IWAN, Your Thoughts On......

IWAN, I haven't seen any of your takes on any of the big fights over the last month.

What was your take on Hopkins/ODH, Jones/Johnson, & Trinidad/Mayorga?

Also, what's your take on the big fights in November (Tszyu-Mitchell, Winky-Shane, & Morales-Barrera)?

ttt for IWAN

Whats up hater. Here are some quick thoughts.

I think Oscar was exposed vs Bernard. I personally thought Bernard dominated the fight and do not think Oscar did that well as some do. Bernard is just not flashy but huis style is tough to deal with. He uses consistent pressure as well as anyone i can remember. I think Nard was too big but was also the better fighter. If they were trhe same size, the result would have been the same. maybe not a one punch KO but a sound beating none the less. I thought Oscar would have a speed advantage but I was wrong. I also thought Oscar fought a dumb fight. IMO he should have fought that way early but then start retreating to keep Bernard off balance. Go forward for a while then go backwards etc,survive and hope the judges liked him. But he just stood in front of him and was not real effective. He never mixed up his gameplan when nard was confused but started to figure him out.

Jones Johnson was sad because Roy claerly had not prepared for a hungry fighter and I was on record before that fight as I am still saying that Johnson will beat tarver. Tarver IMO will pack it in under that sort of pressure. Roy reminded me of Holy when he was clearly faded. He barely even punched. It was just a sad event. I personally do not buy into the weioght cutting excuse. As a trainer myself, I know for a fact that if done properly, Roy had more than enough time to get his body ready. It was his third fight at 175 for crying out loud. In hindsight, it is clear that Roy shoulkd have quit after Ruiz. Had he done so, he would have been considered one of the greatest fighters ever. Now, sadly, he will probably never be remembered for the fighter I believe he was.

Trinidad Mayorga was a fight that was extremely bad for boxing. Mayorga had clearly not trained and was dead tired after 1 roiund. Roy Jones pointed that out perfectly I thought. Mayorga is not a MW, had not trained and had all sorts of personal problems leading into it. His safety was at risk moreso than in most fights. I relate it to DK pushing McCall in there for the Lewis rematch. Downright disgusting. Sticking your chin out at Tito is an invitation to die. Tito looked good but he was the same fighter who looks great punching but gets hit too easily and will never beat a true boxer IMO who is equal in size.

I like Kostya by beatdown over Sharmba. Sharmba could not even take the pressure of NDou. I see Sharmba quitting again and making an excuse although I do acknowledge that Kostya has been idle for a while. Personally I see that as a good thing but you never can be sure.

I think Winky Shane has a chance for upset. Shane IMO will be better and Winky will not be as good. I base that on a hunger factor coupled with Shane improving his corner by light years. It is risky, but I pick Shane by disputed decision. Winky's size will be a fcator but it may be mostly a factor in Winky making weight. He looked like a HW the last time I saw him in the cornber of someone I cannot recall recently.

I think morales MAB will be a mirror of the first two fights but I pick Morelaes. He is clearly the bigger guy at 130 but this is like a cllege footbal rivalry and previous fights mean very little. The4 pride of both guys will make this another close fight.

"I personally thought Bernard dominated the fight and do not think Oscar did that well as some do."

I agree. I too picked Oscar coming in as I thought he had a big edge in foot speed. However, he didn't fight the kind of fight that would allow him to use that edge. Bernard's hand speed is remarkable for a guy his age. I hope to see him in there with Jermain Taylor in a fairly big fight once Jermian proves himself against a guy like Howard Eastman or Kingsley Ikeke. A fight with William Joppy won't show me shit.

"Jones Johnson was sad because Roy claerly had not prepared for a hungry fighter and I was on record before that fight as I am still saying that Johnson will beat tarver."

Once again, I feel ya. I was there and the sight and sound of hearing Roy's head crash on the canvas was horrific. I was truely terrified. I see Tarver/Johnson as an even fight because I question Tarver's hunger these days. I also wouldn't be shocked to see this Paul Briggs guy give him hell in December.

"Mayorga is not a MW, had not trained and had all sorts of personal problems leading into it."

I agree Mayorga is not a middleweight but I think he was in pretty damn good shape. His problem is he tries to take your head off with EVERY shot he throws. He threw a ton of shots in the first round hence the early fatigue. That being said Tito was hit WAY too much by a guy that I see as basically a hard hitting, tough C level fighter. Cory Spinks made Mayorga look like he had never laced up a pair of gloves in his life.

My thoughts on Morales-Barrera, Tszyu-Mitchell, & Winky-Shane later.......

hater you deserve props for saying what has happened to Mayorga is excatly what would happen and you said it after he KO'd Vernon and was at his peak of popularity.

