The Square Ring

by Howie Reed, THE PATTAYA MAIL

Happy 4th of July to all the American expats that have played a part in making the Pattaya Mail and The Square Ring a huge success. To think that it all started with tossing some tea in the Boston harbor while old loud mouth Paul Revere yelled, “The British are coming, The British are coming.” Boggles the mind.

It has been fairly smooth sailing for the USA in terms of boxing since then. It’s generally agreed (incorrectly) that “as the heavyweight division goes - so goes boxing” and for years that division was ruled by one Yank after another. That’s no longer the case though as Eastern European heavyweights have emerged triumphant. Check the names of current heavyweight champions and you come up with Chagaev and Klitschko along with a transplanted Nigerian (now living in Las Vegas) called Samuel Peter.

WBA champ Ruslan Chagaev was set to defend against 7-foot Nikolai Valuev in Germany on Saturday but that’s now off. Chagaev has “suffered a complete tear of the Achilles tendon in his left ankle” in his last sparing session.

Gee, a Ruskie heavyweight hurt in training? What a surprise.

Jeeves Jabbers

Veerapol Nakhonluang had a record of 62-4-1 with 43 KO’S in a career that spanned 13 plus years and 15 defenses of his WBC bantamweight title. His two losses to Hozumi Hasagawa, the loss to Vusi Mailinga and his 39 years of age have sent him a message. “Message received loud and clear.” Nakhonlung has retired after a career that marked him as one of the all time greats. His 15 title defenses ranks second only to the great Manuel Ortiz who had 16. A great champion.
Meanwhile in Pattaya, Yodsanan “3 K Battery” Nanthachai (55-3-1), who lost his WBA super-featherweight title 3 years ago to Vicente Mosquera (24-2-1), is now ready maybe for another title shot. His 6-round KO over Jimrex Jaca makes it 12 wins in a row and 9 of 12 by KO. Rumor has 3K off to the USA for a fight on ESPN. Title fight? How about 3K and Humberto Soto, who got “robbed” in Las Vegas last Sunday. Be a hell of a fight.

Meanwhile WBA #1 super-bantam Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (35-1) stopped Jason Butar Butar (2-3) last Tuesday at Rachavinit School in Bangkao, Samutprakarn. Since his last quest for a title he’s 10-0 with 9 KO’s

Who do you believe?

Alexander Abraham is a professional boxer with a record of 21-0. Alexander also happens to be the brother of Arthur Abraham, who last week defeated Edison Miranda. Alexander may we add is a “total psycho whack job.”

Those that saw the first Miranda-Abraham fight on the telly will remember Alex as the jerk in the ring after the fight causing trouble. Fightnews.com reports the following about the most recent incident.

“It was marred (his brother’s fight) in the end by the cowardly actions of Alexander Abraham. According to a number of witnesses, Abraham kicked Miranda as he was being attended to by ringside physicians following his fourth round stoppage. Abraham also kicked the ringside doctor in his effort to get at Miranda. Abraham, who had been abusive towards patrons, as well as casino and security personnel before, during, and after the bout, was later arrested.”

In a companion story ESPN reporters Tim Smith and Dan Rafael agreed. Both reported on Abraham’s thuggish act. World Lightweight champion Nate Campbell said, “It was low-class of him to run in the ring like that and say anything to Miranda while he was down. I saw Alex kick at him. I don’t know where the kick landed, but he did kick at him. What Alex did to Miranda, he should go to jail for that.”

Sauerland Events who promotes the two Abraham’s issued a CYA statement: “Alexander Abraham did not violently attack Edison Miranda or any member of his team following the knockout victory of King Arthur Abraham. The brother of the IBF middleweight champion was detained in a casino nearby to the arena after the fight.”

Then Alexander spoke, “I did not violently attack Miranda or any of his team. It was completely the other way around – our team was attacked by Miranda’s people with chairs.”
The Seminole Boxing Executive Director, who promoted the fight, had the last word. “It is a shame that Arthur’s brilliant performance and first fight in the United States was marred by the disgraceful and cowardice acts of his brother Alexander. Arthur is a great person and champion who needs to be careful and not have people around him who will hurt his reputation.”
Who do you believe?

P.S. Abraham’s IBF title belt was stolen when he left it in the car at Miami Airport along with his IBF ring, video camera, mobile phone, laptop and various trinkets for the folks back home. Welcome to Miami!

Pacquiao-Diaz …the prelude

Have you ever had anyone say, “When I get around to it”? That was the policy of TSR in regard to promoter Bob Arum and writing something nice. It would be done in heaven and earth when TSR got “around to it.”

Amid ruffles and flourishes with trumpets blaring fit for royalty, that day has arrived on a flowing red carpet accompanied by the flutter of rose petals from above with a hint of cherry blossoms in the air. Boxing promotions have become mundane with nothing new until Bob Arum pulled a brilliant coup in the days leading up to the Pacquiao-Diaz fight.

David Diaz is from Chicago, Illinois, USA, which is also the home of the Chicago Cubs major league baseball team. The Cubbies, as their fans call them, are perennial losers but not because of their inability to hit, pitch or run, but because they’re jinxed.

