SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — The improbable comeback run of Paul Nave, which began in 2009 after a nine plus-year retirement, hit a snag on Friday night, as Brandon Hoskins flew in from Missouri with an unbeaten record and came away with a hard-fought eight-round majority decision at Albert Park Field.

The action was competitive, but it was Hoskins (16-0-1, 8 KOs) of Hannibal, Missouri that came out of the gate faster. While Nave (19-9-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California looked to time his right hand in the early going, Hoskins did some solid work behind his jab, including two hard right hands.

Hoskins, 143, opened up the second round with two lefts, as Nave, 146 ½, still could not get his timing just right. After Hoskins doubled up on the left again, Nave decided to let loose and rocked Hoskins with a combination to end the frame.

Both fighters had their moments in rounds three and four as it became mainly an inside fight. Hoskins punctuated an even exchange in the third with an eye-catching right over the top. Nave closed the fourth well as he worked his way inside and landed with some short hooks. By the fifth, Nave’s left eye was badly swollen. There would be a decent-sized cut opened up below the eye by round’s end as well.

Just when the fight looked to be heading in one direction, Nave had one of his better rounds in the sixth. The overhand right Nave had trouble timing in the early going was finding its target with better regularity, but Hoskins did well enough to move out of harm’s way before the local favorite could really follow-up. Hoskins stemmed some of Nave’s momentum with the cleaner punching in the seventh.

Knowing he needed to take the eighth in order to have a shot at coming away with the victory, Nave, who turns 51-years-old in less than a week, outworked and outfought the much younger Hoskins in the final round. Nave’s final round performance got the hometown crowd up and cheering, but it would not be enough to pull out the win. One judge had the fight even, 76-76, but was overruled by the other two who had the fight 78-74 and 78-73 for Hoskins.

“I feel awesome. I’m going deer hunting on Sunday and back to work on Monday,” said Hoskins, full-time factory worker, after the fight. “[I began boxing] just to lose weight. Nine years ago I was 185-pounds, so I have come a long way from just losing weight.”

Though he came away with a deserved win, the 24-year-old Hoskins seemed genuinely impressed with his nearly 51-year-old opponent. “I thought he was going to come out like a dog, and that’s what he did,” said Hoskins, who sought Nave’s autograph during the post-fight interview. “I told Craig, ‘If I can’t outbox him and I am going to try and dogfight with him.’ The last round he was mean. I just tried to wrestle with him a little bit.”

After the fight, Nave refused to make any excuses for loss, such as his age or the added distraction of being the promoter of the event. Instead the veteran seemed to have just one regret. “The bummer is I felt fine at the end and that’s not good,” said Nave. “I should have felt exhausted and given it my all, which I did in the final round especially. I should have picked it up a little earlier. It was just one of those days you feel you could have done a little better. I’m not going to blame anything. The better fighter won tonight and you just have to tip your hat to him and give him the credit he deserves.”

Of course the inevitable question after a loss at this stage is whether or not Nave would continue to fight. “I have to take a step back and take a look at it and see what I am going to do,” said Nave. “I’m going to take time to evaluate everything.”

In the co-main event, Lamont Williams (5-1-1, 2 KOs) of Fairfield, California completely turned around a fight that was going against him and scored a third-round stoppage over Brent Urban (7-5-1, 5 KOs) of Burlingame, California.

The first round was even before Urban, 185, caught Williams, 183, in the final seconds, forcing him to backpedal until the end of the round. Urban again stunned Williams with a short right in the second, but in boxing a fight can turn around in an instant, which it did in the third. Out of nowhere, Williams rocked Urban with a clean right and flurried him into the ropes. After a vicious right uppercut, the referee leaped in to stop the fight at 2:26 of the third round.

Making her professional debut before a throng of fans, Marquita Lee (1-0) of Novato, California pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over a game and determined Laura Deanovic (0-3) of San Francisco, California.

Lee, 132, often gave ground in the fight but did well to catch the onrushing Deanovic, 128 ½, with hard shots. Backing to the ropes, Lee rocked Deanovic late in the first with a combination. Undeterred, Deanovic fired back, but she simply did not posses the same type of power as did her opponent. The second and third rounds looked much like the first, with Deanovic pressing the action, but Lee catching her with the harder shots. Deanovic showed her heart and took the fourth round, most notably rocking Lee against the ropes with a combination. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Lee, 39-37.

In a solid action fight, Luis Alfredo Lugo (12-16-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico slugged his way to a four-round unanimous decision over Hector Alatorre (16-17, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California.

Alatorre, 146, got off to a good start, as he found Lugo’s body a hittable target early. Lugo, 145, got warm later in the round and returned the favor, working the Tulare resident’s body in the final minute. Action further heated up in the second, with Lugo’s left hook, right uppercut combination standing out. After Lugo outworked Alatorre in the third, both men had their moments in a tit for tat fourth. In the end, all three judges had it a shutout for Lugo, 40-36.

In the free-swinging opener, Jesus Partida (0-0-1) of Redwood City, California tasted the canvas in the fourth but managed to eke out a draw against a determined Denis Madriz (0-0-1) of San Francisco. After almost three frantic minutes, Madriz, 125, appeared to hurt the awkward Partida, 127, with a combination late in the first. Partida came out swinging to begin the second, rushing Madriz with combinations in the early going. Madriz looked to time the southpaw Partida coming in, but was too tentative at times.

After getting outworked for much of the third, Madriz caught Paritda with two well-placed right hands that stunned the Redwood City resident. However, Madriz failed to capitalize on the advantage and it appeared Partida had regained his footing before the end of the round. That was not the case as Madriz dropped Partida in the opening seconds of the fourth. As the round progressed, Partida fought on even terms as Madriz tried to put him down again. Each fighter took a card 38-37, with the third judge scoring the bout even, 38-38, forcing the draw.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

LAS VEGAS – On and off the scale, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz played their assigned roles. Ortiz was where he was supposed to be and who he was supposed to be. Then, there was Mayweather, light on the scale, yet heavy in every other way.

The heavily-favored Mayweather attempted to intimidate Ortiz with some heavy-handed tactics Friday before and after he weighed 146.5 pounds in front of lively crowd at the MGM Grand’s Events Center.

Actually, one hand said it all.

Mayweather put his right hand around Ortiz’ throat as the two stood, nose-to-nose, in what was supposed to be the traditional stare-down at the end of the formal weigh-in. Mayweather’s gesture summed up what he believes will happen in the scheduled 12-round bout for the belt, the World Boxing Council’s welterweight title, possessed by Ortiz.

Throughout the build-up, Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) has suggested that Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) will choke.

The 24-year-old Ortiz is a relative newcomer to all of the attention, media, hype, distractions and antics attached to a major fight. The 34-year-old Mayweather isn’t.

Mayweather has been there often throughout a 16-year career without defeat. He often acts as if he owns the big stage. Maybe, that’s why he treated Ortiz with such disdain at the weigh-in. He looked at Ortiz as though he was trespassing. He acted as if he wanted to throw Ortiz out onto the street, if not into a dumpster.

But Ortiz only smiled, before he was at the 147-pound limit and after Mayweather let go of his throat. Ortiz leaped like a kid, threw his hands over his head and flashed the telegenic grin that has captured the camera’s focus and much of the public imagination in the HBO series, 24/7.

“It’s a big joke,’’ Ortiz told a publicist as he left the stage while an estimated crowd of 4,000 roared. “It’s funny.’’

Funny, but not always comedy. The tension surrounding Mayweather always seems to be there, under the surface and dangerous. Both fighters have estranged fathers. Ortiz says his dad abandoned him when he was 7-year-old kid in Kansas. He said he tried to reconnect with his dad, Victor Sr., but failed. He’s moved on. Meanwhile, Mayweather’s relationship with his dad, Floyd Sr., is an ongoing series, also captured ad nauseam on 24/7.

In the latest chapter Mayweather Jr. and Sr. are estranged all over again. The senior Mayweather, who hadn’t been seen since the last blow-up a couple of weeks ago, was spotted on the floor at the weigh-in. A Tweet was attributed to him, although there was skepticism about whether Floyd Sr, even has a Twitter account.

“Can you believe that I ain’t even being invited to the Floyd Mayweather fight tomorrow?” the Tweet said. “The man who he owes everything to isn’t wanted there.”

If the Tweet didn’t come from Floyd Sr., the message has. In so many words, he has said exactly that many times.

There’s no word on whether Floyd Sr. will show up at the fight on his own. If he does, it’s safe to say he’ll watch from some seat far from his son’s corner. Then, there’s the potential for a twist that’s bizarre by even boxing standards. There continues to be speculation that Floyd Jr. has invited Ortiz’ dad to the fight. There’s even been talk that Victor Sr. will be invited to accompany Floyd Jr. into the ring along with former Ortiz trainer Robert Garcia and longtime rival Brandon Rios.

It’s funny only if you like sick comedy.

But Mayweather’s notorious gamesmanship has no limits. His uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, was not on the stage for the weigh-in. There wouldn’t have been much room for him anyway. Instead, a large entourage followed Floyd Jr., who paced and chewed gum. After both fighters stepped off the scale, some of the Mayweather followers went to work on Ortiz with taunts and trash talk. Hey, Mayweather can’t do everything.

But Ortiz walked away from the scene looking almost as though he were a fighter with little to lose. That might be his biggest advantage, although he’s confident he can win a title that would not be shared. Only one can be the first to beat Mayweather.

Before the weigh-in, Ortiz got a call from former heavyweight champ George Foreman. Four years ago, Ortiz won a fight in Houston, Foreman’s hometown. After the victory, Ortiz met with Foreman, who gave him a copy of his best-selling book, By George. Inside the cover, Foreman wrote “One day, you’re going to be a champion.’’

Ortiz reminded him of that Friday.

“You were right,’’ he told Foreman.

But now he faces a much tougher task. Against Mayweather, he has to prove that nearly everybody else is wrong.

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — Just four days shy of his 51st birthday, local favorite Paul Nave hopes to keep the comeback he began two and a half years ago rolling against the undefeated Brandon Hoskins, a fighter 26 years his junior, tonight at Albert Park Field. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Embassy Suites San Rafael – Marin County.

Nave (19-8-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California has gone 4-0 since ending a nine-and-one-half year retirement against modest opposition, but appears to be taking a leap up in class against an undefeated, accomplished former amateur tonight. Nave, who doubles as the promoter for the event, last fought in June of last year, scoring a third-round stoppage of Daniel Schlienz. Nave weighed in at 146 ½-pounds.

Nave returned to the ring in 2009 after back injures looked to have ended his fighting career prematurely. Nave came back with designs on landing one more big fight, but he understands he cannot look ahead past Hoskins. “Everything hinges on this fight,” said Nave in a recent press release. “If I am to win this fight, it would open up a huge opportunity. But everything is contingent on this fight.”

Hoskins (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Hannibal, Missouri was 50-7 as an amateur and won several regional titles before turning pro. Hoskins, who will be fighting outside of Missouri or Kansas for the first time, last fought in March, scoring a unanimous six-round decision over 2-9 Keith Collins. Hoskins’ draw came in 2008 against Gustavo Mejia, who he defeated by majority decision a year later. Hoskins weighed in at 143-pounds Thursday.

The supporting card is comprised of four fights tonight. In an interesting match-up, Lamont Williams (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California will take on Brent Urban (7-4-1, 5 KOs) of Burlingame, California in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Williams, who went back up to heavyweight in his last fight in May, is back down well below the cruiserweight limit at 183-pounds. Urban, who scaled 185, is looking to rebound from a stoppage defeat in May.

In a four-round women’s attraction, Marquita Lee of Novato, California will make her professional debut against Laura Deanovic (0-2) of San Francisco, California in a super featherweight bout. Lee, who trains out of the Novato Boxing Club under former pro Suzanne Howard, weighed in at 132-pounds Thursday. Deanovic, who turned pro in March and comes in off of a majority decision defeat, scaled 128 ½-pounds.

Jesus Partida of Redwood City, California will take on Denis Madriz of San Francisco as both men make their professional debut in a four-round featherweight bout. Partida, who trains out of Gladiators Boxing Gym in Redwood City, scaled 127-pounds. Madriz, who trains under Ben Bautista at the Straight Forward Club in San Francisco, weighed in at 125-pounds.

Luis Alfredo Lugo (11-16-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico will take on fellow longtime gatekeeper Hector Alatorre (16-16, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California in a four-round welterweight bout. Lugo, who has incredibly fought undefeated fighters in thirteen of his last fifteen fights, weighed in at 145-poounds Thursday. Alatorre, who has been in with more than his share of prospects, weighed in at 146-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Liberty Boxing Enterprises, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Nave 146 ½
Hoskins 143

Cruiserweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 183
Urban 185

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Lugo 145
Alatorre 146

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lee 132
Deanovic 128 ½

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Partida 127
Madriz 125

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

LAS VEGAS – Referee Joe Cortez’ job of being in the ring yet out of the spotlight Saturday night for Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand got tougher with further comments from Ortiz trainer Danny Garcia, who Thursday called some of Mayweather’s tactics illegal.

Some unwanted attention on Cortez promises to be there in the wake of Garcia’s complaints about Mayweather’s sharp elbows. Garcia also asked that Cortez not step in to break up the action when Ortiz, as expected, tries to fight on the inside.

“The elbow, that’s illegal,’’ said Garcia, who at a formal news conference Wednesday called Mayweather “a dirty” fighter. “The elbow can hit him, cut him, can break his nose.’’

Predictably, Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger sneered at Garcia’s complaints about the alleged elbow, many of which apparently were thrown in Mayweather’s 10th-round stoppage of Ricky Hatton in a 2007 bout worked by Cortez.

“Using elbows? What are you talking about?’’ Roger Mayweather said in the second session of a media roundtable. “He didn’t knock out Hatton with an elbow. He knocked him out with that check hook.’’

Hatton’s corner complained that Cortez did not allow the popular Brit, a notorious inside brawler, to put enough pressure on Mayweather. A consequence, according Hatton’s corner, was that Mayweather used his speed and had enough space to throw counters.

Pressure is believed to be the only way to beat the undefeated Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs). He needs some room to land the counter-right, his most lethal punch.