I do disagree with you about him being in shape. He was not IMO. Go look at a photo of him when he KO'd six heads Lewis. He was ripped. Against Tito, he actually had love handles and he is a naturally ripped guy. He has heart and toughness but little character and very little discipline. When he stuck his chin out vs Tito I avctually feared for his life, although I was watching a replay. I just regret the way he was "fed" to Tito. I predicted this a while back but it was still sad to see. He did land some shots but overall Mayorga was not even competitive. It was simialr to Oscar Gatti except that gatti had actually trained. And remember, he had not attained peak condition since the Vernon fights.

I think Taylor wants the big fights, but his team does not want to risk it. By fighting Joppy when a fight with Eastman is on the table and has went to purse bid, it makes Jermain look bad to most fans. I feel they do not want Jermain to fight Eastman, and will use the "We are not going to his home country" thing as an excuse when asked about it when the truth ia that Dibella could have easily won the purse bid with HBO's backing to make that fight in the United States.

Team Taylor always talks about these fighters not wanting to face Jermain, but Eastman's people have offered the fight twice now, Ikeke's people have offered the fight three or four times, Sam Soliman has called him out, Kenny Ellis has called him out, and Robert Allen has called him out but how many of those names are on his resume.

I also think that Trinidad better face Hopkins sooner than later, because anyone of those guys could beat him and then his chance will really be lost.

Tszyu-Mitchell....After doing a lot of thinking on this one I too think that KT will be well served by this layoff. If you look at his record he has NEVER been a real active fighter to begin with. I don't think it'll be easy for KT but i look for him to take a clear cut decision and bust Sharmba up. KT seems to really want to hurt Mitchell for talking all that shit since he's been sidelined. KT fights with such controlled aggression that I don't see that hurting him.

Winky-Shane....Joe Goossen is a nice addition to his corner but I just don't see Shane as an effective jr. middleweight. He's looked like ass every since he moved up (even in the ODH fight). I do like how shane fought the 12th round of the first fight and IMO he needs more of the same in the rematch. If Shane comes to fight with a sence of urgency this could be a fight of the year candidate.

Morales-Barrera.....Morales has me sold when he fought Barerra at both 122 & 126 but he seens to have settled into his prime weight class. That being said you get the felling these guys could fight 50 rounds and it would be 25-25. I'll take Morales by close decision.

Gator - excellent points on all 3 fights. You were right that Tito/Mayorga was a hard one to predict, although it unfolded exactly like I thought it probably would. It wasn't quite an execution, Mayorga's lack of convention forced Tito to be very methodical, but it turned into a pig-sticking in the end. I think Tito fought with tremendous control against a guy who had said so much shit in the press, especially when he always looks for the stoppage and to give the fans a good show.

BTW what do you guys think about the chins of both fighters? It seems to me that Trinidad absorbs head shots quite well providing they don't hit him flush on the chin/jaw. And do you guys think that Mayorga will have the same punch resistance in future, or has Trinidad ruined his chin with the progressive beating he dished out?

hater - I here what you're saying about KT and layoffs, but I am not sure it will help him this time. To me eyes, he was inaccurate and cumbersome vs Leija and it looked like he was becoming washed up. The layoff is surely going to worsen this, that combined with the injuries and Mitchell's activity level (especially as he has gone 12 several times since the first fight) I think will just be too much. If Mitchell fights smart I think he wins by UD or maybe TKO (KT seems to have a sharp bone structure), although I think if he gets too brave he may get tagged, dropped heavily and finished off (providing KT still has good finishing skills.)

Just my $0.02

We keep hearing about Mitchell being busy while KT has been injured but lets not forget what has happened while he was busy. Most importantly in this discussion, is the fcat that he looked awful and got a robbery gift vs NDou. Sharmba's own mother knows he lost that fight.

Mitchell has never shown a resolve IMO that would allow him to beat a fighter like KT. He has not only lost all of his big fights, but he has been KO'd in all of them. The only prayer Sharmba has is that KT has become shgot and I personally do not see it. His style is not one like a Roy Jones that is built on incredible athletic ability. KT is just a tough ass SOB who can punch like a mule.

"I also think that Trinidad better face Hopkins sooner than later, because anyone of those guys could beat him and then his chance will really be lost."

Just want to make sure I read this correctly: Any of Eastman, Joppy, Soliman, Ellis, Ikeke or Allen could beat Trinidad or Hopkins (wasn't sure which one you meant here).

Just have to clarify cuz I don't think any of those guys stand a chance against Trinidad or Hopkins.

"Most importantly in this discussion, is the fcat that he looked awful and got a robbery gift vs NDou. Sharmba's own mother knows he lost that fight"

You either are extremely biased against Sharmba or have no idea how to judge a professional boxing match.

