“The Moment”: Mayweather vs Maidana – Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Final Prediction

05/03/2014 Vivek Wallace

Where will you be…..when the “moment” comes? For the past 8 weeks, fight fans around the globe have been asked this question. Where each of us may be is a pretty intriguing slogan; but a better question would be what can fans expect when that “moment” finally arrives? Will this moment be one in the same with every other Floyd Mayweather fight of the past? Will it be that proverbial “shot heard around the world”, finally removing the layer of invincibility that has surrounding Mayweather for so long? Will it be the foul stench of controversy that often rears its ugly head in boxing after a potential bad decision surfaces? Each of these questions remain to be seen.

In just a few hours, all questions will be answered, yet if the past any indication, on the heels of a recent Pacquiao victory, perhaps those answers could lead to more questions. With an angle for the future already in the back of our collective minds, we narrow things down for tonight’s event by taking a look at each man’s “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and in the end, a “Final Prediction”:

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Pacquiao vs Bradley, Canelo vs Lara, and Bob Arum!!

04/14/2014 Vivek Wallace

Carter C. (Northridge, CA): I think Pacquiao’s performance proves how good he truly is. I would like to know how you assessed his performance and what would you like to see next from him?

Vivek W. (ESB): Going into the bout, my official prediction was a Pacquaio stoppage down the home stretch, possibly as late as the 12th round. What I predicted and what we saw were two vastly different things, but in the end, the results carried the same weight. I just truly felt that his work-rate and the power it embodies alone would be able earn him a victory in this fight. Bradley has shown us great evolution, but there are a few major flaws within his game that I seriously doubt can be corrected at this stage of his career. It’s one thing to work on a particular set during camp; but in the heat of the battle, a veteran will revert to those tendencies that are deeply rooted and engrained in the brain every single time.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Bradley vs Pacquiao “Face-Off”, Why Golovkin Chose Chavez, Not Andre Ward, and Maidana Fight Strategy!!!

03/24/2014 Vivek Wallace

Steve N. (Reseda, CA): Bradley vs Pacquiao’s “Face-Off” on HBO seemed very intense. Who did you give the mental edge too (based on what we saw)? And who do you think has more to prove given the way things turned out before?

Vivek W. (ESB): I found this particular episode of “Face-Off” to be easily the most compelling of all. I think the episode gave us a strong indication of the pure mindset hidden deep within the dome of both competitors. I thought it was very raw, very intense, and for lack of better words, very unscripted. One thing for sure, there will be no questions remaining in the end this time around, as neither man seems to be willing to give an inch, yet both appear ready to step forward and forcibly take a yard, so to speak! With a few notes in hand and a mind full of contrasting thoughts, my best analysis on what we witnessed would go a little something like this:

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Garcia/Herrera, Canelo’s PPV numbers, Mayweather, Wilder, and more!!!

03/18/201403/17/2014 Vivek Wallace

C. Jasper (Columbia, SC): I know you were pretty high on Danny Garcia after he soundly defeated Lucas Matthyssee. After seeing him struggle against a nobody, what do you think now?

Vivek W. (ESB): I’ll start by saying that I totally beg to differ, as it relates to your opinion of Mauricio Herrera being a “nobody”. Covering the sport over the years, I’ve always liked the art of keeping a thumb on those men and women who are under the radar, but above the rim, so to speak. Coming into this bout, I definitely viewed Herrera as someone who was not to be taken lightly. On the morning of all major fights, I post a Facebook “Scouting Report” which lays out my thoughts in general terms. I’m not always as deadly accurate as I’d like, but in hindsight, the words posted were almost ominous, as they spoke very clearly about what would later happen. To revisit the caption, here is a direct quote:

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Canelo vs Angulo, Santa Cruz, Rigondeaux, and Tony Weeks!

03/13/201403/10/2014 Vivek Wallace

Erik N. (El Paso, TX): I thought Canelo performed very well against Angulo and I feel he’s the best at 154lbs. How did you rate his performance and what are your thoughts for him going forward?

Vivek W. (ESB): From the subplots coming into this event to the ones during the event, as well as those which have spurned in the aftermath of it, there are so many different things to consider with Canelo when you analyze the big picture. Just kind of taking things full circle, I’ll start with the pre-fight angle…..namely the weight issue.