“Inside will neutralize Floyd’s right-counter, his best punch,’’ Garcia said.

But be very careful of what you ask for. What if Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) is permitted to close the distance, eliminate that room? At times, Hatton seemed to do just that, yet Mayweather appeared to respond in kind with brawling blows that, according to Garcia, came at the end of an unprotected elbow instead of a gloved hand.

“Obviously, my nephew finds a way to win,’’ Roger Mayweather said. “He’s found 41 ways to do it.’’

It sounds as if Garcia has studied Cortez almost as much as Mayweather. Cortez’ work in Amir Khan’s dramatic victory last December over Marcos Maidana represents a precedent that concerns Garcia, who mentioned Cortez’ role in the 2010 Fight of the Year.

Somehow, Khan survived a series of concussive blows from Maidana in the 10th round. He did, Maidana complained, because Cortez allowed him. He stepped in to break up the action just when it looked as if Khan would succumb.

“Look, I like Joe Cortez,’’ Garcia said. “He does a pretty good job. But he is like any other man. He makes some mistakes.’’

In perhaps another alert, Garcia said Mayweather should not be allowed to turn his back on Ortiz.

“The ref should know, if he turns his back, the punches are coming,’’ Garcia said.

The shoulder roll is one of Mayweather’s patented moves. It looks as if the familiar tactic limits the size of the target. Instead of a full upper-body — framed from shoulder to shoulder, an opponent sees only a narrow side. It is one element that makes Mayweather so elusive. But, Garcia says, Mayweather often rolls the shoulder so much that the opponent sees his back.

“Covering up from punches with his back, that’s not boxing,’’ Garcia said. “That’s not good defense.’’

Feuding families in every corner
Garcia’s comments about Mayweather’s tactics and Cortez’ role might be another attempt at gaining an edge in a welterweight fight full of gamesmanship from every angle.

Here’s the latest one, a rumor Thursday out of the Mayweather camp:

Ortiz’ estranged father, Victor Sr., has been invited to the fight by Mayweather, who said Wednesday that Ortiz is lying when he says his dad abandoned him when he was 7-year-old in Kansas. Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe didn’t deny it.

“You never know,’’ Ellerbe told Lem Satterfield of Ringtv, The Ring magazine’ on-line edition produced by Yahoo. “We’ve got a lot of surprises for him. We’re working on a lot of things. Victor could look around the arena and see a lot of people. He could see anybody from his past. And that’s the truth.”

Ex-Ortiz trainer Robert Garcia, Danny’s brother, and Ortiz longtime rival, lightweight champion Brandon Rios, already have been invited to the welterweight fight by Mayweather, who tentatively plans to have both walk with him into the ring.

Danny and Robert Garcia are neighbors, yet won’t talk to each other.

“He’s my brother and I love him,’’ Danny said Thursday. “Robert can say anything he wants. But in this business he’s doing bad things.’’

Now, there’s a rumor that Ortiz’ dad might join the parade. Victor Jr. tried to reconnect with his dad not long ago. But his attempt failed. He has moved on.

If Ortiz Jr. has heard the rumor, maybe he should throw a counter and invite Floyd Mayweather Sr. to accompany him into the ring. Mayweather’s estranged dad has not been seen since the two got into an expletive-filled shouting match on HBO’s 24/7.

Photo By Claudia Bocanegra

LAS VEGAS – The news conference Wednesday included a meal and two mouthfuls of a lot more from Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz. Who ate whose lunch? Doesn’t matter. There are no scorecards at a formal news conference. No winners either.

There was just an over-indulgence of promises and pontification to go along with the indigestion a few days before Mayweather and Ortiz break bread and maybe each other’s noses Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

At the top of the menu, there was a Mayweather allegation that Ortiz has been lying about how his father abandoned him when he was a kid in Kansas.

“I know the real truth,’’ Mayweather said of a story that has been told for years and re-told in HBO’s poignant portrayal of Ortiz in the 24/7 series. “His father didn’t leave. No, he didn’t leave. He went to high school in California. I’ve done my homework.

“But it’s good for TV.’’

Mayweather wouldn’t disclose his source, but it is believed to be Robert Garcia, Ortiz’ former trainer and the brother of his current trainer, Danny. The Garcia brothers, neighbors in Oxnard, Calif., don’t talk to each other. Apparently, Ortiz also doesn’t talk to Robert any more after an unhappy split.

“I understand,’’ Ortiz said after Mayweather delivered the line like a thespian at the MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre.”It’s a tactic.’’

Ortiz dismissed it as small piece, another imaginary pawn, in the mind games that Mayweather has learned how to play as well as anybody. Ortiz said it didn’t affect him.

“I’m a tree stump,’’ Ortiz said. “Things like that don’t bother me.’’

If it does, Ortiz is in trouble. The gamesmanship figures to continue. Mayweather has invited Robert Garcia and lightweight champion Brandon Rios to the welterweight fight. Rios, who is trained by Robert Garcia, claims he used to get the best of Ortiz when they were young amateurs at a gym in Garden City, Kan. Ortiz might even see his estranged trainer and his old rival staring at him after he steps through the ropes and waits for opening bell during the introductions. Mayweather plans to have both with him when he enters the ring.

In questioning the credibility of a story that has come to define Ortiz and his sudden popularity, Mayweather seemed to be testing his ability to deal with everything that comes and goes on boxing’s biggest stage. Mayweather has been there often. Ortiz has not. For Mayweather, the fight always begins the day that the contract is signed. His rips are rhetorical probes in an attempt to find weaknesses in Ortiz.

On Wednesday, however, it was hard to judge whether Mayweather had found any or even one in Ortiz, who was relaxed as ever. Ortiz even initiated a few of the exchanges. In his formal address to the media from the podium, he turned to the unbeaten Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), who was sitting to his right.

“I sense a little bit of nervousness in this area, right here,’’ said Ortiz, who holds the World Boxing Council’s version of the 147-pound title. “I’m going to teach what it is to have that one on your record. Hey, I’ve already got two.’’

Mayweather couldn’t resist. He interrupted Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs), yelling:

“You got two draws, too.’’

Ortiz wouldn’t back down in an exchange that might have been preview of fight that both will end in a knockout.

“Somebody is scared,’’ Ortiz countered. “I’m going to put you on your ass, I promise.’’

An Ortiz victory of any kind would be a surprise. As of late Wednesday, betting odds at Las Vegas books heavily favored Mayweather at about 5 1/2 –to-1. If the news conference was a sign, however, more surprise could be imminent. For the first time that anybody can recall, Mayweather was called a dirty fighter. Over his 16-year career, he’s been called a lot of things, but never that. Enter Danny Garcia, who delivered the charge from the bully pulpit during the news conference.

“Please, fight a clean fight,’’ Garcia said as he turned toward Mayweather. “Don’t turn your back. Don’t hold.’’

Don’t waste your time, Mayweather countered in his turn at the pulpit.

“The trainer called me a dirty fighter,’’ Mayweather said. “When has boxing ever been a clean sport? It’s a sport when you’re trying to hurt the other guy.

“How can it be clean?”

No answer for that one from Garcia, or the media, or even Ortiz. Call the news conference a draw. Hopefully, the fight won’t be.

Legend has it the gambling term “chalk” precedes World War II. In the days when horsetrack bettors watched a chalkboard for odds, the action on a favorite would change so often, causing erasings and re-markings in such a frenzy, that a pile of chalk dust would accumulate on the favorite’s name, often obscuring it.

A bettor who walked to the window and took the chalk, then, might not even know the name of his horse – just that it was favored.

Today, the accumulated chalk dust that can obscure a fighter’s name is HBO. Bet the chalk for Saturday’s HBO pay-per-view scrap between Floyd “Money May” Mayweather and WBC welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz at MGM Grand. Wherever betting closes in Mayweather’s favor – the fight opened at 8-1 odds – the chalk bet will be a safe one for a couple reasons.

First, Mayweather is an astute handicapper. In all of boxing, only Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler might have a better eye for prizefighters’ limitations. Mayweather opens as the favorite in every fight because professional gamblers, uninterested in opponents’ heroic biographies, trust Mayweather’s eye and know he does not fight anyone he isn’t sure he will beat.

Second, HBO televises mostly mismatches. A careful apologist surely could visit all of HBO’s recent offerings and explain the political intrigue and promotional connivance that made them what disappointments they were. But here’s something to keep in mind as a subscriber: It’s none of your business. Your only job as a customer is to enjoy a product.

The “24/7” documentary HBO uses to sell pay-per-view fights was, this time as always, one episode too many. An episode’s worth of time for each fighter and what the men will do to one another, really, is a proper model. That’s three episodes. Because “24/7” is an infomercial vehicle now on autopilot, we get four, and one of them invariably comprises robustly silly skits like Money May car shopping.

Money May, as we learned in episode 3, has lost interest in HBO’s hagiographic treatment of Victor Ortiz’s childhood. Touché. Something about the Kansan’s story does not feel well-reported. Ortiz is strikingly eloquent about the trauma of being left for dead by both parents before his 13th birthday. And when he says that, at age nine, he told all and sundry he would be the guy to beat an Olympic bronze medalist named Mayweather, well, he seems – borrowing Larry Merchant’s term – to be trying too hard.

Ortiz has always come across as an edgy suburban kid more than a street tough. In any other field of endeavor, of course, that would be a compliment. We spent a 15-minute bus ride to the Alamodome together in 2007. Ortiz showed none of the eyes-lowered wariness of most traumatized kids. Rather, he was gregarious, opinionated and bright. If he was merely eight years, then, from living on the streets, his transformation was indeed miraculous.

But if a product of wholesale poverty – pecuniary, spiritual, intellectual – is what you’re after, look no further than Money May’s made-for-TV chat session with American soldiers in the latest “24/7” installment. Racing through his mansion with a laptop, hyperactive enough to outpace the boundaries of his home’s wireless network, twice, Money May showed $30,000/year heroes his collection of meretricious toys. It was a concise report on American values.

If Victor Ortiz were to read what is written about him above, he would likely reply, “Whatever, dude, I don’t care if you believe me or not.” Mayweather, meanwhile, would go into a righteous fit, the reflexive lunacy of a man wrongly accused. Mayweather the businessman against Ortiz the trauma survivor, then, has all the congruity of a Shakespearean bed-switching caper.

So, we can agree the subplots for this event are mostly if not entirely contrived, but what about the fight itself?

It should not be close. Some of us may have forgotten the look on Ortiz’s face when he quit against Marcos Maidana in 2009, but rest assured Mayweather has not. That Victor Ortiz, and not the beast who decisioned Andre Berto in April, is the guy Mayweather expects to face Saturday.

Ortiz, who has learned from his handler Oscar De La Hoya the media is only useful as a lapdog, criticizes those who criticize him. He explains that we do not understand how much fire he has inside him, and he is likely correct. But Ortiz has yet to show Ricky Hatton’s fire in the ring, and we saw how Mayweather extinguished that.

But Ortiz is so much bigger than Hatton was!

Actually, Ortiz has exactly as many fights at welterweight as Hatton had when he was stopped by Mayweather four years ago. Ortiz has 1/7 as many fights at welterweight as Mayweather. Ortiz will bring exactly no power advantage to Saturday’s fight.

That leaves his awkwardness and youth. He is a southpaw, and he has 24 years to Mayweather’s 34. If aficionados agree Ortiz would have no chance against a prime Mayweather, their reason for purchasing Saturday’s show must be: Mayweather is no longer in his prime.

That may be. Certainly, the day Mayweather’s reflexes dull, nobody in his entourage will be the wiser. Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, at age 50, isn’t likely to catch his charge slipping with handpad tricks, and Roger Mayweather remains Floyd’s only chance at an honest appraisal.

For all his childishness, though, Floyd Mayweather might just be a genius of physical motion. If he had detected an erosion in training camp, he likely would have spent “24/7” taunting Ortiz instead of buying cars.

Alas, we’re supposed to be selling this fight in the hopes that next year will bring a fight to save boxing – “The World Awaited” – and so it behooves us to proclaim this match will be more than another tune-up for Mayweather. OK, then, probably . . .

Sorry, couldn’t do it. The chalk is right. I’ll take Mayweather: KO-10.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

The Mayweather gym opened it’s doors to writers, photographers, and videographers alike this past Tuesday with it’s traditional pre-fight media day.

The action kicked off with a workout from young, and undefeated prospect Jesse Vargas who worked the pads and heavy bag for the national and local media. Roger Mayweather fielded questions from the press at ringside, while p.r. specialist Kelly Swanson conducted interviews with fighters and trainers for Ustream.

Mayweather himself entered the room close to 3 o’clock, decked out in black, fielding questions from the press before changing into his workout attire. Commenting on everything from his father, to Victor Ortiz, to Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather reiterated the same points he has drilled home time and time again. When faced with a question regarding Ortiz’s thoughts on his financial carelessness Mayweather offered up his defense.

“People act like I just woke up and was a millionaire, I had a very tough upbringing. But people don’t want to hear the same thing over and over, 24/7 is about entertainment”

Nowhere to be seen was the original Floyd Mayweather, who was infamously involved in an eruption with his son just weeks ago. Mayweather Jr. was inevitably asked to comment on his father, and remained reserved in his answer, wishing his father well in his boxing ventures, and reaffirming his loyalty in uncle and long time trainer Roger.

Another inevitable question the former champion faced involved a certain Pilipino champion by the name of
Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather’s criticism toward Pacquiao on this particular day centered around the Pac-Man’s lawsuit.
“I figured that this was boxing, Ali used to criticize his opponents. I criticize my opponents, It’s boxing.”

The Grand Rapids native continued to insist that he has never outrightly accused Pacquiao of cheating, and stood by his stance on Olympic style blood testing.

The Mayweather gym houses more than just it’s future hall of fame namesake. The facility also serves as a breeding ground for several hopeful young champions. Among them is 25 year old Christian Thomas.

While Thomas has yet to make his debut, he calls himself the car that isn’t quite ready to come out of the garage yet, but when his number is called he’l be ready for the best at 168. The young fighter migrated west from Mayweather’s hometown of Grand Rapids Michigan, and notes that the gym functions as a team operation.

If Media day offered one consistent trend, it’s that Floyd Mayweather is not afraid to be hated, and when the spotlight is on him he is at his brightest.