Two of Sharmba's losses happened when he was still a kid, and in the first fight with Tszyu he was injured.

Tsyzu looked terrible in the early rounds of the Leija fight, and IMO Sharmba is going to be sharp as a tack early and get a nice lead. Tsyzu is going to have to catch him late, and at that point he may not have what it takes to do so-especially if he gets busted up. If Im Sharmba's team, I make sure that they get a ref in there who will not let Tsyzu get away with a lot of his rough tactics.

What do you base Ikeke's power on, his KO percentage. Believe me there are a lot of guys that refuse to spar with him because he punches hard. He ran Julio Gonzalez out of the ring after only two rounds.

Hey Rogie every time someone disagrees with you you have to resort to insults. It is getting old. You are not the God of boxing decisions and just because you root for a guy does not mean he won.

NDou Mitchell according to compubox was dead even on punches landed. Sharmba landed 3 more according to them. NDou chased him around the ring and IMO and Al Bernstein and many others controlled the fight, especially over the first 9 rounds. Furthermore, NDou took the fight on 2 weeks notice and had to shadow box in a motel room to get prepared. Now, Rogie is saying Sharmba is gonna "bust KT up". It is fine that is what you wish for but the history suggests that is a pipe dream.

I lost a lot of respect for sharmba the way he badmouthed KT after being forced to quit on his stool. He has never once proven that he could win a tough fight convincingly and in fact has lost by KO to the top guys he has faced and had close controversial decisions to his average opponents. I am still waiting on someone to show me a top fighter that Sharmba has beaten. I say one does not exist.

I just hope Sharmba has no excuses this go around. So far we have heard he was too young when he was KO'd by some guys and injured when he quit on his stool, not to mention the excuse I love that Rogie eludes to: Kostya fought too rough. Give me a freakin break.

Just to illustrate the weakness in much of Rogie's arguement, Stevie Jonston KO'd Mitchell in his twelth fight. Mitchell had already fought over 30 times at that point. Levander Johnson KO'd him in his 23rd fight. Again, Sharmba had over 30 fights at the time. I would have hat to have seen what would have happened to Sharmba had stevie had, say, 15 fights.

Hey IWHINE, your lies and exaggerations are the only thing has gotten old. Only a Sharmba hater would say that Ndou got "robbed". I personally had it around even, nowhere have I seen anyone call it a robbery except for you. That should tell you something about YOUR objectivity. Im not even a big Sharmba fan, although I do think he is a smart guy and good for the game. FYI, he has done good ratings on Showtime this year according to Gary Shaw.

I never said Mitchell is going to bust Kostya up, I said that if Kostya gets cut or swells up early it could definitely have an impact on whether he can catch Sharmba late. par for the course, more half truths and distortions from you.

"I lost a lot of respect for sharmba the way he badmouthed KT after being forced to quit on his stool"

I think a lot of guys would be pissed off if their opponent was intentionally fouling them. Sharmba thinks he could have won, and by all accounts he was holding his own in that fight. He quit on his stool because of a legitimate injury. He had surgery and was on crutches for weeks afterward.

Sharmba is a great role model IMO for young boxers. He has studied at the University of Maryland while being a pro fighter, and has been involved in work in his community. The guy is intelligent and articulate.
He WAS pretty young when Levander Johnson and Stevie Johnston beat him. Since then, he has rebounded to win a title and beat a number of top ten guys. He is a skilled guy, and I think working with Joey Goossen may make him even better.

Los Angeles: Australia's Lovemore Ndou screamed injustice on Saturday when three American judges gave US southpaw Sharmba Mitchell a unanimous points victory in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

American boxing experts criticised the judges' scorecards, with one describing the lop-sided decision as "perplexing".

Ndou's face had few marks on it after the 12-round bout to decide the International Boxing Federation's interim super-lightweight champion.

Mitchell did not look as healthy. His right eye was swollen, his left was darkened and blood trickled down from his forehead after being battered by the more aggressive Ndou who landed numerous heavy blows throughout the fight.

"Look at me, look at him," Ndou argued after the bout, pointing to the bloodied face of his more-fancied opponent.

"Look at his face look, at my face," said Ndou.

Two experienced boxing writers, including the New York Daily News' Tim Smith, scored the fight a draw while others gave the bout to Mitchell by one or two points.

There was shock in the site of the fight, the grand ballroom at Bally's Hotel and Casino, when the US judges revealed scores that suggested a fight that Mitchell dominated.

Judge Debra Barnes, scoring it 118-110, had Ndou winning just two rounds while Pierre Benoist gave Ndou three rounds in his 117-112 score.

The third official judge, John Stewart, scored it a closer 115-113.

