The biggest surprise with the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather drug testing argument is that I actually at one time hoped this fight would come off without a hitch. I guess that plays into my desire to have a big fight happen for once with none of the nonsense and posturing that usually goes into this sport. But that’s unrealistic.
Boxing
Malignaggi’s fast hands – and faster mouth – highlight redemption tale
I’ve had an affinity for Paulie Malignaggi ever since I interviewed him back in 2004 at a press conference and informed him that I was a better fighter than he was. I couldn’t help it! The guy was so brash at such an early stage in his career, and yet completely insistent that he was the best boxer from New York. I wanted to push his buttons a little.
Luckily, the Brooklynite was as good-natured as he was loquacious, as we shared a good laugh and – thank God! – he declined to test my pugilistic abilities. (The only fights I have are with my landlady over how high to raise the thermostat)
Stealing the show: Williams-Martinez an under-the-radar classic
With the fight game consumed by Pacquiao-Mayweather, Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez had a gem of a fight last week, showing that when the right two guys get in the ring, magic can happen.
Do the right thing: Pacquiao-Mayweather a needed spike for fight game
With boxing, as the Rolling Stones said, you can’t always get what you want. In fact, you virtually never get what you want.
But just this once, as a fight that every boxing fan desires actually may become reality, you might just find you get what you need.
Pac-ing heat: Mercurial gladiator stakes his claim to all-time greatness
The highly anticipated war between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto went down on Saturday night pretty much as I expected, but it doesn’t mean that Pacquiao’s victory was any less striking or significant.
Demon speeding: Overcoming weakness the key in fight of great intrigue
Most everyone has some sort of demon that they carry with them, not necessarily on the surface. These aren’t necessarily Norman Bates-type demons, Exorcist-style demons, but rather things that weigh on us daily that we have to overcome.
On the eve of the biggest fight in the career of both Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, the burdens that the two highly skilled fighters bring with them have become the story.
Can’t hardly weight: Heavy questions face Floyd despite big victory
It turns out I was right about Floyd Mayweather winning his match against Juan Manuel Marquez by decision, and also that Marquez’s history of being a slow starter would hurt him, as Floyd downed him in the second round and dominated the early portion of the fight. But what I wasn’t right about is that Marquez would make an impact in the middle rounds, as he was pretty much completely shut out.
I knew Floyd was bigger than Marquez, but I didn’t expect him to show up two pounds heavier than the catch weight at the weigh-in, a significant amount. He had to pay per pound to allow the fight to go off. And though Floyd doesn’t fight like a big man, using his fluidity and quickness to his benefit, he obviously used his size advantage.
Mayweather lost a deal of respect by being either unable or unwilling to make weight, essentially making this a fight between a good big man and a good small man. The good small man never wins that fight. This isn’t the Tour De France.
Official SportsAngle prediction: Mayweather scores the decision
I’ll make this brief since I don’t think I could tell you any more than the brilliant 24/7 series has on HBO: Juan Manuel Marquez will not defeat Floyd Mayweather this Saturday night.
But he’ll give Floyd a tough time.
Ringside keeps the flame for a dead champion and a troubled sport
My continuing quest to understand the death of my favorite boxer recently led me to Jersey City, the adopted hometown of Arturo Gatti, and a bar stool in Ringside pub.
I’ve wanted to go to Ringside for years after hearing vague stories about how Gatti used to train there. I’d also heard that the bar attracts a rather tough crowd, and it’s in a relatively out of the way location, right next to the highway on Route 1&9. But I was driving a friend back to Jersey City on Sunday night a few weeks ago, and being that we’re both boxing fans, we decided to stop for a beer in Gatti’s honor.
Houston, we have a problem: Paulie’s plight illustrates boxing’s ills
We’ve been advocates of Paulie Malignaggi for over five years here, even interviewing him for the previous iteration of SportsAngle.com. He’s a likable kid, very funny and cocky, but prideful and devoted to his craft, with jabs as fast as his quips.
Who knew he’d be such a strong voice in calling out what’s wrong with boxing?
Malignaggi fought Houston native Juan Diaz in Diaz’s own city last Saturday night, and essentially 
acknowledged before the fight that he was going to get a raw deal. Contractually forced to make a catch weight lower than he was used to and fight in a smaller ring that limited his greatest advantage, his speed and elusiveness, Malignaggi made no secret about the fact that he didn’t expect the opportunity to actually win the fight by decision. Essentially, the deck was stacked against him.
His one saving grace was a promise that the fight would be officiated fairly and that the judges would be a varied panel and not just hometown stooges. But as Malignaggi found when he got to Houston, the referee was the son of Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation official Dickie Cole, and the judges included biased Texan Gale Van Hoy, Oklahoman David Sutherland, and Raul Caiz Sr., who Malignaggi called “a gofer for Golden Boy and a guy who’s biased in favor of Mexican-American fighters.â€Â