Boxing returns to South London, where many a show has taken place over the years, they have all boxed here, Honeyghan, Calzaghe, Duke Mckenzie, the latter even created history here when he beat Gaby Canizales to replicate Bob Fitzimmons as only the second British boxer to win three World titles in three different weight divisions!

However enough of the history lesson, Mickey Helliet put’s on a good card featuring none other than 12 fights, topping the show is Chas Symonds against Gavin Tait for the vacant Southern Area welterweight title in a fight over ten rounds.

Also on the show are Margate’s Jack Morris who returns at light heavy in a six rounder, Morris best known for being in Prizefighter the light heavys where after winning his opening fight against Billy Slate on a controversial decision had to be withdrawn by doctors due to a fractured hand! Morris will be looking to get back with a win that hopefuly will lead to a rematch with Michael Banbula for Banbula’s Southern Area title! Banbula being the only man to have put a blip on his record, Morris was hoping to avenge that loss in the aforementioned Prizefighter as Banbula also competed but due to the injury it never happened! And also in the same division and from the same place is Daniel Woodgate whose also boxing on the show in a four rounder, Morris and Woodgate have oponents yet to be named.

Also on the show is Eder Kurti the Woolwich super middle and middle Wayne Alwan Arab who both could be soon contesting titles, and at light heavy there’s Joe Smyth who’ll be looking to put the disapointment of last Janaury’s Prizefighter behind him and get back in the win column, up a few division’s at heavy and cruiser you got Dillon Whyte and Nathan Skeen, the latter who faces Lee Kellett!

Okay now all the way down to lightweight and there’s Marcin Marzarak making his pro debut and Lee Cook and talking of Lee’s and debutant’s you got Lee Owen and Warren Fenn taking there respective pro bow’s and Darryl Still whose having his professional fight at welter, and before I forget Ben Day is making his pro debut or in the words of the last two boxers surnames, I still can’t wait for the day when this mammoth show happens, mammoth? well it is at the Elephant! also please note the London annual boxing memorabilia fayre is less than a few months away, which takes place on the 15th October, email me for more details at micksnice@aol.com and talking of a Elephant and memorabilia, how could you forget!

Oh yeah the important bit, for tickets for the boxing show please phone 0207 388 5999, prices are £30 to £60 and the venue is about a minutes walk from the Elephant and Castle tube station.

On Friday, September 16th, former WBF Welterweight Champion Paul Nave continues his improbable comeback against an undefeated fighter less than half his age in former accomplished amateur Brandon Hoskins, outdoors at Albert Park Field in San Rafael, California. For Nave, a fighter that beat long odds to decision Greg Haugen for his title back in 1998, the fight marks a return to the familiar role of underdog.

Nave (19-8-2, 8 KOs) of San Rafael has gone 4-0 since ending a nine-and-one-half year retirement and felt the time had come to step up the level competition. “The plan was to come back, fight a little more consistently and get in that top shape, get my timing down and then go for it,” says Nave, who will be just days shy of his 51st birthday on fight night. “I’ve had four fights and won all four against average fighters, but the problem is I haven’t been able to keep consistent because of some minor injuries at times.”

Despite being out of the ring since last June, Nave moved ahead and lined up a tough opponent in Hoskins in order to take his comeback to the next level. “The time is running,” admits Nave. “I am not getting any younger and it is kind of now or never for me with the window of opportunity. The idea is I am definitely challenging myself, fighting a kid 15-0 that is less than half my age. I have a daughter his age.”

Hoskins (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Hannibal, Missouri may be somewhat of an unknown commodity to the average boxing fan, but he comes equipped with credentials that need to be respected. “This guy was a three-time Golden Gloves champion, 50-7 as an amateur,” says Nave of the 24-year-old Hoskins. “I believe his dad owns a gym, so he probably grew up in the gym. He’s is probably going to be in real good shape. My thought is that he is probably a very good boxer, and I am going to have to get him out of his game plan.”

Nave, who is trained by Homer Hall, is preparing for a tough eight-round fight. “We’re sparring well and getting the rounds in,” reports Nave. “I’ve just got to get in the best shape that I can. He’s not coming out to lose, and he’s fighting an older guy, so I am basically the underdog. Even though I have a lot of experience, he’s never lost. But I love the challenge, and that’s what I came back for.”

Nave, who is also the promoter of the fight, worked tirelessly to bring the event to Albert Park Field, something he has wanted to do for roughly a decade. “I’ve played 32-years of fast pitch softball there,” says Nave. “I always thought it would be so cool to have an event there. I am down to my last few fights now, I figured it was now or never to realize my dream have putting on an event there.”

Nave came back to the ring with hopes of landing one more big fight, but he understands he cannot look ahead past the 16th. “Everything hinges on this fight,” says Nave. “If I am to win this fight, it would open up a huge opportunity. But everything is contingent on this fight.”

Even if the result is in doubt heading in, one thing that is not is the effort. “I’ve always said that whether I’ve trained one month or three months, whatever I got it is all going out there,” says Nave. “So I am going to leave everything in the ring, that is for sure, and I am going to do my very best to win.

At my age, I am jumping in deep water, and we will see if I can swim to the top.”

Supporting card:

Surging cruiserweight Lamont Williams (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California will take on Brent Urban (7-4-1, 5 KOs) of Burlingame, California in a six-round bout.

In a women’s attraction, Marquita Lee of Novato, California will make her professional debut against Laura Deanovic (0-2) of San Francisco, California in a four-rounder.

In a four-round pairing of pro debuters, Jesus Partida of Redwood City, California will take on former amateur adversary Denis Madriz of San Francisco in a four-round super featherweight bout.

Rounding out the card, two guys known for giving top fighters tough fights will square off against one another, as Luis Alfredo Lugo (11-16-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California will square off against Hector Alatorre (16-16, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California in a four-round welterweight bout.

*All Bouts Subject To Change

Tickets:

$200, $150, $100, $75, $50, $40 and $30 Standing Room Upon Seating Sellout

Liberty Boxing Enterprises (415) 454-1113 – Call Now to Reserve Priority Seating
San Rafael Joe’s – San Rafael (415) 456-2425 T&B Sports – San Rafael (415) 453-2433
Perry’s Delicatessen – Fairfax (415) 456-3580 Nave’s Bar & Grill – Fairfax (415) 457-3220
Perry’s Delicatessen – Novato (415) 892-3240 Marin Coffee Roasters – San Anselmo (415) 258-9549
Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com

There are almost as many interpretations of the zero on the losing side of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ledger as there are victories in the column that betting odds say is about to go from 41 to 42. That 0 is a blank canvas. What adds up to nothing can amount to anything, maybe everything about Mayweather.

On one level, it’s baffling. Only in boxing can unbeaten mean unproven. Yet on another level, a fighter’s ability and character have always been measured in terms of how he deals with defeat. From Sugar Ray Robinson to Muhammad Ali, a loss makes them human and the comeback makes them great. Other than Rocky Marciano, those are the terms in the fine print that go into the creation of a legend.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Without a loss, it’s just hard to know what to make of Mayweather. Perhaps, that’s unfair. Perhaps, it’s just a sign that there aren’t any great fighters these days, but don’t tell that to Manny Pacquiao. The suspicion is that Pacquiao-Mayweather hasn’t happened, simply because Mayweather is protecting that zero.

True?

False?

How about: Who knows?

That’s the only conclusion I got out of a conference call this week with Mayweather in the build-up to his Sept. 17 bout at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand with Victor Ortiz, who is enjoying a spike in popularity because he came back from lingering doubts left in the wake of a 2009 loss to Marcos Maidana.

Mayweather was his quick-silver self, which means he was entertaining, insightful, over-the-top cocky and annoying all at once. The zero said it all. We know zip about him.

He thanked the media. No kidding. Then, he turned his rhetorical venom on to his surrogate whipping boy, Oscar De La Hoya, while praising De La Hoya’s promotional CEO, Richard Schaefer.

“Can’t even call it Golden Boy Promotions anymore,’’ Mayweather said after ripping De La Hoya for talking about drugs, drinking and wearing women’s underwear in a recent Univision interview. “Got to call it Richard Schaefer Promotions.’’

Meanwhile, he sent up some more red flags about whether the left-handed Ortiz was in fact a step toward finally agreeing to a deal with Pacquiao, also a southpaw, for the only fight which interests casual fans, which means most people.

“If you’re the best, take the test,’’ Mayweather said in one of several references to the drug-testing demand that was the sticking point in the last round of abortive negotiations.

Mayweather repeated charges that could lead to a rocky start of renewed talks.

“It’s okay for (Pacquiao) to go from 105 (pounds) to 154 and he gets knockouts and they say: ‘You know what? It’ all natural,’ ‘’ he said. “But if I went from 147 to heavyweight and was knocking out heavyweights, would that be all natural? That’s what you got to ask yourself at the end of the day.’’

Mayweather compared himself to some of the best in his favorite pastime, basketball. Like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Mayweather said he was well-known and considered a future professional star even when he was a high-school teenager. But Pacquiao, he said, came from nowhere.

“Suddenly at 25, he’s this good,’’ Mayweather said of the Filipino. “Come on.’’

Mayweather’s pointed questions were often offset by either common sense or a genuine sense that he cares. Remember, this is the same Mayweather who paid for Genaro Hernandez’ funeral in June. Hernandez helped launch Mayweather’s career in 1998 when Mayweather knocked him out in the eighth round.

“Hernandez gave me my first real opportunity,’’ Mayweather said during the conference call.

He said other things, both insightful and heartfelt.

On his notorious nickname, Money: “My health is more important than money.’’

When asked about possible distractions, he talked about alleged altercations, including one in which he was reported to have poked a security guard in the face.

“I don’t know no one who pokes somebody in the face when they’ve got a gun on them,’’ Mayweather said.

Anybody who has covered Mayweather through his long career has encountered this unexpected side to him. The man has money and moods. Yet in brief encounters away from a dysfunctional crowd that seems to egg on a personality that revels in being boxing’s bad boy, he can be a nice guy.

His legal problems include domestic abuse charges involving an ex-girlfriend, Josie Harris, also the mother of his children. In talking about that allegation, Mayweather talked about the night in 2006 when he beat Zab Judah. A brawl erupted, involving Judah, Yoel Judah, Zab’s dad and trainer, and Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle-and-trainer.

Floyd Mayweather stood to one side, peaceful and under control in a ring where the violence threatened to become a riot.

The Mayweather of that night stands in sharp contrast to the one we often hear and the one we sometimes read about in stories that include a booking photo.

They don’t add up, just like that zero.

Was it only a matter of time or was this well planned ahead? A month or two ago, it sure looked like Alistair Overeem was going to forego his chances of crossing-over to the UFC and instead take his talent elsewhere (perhaps back to Japan). Well, as of Tuesday, news rapidly surfaced across the web citing that the former Strikeforce Heavyweight champ did indeed sign with UFC. And in what would be deemed a super fight for the ‘Reem, the long waited debut will take place in Las Vegas, against none other than the colorful Brock Lesnar, who is also eager to get back in the cage.

Assuming that all goes as planned, this is merely icing on the cake to what the organization was able to achieve in recently signing a multi-million dollar deal with Fox. Top guys Cain Velasquez and JD Santos are slated to collide in its debut for Cain’s heavyweight strap on November 12th, scheduled on the same evening as Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III pay-per-view.

Going back to Overeem though, this is a bit of a Fedoresque scenario where this Yetti/Sasquatch type mythical monster not so familiar in the states have finally signed with the big boys. Overeem, although not as influential nor accomplished as Fedor Emelianenko in the world of Mix Martial Arts, hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly 4 years. Despite the eleven losses on his forty-seven fight ledger, ‘Ubereem’ has risen in size and evolved as a top threat to the heavyweight division. In addition, his success in K-1 kickboxing was monumental, which could easily attribute to many experts’ claim in acknowledging that the Dutch sensation is the best striker in the heavyweight division.

And unlike the recently humbled Emelianenko, Overeem is still relatively young and appears to be at the top of his game. Talk about a guy who bounced back from devastating losses, this guy has done it like no other.

Of course, everything remains to be seen when he actually steps inside the Octagon come December, but it’s not like the guy hasn’t fought in the states. After all, he is the inaugural Strikeforce heavyweight champion and has been with the promotion soon after its inception. And if anyone’s discarding the man’s star power and marketability, just look how much or little interest is left in the currently ongoing Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, which by the way, is on Showtime this Saturday. As I’ve phrased in my previous column on Overeem, I think he’s a year or two late on becoming the biggest star in MMA.

From a financial standpoint, I’m not exactly sure if this was the best viable option. The current state of MMA in Japan, where Overeem had his success, is unclear. I’m not even sure when the next K-1 Grand Prix is supposed to take place. This in reality was a wise career move with greater incentives that also comes with greater risks. Overeem is a guy of many monikers, belts, and talents. He’s a bit of an enigma in the game of MMA, merely due to not having fought in the UFC. And many before him have failed. Just ask Takanori Gomi and Yoshihiro Akiyama for instance. But perhaps Overeem is of a different breed.

Where and how this journey ends is unknown, but it’s going to be worth watching while it lasts.

BERTO STILL BERTO, BUT MORE EXCITING

Andre Berto, whose fate was unknown after suffering his first loss a professional earlier this year against Victor Ortiz, was again setup for another easy payday against the European who was thought to have brought nothing more than a belt strap that many expected him to just hand over. Someone forgot to tell Dejan Zavec, who came with intentions of making his U.S. soil debut a success. From the first round, Berto came out guns blazing, but Zavec refused to wilt and dished back whenever he could. Many shots were fired and many if not most found their mark. What we got was an actual fight. Fortunately for Berto, Zavec suffered cuts on both eyes and was virtually forced to quit in his corner after the fifth stanza. Just like that, Berto wins his second world title.