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“Toe to Toe”: Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo vs Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, & Official Prediction

03/13/201403/08/2014 Vivek Wallace

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Every warrior in life is met with a moment that questions his character and outweighs his optimism. What separates those who “are” from those who “were” is the sheer ability to rise when the only other option is to fall. Comes as no surprise that the hottest attraction in the sport this weekend plays host to the Las Vegas desert. And it should also come as no surprise that at the center of it all are two proud Mexican warriors that never say die! As we get closer to this “Fight of the Year” candidate, we hone in on “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and an “Official Prediction”:

SAUL ALVAREZ – KEYS TO VICTORY

For Canelo, keys to victory all hinge on conditioning, a solid jab, and a sharpened ring intelligence to regulate each. Erislandy Lara is arguably the most physically gifted fighter at 154lbs not named Floyd Mayweather. What made Angulo effective against him was realizing that in order to be out-boxed, you have to attempt to box. Intelligently, he opted not to fall into that trap, instead choosing to smother and outwork him. Although Lara had his moments, the knockdowns cemented Angulo’s efforts and placed him ahead on the cards late.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Lomachenko/Salido, Chavez vs GGG, and Angulo/Canelo

03/04/2014 Vivek Wallace

Craig B. (Tampa, FL): I was very surprised to see Lomachenko lose to Salido the way he did. I noticed that you predicted Salido to win. What did you see to make you predict that way? And what are your thoughts on Lomachenko’s future?

Vivek W. (ESB): My decision to chose Salido over Lomachenko in my FaceBook prediction had a lot to do with precisely what we saw play out.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Mayweather (Decision and Legacy), Khan’s Rant, and Bradley/Pacquiao Testing Fiasco!

02/24/2014 Vivek Wallace

Melvin A. (Cincinnati, OH): It appears Mayweather will take the Maidana fight. We haven’t seen Mayweather against a really fast fighter since Judah, so I liked Khan as the option. Why Maidana? And how can you explain your Facebook comment that this fight will be “epic”?

Vivek W. (ESB): How can I support Maidana as the option? Pretty easily, actually! In only three words I can lay out a case far stronger than any most would use to combat it: “HE EARNED IT”! I can understand questions relative to how Guerrero, or even Ortiz landed a shot; but with Maidana, there’s no such question. The guy earned it! When we look at Maidana’s past, what I like is the fact that this is a fighter who has been through all the elements of the sport. He has celebrated victory and dealt with the torment relative to defeat. Through it all, he’s still standing, and making great improvement every time he enters the ring. Robert Garcia has done a very admirable job with him, and the victory over Broner was proof of this.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Peterson vs Danny Garcia, Bradley, Broner, Mikey Garcia, and Charlo!

01/27/2014 Vivek Wallace

Karen B. (Baltimore, MD): As a huge Lamont Peterson fan, I was very happy to see him win last Saturday night. What were your thoughts on his performance, and how do you see a proposed bout between he and Danny Garcia going if they do face off next?

Vivek W. (ESB): Coming into the night, I wanted to really get a feel for where Peterson was mentally, at this stage in his life. We’ve seen Peterson at the top of the ranks, and we’ve seen him look far less threatening. The past has taught us that Peterson can be whatever Peterson wants to be when his mind is right. Some would raise the failed steroid test. My response would be that it’s a non-factor. The lead official for the medical staff produced proof that he was being treated for a condition and the traces found were low enough to pass any other drug test in the sport except the overly stringent “zero policy” VADA based testing. Couple that with the fact that he was cleared by the IBF, and certainly you have to view it as a non-issue. What we saw Saturday was a man with a clean system, and after that performance, one could argue a clean slate and a bright future.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Broner/Maidana II, Mayweather/Pacquiao, Top Rank (Cold War)

01/13/2014 Vivek Wallace

Kelvin Y. (Atlanta, GA): It was recently reported that Adrien Broner secured his option to take an immediate rematch against Marcos Maidana. What are your thoughts about his chances of winning the rematch and what a win or loss would do for him in the aftermath?

Vivek W. (ESB): A few weeks ago when Broner was humbled by Maidana, I felt at the time that his best move would be to go down to 140lbs and allow himself to slowly develop into the welterweight division. There’s a huge misconception that just because a fighter walks around at a weight, he can fight at that weight. Broner learned the reality behind this flawed train of thought quickly in the first round when he realized he was standing across from a man who could hurt him that he didn’t have as much ability to hurt in return. I expect the rematch to be very interesting, but unlike many, I don’t know that I really see a different outcome in the end. The biggest issues I saw with Broner in the fight were his inability to adapt, his limited head movement, and what I also perceived to be a conditioning issue.

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