"I did everything," Ndou said, shaking his head. I knew if it went the distance it was his home town. I just feel let down."

Mitchell, from nearby Washington DC, was the short-priced favourite going into the fight and was the IBF's number one contender.

Mitchell was almost even in bookmakers' odds while Ndou was a 6-1 outsider.

Mitchell was scheduled to fight Australia's Kostya Tszyu on Saturday in Russia for the title of undisputed super-lightweight champion of the world.

Tszyu seriously injured his shoulder in Sydney last month while training and had to postpone the fight.

Ndou, born and raised in South Africa but now a resident of Sydney, was the IBF's number nine ranked fighter and was only confirmed as Mitchell's opponent less than two weeks ago.

The 32-year-old Ndou shocked the cocky Mitchell with a strategy of mixing styles during the bout. Ndou began the early rounds fighting an orthodox style, then in the third round switched to the southpaw style.

Mitchell said earlier in the week that he had not watched any videos of Ndou's previous fights and he appeared bamboozled as Ndou switched styles.

Mitchell kept in the bout by firing quick combinations and looking busy, but it was Ndou who landed the heavy blows, hurting Mitchell several times.

There were no knockdowns although Mitchell slipped to the floor twice after the boxers' sweat made the canvas slippery.

Asked after the bout if he'd prepared for Ndou as well as he should, Mitchell replied: "No".

Mitchell said the postponement of the Tszyu fight at such late notice, the death of his grandmother last week and confusion over who his replacement opponent would be were "let-downs".

The 33-year-old American praised the effort of Ndou.

"Lovemore Ndou man, I need fights like that," said Mitchell, who now has a 53 win (29 KO), three loss professional record.

Ndou's record slips to 36 wins (22 KO), six losses and one draw after the defeat.

Mitchell is aiming to take on American and World Boxing Association champion Vivian Harris in the next few months and then plans to meet Tszyu in nine months time when the Australian has recovered from his shoulder surgery.

The scoring margins may have been bad, but Mitchell did enough to win the fight. Nowhere near a "robbery".

I thought Mitchell squeeked it out against N'dou. However, I don't hold it against him as he he had a last minute change in opponent.

If KT is healthy I say he stops Mitchell late with a methodical beatdown. However, if he's not 100% he could be in for a long night.

Also, to me Sharmba looks like a HUGE jr. welterweight. It makes me wonder if he's had trouble making weight, hence the sluggish performance vs N'dou. On the other hand KT has always seemed comfortable at 140.

It's a great fight. The champ vs the consensus # 1 contender. Can't wait.

Let me get this staright "Bogie". KT was intentionally fouling his opponent and deserves to be disrespected but Bernard Hopkins is a "legend" who is not deserving of that criticism????? Typical. That is almsot as stupid as your Arum lied about Lou Dibella and DK committed murder so they are the same arguement.

I thought NDou won. So did many other people, like Al Bernstein. The robbery I am referring to was the scorecards. 118-110 was a blatant robbery and even Sharmba yardboys like yourself should admit that. I am not a fan of the "who looked the worse" as a measure of judging a fight but Sharmba was clearly beaten up that night. When a moron like Tim Smith is closer to right than you are it is a sad state of affairs.

Rogie what about your blatantly ignorant and ridiculous excuse of the KO's Sharmba suffered. You claimed he was "young" yet he had 3 times as many fights as Stevie Johnston who is a featherfisted and small LW and almsot 15 more fights than Levander Johnson. You my friend rarely call it objectively. I have never doubted your knowledge of boxing because I believe you know the game but you are blatantly biased for and against certain guys and kick and scream whe someone disagrees with you. Grow up dude.

Once more for good measure. Who is the best fighter Sharmba ever beat?????????????????

This fight is very interesting to me for a few reasons. First, Tyszu's inactivity and ring rust may affect his timing. Given that Mitchell already has the speed advantage, timing will be crucial for KT. He's shown (as against Judah) that once he times his foe, he can overcome the speed disadvantage, but how long will it take him to gauge Mitchell after a long layoff.

I dont think Mitchell is as tough mentally, nor is his chin as good as KT's. It will only take one good right hand to end things early if KT lands one. Also, I have to believe that, injured in their first bout or not, Mitchell will remember how he got manhandled and be a bit apprehensive and tight against Kostya.

I think he can beat KT, because of style, better hand and foot speed, and being active, but I dont know if he really believes it himself.

Finally, I know someone who's worked in camp with Kostya, and he swears that KT's own management has believed that Kostya is "shot" (his words, not mine) for awhile now. They were grooming the other 140lber who's name now escapes me (Abdullaev?) to take his place, but things didn't work out like they planned.

Mohammed lost unexpectedly, and Kostya's kept winning.