Although it wasn’t an impressive performance from a technical standpoint, Berto showed no signs of regression or doubts since the loss to Ortiz. While many have criticized the Haitian for his rather easier career path to now two separate title reigns, he simply doesn’t get enough credit for producing excitement he’s demonstrated in competitive fights. He brings a lot of heat and intensity to the ring and is offensive minded. Even after getting decked by Ortiz in the first round, he didn’t shy away from a brawl and against Zavec, he re-emphasized his character as a fighter who simply comes to fight. I’m not sure if Berto can rectify his defensive holes and tendencies that could cost him dearly against better fighters, but take it for what it’s worth. He’s one of the more exciting fighters above the 140 pound division. If Tim Bradley ever gets resume his career, it’s a fight against Berto at 147, not Amir Khan, I’d like to see.

NATURAL ENEMIES IN AC

It’s your typical Ali/Frazier/Foreman scenario. Guy A beats guy B, guy C beats guy A, but guy B beats Guy C. This weekend in Atlantic City, NJ, former super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon has his chance to add himself to a forming rivalry. Back in 08′, I was at ringside when De Leon was trounced in less than ar ound against then top contender/prospect Juan Manuel Lopez. It was a rather shocking outcome considering De Leon’s usual toughness and endurance and I guess I was in the minority who thought his experience was going to prevail. He’s racked up a decent series of wins since before dropping a controversial decision to slickster Adrien Broner. Now he looks to be served as another ‘name’ opponent for rising sensation and unified featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa. A few months back in Puerto Rico, rugged veteran and former Gamboa victim, Orlando Salido derailed the potential mega-fight between Gamboa and Lopez, when he dropped and eventually toppled Lopez in a stunning upset. De Leon is also a veteran in the game and packs a very hard punch, but this is probably the first time he’s ever been this big of an underdog heading into a fight. I think this is an opportunity for Gamboa to shine in sheer dominance over his less dimensional foe, but a single right hand from the Mexican’s southpaw stance could surely change things a bit. Also on HBO this Saturday is the WBC heavyweight title bout between Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek. Not much to say here, but I’d be mightily disappointed if this fight wasn’t at least one hundred percent better than that hogwash of a ‘unification’ bout between Vitali’s brother Wladimir and David Haye. The semi-finals are set for the Strikeforce Grand Prix this weekend as Josh Barnett takes on Sergei Kharitonov and Antonio Silva takes on replacement Daniel Cormier in Cincinnati, OH. I know I’ve lost my interest since Overeem dropped out of this tourney, but I still think Barnett is a character with enough left in the tank to re-add his presence to the game. I certainly think he wasted a lot of time and potential in the past few years, but at least he’s back and back with vengeance. Either way, my picks for Saturday are Barnett via submission, Cormier on points in an upset. Feel free to email me at joony2j@gmail.com or any feed back or comments.

As a philosophy major in the mid 1990s, I never had a chance to do an internship. A decade’s worth of hindsight now tells me I should have been a communications major. Since everyone’s going back to school these days – “financial aid” rings so much sweeter than “unemployment” – I spent Saturday imagining myself an intern . . .

LOL, what a night for us! Meet the new boss same as the old boss, like my supervisor says. Social media had so many predictions about where this network was going a few months ago when the boss said he’d be pursuing other opportunities, everyone freaked out for absolutely no reason. “Easy, killah,” I told my buddies. You hear stuff in the halls, but nobody’s changing anything really. We had more credentials for Saturday than Beau Rivage had security and concessions staff. One pal, I think he’s salaried or freelance or hourly or whatever, he told us it was like this in Michigan in January. Some big football stadium. He said they actually parked trailers on the floor where the fight was supposed to happen. To save money and material on black curtains, they just plopped the ring in the far corner. Genius. So, Saturday, there were some problems with taking our brand to the next level. We had that young kid in the eight-rounder, the Olympian that Papa, like, hinted might have been a victim of politics. Wasn’t too clear on that. Didn’t ask questions about it because, dude, it ain’t my place. While I’m on the subject: Just because it isn’t my place doesn’t mean it isn’t yours. Fans like you are what give us these amazing opportunities. Your feedback is so very important to us. Be sure to log-on to our message board and express your feelings. And if you can, y’know, log-on from a number of different devices (so their IP addresses register as unique hits), that’s even better! Make your voices be heard. Antihero, that was totally the angle for Berto. Kid can’t sell tickets because Haitians don’t care about boxing. Plan was to repackage him innovatively. Build him up as a guy who didn’t know he couldn’t draw a stick figure at the box office. He was brash. That was the keyword we focus-grouped. “Brash” scares older people, reminds them of flash mobs and stuff. We were going to make him brash, and the viewers would hate him for his not knowing they hated him. And then, just like that, the youngest 1/3 of our viewers would make him their favorite and just go sick with talk of skillz. But dude messed it up. He’s been in two awesome fights. Now we have to start over. And don’t even get me going about Max! What was that crap he pulled during his closing soliloquy? He basically sold out the shop. He told the viewers – sorry, “our guests” – that we know they know about Berto’s advisor. He implied our guests might consciously choose to cheer against a guy like Berto because they resent his advisor. Thanks, Max. We gave him the red light on that one. He got the message. You see the way he went away from that point? We zoomed him out anyway. That let Papa know to take the mic back. Max is an awesome guy, but sometimes he’s too smart for himself. Then it was Money time. It’s not like we scheduled a Berto fight just to lead-in to Money time, but that’s probably what we did. Like they’d tell an intern about that? My supervisor did watch me a lot more while we watched “24/7” than “Boxing After Dark.” He thinks I still live at home with my parents, which I don’t. Well, in the summer I do, but I’m back in the dorm this week, so I don’t know how he thinks convincing me to convince my dad to buy the pay-per-view is such a brilliant strategy. (Nobody in that Campus Survival class told us our bosses would always be dumber than us.) You see some of that mic work on the Money shots? That was me. Some of it, I’m not trying to brag. I was there for the scene with 50 Cent, Money’s BFF. I told my director I thought it was like Money and 50 had rehearsed the phone call with the money stacks. He asked me if it wasn’t twice as delicious to imagine they hadn’t. Still don’t get that. My buddy was there in Money’s home theater when Money kept yelling at him, at my buddy with the boom arm, to tell him who trains harder. My buddy, like, totally shrugged at Money, but he kept yelling at him. He said it took 17 shots to get the right feel. Then my buddy told our supervisor, “Floyd’s a douche.” That’s how I got my shot. Dude, 50 Cent looked mad uncomfortable during those scenes! Goodbye, cred. I haven’t been over to the Ortiz camp, though I tried to cold-call his dad and schedule a surprise training-camp visit (epic fail), but I hear Oscar totally dissed every word Oscar’s ever said in a Mayweather promotion. Maybe he’s working his program? Going to the convenience store to get Roger a sandwich wasn’t fun as it looked but still cool. I got a text from a chick whose internship took her to the VMAs a week ago. I replied: “I’m with Roger Mayweather right now … 2nd place is still a winner LMAO.” But those midnight runs are a bitch, I won’t lie. Money runs for about 45 minutes. He talks the whole time. We get 38 seconds of usable footage. You do the math. Oh well, I have to be in class on Tuesday. My amazing summer is over, yo. But I had to share. Ur welcome.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA – World ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez dominated veteran Daniel Jimenez, dropping the normally durable Puerto Rican three times en route a second-round stoppage at the Salinas Sports Complex on Friday night. With the eyebrow-raising performance, which came before his supportive local fan base, Perez looks poised to break through against the upper echelon of the division.

Promoter Don Chargin, who celebrated his 60th year of promoting with Friday’s event, proved prophetic with his comments in the days leading into the fight. “Eloy used to be strictly a boxer,” Chargin told 15rounds.com on Wednesday. “But he has started to sit down on his punches and he is going to start hurting people.”

Long seen as a light-hitting classical boxer, Perez (22-0-2, 6 KOs) of Salinas unleashed newfound power against an opponent that had been stopped just once in his career. In fact, the last time Jimenez (20-4-1, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico failed to see the final bell was 2007 and the knockout came in the twelfth round against eventual world champion Rocky Martinez.

Perez, 130, came out aggressively, and appeared to bother Jimenez, 130, in the early going with his left hand. Halfway through the first, a two-punch combination wobbled Jimenez, who had bent over after the jab, enabling the right to land high on his head. Moments later Perez caught Jimenez with a short right in the midst of an exchange, dropping the Puerto Rican on his back. Jimenez got up on very shaky legs, leaning against the ropes while receiving the mandatory eight count.

Late in the round, Perez landed a left that bounced Jimenez off the ropes and into another short left for the second knockdown of the first. With the seconds ticking away in the round, Jimenez smiled and shook his head to referee Ed Collantes, but was likely saved from a first-round knockout by the sound of the bell.

Perez, the WBO #4 ranked super featherweight, opened the second looking to close the show and found an unsteady, but willing opponent in Jimenez. Moments later Perez set Jimenez up with a right hand and unleashed a devastating left that sent the Puerto Rican’s head across his shoulders and into the ropes. Collantes leaped over and immediately waved off the fight. Time of the stoppage was 56 seconds of the second round.

With the win Perez successfully defended his WBO NABO 130-pound title and more importantly put his name in the mix as a marketable and viable contender for any of the champions at super featherweight. Perez, who grew up in Rainier, Washington but has been adopted by Salinas since moving there to train under Max Garcia in 2007, also showed he can draw a crowd in a city that had not held a fight card of Friday’s magnitude anytime in recent memory.

In the co-feature, James Parison (15-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California edged fellow once-beaten Paul Mendez (6-2, 2 KOs) of Delano, California in a closely-contested battle that could have been scored either way.

Action was tense at the outset, as Mendez, 163, did well at range in the first, but Parison, 163, landed two rights that were perhaps the hardest shots of the round. Again in the second, Mendez did best when on the outside, where he could fire his one-two and stay out of danger. Parison looked for ways inside, but wound up getting caught with a solid right late in the frame. Mendez followed up with a combination to punctuate a round that was clearly his.

After some even exchanges to start the third, Parison forced Mendez into an inside fight late in the round. Fighting at close quarters seemed to favor Parison as he placed uppercuts and short shots while smothering much of Mendez’ attack.

Much of the fourth was fought back at range, providing Mendez the room to fire his combinations. When Parison would land coming in it was often one at a time. However, Parison’s one blow often would snap Mendez’ head back, which may have won over some of the judges. The fifth was a tough one to score, as both had their moments. Parison was busier early as Mendez held on the inside, but the Delano native finished strong.

Both men fought the sixth like they needed it. Parison landed a couple eye-catching shots in the early going and Mendez kept firing in combination. With the fight in doubt, both men closed out the final seconds throwing until the sound of the bell. In the end, it was Parison that won over two of the official scorers, 59-55 and 58-56. The lone dissenting judge had Mendez up 58-56. Despite the competitive nature of the bout, the decision was not received warmly by the majority of the crowd on hand.

Returning to a boxing ring for the first time in almost two years, Tony Johnson (5-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California put the first blemish on the ledger of popular knockout artist Joe Gumina (2-1, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California via four-round majority decision in a wild, free-swinging affair.

Gumina, 182, charged out early, landing some wide, but clean shots. Perhaps a little overanxious, Gumina seemed to leave his feet with some of his early swings. Johnson, 182, took some stiff blows in the first two minutes without landing much in return, but managed to weather the early onslaught. In the last thirty seconds of the opening round, Johnson began to land, but it was Gumina that closed with one last uppercut.

The fight turned into a wild shootout in the second, as Gumina left some openings to exploit in between landing some hellacious bombs. And so the fight went, as both men did little defensively, but showed tons of heart in a game of ‘I can take yours, can you take mine?’ In the end one judge had the fight a draw, 38-38, but was overruled by the other two who had Johnson the winner, 39-37.

Jonathan Chicas (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Francisco, California impressively halted late replacement opponent Davis Kamara (4-3) of Audenshaw, Lancashire, England via third-round stoppage.

Chicas, 142, employed a balanced attack, including short stints in the southpaw stance, against his well-built opponent Kamara, 138 ½. After a solid first round, Chicas really turned up his aggression in the second, pounding the sturdy Kamara around the ring. A left hook followed by a right had stunned Kamara early in the third, but the U.K. import hung in there and fired back.

Despite his gameness, Kamara was eventually forced into a corner by a Chicas right hand, setting up an unanswered series of punches that forced the hand of referee Marcos Rosales. Despite Kamara’s protests, Rosales’ decision was just, as an estimated 16 punches were thrown without a single Kamara retort. Time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the third round.

Rudy Puga Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) of Salinas pleased the hometown crowd in his professional debut, stopping winless Raul Talamontes (0-5) of Stockton, California in the fourth-round.

Puga, 165, took a little bit to get warmed up, but began to assert himself in the second round. After a series of right hands, Talamontes, 163 ½, began to go into retreat as blood dripped down from his nose late in the round. After a dominant third round, Puga closed the show in the fourth, rocking Talamontes with a left hook and forcing him to a corner. A few shots later, referee Ed Collantes stopped the bout, much to the displeasure of Talamontes. Time of the stoppage was 1:27 of the fourth.

In the opening bout of the night, quick-handed prospect Bruno Escalante Jr. (4-0-1, 3 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines made short work of journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-11-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California, ending his night in less than one minute.

After a couple jabs, Escalante, 121 ½, dropped Gutierrez, 123, with the first overhand left he threw. Given how hard he went down, it was somewhat surprising Gutierrez made it to his feet as fast as he did. Very quickly, Escalante pressured Gutierrez to the ropes and let go with a two-fisted attack. With Gutierrez prone against the strands, Escalante landed two lefts that crumpled the Highland resident to the mat. Referee Marcos Rosales, who looked to be on his way to stopping it before the final blows, ended the contest without a count at 52 seconds of the opening round.

In the walkout bout, Roman Morales (7-0, 5 KOs) of San Ardo, California pounded away at the body of late fill-in opponent Cain Garcia (0-5) of Bakersfield, California en route to a second-round stoppage. Morales, 124, opened the fight in a measured posture before placing a series of blows to the midsection of Garcia, 124.

With Garcia clearly bothered by the body attack, Morales upped his aggression while remaining calm and composed. An overhand right late in the round had Garcia in trouble, as covering up in the corner exposed his vulnerable body. However, Garcia made it out of the corner and eventually out of the round.

