Daniel Lopez (S.E. London): Here in England, Amir Khan is revered as the best of Britain by some and severely questioned by others. Where do you see Khan at the moment and what do you think he need to do reach the level that some already see him at?”
Vivek W. (ESB): I can’t speak for everyone, but to me, Khan is the epitome of what I love about not only sports, but this sport in particular. Years ago when I did coverage for the NBA’s Miami Heat, basketball star Dwyane Wade rekindled a profound interest in the Japanese proverb “Fall 7 times, get up 8”. Similarly, in the case of Khan, we’ve seen that same evolution of a young man, going from a once-believed-to-be pure hype job, to a household name in-waiting. The addition of Freddie Roach was absolutely the best thing Khan could have done for his career. Ever since that addition to his camp, we’ve seen him develop into a fighter that not only has a renewed sense of confidence, but a clearly defined level of talent that far exceeds any definition previously given by him..
As I’ve pointed out in the case of Manny Pacquiao (in the past), and he later confirmed from his own mouth, doubt is the absolute best motivational tool known to man. We’re taught from childhood not to carry big ego’s, but doubt shows us precisely how important one is. Overcoming doubt helped an aged Shane Mosley come out and annihilate a very durable mountain in Margarito that few others could scale. Doubt helped a 44 year old Bernard Hopkins dismantle and effectively ruin a still-in-his-prime Kelly Pavlik that has yet to recover. Doubt gave Manny Pacquiao the strength to sit on the ropes and take powershots from the most powerful puncher in the welterweight division, then subsequently eat him alive. In the case of Khan, as I told him in Las Vegas at the Mosley/Berto fight presser, “stare that massive doubt in the eye every day….and let the motivation help you fade it away!” Bottomline, those who doubt Khan aren’t the problem. In fact, they’re the solution. What does he need to do to “reach the level some already see him at” you ask? Simple…..Keep being led by doubt, and the results will continue to speak for themselves without a need for him to say a word.
Michael R. (Miami Gardens, FL): I know predictions isn’t your thing, and I know that you’re very high on Mayweather, but I would like to ask do you lean towards him even after seeing Pacquiao’s recent dominance?
Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I can’t predict a winner in this fight. Not out of fear of being wrong, but simply for the fact that both men have such amazing talent that I find it extremely difficult to pick against them. One thing I will say is that going into the fight, I think Mayweather has far more to prove than Pacquiao. I say that in the sense that Pacquiao has shown us his ability to weather the storm of powerful fighters, fast fighters, talented fighters, and the list goes on. Coming off of a layoff, the one fight that Mayweather had was thoroughly impressive, but I’m not sure that he’s been active enough lately to come close to taking that momentum away from a guy with Pacquiao’s attributes. Pacquiao literally has NO BAD NIGHTS. Every single fight he brings his A-game, with fewer mistakes than the night before. Mayweather is amazing, I just haven’t seen him dispatch anyone on this level lately. Not to say he can’t, but lately, he hasn’t. Regardless, it will be a war. Mayweather has a dynamic ego that propels him to greatness, and Pacquiao has a dynamic will. Many fight fans made an absolute joke of Chris Arreola about how he cried in the ring after his loss to Vitali-K. Well, for those that don’t remember, I can remind you quite well of Pacquiao drawing a close parallel (sans the profanity) after his last loss, which came years ago to Morales. These are two men who literally feel that losing is not an option and will do what’s necessary to win at all ethical cost. I have no idea how anyone feels comfortable predicting a winner here. Pardon me for chickening out, but rather than trying to predict this one, I’d rather just kick back and watch!
Roger S. (San Francisco, CA): I’m still in disbelief about what happened to Roy Jones jr. last week. What do you think his future holds?
Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I don’t think the future for Jones should hold anything that requires him to lace up a pair of gloves, unless it’s on one of his sons or some young charge he decides to train. Few people around the world love Roy Jones jr. more than I do, but I’m afraid he is now officially facing the proverbial ‘westside’ of his career, (as in sundown). To his benefit, the punch that grounded him wasn’t nearly as powerful as it appeared, it was just a flush shot to the temple, which explains the great disorientation he suffered. Despite him being TKO’d, rather than KO’d, (like we saw before with him), two things about his appearance really bothered me. For starters, it all takes me back to a comment Alton Merkerson made before his first showdown with Tarver, when Coach Merk said that he was concerned, because Roy was “getting hit with shots he had never gotten hit with before”. Clearly, the declining reflexes was the most detrimental component in the downward spiral we see still manifesting itself today in him. Legend has it that power is the last thing to go? Well, I can’t certify that statement, but this is proof that reflexes are definitely amongst the first. Secondly, after being separated by the ref, to see Jones’ backward steps, and the fact that he couldn’t barely even lift his legs tells me that all of those years of playing basketball while simultaneously training for boxing took a rather catastrophic toll on his legs. He has zero lateral movement. Those are two tools (reflexes and lateral movement) that any fighter who doesn’t like to get hit can simply not go without. I think he has given us many amazing years of service, but all things must come to an end. We love you Roy, but I’m afraid the time has come.
Shawn D. (Chicago, IL): Who do you like in the Lamont Peterson/Timothy Bradley showdown this coming weekend?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think this fight will be better than many seem to think. Both men are young, hungry, and realize that they have much to prove if they want to someday reach that elite level. Bradley is viewed by most to be the favorite here, but truthfully, Peterson is a very live opponent, and I really expect him to present a few challenges for Bradley that he hasn’t found himself in thus far in his brief career. What’s deceptive is that neither man is truly known as a power puncher, yet both have effective enough power to stop an opponent if they land at the proper time. I think it’s a pick ’em fight. I look forward to seeing it, but what I look forward to most is the winner squaring off with Amir Khan. It’s purely speculative that the winner will, but in a division that has some great young stallions, what could be better than a matchup between the two best of them all? Stay tuned.
Brett L. (Orlando, FL): What were your thoughts on the Paul Williams/Sergio Martinez showdown and how did you have it scored in the end?
Vivek W. (ESB): I thought the Williams/Martinez fight showed precisely why both men continue to be highly avoided by most within reach. Jim Lampley brought up a very intriguing point during the live HBO telecast when he spoke of the fact that categorically, these two men have to fight in what almost equates to a totally separate division, in the sense that only a select few will entertain them, and those men have traditionally had a hard time finding willing opponents themselves. When you look at Williams’ recent resume, it includes ‘Winky’ Wright, Margarito, and Quintana. Three men who are very talented, and without question, very much avoided in their own right. In the case of Martinez, his resume isn’t as polished, but it has far more to do with the fact that no one noteworthy will give him a chance. Both of these men are extremely good at what they do, and both have styles that are very hard to foil.
I thought Williams answered a ton of questions relative to his chin and his heart. He was hit with the type of shots that separate the pretenders from contenders, yet he weathered the storm each time. On my true card, I had Williams winning the fight 115-113. (For the record, I always do two scorecards, one as the true card, and another giving the close/too-hard-to-call rounds to the favorite/hometown fighter, which helps me understand some of the bizarre scoring we see in the sport). That being said, even on that secondary card, I had Williams winning by a modest 116-112 margin at best. To know that ANYONE scored a shutout for either fighter is purely ridiculous. What’s worst is that it seems every week I have this conversation either in the mailbag or one-on-one with a fan. As great as this year has been for the sport, this is one thing that kills every ounce of that progress for some. All we can do is be patient and hope that one day, examples are made and decisions are overturned. Rumor has it that we’re on the brink of seeing a first example upon the conclusion of the official review into the Funeka/Guzman debacle. I can only hope so.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, YouTube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook and Myspace).