Maybe the most famous jinx is “Curse of the Billy Goat” which dates back to 1945. William Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, tried to bring his mascot into the home of the Cubs, Wrigley Field. The goat was denied entrance and Sianis supposedly put a hex on the Cubs, claiming they would never again win the World Series. So far, 53 years later, the jinx seems to be working. TSR wishes in the interest of full disclosure to admit that this column roots for the Cubs because a longtime pal is an executive with the team.

At the almost last press conference, promoter Bob Arum trotted out Billy the Goat, or a reasonable facsimile, wearing a Cubs hat to support David Diaz against Manny Pacquiao. Billy the Goat, standing on a pier in Santa Monica overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was told by Arum “The curse will be lifted when Diaz beats Manny Pacquiao.”

Diaz reacted like he had just walked under a ladder on Friday the 13th and stepped on a crack while avoiding a black cat that walked in front of him.

“Listen, man, when I saw that goat, that scared me,” Diaz said. “I started shaking. Imagine if the Cubs start losing. I’m not having that on my ticket. No way am I going to be responsible for the Cubs losing.”

Pacquiao? “I liked the goat. Goat is my favorite food.”

Kudos to Bob Arum for a promotional stunt that probably has the late PT Barnum and Tex Ricard cheering loudest from heaven while TSR gives him an “attaboy.”

The Fight

The jerk that writes this column is an idiot. “Has Pacquiao lost a step?” Dolt.

The move to lightweight by Manny Pacquiao made him faster and stronger as he stopped the previously unstoppable David Diaz at 2:24 of the 9th round. “I can handle his punches but he’s fast,” said Diaz between rounds 6 and 7. He was wrong as he couldn’t handle his punches. It was a masterful display by a master of the boxing art. Diaz was double tough but he had no offensive answer for the “Pac Man.”

Diaz did shine in the post fight interview. “He was ******* fast. The referee must have been hitting me.” Diaz face, with a bad cut on the right eyelid, on the bridge of the nose and a black lump under his left eye asked, “Did he have a knife in the ring. Shoot he was fast.”

Next for Pacquiao maybe Ricky Hatton next year. He will destroy Hatton in 8.

How the mighty have fallen

The fight leading up to Pacquiao-Diaz was Francisco Lorenzo (33-4) - Humberto Soto (43-7-2) for the “interim” WBC 130lb belt vacated by Pacquiao. As the fighters were being introduced ‘His Lordship’ was asked about referee Joe Cortez.

“He can be good but lately he gets caught up in the action and loses control. He lost control in Mayweather-Hatton.”

For three plus rounds Humberto Soto beat the “beetle juice” out of Lorenzo. In the 4th, with Lorenzo on his way down after a second knockdown, Soto “grazed” the back of Lorenzo’s head with a “pity-pat punch”. As Lorenzo lay on the canvas, with blood streaming from places that usually don’t pour red stuff, referee Joe Cortez finally stopped the fight. But why and who won?

As Lorenzo lay prostrate, a meeting took place involving Joe Cortez and Nevada Executive Director, Keith Kizer, and just about anyone else that happened to wander into the ring. After upwards of 5 minutes it was announced that, “due to disqualification the winner and WBC interim champion was Franciscooo LorennnnnnzO.”

The official party line was that Soto intentionally hit Lorenzo while down. The instant replays show that if a punch was landed it wouldn’t have knocked a fly off an ice cube. The replay also showed that there was no “intentional” punch. Director Kizer then came on TV to say the Doctor stopped the fight because the blow to the head caused a “concussion.” What a load of balderdash.

Jeeves relieved of duties

While doing the preceding story Jeeves has become distraught with emotion, relieved of his duties for the day and sent out with his new Teelock Em to gather himself.

Moving right along. At one time the Nevada State Athletic Commission was the very best. Since the departure of Marc Ratner and now under the reign of Keith Kizer it has become “a baht bus driver doing brain surgery.” The Doctor did NOT stop the fight. Referee Joe Cortez did. Why was he meeting with “others” to find out why? Was he not sure?

The fact is Joe Cortez, a really nice guy, has lost the zip off his fastball. Translation? He panics when a referee shouldn’t. Solution? No more major fights. Fact.

Executive Director Keith Kizer doesn’t have any idea what the hell he’s doing when it comes to boxing. His statement while watching the replay “there’s the blow that caused the concussion” asks the viewer to “not believe their lying eyes but believe my lying lawyer’s tongue.”

No wonder sports fans have turned their backs on boxing. Like a Zimbabwean election, the entire world knows who won the fight. But that’s not important. For years many have said that Joe Cortez was the best referee in the world. Of course he wasn’t and isn’t but that begs the question. As Emanuel Stewart said, “I don’t care what’s come before or what comes after. This was the worst decision I’ve ever seen in boxing.”

If boxing isn’t about the winner winning then what’s it about? In Nevada and other third world boxing environments it’s about political hacks being totally incompetent while running a sport that needs honesty and rewards for the excellence of the boxer but gets grandstanding ego driven buffoons.