After several digging lefts to the body, Morales downed Garcia with a well placed right downstairs early in the second round. Garcia gamely rose, but could only cover up as Morales dug three or four more lefts into his ribs. The blows forced Garcia down to a knee and prompted referee Ed Collantes to stop the bout at the time of 1:49. Morales returns to the ring September 30th at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA — World ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez defends his home turf, WBO NABO 130-pound title and standing among the leading contenders at super featherweight in the ten-round main event against potential spoiler Daniel Jimenez tonight at the Salinas Sports Complex. Fighters weighed in for the Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised card at a jam-packed Chapala Mexican Restaurant & Bistro on Thursday evening.

Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas is coming off of a one-sided ten-round decision over an unwilling Alejandro Rodriguez in April. Perez, the WBO #4 ranked super featherweight, finds every fight he’s in from here on out a must-win if he hopes to force one of the champions at 130-pounds into a title fight.

Perez is largely responsible for boxing returning to Salinas for the first time in years, as with the help of the Garcia Boxing team that trains and manages him, the unbeaten fighter managed to draw an impressive crowd out to San Francisco in his two most recent fights. “Their people are so loyal to them to follow them up to San Francisco, where they have to get a hotel room,” said promoter Don Chargin, celebrating his 60th year of promoting this weekend. “I talked to Kathy about it, we came up here and looked at a few locations and decided to do it.”

Jimenez (20-3-1, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico had been tabbed to fight Perez back in April, but pulled out weeks before the fight. Jimenez has not been terribly active in recent years, but could provide to stern test for Perez. Jimenez has a few upsets on his ledger, including one that Northern California fight fans should remember. “I wanted to get a strong opponent, so I thought of Daniel Jimenez, who fought for me at ARCO Arena and gave Vicente Escobedo his first loss,” recalls Chargin of the 2006 upset. Perez and Jimenez both weighed in at 130-pounds, though the challenger did have to make three attempts.

Perez has really caught the eye of Chargin, who promoted his last two fights. “He reminds me of Jackie McCoy, who fought in the ‘50’s,” says Chargin. “I saw Jackie fight in San Jose. Eddie Chavez was 26-0 and Jackie came and beat him in a big upset. He had a style, the style that Eloy is getting now. Eloy used to be strictly a boxer, but he has started to sit down on his punches and he is going to start hurting people. I am very high on Eloy now. I’ve noticed the improvement in each fight.”

In the televised co-feature, James Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California takes on fellow once-beaten Paul Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California in an intriguing six-round middleweight bout. Parison, who scaled 163-pounds, has long been an under the radar prospect, losing only one bout to touted Craig McEwan. Much the same could be said for Mendez, who also scaled 163, who has won four straight since a closely contested loss to former European amateur standout David Tabatadze in only his third pro bout. The winner tonight figures to fly under the radar no more.

Super bantamweight prospect Roman Morales (6-0, 4 KOs) of San Ardo, California gets to fight near home for the first time as a professional as he takes on Cain Garcia (0-4) of Bakersfield, California in a four-round bout. Morales, who scaled 124, is coming off of a shutout decision over veteran Rodrigo Aranda last month. Garcia, who also came in at 124, took the fight on short notice after countless others turned the fight down.

Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines returns to the ring against journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Escalante, a former National PAL champion, has had to deal with several cancellations since his last appearance, an impressive second-round stoppage of Shaun Solomon in April. Escalante scaled 121 ½-pounds, while Gutierrez came in at 123.

In a fight that has many associated with the card buzzing, Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California will take on Tony Johnson (4-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Gumina, who has a bus load of supporters coming in from the Bay Area, has impressed with two brutal knockouts since turning pro in February. Johnson may have only one knockout on his ledger, but it was devastating enough that it won him a trophy and fighter of the night honors on a card in 2009. Gumina and Johnson both weighed in at 182-pounds.

Making his professional debut, the latest Garcia Boxing protégé Rudy Puga Jr. will take on Raul Talamontes (0-4) of Stockton, California in a four-round super middleweight bout. Puga, coming off of an impressive amateur career, scaled 165-pounds. Talamontes, who has been up and down the scale in his career, came in at 163 ½-pounds Thursday.

In the opener, Jonathan Chicas (2-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco, California takes on Davis Kamara (4-2) of Audenshaw, Lancashire, England in a four-round light welterweight fight. Chicas is coming in off of a four-round unanimous decision over former amateur standout Michael Islas in June. Chicas scaled 142, while Kamara came in at 138 ½-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions and Paco Presents are available online at Tickets.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO NABO Super Featherweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Perez 130
Jimenez 130

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Mendez 163
Parison 163

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 124
Garcia 124

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 121 ½
Gutierrez 123

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Puga Jr. 165
Talamontes 163 ½

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Gumina 182
Johnson 182

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 142
Kamara 138 ½

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Legendary boxing promoter Don Chargin is in Salinas, California tonight with a solid card at the Salinas Sports Complex which will be televised on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo. The event, dubbed “History in the Making,” not only marks the return of professional boxing to a city that has hosted a few events, but serves as a benchmark for a Hall of Famer, as 60 years ago this weekend Don Chargin promoted his first of many shows.

Chargin had been closely involved in the sport before one event gave him the motivation to break out on his own and promote his first show in 1951. “I had assisted other promoters on shows and then a promoter had a big outdoor show and he was going through a terrible divorce and I was feeling bad for him,” recalls Chargin. “He went through like a two-week drunk and I did everything from setting up the chairs to making all the preliminaries to running the whole thing. Then when the show was over, he gave me 50 dollars. 50 dollars was a lot more then in 1951, but it was still nothing for the amount of work and time and the way I killed myself. That day I wouldn’t accept the 50 dollars and told him I was going to promote on my own and I promised him right there I would take his drawing card from him, which was Eddie Chavez, which I did.”

In fact, Chargin’s first show, which took place on September 3, 1951 in San Jose, California, would be headlined by Eddie Chavez. Chargin had known the fighting Chavez family for some time, and put the popular Eddie on in the featured attraction against name that would surely sell. “It was one of my boyhood idols, the great Manuel Ortiz, who was bantamweight champion for like ten or eleven years,” Chargin remembers. “This was at the end of his career, but he fought his first fight for me on Labor Day, 1951. It was just a great, toe-to-toe slugfest, and Chavez won a decision.”

“That first show was so successful, I thought it was going to be easy,” says Chargin. “I thought I was on my way to making a million dollars.”

Chargin’s success has been well chronicled. From the late 1950’s through the mid 1960’s Chargin put together a successful run of cards together for promoter Jimmy Dundee at the Oakland Auditorium. Most famously perhaps he got the nickname “War-A-Week” matching cards at the Olympic Auditorium for twenty years beginning in the 1964, while promoting his successful run of shows in Sacramento, helping develop world champions like Tony Lopez, Loreto Garza and later Willie Jorrin.

One thing that separates Chargin from some of the other established promoters of longevity has been his willingness to mentor aspiring promoters and matchmakers. “They got their own way of doing things,” says Chargin in reference to some other promoters. “I like to see young people in the business, and any way I can help…because I went through it when I was young. When I first started promoting, I jumped in my old car and I’d go to Newman’s Gym and Dolph Thomas’ Royal Gym and all the old managers and trainers would say, ‘Here’s that kid again, here’s that pest.’ But they wouldn’t do anything to help me until I started putting on successful shows. I swore at that time I would never be that way with young people that were interested in boxing.”

One of Chargin’s pupils is Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker Eric Gomez. “Eric Gomez, I am very, very fond of,” says Chargin. “He is like a son to me. He is a good matchmaker, and he is going to be a great matchmaker in time.”

This year Chargin has helped revitalize professional boxing in Northern California, co-promoting four shows in Fairfield and two in San Francisco prior to tonight’s card in Salinas. Working alongside Chargin on those shows have been upstart promoters Paco Damian and John Chavez.

When Damian, who owns and operates a successful restaurant in Woodland, California, Paco’s Mexican Restaurant, decided he wanted to go into boxing promoting he immediately sought after Chargin. “I went to the commission to just ask for information and I had already searched for Don, because I knew he had done all the shows in this area,” recalls Damian. “And as a matter of fact he had just left the office that day I was there. One day I went to one of the shows he was doing at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, and I told him my passion for boxing and that I wanted to be a promoter. And I don’t know whether he saw it or not, but when I was talking to him I don’t know if he was able to feel the vibe that I had, but he invited me to follow him around and check what really goes on.”

“He sounded so nice and sincere,” recalls Chargin. “I mentioned it to my wife and she said, ‘Yeah, let him do it. You always like having young guys around.’ So we did it and we’ve been friends ever since. He watches out for me now. He’s always worried about my health or that I might lose money. But he has been a real friend.”

Eventually Damian went to work and started learning the ropes from the ground up. “They started taking me to all the shows here in Sacramento, the shows in Tucson, Arizona, all the shows in Oroville,” says Damian. “Then I just started doing the minimum stuff, like assigning the fighters their dressing rooms, their gloves, getting the contracts ready and delivering to them, translating if the fighters didn’t speak English. Little by little I just started learning more and here I am now.”

Studying at the School of Don Chargin meant learning from his wife and partner Lorraine, who past away last year after a bout with cancer. “She was afraid somebody would come and brainwash me to do some big show and I would lose all this money,” remembers Damian. “That is what she was really afraid of. I am just trying to keep my work ethic the same as when Lorraine was there, trying to do things the same, because she was amazing. Thanks for her, things used to run so smoothly. Now that she’s gone, everything is a little more difficult.”

Chavez, a longtime fight scribe for various web sites, met the Chargin as a writer and quickly became friends with the couple. “I was doing some writing about Lorraine,” recalls Chavez. “They were just stories that were underreported. They had been in boxing for so many years. I just felt it was important. Little by little, I just started to learn more about how boxing works from Don. From the fan’s perspective, I got to see some of the issues that are going on with the sport and Don gave me perspective on what was going on now as well as the past.”

“We started talking on the phone, and he would mention fights or fighters,” says Chargin. “I would always to best of my ability give him an honest answer. We just became closer and my wife was very fond of John also. We used to have John come down to our home in Cambria on weekends.”

When Chargin brought shows to the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco in February and April, Chavez was a major part of the promotion. “It was a natural thing when I decided to go in San Francisco, because John had always said ‘Let’s do something in San Francisco,’ that John would be apart of it,” says Chargin.

“We had always talked about doing a show together because I had wanted to get into it to see what promoting was all about,” says Chavez. “We had the opportunity this year to make it a reality. For me, it is a damn shame because Lorraine is not around. When I think of Don I think of her too.”

In his time with the Chargins, Chavez has seen firsthand what has separated them from some of their contemporaries. “They are pretty much the opposite [of other promoters,]” says Chavez. “Lorraine took me in like a part of her family. They are like night and day and just so humble, unlike some of the other promoters that always feel like they should be in the spotlight. It seems like in boxing, it doesn’t matter if it’s a writer or a fighter or a manager, they always are badmouthing somebody. When it came to them, it was never like that at all. It was always a positive note and they never had anything bad to say about anybody.”

When the day comes that Don Chargin decides he’s had enough of the boxing game, he will have left at least two promoters with some of his wisdom, though both understand they could never duplicate their mentor. “There is not going to be any replacing Don, that’s for sure, because he has knowledge that not anyone else can come close to in this sport,” says Chavez. “I just want to keep on the legacy of honesty. It’s a high level of honesty that he operates with, regardless of what other people say. I would like to continue to promote like that and be a straight shooter.”

“I don’t think I kind of deserve that,” says Paco in regards to carrying on the Chargin legacy. “He has worked so hard, sixty years, can you imagine? Him and Lorraine used to do one show a week, sometimes two. They would do one here and one in L.A. in the same week. Two in one week. It drains me and takes everything out of me. It just exhausts me mentally and physically. I go to sleep late every night at least one week before the fight. I just have no idea how they did it.

Humbly, not because I am not going to be able to do it, I would love to. Just being humble about it, I don’t want to think that far away. I want to think he is going to keep doing it and I am going to do it with him, learn and have fun and just keep doing it. If one day, he decides he wants me to give me the opportunity to carry on his company name with my name, it would be a privilege and an honor to use his name in every show that I do. So I would have him as my partner even if he doesn’t want to do the boxing anymore or decides to say he is going to take it easy. If he gives me that opportunity, I would use Don Chargin Productions in association with Paco Presents for every show I do.”

The name of the event is “History in the Making,” which was something main eventer Eloy Perez’ manager Kathy Garcia came up with, likely referring to her charge’s road to a title or bringing boxing back to Salinas. However, it’s a fitting title to describe the show for another obvious reason.

“Whatever Kathy had that clicked in her mind to put that name, that was a great name,” says Paco. “She didn’t even know that this fight would be celebrating his 60th year as a promoter. When she found out, I told her that is the perfect name that we would be able to pick for this fight because a living legend and a Hall of Famer will be celebrating his 60th year of promoting boxing, and nobody in boxing history has done that. To me, it’s a privilege and an honor to be part of his team and to learn the ropes from him. Sometimes I can’t find the words to describe it, because he didn’t have to do this for me. He is a top notch guy and has all the contacts. I don’t know what he saw in me, but he saw something in me to give me the opportunity to be with him all these years.”

It is hard to imagine doing something, anything really, for 60 straight years, but Don Chargin would not have had it any other way, “I knew early on I didn’t want to do anything else.”

Photo by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

He’s either a surfer who happens to fight or a fighter who happens to be a surfer, snowboarder, golfer and tri-athlete. I have no idea. I’m not always sure Victor Ortiz does either. But Ortiz doesn’t waste time agonizing over perceptions about who he is or should be. He’ll leave the self-analysis to the media or perhaps Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I have fun with this thing called life,’’ Ortiz said. “Apparently, that’s a sin in boxing. But I don’t care.’’

It was a comment, one of many, made by Ortiz Wednesday in a fascinating conference call that included a glimpse at layers to a personality that lacks only insecurity. The pieces don’t always seem to fit. To wit: The newly-minted welterweight champion calls himself “Vicious,” yet recalls he was repelled at the initial sight of fighters beating up on each other when he walked into a gym as a kid in Garden City, Kan., for the first time.

