He just says he is, but he’s not! I don’t know what he is. He hasn’t figured that out yet.”

The question of “who will the Puerto Rican fans cheer for?” is a question that stems from building up the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico drama. Ruben’s response contributes to the build up of the spectacle that the media desperately tries to craft by asking questions like this. One interpretation of what Ruben is saying is that he feels Puerto Rican fans will side with his son because Danny Garcia is whitewashed and not Latino enough for Puerto Rican boxing enthusiasts.

Ruben’s response is an unfortunate example of Latina/os policing other Latina/os for their lack of “authenticity.” His response brings up three complex questions to my mind: What makes someone Latina/o? What constitutes “authenticity” when discussing ethnic/cultural/racial identity? and Why is it that Latina/os continue to use the ability to speak the Spanish language as an argument to say you are more/less Latina/o?

At the final press conference this week, Ruben Guerrero also made a comment that dealt with language as being a marker of authentic Latina/oness. As he was delivering his speech at the final presser, Guerrero announced in Spanish that “shit talkers go down” in reference to Angel Garcia. He followed that up by saying that he had to translate that to English because “you (Angel) don’t talk Spanish, Puerto Ricans don’t talk Spanish!”

For Ruben, “authentic” Puerto Rican identity comes down to one’s ability to speak Spanish. I guess for Ruben, it doesn’t matter that Angel is well aware that that Puerto Rico is still a US colony or that Danny identifies as Philly-Rican. Interestingly enough, Ruben Guerrero identifies as Chicano and practices a form of Chicana/o Spanglish. Spanglish, being a constructed language that takes both English and Spanish as a tool to communicate Chicana/o culture, experience, and struggle in a world that privileges colonial languages over indigenous tongues. Language is a way to communicate culture and not an absolute marker of cultural, racial, and ethnic identity.

As a boxing fan and writer, I am well aware that trash talking is used as a strategy to get in the mind of your opponent. Some of the greatest mental game strategist consist of Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga, Mike Tyson, Paulie Malignaggi, Bernard Hopkins, amongst many others. Paying attention to the content of the trash talking however, is important as it communicates messages that are reflective of the broader society and social problems that go beyond the boxing realm.

When it comes to Ruben Guerrero, his trash talking game takes on a hyper-masculine approach perpetuating the idea that this world is run by men. His emasculation of Angel Garcia reeks of misogyny. And his policing of Angel and Danny Garcia’s Puerto Rican identity based on one’s ability to speak Spanish is unfortunately a common factor that breaks up the possibilities of Latina/o solidarity. The media plays a huge part in this, but it also takes two to tango.

In closing, I want to again say that I understand that trash talking is part of the boxing game. It is a tool used to mentally throw off your opponent. Trash talking takes creativity and thoughtfulness. Can boxers today be more creative and innovative with their trash talking and find ways to not perpetuate isms (racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, etc.)? It is a challenge that I would like to discuss with anyone in the boxing game, even Ruben Guerrero. As long as he doesn’t say I have “baby nuts” or challenges me to a fight, I am all in for an honest conversation.

Fight & Performance of the Year [Video]

January 19, 2016 — Leave a comment

Blood Money Boxing’s Co-Founder, Rudy Mondragon sits down with Pierre Banks from Banks Boy Productions to discuss 2015’s Fight and Performance of the Year. Check out the videos below. More best of 2015 videos coming soon.

Agree or disagree? Have your own thoughts on fight and performance of the year? Let us know what you think by commenting on here!

Special Announcement: Rudy Mondragon will be at the Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero fight taking place Saturday January 23rd, 2016 at the Los Angeles Staple Center. Stay tuned for his breakdown of the fight and reflections on the event.

2015 End of Year Awards

December 31, 2015 — Leave a comment

2015 brought the unveiling of the Joe Frazier statue in Philadelphia

By Rudy Mondragon
@boxingintellect
@bloodmoneyboxin

And that’s a wrap! Another year of boxing in the history books. 2015 gave boxing heads what they demanded, a dream match between Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao. As with many fights, we need to manage our expectations. I get into conversations where people argue that Floyd runs like a chicken (you know who you are). I try to be respectful and validate people’s opinions. But like I always say, Floyd does not run. What Floyd does is stay in the pocket and draws opponents in to miss. Floyd is able to do this due to his superb defense and counter punching abilities. With the expected hype of Mayweather and Pacquiao, I knew (as well as my close boxing colleagues) to manage my expectations.

