Dear Santa:
I know it’s only April, and Christmas doesn’t roll around for another 8 months, but I’d like to ask for my gifts EARLY this year.
I’m not asking for much, just KO victories for Mayweather and Cotto in their respective fights. Now you know I usually don’t ask for stuff like this, but I’d like to make an exception this time. Why?…….. you ask?
Well, let’s begin with the PBF-DLH fight. Now you know how I feel about The Golden Boy. Nothing personal…. I mean, he’s a great guy and all. Been very good for boxing in general. Nice personality, magnetic smile….. wows the women. Got that bilingual thing going on, that crossover ability (Mexican and U.S. fans alike). He’s smart, well-spoken, and is very careful about his image. Gold medal winner in the Olympics, nice “rags-to-riches” story, blah, blah, blah…. ad nauseum.
But Santa….. they got the guy walking on water already. I mean, the guy’s 38-4…….. hardly a superstar’s record. Some fighters get crucified for one or two losses. This guy’s got four. (Well, five if you count Felix Sturm). As good as the guy is, let’s face it……. he’s HBO’s media darling. He’s their cash cow… their golden goose. He does commentary, he promotes. Hell….. he even sings (not too good, I might add). After Don King, DLH might just be one of the most influential people in boxing. It’s his way or the highway. Please don’t tell me it ain’t so. How ELSE to explain that he gets to fight dumbass (excuse the French, Santa) Floyd at 154 pounds?!?!? Floyd can’t punch his way out of paper bag at 140 pounds……… he’s going to hurt Oscar at 154?!?!? Somebody give that man a CAT scan, quick! Face it Santa….. Oscar sets the conditions in his fights. And he knows he’s got the pull. If it ain’t done his way, he packs up his smile and goes home.
The man is all about legacy. He’s not dumb, no sireeeee. He’s smart, and cold, and calculating. He fought Yori Boy Campas when he was shot, Vargas when he was shot, Oba Carr when he was shot, Mayorga when he was shot……….. and for good measure, he fought Julio Cesar Chavez when he was a shadow of his former self. I’m not saying Oscar’s no good. He’s good all right. One of his best fights against a “non-shot” opponent was his fight with Quartey. Give him lots of credit for that one. But like I said, it’s all about the legacy. That’s why he wants PBF. He figures PBF is not a KO threat. And since he can’t get back at the men who beat him (which will always be a thorn in his side), what better than to beat the consensus p4p? The man’s a genius, I tell you.
I just don’t like him.
Floyd may be arrogant and crass, but at least he’s honest about it. He knows he’s disliked and makes no bones about it.
Sorry for the long letter, Santa. I just want you to know the facts before you send me a “lump of coal.”
As for Cotto-Judah, that’s a little easier to explain. Obviously, there’s the whole nationalistic issue bit. You know, us boxing fans always favor the home boy. And I’m no exception. But it goes deeper than that.
Simply put, I can’t STAND Zab Judah. I know that’s bad, but I just can’t help myself. Ever since I saw him strut onto the ring against Kostya Tszyu, only to turn the boxing match into a “salsa” exhibition, I knew there was something “special” about the little punk. Talk about being ungrateful. Jay Nady saves the little punk from a life-ending beating……. and all he gets is a glove in the throat for his troubles.
But it doesn’t end there. Then there was the fight with PBF. Hey…. the little punk did what he HAD to do, right? I mean, he saw he was gonna lose by a mile, so he took careful aim and landed his best punch of the fight…… a clean uppercut to Floyd’s nuts. Then, when Floyd bent over in pain, Zab whacked him behind the head with his best rabbit punch. I guess the street in Zab just overwhelmed him. Good thing Floyd’s uncle got into the ring and the fight was momentarily stopped. Otherwise, Zab may have taken a page out of his hero’s book and bitten Floyd’s ear off. Either that, or head butt the sh*t out of him.
The guy’s a class act, ain’t he?
Anyway, I’m a little worried about what he might resort to, if he finds himself losing to Cotto in their upcoming fight.
So there you go, Santa. All I want for Christmas (early) is Mayweather and Cotto KO victories. Hey, after Tito-Winky, you owe me BIG.