Contradictions make the man. They also make him interesting in a many-sided, yet distinct style that is defiant, humble, world-weary, child-like, cocky, funny, angry and always genuine. It’s the genuine part, I think, that fans have seen and seized upon since the dramatic resurrection of his career in a victory in April over Andre Berto and the ongoing build-up to Mayweather on Sept. 17 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

The public likes him. So, too, does most of the media, at least for now. His relationship with the media ranks as one of the prime contradictions. His frustration with damning criticism started with his loss to Marcos Maidana and multiplied like a contagion in a regrettable case of piling on until he beat Berto.

I can’t blame him for not forgiving and forgetting the clichéd rips that always questioned his heart, yet ignored the story about how he had raised a brother after he was abandoned by his parents. Ortiz’ story is about heart, always on his sleeve and maybe too much of it.

On Wednesday, he talked about a visit seven months ago with his mom, Manuela, who left him when he was 7.

“I don’t really know her,’’ said Ortiz, whose dad, Victor, left him six years later. “But it seems like she’s a sweetheart. I forgave her for everything.’’

The media missed that heart, instead defining it by what it didn’t see saw in his 2009 loss to Maidana and his draw with Lamont Peterson in December.

Lingering bitterness flared Wednesday when Ortiz was asked about his move up to welterweight from junior-welter. He said he never had trouble making 140 pounds, despite what had been reported. Then, it became evident his only trouble was with the media.

“Of course, the media is very negative,’’ he said. “They sit around all day, feeling sorry for themselves.’’

The contradiction – an irony — is that Ortiz’ found the media to be his greatest ally before Berto. It gave him a cause, deepened a hunger to prove everybody wrong. It’s a trick older than even Bernard Hopkins, who has never let a slight, real or imagined, go unused in stoking the motivational fires.

The sudden surge in Ortiz’ popularity looms as problematic against Mayweather, who at last report was a 6-1 betting favorite. The bad guy has become a lifetime role for Mayweather. It was clear he was rehearsing for it once again in an ugly rant at his dad, Floyd Sr., in the first segment of HBO’s 24/7. By opening bell, Ortiz will play the good guy, an overwhelming fan favorite but not a favorite to win. He will have to guard against the public’s evident affection for him. If he allows himself to be seduced by it, motivation to score a stunning upset might be diminished.

Ortiz talks as if he knows that. Rather than popularity, he nurtures his lifetime role as underdog.

“For guys like me, this is not supposed to happen, not in a million years,’’ he said. “But I don’t believe in statistics. I’m trying to make my own statistic.’’

Just one would set some history on Sept. 17 if he could beat Mayweather. In 41 fights, nobody has. Ortiz is sure that he can.

“Cause Floyd is overdue,’’ Ortiz said. “He should not be a 147-pounder. I’m going to show him that. I never have thought he was that great, not even when I was a kid. …He’s in trouble.’’

Growing up, he said, favorites included his promoter, Oscar De la Hoya, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah.

But Mayweather?

“Not impressed,’’ Ortiz said.

Not even his 41-0 record?

“Forty-one fighters, none of them were me,’’ said Ortiz, who in a couple of weeks will step into a ring and a moment that will say a lot more about him than the media or even he can.

AZ Notes
· Phoenix prospect Jose Benavidez Jr., a junior-welterweight who continues to generate headlines in sparring with Mercito Gesta and Mosley at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, has a scheduled opponent, 31-year-old Angel Rios, for a six-rounder on Sept. 17 at BlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, Ariz. But Rios, of New York, also is scheduled for a bout on Sept.10 card featuring Yuriorkis Gamboa and Daniel Ponce de Leon in Atlantic City. If Rios (9-6, 6 KOs) is the foe, the 19-year-old Benavidez (12-0, 11 KOs) will encounter another fighter with experience against world-class opposition. Rios’ losses include one in 2001 to former lightweight champion Nate Campbell and another in 2003 to former super-featherweight champ Mike Anchondo.

· Alma Carrasco Canez enters the busy promotional market in Phoenix with a card Friday night featuring hometown super-bantamweight Alexis Santiago (9-1-1, 3 KOs) against Steven Johnson (7-3, 4 KOs) of Saint Joseph, MO. The card, at El Zaribah Shriners Auditorium, is scheduled for eight bouts. First bell is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST).

Promising middleweight Paul Mendez takes a step up in class as he meets once-beaten James Parison in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised co-feature at the Salinas Sports Complex, in Salinas, California, tomorrow night. In the twelve months since his last ring appearance, Mendez relocated from Central California and made a stay down south before eventually finding his way to the San Francisco Bay Area to train under the watchful eye of respected trainer Virgil Hunter. Tomorrow Mendez gets his first opportunity to show off his new tools, before a television audience no less.

Since turning pro in February of 2009, Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California has built up a solid reputation on the West Coast. Most notably scoring back-to-back wins over prospects Derek Hinkey and Tyrell Hendrix, Mendez managed to maintain his record without the backing of a promoter or well connected manager. Mendez took the Hinkey win in his opponent’s hometown and bested Hendrix on short notice at his walking around weight.

Looking to improve himself as a fighter, Mendez moved from the Bakersfield area to Oxnard, California to train with former world champion Robert Garcia. However, with Garcia being one of the most in demand trainers in the sport, Mendez jumped at an opportunity to come up north and train with Hunter. “I got the offer to come spar with [Andre Ward,] I accepted and came over as a sparring partner at first, sometime in October,” recalls Mendez. Apparently impressed with the work Mendez was giving his star pupil, Hunter eventually asked him to move to the Bay Area.

Mendez made the move in January, settled in Walnut Creek, and has been honing his skills under Hunter’s tutelage ever since. “It’s been great,” says Mendez. “Virg is a very wise man. He knows a lot about the game and a lot about the sport. The best way to describe it is that he is like a scientist. He breaks me down and sees what I need to work on and sees little things that not the normal boxing fan would see. He is very methodical, just like ‘Dre.”

Of course, training alongside and especially sparring a top ten pound-for-pound fighter like Andre Ward is a benefit just in itself for a developing pro such as Mendez. “I hate and love sparring with ‘Dre because it frustrates me that he is so smart and so good,” admits Mendez. “He is always two or three steps ahead of me. But it pushes me and every time when we are through with a sparring session, it makes me think about what he was doing to combat my movements in the ring and that’s great.”

Mendez will take everything he has learned into the ring against the most professionally experienced opponent of his career to date. Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California turned pro back in 2005, logging 71 rounds compared to Mendez’ 30. Parison’s lone loss came to then unbeaten Craig McEwan by decision in November 2009. “I thought about his record and his experience and I had been out of the ring so long,” says Mendez. “But when they offered me this fight, I saw how he did in his last fight. He didn’t do so good. He won, but he didn’t look so good. At the same time, he is older and I am younger. I have been learning a lot. I am better than the last time I entered the ring. I am probably 60 percent better than I was before. I am getting there and I think this fight will prove it.”

Landing the fight with Parison ends a disheartening year-long layoff for Mendez. “It has been hard, but more frustrating than hard,” says Mendez, who recently spent time as a sparring partner for Andre Berto. “I am trying to get fights here and there, but it’s just not happening. Guys don’t want to fight people with my record, because I am so-called dangerous. It’s time to take risks and this is a big risk for me, but there’s a big reward too. I am going to beat this guy. There is no doubt in my mind I am going to win.”

With the fight being televised nationally on Telefutura and some Golden Boy Promotions execs likely in attendance, Mendez aims to make a statement. “I have some Golden Boy suits that I want to impress,” says the promotional free agent. “Golden Boy is a great company and this is a great opportunity for me. I have always looked at Golden Boy as my promoter of choice and I look highly on Oscar De La Hoya himself and the career he had. His upbringing was similar to mine. I am from a small Mexican town. That is why I would like to land that.”

Though he’s not looking past Parison, Mendez hopes a win Friday could lead to a fight with a recognizable name. “After this I’m looking to fight other guarded fighters,” says Mendez. “I’ll say the names. Demetrius Andrade, 154. I’ll fight at 154, that is where I am supposed to be at anyway, but if I have to come up to fight guys like Shawn Estrada or guys like that, that is no problem with me. I am in this game to fight, and that is what I am going to do.”

Before Mendez can look to a fight with an Andrade or an Estrada, he must take everything he has learned in the gym this year and ring it out like a wet sponge on Friday night. Itching for a fight for over a year, Mendez sounds ready to show everyone what he has learned and advance his career, “I just want to open people’s eyes to what I can do and we’ll go from there.”

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

A friend visited me from Mexico last week. Between trips to Austin and strolls along the San Antonio River, we had occasion to watch a number of old Marco Antonio Barrera fights – the Junior Jones debacles and the classic trilogy with Erik Morales. But it was the first Manny Pacquiao fight that filled me with a dull sense of foreboding about November.

What does Barrera have to do with November? Probably not much unless Top Rank needs undercard filler. What Barrera tells us about Pacquiao’s waning interest in combat, though, might be plenty instructive as we begin to look forward to Pacquiao’s third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.

First, a note or two about what it was like to be an average boxing fan in Mexico for the last decade. My friend lives in Tampico, Tamaulipas, a city located about 300 miles south of the U.S. border. In the 1940s, he boxed in amateur events as a boy in the Mexican state of Veracruz. He loves boxing at least as much as you do.

But until last week, he had never seen Barrera-Morales I, II or III. Those fights, you see, were on pay channels, and a municipal employee in Tamaulipas’ fifth-largest city didn’t earn a salary large enough to justify such an expense. That meant, in some way, boxing stopped commanding his interest. There were the old days, nostalgia for such scrappers as Rodolfo “Chango” Casanova, sure, but with its accessibility issues, boxing moved to a distant second behind soccer.

That is now changed. Boxing is everywhere on Mexican public airwaves again. But the lost decade of Mexican prizefighting, and its consequences for the quality of product coming out of Mexico today – read: Canelo and Junior – is worth an annual reconsideration or two by American fight fans looking at bandwagons to jump.

The Barrera that fought Morales in February of 2000 has never been seen again. He would go on to teach Naseem Hamed how to box in 2001 and decision Morales in their 2002 rematch, but he would never fight with the abandon he showed in his first match with “El Terrible.”

Seventeen months after winning a first decision over Morales, Barrera would come to San Antonio and get fully undone by a young Filipino prodigy nicknamed Pac Man. With trainer Freddie Roach whispering in his ear about Texas judges – with the ghost of Chavez-Whitaker still haunting the Alamodome scorer’s table (and yes, trivia buffs, Gale Van Hoy was an official judge for Barrera-Pacquiao I) – Pacquiao would make no mistakes in his championship rounds with Barrera.

Fresh as an insolent child after 30 minutes of combat, Pacquiao would hunt and raze Barrera. Beginning in the ninth round, Barrera would glide, retreat and engage only when imperiled. And Pacquiao’s ferocious fighting spirit would not stop imperiling the champion till Barrera’s corner stopped the match.

Four years later, in a fight that marked a temporary rapprochement between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, Barrera challenged Pacquiao to a rematch Barrera had no thought of winning. Barrera cashed himself out, gliding and retreating for 36 minutes, engaging only when imperiled and announcing a retirement immediately afterwards.

And Pacquiao let him. Fighting as the favorite in Las Vegas, Pacquiao had no fears of crooked Lone Star scorecards. He did enough to win each round. Drained from making 130 pounds for the last time, Pacquiao did a 12-round dance with Barrera that looked like nothing so much as a business transaction.

What happens, then, if that Manny Pacquiao meets the wrong Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 at MGM Grand?

To this point, worries about Pacquiao-Marquez III have all treated Marquez’s health. Marquez, great as he is, does not belong in a fight one ounce above the lightweight limit of 135 pounds. Pacquiao is an established, if ever-light, welterweight. Their rubber match will happen at 144, where Pacquiao seems most comfortable.

Marquez has shown us that he, too, is capable of a business transaction. Told by his trainer and longtime manager Nacho Beristain not to fight Floyd Mayweather at welterweight in 2009, Marquez did it anyway to gain a career payday. Dropped early in the match, Marquez fought hard enough to frighten the ever-cautious Mayweather from pursuing a knockout in the half hour that followed. Mayweather could not knock out Marquez, in other words, because he hated the thought of a hellacious exchange.

After losing most every round to Mayweather, though, Marquez showed no regret. On the contrary, he stated plainly that he had nothing about which to feel shame. He’d challenged a much larger man, remained on his feet and cashed a much larger check.

Since then, Manny Pacquiao has shown, in fights with Joshua Clottey and Shane Mosley, that if an opponent is hellbent on not-fighting, Pacquiao won’t force him to do it. The likely beneficiary of every close round, Pacquiao now stays busy, picks his moments, flurries and leaps out, and collects decision victories and immense paydays.

What happens, then, if that Pacquiao squares off with that Marquez? Two words, actually: Uh oh.

We’re readying the boxing rally caps, I know – the now-annual rite of Pacquiao-Mayweather-fight promises will soon spill forth as if on a timer – but it might be helpful to remember this. Whatever happens from here, however easily Mayweather decisions Victor Ortiz in a few weeks, however easily Pacquiao decisions Marquez two months after that, Pacquiao-Mayweather will never again hold the promise it held at the end of 2009.

The Fight to Save Boxing, 2012 vintage, is an event already corrupted by greed and shortsightedness. Let us hope nothing happens in November to cause further erosion of interest.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Conference calls are a necessary task, perhaps, which also means they are often stuck between ho-hum and hum-drum on the interest meter. But then along comes Teddy Atlas. This Atlas doesn’t just shrug when asked a question. Word-for-word – and there were a lot of them Wednesday, Atlas knocked out the mundane with insight, a little schtick, genuine opinion and some real news.

Listening to Atlas from Alexander Povetkin’s camp in Russia made me think of Emanuel Steward when he is talking about Wladimir Klitschko or Miguel Cotto. Both are terrific commentators, Atlas for ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and Steward for Home Box Office. But I find myself listening more attentively when they are back in a corner, back where they belong. Talk is like that old line about opinions. You know it. I’m sitting on one as I write this. Everybody has one. But few, very few, have the instinct, or patience, or smarts, or guts to be a real trainer.

The sport, I think, suffers when an Atlas or Steward spends more time behind a microphone than in a corner. I understand why they do it. The money is good. The headaches and hangers-on aren’t there in the maddening abundance that has to make them feel more like a circus-master than a teacher.