I entered the viewing of the fight anticipating a clinical defensive performance by Floyd. I was left satisfied as he left Pacquiao looking like an amateur. I was impressed with that. For the fans who expected WWIII or something out of Sparta, they were left feeling cheated and lied to. Some even sued saying the fight was a fraud. Don’t blame the fighters, blame the promoters, media, and the rest of the people responsible for selling you something that in all actuality was far fetched.

It is the end of the boxing year and with that, comes reflection of the good and bad. The only reflection I can offer is where are the boxers who take on the athlete activist position? Just a couple of days ago, we learned there would be no indictment for the death of Sandra Bland. We also learned that prosecutors said the police officer who killed 12 year old Tamir Rice would not face criminal charges.

What is happening in boxing that prevents the boxers themselves from taking on a political stand on issues they can make a difference in? I’m not saying athletes will solve all world problems. I am saying boxers take up a unique space where they draw a great deal of attention. In drawing this space, where are the messages that bring awareness to the mass killings that are happening to black and brown women and men, detention of undocumented people, and transgender populations? Where are the boxers who stand up and call for the ending of violence against women? Where are the boxers who are calling out Donald Trump’s Neo-Hitler politics?

There are boxers who have made attempts to raise awareness and use their platforms for good. Sergio Martinez did great things during his boxing career that focused on anti-bullying and spending time with hospitalized children. Andre Berto has started the conversation with other boxers to discuss #BlackLivesMatter as well as leading demonstrations to address the problem of police violence.

The critical-optimist in me believes that 2016 will bring more boxers coming out to take political stands. But it won’t be easy. How has the boxing industry organized themselves to prevent future boxing activist since Muhammad Ali? Part of the problem is the inner working of the industry as well as media that refuses to cover political issues that are affecting people all over this country and world.

I know what you are thinking. This isn’t your typical end of the year awards article. I think that is a good thing. After all, that’s not what Blood Money Boxing is all about. Blood Money Boxing is about critical boxing commentary, beyond the statistics and reporting of the winners and losers of boxing. This is our aim, goal, and vision for now and into the future. Thank you for your continued support. Now, lets get on with the awards. Enjoy! And if you disagree, tell us your thoughts.

Pound For Pound

Floyd Mayweather
Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
Sergey Kovalev
Gennady Golovkin

Honorable Mention: Andrew Ward, Timothy Bradley, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Manny Pacquiao, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Terence Crawford.

Floyd Mayweather is still number 1 because I refuse to believe he is calling it quits. He will be back for his 50th victory.

Fighter of the Year

Floyd Mayweather Jr

How can he not? He made the biggest purse ($250 million) and generated the most revenue in one single night ($600 million). He broke records and broke hearts when he beat the man everyone said would destroy him, Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao has a lot to do with Floyd winning this honor. After all, it takes two to tango.

Knockout of the Year

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez KO of James Kirkland

Fight of the Year

Nonito Donaire vs Cesar Juarez and

Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Warrior of the Year

Gennady Golovkin

Was expected to win big this year and delivered 3 TKO victories

Upset of the Year

Tyson Fury’s win over Wladimir Klitschko and

Viktor Postol’s win over Lucas Matthysse

Bad Call of the Year

Danny Garcia vs Lamont Peterson

Garcia collected points early on as Peterson fought a conservative fight. The tide turned as Peterson was able to effectively counter Garcia and take advantage of his fatiguing opponent. It was a close call and could’ve gone either way. The way Peterson finished the fight by making Garcia miss and effectively land counter shots convinced me that Peterson won the fight by a single point.

Trainer of the Year

Abel Sanchez

This is the man who is guiding GGG. He is not making a lot of noise, but he is doing something right. Abel Sanchez will have a big 2016 year, possibly adding names to his stable due to his expertise and connection to GGG.

Quickie of the Year

Daniel Jacobs first round TKO of Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin

I was excited about this fight because I thought these two would demonstrate both powerful exchanges as well as fine boxing skill and technique. This fight delivered a different kind of excitement as Jacobs hurt Quillin midway through the first round and was able to gain the first round stoppage.

Boxing Fails of the Year

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Brandon Rios

Chavez went up to the light heavyweight division to challenge Andrzej Fonfara and was dropped in the 9th and quit on his stool as he was unable to continue. Rios struggled to make weight against Timothy Bradley and looked drained the night of the fight. He went down in the 9th and was eventually stopped. He announced his retirement, but word on the boxing street is that he wants to make a comeback.

2016 Dream Fights

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin

Miguel Cotto vs. David Lemieux

Kell Brook vs. Amir Khan

Adrien Broner vs. Manny Pacquiao

Leo Santa Cruz vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux

Roman Gonzalez vs.