“The main difference is nobody can talk back to me on the microphone,’’ Atlas joked as he discussed Povetkin’s chances Saturday at the World Boxing Association’s vacant heavyweight title against Ruslan Chagaev in an EPIX-telecast fight from Germany. “I kind of like that.’’

Another thing to like is the absence of a commitment to a fighter and all of the complex emotions attached to it. There’s no risk.

“You don’t have to worry about who wins,’’ Atlas said. “Now, I’m in a position where, unfortunately, I do have to worry.’’

But the potential reward in victory and even in the process is huge. It’s also something that the rest of us don’t experience, or even attempt. It’s a lot safer to just comment and move on, insulated and anonymous.

It’s fair to guess that Atlas, like Steward, is back in a corner because that risk is there. They need it to stay sharp and credible for that microphone. But I’m also guessing they are lured back just because they love their craft, which starts with teaching. True teachers are hard to find. They may leave for a while to consult or commentate. But the best ones always complete the circle, finding their way back to a classroom or a corner.

Atlas touched on it when explaining his reasons for working with Povetkin under less than optimal circumstances, including a camp that lasted only 33 days.

“The thing I love is being in the gym teaching, being in the gym where nobody bothers you and you’re able to get into a kid,’’ Atlas said “You’re able to get his full, undivided attention, his belief, his trust and you’re able to improve that kid. You’re able to get him to think things he might not have thought and get him to try things he might not have tried.

“… I mean almost like — without being too ridiculous — almost like a parent. You’re watching your kid develop a little bit and that part is still beautiful and it’s pure. It’s the essence of boxing, watching somebody get better, watching somebody become more complete as a fighter, even as a person. They’re more sure of themselves.

“That’s still great. I just wish that could be bottled and there could be a fence put around it and all of the other stuff could be kept out. But you know what? That doesn’t happen because you’re dealing with life and you’re dealing with all of the other things that will come with anything.’’

Some of those things intruded on the game’s essence this time around. Atlas had announced on ESPN that he wouldn’t be with Povetkin because of a disagreement over where he would train. Because of his ESPN commitments, Atlas wanted him in New Jersey. But Povetkin, or at least people in his camp, decided to stay close to home. Atlas was mystified and more than a little frustrated.

“I told them to get their ass over here,’’ said Atlas, who said Povetkin wasn’t in the best condition when he arrived in Russia.

Atlas said that he even had the agreement written into his contract with Povetkin.

“I mean I did ask: ‘Why aren’t you keeping your commitment?’ ‘’ Atlas said. “I did say: ‘You had a commitment to come over here. We agreed to it. We even put it in the contract.’ ”

Bottom line: Atlas could have stayed at home, stayed within the comfort zone behind that microphone. But he didn’t, all because of the student, Povetkin, who looked as if he might have to fight for a title without a real trainer there to guide him.

“They called me up and said the press was asking: ‘Who is your trainer, who is your trainer?’ ‘’ Atlas said. “Nobody was answering except Povetkin and Povetkin said, ‘My trainer is only one person, Teddy Atlas.’ ‘’

Atlas realized that, for whatever reason or agenda, the fighter wasn’t getting all the information he needed from those around him.

“You didn’t have to be Columbo to figure that out,’’ he said.
In the end, the teacher couldn’t abandon the student in need, even if a contract said he could. Here was a fighter, he said, facing his biggest moment to date, yet his advisors had made no arrangements for another trainer.
“They called me up and said the press was asking: ‘Who is your trainer, who is your trainer?’ ‘’ Atlas said. “Nobody was answering except Povetkin and Povetkin said: ‘My trainer is only one person, Teddy Atlas.’

“Right there when I heard that, it just affected me from a human standpoint.’’

When Atlas boarded his flight for Russia, he began to think about the abbreviated camp. He even began to think like a pilot perilously low on fuel.

“I felt like I was throwing chairs and things we didn’t need out of the plane to make the flight lighter,’’ he said of adjustments brought on by a lack of time. “I mean there were days I had to make choices. No bag work today; I couldn’t do this work today.’’

Without a full eight weeks, Atlas has misgivings.

“It’s frightening to me because I’m in the chair of responsibility now,’’ he said. “I have made that choice, so at this point, I’m going to do everything I can to represent myself and this kid the best I can.
“I’ve been to church more than I normally go.’’

Say a prayer. Povetkin might not have one this time around. Later on, he could if Atlas continues to sit in that risky chair. He can already talk with the best of them. The conference call’s transcript is proof of that. But the best of them can’t train, not the way he can.

QUOTES, ANECDOTES
· Alfonso Gomez isn’t given much of a chance against Mexican star Saul “Canelo’’ Alvarez on Sept. 17 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on the same night that Victor Ortiz faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. In pursuit of is first world title, but Gomez wouldn’t have it any other way. “My first try was against Miguel Cotto,’’ said Gomez, who was stopped by the Puerto Rican in 2008. This is another try against another superstar, Canelo. To get a world title, there are other ways to do it against lesser guys.’’

· An early yardstick of who is bigger in Mexico, Canelo or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., will come on Sept.17. Chavez fights Ronald Hearns in Culiacan on the same night. The unflappable Canelo doesn’t care. “He has his fans; I have my fans,’’ Canelo said Wednesday in a conference call.’’

AZ NOTES
· Another promoter is helping to resurrect the Phoenix market, moribund for the last few years. Promoter Alma Canez has scheduled eight-to-nine fights for a card featuring young, local fighters for Friday, Sept. 2nd at the El Zaribah Auditorium. Popular bantamweight Alexis Santiago faces Steve Johnson in a six-rounder.

· Fifteen days later on Sept. 17, 19-year-old junior-welterweight prospect Jose Benavidez Jr., the face of Arizona’s re-emerging market, goes back to work in Parker at BlueWater Resort & Casino. It will be Benavidez’ second successive fight in his home state since controversy over the Arizona immigration law, SB1070, kept him on the road.

Welterweight Richie Nieves talks about his pro debut which was a four round draw with Latwon Halsey as part of the Telefutura televised card that took place last Friday at The Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York

How did you feel about your pro debut fight?
Well i think in all the debut went good. It was a big card televised and everything couldn’t ask for more. (Except the win.lol)

How would you grade your performance that night?
From 1 to 10 being highest i would say 2

What are your thoughts about your decision; do you feel you should have won?
I thought i won but i made alot of mistakes so i think its a better learning experience having got the draw. When i was walking threw the crowd they all thought i won too.

What was the biggest thing that surprised you about this fight?
The biggest surprise is the amount of heabuttts other than that nothing really.

What does it mean to you to have a good fan base?
Well i think your fan base is everything when people are excited to see you fight and will travel where ever you are to see you it makes you fight that much harder for them. It also gets the promoters eyes on you.

Tell us how you started in boxing. What boxers were influences ?
One day my cousin Vinny brought me to a boxing gym with him to train. I remember getting my ass kicked when i jumped in there and thought i could beat anyone up. Ever since that day i’ve been hooked.
The boxers that have taught me alot about this business are Tommy Rainone, Anuedi Santos,Kevin Collins,Scott lopeck, Jake Rodriguez and Paulie Malignaggi. My favorite boxers is probably Julio Cesar Chavez and Salvador Sanchez

Where do you train and who is part of your team?
I train out of Westbury boxing Club. Jesus Rivera and Jorge Gellardo are my coaches. Tommy Rainone is my manager.

What was your amateur record?
As an amateur i had over 20 fight and only lost 6 times.

What do you like to do when you’re not training?
When i’m not training i like to spend time with my family and just relax at home. My friends make fun of me for that cause when i get the chance to hangout i rather stay at home.lol

When can we expect you back in the ring?
You can expect me back in the ring as soon as i get the call. I want to be as busy as possible. I’m older than most fighter who start off so i don”t have the luxory of sitting aroung and relaxing.

“Blood, Steel and Canvas: The Asian Odyssey of a Fighter” by Craig Alan Wilson (Diversion Books; $4.99) is a spare and enjoyable e-book that uses boxing as a celebration of life instead of using life as an excuse to box. It radiates with a light-hearted warmth that many books about our beloved sport lack.

Here are its major themes: disliking corporate law, relocating to the Philippines, learning to box, enduring a coup d’état, returning to Washington D.C., suffering colitis, surviving colon cancer, running a marathon, moving to Thailand, boxing in famous Thai venues, and becoming a father.

*

Much of this book’s best writing has nothing whatever to do with boxing, though. Its commentaries on Yale undergrad work, Harvard Law School and the clerkships and striving that follow set a refreshing pace.

The boxing writing, too, is often crisp and well-reported, and its treatments of the sport’s rudiments are graceful. You may already know what hand pads are, but Wilson’s presentation of them is still a pleasant surprise. And there’s no doubting his love for the sport.

But what delights most about this book is its author’s self-deprecation. Whether examining the discomforts of wearing an ileostomy pouch – effectively carrying one’s intestine externally – or being staggered by a superior while sparring, “Blood, Steel and Canvas” happily chides itself and its first-person narrator.

*

“Long stints in the library and my Type-A personality had propelled me to the pinnacle,” writes Wilson, “but as I labored into the night and on weekends, canceling dates and eating Chinese take-out dinners at my desk, I came to an eye-opening conclusion: success sucks.”

Deprived of a life around people from whom he could learn things worth knowing and wary of an expanding waistline, Wilson chose to begin his boxing adventure in the Philippines of all places. Boxing, for all its self-induced hardships, was better for him than at least one other discipline.

“The logical move, forswearing chocolate, I would not even contemplate,” Wilson writes, “so I resolved to lose weight by taking up exercise, a novel proposition that ultimately led me to the Elorde Sports Center.”

This boxing journey took Wilson from the Philippines back to Washington D.C. and ultimately to Thailand, where he still lives, and a gym that complemented his self-deprecating style.

“At first the Sot Chitrlada [gym] professionals treated me with kid gloves, but as the months went by and my zest for combat became apparent, they abandoned the Mr. Nice Guy approach and went full steam ahead,” he writes. “(I outweighed most of them by at least twenty pounds; otherwise this book would have been published posthumously.)”

*

Among Wilson’s well-explored subtler themes, its underlayers, is the nature of life as an ex-pat. He has plenty to contribute on this subject, and his observations are insightful ones. Of those American ex-pats who reside in Thailand but make no effort to learn its language, he writes:

“Not only is their refusal hypocritical, but it is counter-productive, as they miss out on one of the real joys of expatriate life, experiencing and being a part of the local culture.”

If “Blood, Steal and Canvas” has a weakness, though, it comes in an unexpected spot. While reporting or expounding, Wilson writes good sentences that, to borrow his term, “effervesce”; but when he switches to motivational-speaker mode, his prose takes on a salesy hue; he reaches in the self-help cereal box and pulls out toys that can feel clichéd:

“A cancer diagnosis does not mean that your life has hit a brick wall. Pardon the expression, but you have to roll with the punches.”

Wilson knows better than to do this and subsequently takes things into his “gloves” – instead of his hands – and occasionally precedes what he knows to be a cliché with a plea for pardon like the one above.

*

All is indeed pardonable because Wilson otherwise makes so many good choices throughout his book’s 121 pages.

“At the end, I held up my gloves and nodded to show that I wanted to continue,” he writes of his first knockout defeat. “The referee looked in my eyes and watched as I rocked on my feet. Putting his arm around me, he escorted me back to my corner. The bout was over. Secretly I did not mind.”

When in another boxing book have you read a last sentence honest as that one?

“Through boxing I gained self-confidence,” writes Wilson. “I discovered that I could take care of myself, not just in the sense of the adolescent’s ‘let’s settle this outside’ mentality, but – much more important – in the belated realization that I need not be scared of what others might think.”

And a fear of humiliation is undoubtedly one that haunts a fighter more than pain or injury.

*

There is another curious decision Wilson must have made, and it merits mention. A boxing book that dedicates most of its opening 1/3 to Manila never once makes itself about Manny Pacquiao. “Blood, Steel and Canvas” is its author’s memoir, and if Wilson didn’t meet Pacquiao while he was in Manila, he also didn’t meet boys who “had Pacquiao’s hunger” or “threw a left cross like Pacquiao” or any of the other Pacquiao-isms a marketing team would have added.

A choice like that deserves a comment like this: You will learn more about what made Pacquiao what he is today in the first 40 pages of Wilson’s book than in anything you read this November.

*

Through its author’s willingness to tread lightly with life’s most serious subjects – cancer, law, combat, failure and fatherhood – “Blood, Steel and Canvas” provides a quick and valuable experience.

“I am not a great lawyer,” concludes Wilson. “I have not enjoyed the professional renown and monetary rewards that have flowed to many of my classmates.”

Perhaps not. But by living an interesting life and writing a book about it, Wilson has done us a service.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Referees know they have done a good job if nobody remembers their name. Poor Russell Mora. Mora lost his anonymity and gained some infamy for his work, or lack of it, in Abner Mares’ majority decision over Joseph Agbeko.

By now, the controversy has been played and re-played, analyzed and re-analyzed, ad infinitum in the days since Mares threw repeated low blows, was warned five times, yet never penalized by Mora, the fight’s biggest loser Saturday at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Another review of the tarnished fight for the International Boxing Federation’s title in Showtime’s bantamweight tournament would be just another low blow.

But I couldn’t help but wonder, perhaps marvel, at the relative lack of controversy about referees in a sport full of noisy arguments about virtually everything else. Other than a cop on streets that might as well be the front lines in a tough neighborhood, there can’t be a job much more challenging than that of a fight referee. Controlled violence is an oxymoron if there ever was one. But even anarchy has rules, and it’s up to the referee to enforce them. Mora didn’t.

In an internet court full of opinion and not much accountability, Mora has been charged with incompetence, bias and a whole raft of other misdeeds. Take your pick. But it is a multiple-choice question without a proven answer. There are plenty of other questions

For one, there was no response from Agbeko when it was clear that the rules would not be enforced. Retaliation for an uncalled low-blow is about as fundamental as a jab. If Agbeko had thrown just one, he might have been able to restore order and his chances. He didn’t.