Adonis Stevens vs. Sergey Kovalev

Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward

Danny Garcia vs. Adrien Broner

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury

Deontay Wilder vs. Wladimir Klitschko

BMB 2015: A Reflection of a Year

December 31, 2015 — Leave a comment

Typically this time of year is a time full of reflection and nostalgia about the sport of boxing for BMB, but it’s really easy this time around take inventory for 2015 to be hopeful for the future.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still retired. Boxing politics are seemingly eroding with the rise of Al Haymon’s democratization of PBC. Japanese boxing is hitting a golden age. The boxing media is persecuting pure boxing and worshiping fighters demonstrating an instinct to finish fights. Canelo vs. Cotto happened and escalated the legacy of both fighters. Roman Gonzalez is cementing his position as a living, fighting, all-time-great and leaves it all in the ring every fight. (I hope he never learns english and just keeps seeking the hardest competition out there, as if he’s finding out how far he can go in a fight.) GGG is captivating the world and is still trying to find a real challenge. Modern boxing technique is being honed with talent we’ve never seen before, and is arguably the deciding factor in the sport of mixed martial arts, where the biggest knockouts of the year came from punching technique.

On the personal side of things, I have also been honing my training all 2015 with 8 rounds of heavy bag and speed bag work with jumprope. Even though this is the lightest work compared to all the fighters we cover, I’m quite proud of the progress I’ve been making and how I feel that this training is absolutely necessary in my life nowadays. It’s the ultimate destresser, every session I learn something new without changing the routine, and is extremely efficient. Like Rocky says, “Time takes everyone out; time’s undefeated” it’s really nice being able to look in the mirror while training and just battle time in that moment while the clock is on, with double-unders, with overhand speed bag drills, and heavy bag combinations.

I put that picture up to remind the BMB team and boxing fans what the boxing sport is all about. It’s about confidence, courage, and competition. It’s about facing yourself in training, and facing your opponent on fight day. It’s about the fan’s anticipation and excitement and the corner. Lastly, its about the courage to see it to the end, as pure boxing back in the day was always about outlasting to finish a weakened opponent. Finishing with purpose is what boxing is all about. Cheers to all our readers, and the BMB team to a great 2015. We look forward to 2016 with pride.

Cotto vs Canelo Review

November 22, 2015 — Leave a comment

By Rudy Mondragon (Twitter: @boxingintellect)

Another Puerto Rico versus Mexico fight in the history books. It wasn’t a flop but it wasn’t an instant classic either.

Miguel Cotto was in great shape as he stuck to a game plan that consisted of jabbing and quickly moving around. In the middle of the fight, I think Cotto got frustrated with his game plan, as it was not effective in keeping Canelo off of him.

Canelo was stalking and taking jabs in order to close the distance and land power shots of his own. Cotto definitely took notice of Canelo’s powerful straight rights. As the fight progressed, Canelo found a home for his lethal uppercuts. When Cotto exchanged, it played into Canelo’s style of combination power punches.

This was a true test for both fighters. Canelo needed a win against a gatekeeper in order to establish himself as an A class fighter. He successfully accomplished that last night. He can now say he has beat a future hall of famer. And not just any hall of famer. Canelo did beat Mosley once upon a time. But that was an old and way beyond his prime Mosley. Last night, Canelo beat a Cotto who was coming off a good moment in his career.

For Cotto, this was a test of how good he really is at the middleweight division. He didn’t fail this test, but he didn’t pass it either. He was clearly the smaller man, which posed problems for him early on. He never had Canelo’s respect and his power did not have an impact throughout the fight. Cotto looked like a big welterweight while Canelo looked like a true middleweight. In other words, Canelo is a 160lbs fighter now, not a Jr. middleweight. Cotto’s victory was that he did not get knocked out.

For Cotto, not getting knocked out last night is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with losing to an up and coming middleweight star like Canelo via a 12 round decision. He can maintain A-Side power and look for a retirement fight and final pay day at the Jr. middleweight division.

For Canelo, I think GGG needs to happen now for 2 reasons. The first, Canelo said he would fight him now if we wanted him to. Okay, I say back that talk up with action. Second, Golden Boy Promotions is all about making the most exciting fights happen in the game. This is the most exciting fight in boxing at this moment. Make it happen, Oscar De La Hoya.

My hope is that Canelo gets a tune up fight in May and then fights GGG in September 2016.

With his victory, Saul Canelo Alvarez improves to 46-1-1 (32 KOs) while Cotto moves on with a 40-5 (33 KOs) record.