I can only wonder what he and his corner were doing, or not doing, while Mora repeatedly missed the obvious. It also makes me wonder whether no response from Agbeko is a flaw that would lead to another loss if a rematch within 120 days, as ordered by the IBF, in fact happens. On Anarchy Street, it is always wise to be skeptical about whether any order will ever be carried out.

Curious, too, is the absence of pre-fight controversy that actually might have helped avoid the Mora flap. Yahoo’s Kevin Iole reported Monday that Dana Jamison, operations director for Agbeko promoter Don King, objected to Mora. According to Iole’s story, King said he got a call from somebody who told him that Mora was “a Golden Boy referee.’’ Mares is a Golden Boy Promotions fighter. The Nevada State Athletic Commission reportedly heard the complaint, but did not assign a different ref.

Would Mora have acted differently if news of Jamison’s objection had been disclosed? Maybe not. But I can’t help but recall Bernard Hopkins well-publicized threat to withdraw from his 2007 rematch with Robert Allen in tuneup for is victory over Oscar De La Hoya, now Golden Boy’s president. Hopkins objected to the assignment of referee Joe Cortez, arguing that Cortez might have bias against him. Hopkins was worried that Cortez, a Puerto Rican, might have grudge against Hopkins, who ripped Puerto Rico before his upset of Felix Trinidad in 2001.

Hopkins, now a Golden Boy fighter, has never been afraid of throwing the race card. And, yeah, he’s also never been shy about grandstanding. The fight went off with Cortez as the ref. Cortez’ work was never an issue. Hopkins was a much better fighter than Allen and proved throughout every round of unanimous decision.

Had the fight been close, however, Hopkins’ objection might have served as some insurance against any chance that Cortez would have swung the scorecards in favor of Allen. As only he can, Hopkins broadcast his concerns to the court of public opinion, meaning fans and state regulators were watching Cortez’ every move.

None of this is to say that Nevada or any other state commission should seek approval from camps about a ref’s assignment. That would open the proverbial Pandora’s Box to a whole host of suspicions about influence peddling. But it is in the best interest for a promoter, manager, trainer or the fighter himself to make their objections know before, not after, opening bell.

Quotes, anecdotes
· Despite his surprising performance against Marcos Maidana in April, Erik Morales, a loser in five of his last eight fights, still had to defend himself in a conference call Wednesday that also included his next opponent, Lucas Matthysse, on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr.-versus-Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. Morales was asked: Why still fight? “Not only can I say it; I can do it’’ said Morales, who has been at it for nearly two decades. “I also love proving people wrong.’’

· Matthysse, an Argentine, returns to the United States after suffering two controversial losses by split decision in the U.S. – Zab Judah in New Jersey and Devon Alexander in Missouri. “Everybody knows that those two losses were bad decisions,’’ he said. “I was robbed in those fights.’’

AZ Notes
· Just guessing, but Jesus Gonzales’ chances at fighting Kelly Pavlik might have improved after Pavlik angered Top Rank by abruptly withdrawing from his last bout in frustration over a proposed purse against Lucian Bute. Before long, Pavlik might have to turn to Gonzales to get a fight. There were reports about slow ticket sales among Pavlik’s disaffected fan base in Youngstown, Ohio. Pavlik-Gonzales might be a better draw in Phoenix, where Gonzales is still popular.

· Former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champ Sergei Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs), a Scottsdale resident, packs his bags for Germany Saturday for a fight at saving his career on Aug. 27 against Robert Helenius (15-0, 10 KOs) in a bout televised by EPIX. Liakhovich is back with trainer Kenny Weldon, who was with him when he won the WBO title against Lamon Brewster and lost it to Shannon Briggs in the last second of the last round of his first defense. “Kenny and I are on the same page,’’ Liakhovich said.

“You can’t make history all the time. You can have a winning record, a winning season, but to actually make history — a baseball player hitting 500 home runs or something like that — these things don’t happen all the time.” — Bernard Hopkins

Before his second meeting with Jean Pascal back in May, Bernard Hopkins made it clear that occupying more space in boxing’s history book was a major motivation for him. At 46 years of age, a win for Hopkins against Pascal would make him the oldest professional boxer to ever win a championship belt.

After twelve rounds and thirty-six minutes between the ropes, the Executioner grabbed both that championship belt and also that place in boxing history that meant so much to him. The archivists who keep that giant book of boxing history were forced to dust it off, erase George Foreman’s name next to “Oldest Fighter To Win A Title,” and replace it with Bernard Hopkins.

Now, having accomplished that goal, being the boxing historian and student of the game that he is — Hopkins has flipped through the history book and has set his sights on a new record. He wants to be the oldest champion to defend his championship hardware.

While it’s biologically impossible for that occur on October 15, the date in which Hopkins and “Bad” Chad Dawson will duke it out, the Executioner will need to come away victorious if he wants to keep that dream alive. If it were to happen down the road, he would replace another legend in in the record books, this time Hopkins’ name would be inserted at the expense of The Old Mongoose, Archie Moore, and it would come two-plus years down the road.

Depending who your source is, Moore was either born in 1910 or 1913 — Moore and his mother couldn’t even agree on that. What is indisputable, however, is Moore’s jaw-dropping record of 185-23-10, 131 KO and 1 no contest. Even more astonishing is that Moore held the title for over nine years straight, defending it until the ripe old age of 48.

So in order for Hopkins to keep that record in his sights, he’ll have to defeat 29 year-old former light heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson. Dawson’s only loss – you’ll remember – came at the fists of the aforementioned Pascal last August.

Last week, Hopkins’ trainer Naazim Richardson called Dawson “the most technically sound light heavyweight” but added that “Pascal was the most dangerous…as Chad found out.”

If you subscribe to that, then Hopkins beat the most dangerous man in the division and if he beats Dawson, he will have beaten the most technically sound fighter in the weight class. After Dawson, the clouds begin to part a bit, and Hopkins could stare Archie Moore’s record in the face.

Perhaps a showdown with Tavoris Cloud would be in the works, or a scrap with titleholder Beibut Shumenov. Regardless, beating Dawson is a tall order. But if it happens, then Hopkins holding onto his title for another two years is as realistic as ever. Realistically speaking the light heavyweight is not 140. It’s pretty thin.

Hopkins knows it can happen. He sees it is in his sights.

“I look forward to making history and breaking the great Mongoose, Archie Moore’s, title defense record at the Light Heavyweight record,” Hopkins said last week. “I believe when he was 47 or 48 years old he defended that title. That to me is impressive. I want that title. I want that record. I want that history.”

Archie Moore’s record really is Hopkins’ carrot on a stick. Even with a win, he can’t get it just yet. But it will be his motivation, his goal. And as long as Hopkins stays in this game, you can bet that he’ll be in peak physical condition and give himself a chance to win every fight he’s in. He’ll never embarrass himself. He cares too much about his legacy and his place in boxing history.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder or KyleKinder1@gmail.com

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

That quote belongs to Showtime commentator Al Bernstein. Its subject is Nevada referee Russell Mora. Bernstein made the comment between rounds 11 and 12, when a replay showed Mora had called a lowblow a clean punch – a mistake he’d made numerous times during a championship fight he officiated and Showtime televised. Bernstein is not known for hyperbole; if anything he leans too far towards equanimity.

Immediately after the fight Showtime personality Jim Gray – yes, that Jim Gray – began his postfight interviews with Russell Mora instead of the match’s winner or vanquished champion. Gray indicated to Mora that Mora changed the very result of the match. Strong words indeed.

What Showtime’s talent said about Mora’s performance is worth treating, but first some details. The match was Mexico’s Abner Mares against Ghana’s Joseph King Kong Agbeko. It was the final of Showtime’s short but delayed Bantamweight Tournament. It was also for the IBF title, which belonged to Agbeko. Mares won by majority decision scores of 113-113, 115-111 and 115-111.

My scorecard concurred. I had it 115-113 for Mares. I gave the Mexican rounds 1, 3, 6, 7 and 11. I had the Ghanaian winning rounds 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12. I had rounds 5 and 9 even. And with Russell Mora’s help, rounds 1 and 11 went to Mares by two points, 10-8.

There were two knockdowns that were not actually. Mares benefitted from both. Does that make Mares a rotten kid or second-tier fighter who is only competitive at the championship level when it’s two-against-one? Not at all. It just makes the result of Saturday’s match sufficiently wrong to be disregarded by aficionados, and such disregard is punishment enough.

It’s what will happen to Referee Mora, fear not. Boxing has never been a very large community. Today it is a tiny and shrinking one. With the help of modern communication tools, it is a community capable of suffocating state commissions into complying with its will. This sort of thing can turn to bullying but generally hasn’t in boxing. Of course Texas’ Gale Van Hoy – about whose future judging efforts some fans still want email alerts – might disagree.

Don’t hold Mora against Mares. The young Mexican bantamweight earned that first knockdown by looking better in his opening two minutes against Agbeko than anyone has. Mares was sharp and tight. Agbeko was wild and unbalanced. When Agbeko planted to throw an odd-angled punch and his feet splayed, it wasn’t on account of anything Mares did in that preceding instant. But you know what? Mares had done enough in the preceding 120 instants to make a knockdown seem plausible.

Russell Mora was not looking at the combatants’ feet. He wasn’t much looking at their gloves either. His eyes were on the combatants’ heads. These are likely his mechanics; he watches the heads – where most action happens – and relies on peripheral vision and feel (as a former Golden Gloves state champion) to take care of the rest.

These mechanics explain why, time and again Saturday, Mora’s primary concern was Agbeko’s pressing on the back of Mares’ neck, not where Mares’ left fist went. The Showtime crew, meanwhile, sat well beneath the action and saw each lowblow as if thrown in slow motion. Welcome to perspective.

Mares is not necessarily a dirty fighter. He is a fighter who commits to throwing lots of left hooks to the body. And if you throw lots of those punches at a moving target, you land lowblows.

How? Because the left hook to the body is not a punch thrown on a flat plane. In order to find an opponent’s liver, many things must go right at the moment of impact. Along with your opponent’s breathing rhythm being on inhale, the knuckles of your left hand must be rising. You can do this one of two ways: 1. Throw a flat punch with an upwards twist at the end, or 2. Throw an uppercut-hook hybrid that begins low and ends high.

Mares chooses the latter option. He starts many of his left hooks low and relies on an opponent to stay still at least until the punch is above the belt line. Mares does not seem to realize this: His postfight justification for lowblows – that his opponent often moves away – was exactly backwards.

The fight’s most offensive punch, the cherrypicker Mares threw in round 11 – a punch that dramatically improved the fast-fading Mexican’s fortunes – was an act of miscalculation. Mares started the punch too low and too close. He wanted to throw an uppercut to the forward-bent Agbeko’s abdomen. Mares missed his target by about 10 inches. We know this because the top of Agbeko’s glove was at the belt line, and Mares’ glove landed beneath the bottom of Agbeko’s glove, way below its intended target. Mares deserved a one-point penalty, one he would have agreed with later.

Referee Mora, eyes fixated on the fighters’ heads, blew the call – awarding Mares an extra point when Agbeko took a knee, rather than deducting one. This caused a four-point swing in round 11. In missing an important call, Mora directly altered a championship fight’s outcome. He’s not fit to referee another major fight for some time. That’s sanction enough.

How to otherwise remedy the injustice done Agbeko? That part’s simple.

Showtime, by virtue of its tournament, is the de facto promoter of the bantamweight division. Mares and Agbeko, two fighters who owe what exposure they’ve had to the network – their promoters, after all, couldn’t fill a nightclub at Hard Rock Hotel – will do what Showtime tells them to. Instead of lobbying the IBF or writing protest letters to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Agbeko’s people need only send Showtime a tape of its on-air talent.

The credibility of Showtime’s tournament has been comprised. Showtime will remedy this by ordering an immediate rematch.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Liberty Boxing Enterprises presents world class professional boxing at Albert Park Field, outside under the lights in San Rafael, California, on Friday, September 16, 2011. In the eight-round main event, former WBF Welterweight Champion Paul Nave, “The Marin County Assassin,” of San Anselmo, CA will fight Brandon Hoskins, “The Pride of Missouri” from Hannibal, MO at welterweight, topping a five-bout card.

Hoskins is unbeaten as a professional and boasts a record of 15 wins and 0 losses with 8 knockouts with a better than 50% knockout ratio. Hoskins is 24, less than half Nave’s age. Nave will be 4 days shy of his 51st Birthday come fight time. Hoskins was a three-time Golden Gloves Champion as an amateur and had a stellar record of 50 wins with only 7 defeats. After a ten-year hiatus from the boxing game due to back surgery, Nave returned to the ring in March 2009 and has won four straight fights, the last being a 3rd round knock-out of Daniel Schlienz from Duluth, Minnesota on June 4th, 2010. Nave has a record of 19 wins, 8 losses and 3 draws with 8 knockouts and was recently rated 15th in the US as a welterweight by the USBA, a branch of the IBF. Nave states, “At my age I’m jumping in deep water, but we’ll see if I can swim to the top.”

Matched for the undercard in an intriguing four-round lightweight female fight is Novato’s own Marquita Lee, making her pro debut, against Laura Deanovic of San Francisco, CA. Also on the card once again is Luis Alfredo Lugo of Richmond, CA, by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico against Jovanni Rubio of Santa Rosa, CA in a six-round super lightweight bout. Richmond’s amateur boxing standout Ulises Soriano will make his pro debut in a four round super featherweight contest against Jesus Partida of Redwood City, CA. Rounding out the card is John Dunham of Stockton, CA in a four round super lightweight bout against Aldwayne Simpson from Richmond, CA.

Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling Liberty Boxing Enterprises at (415) 454-1113

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation told the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) that it will not host another Bare-Knuckle fight promoted by FelKO, which last Friday staged the controversial bout featuring Bobby Gunn at its casino on Native American land not subject to the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission’s jurisdiction.

In an apparent response to an ABC press release Wednesday that condemned the event as “perhaps, criminal,’’ Fort McDowell Director of Marketing Tom McGill wrote Association Vice President Gregory Sirb that “there will not be any more Bare Knuckle Boxing events provided by FelKO Promotions.

In a letter acquired by 15 Rounds from the ABC, McKee also wrote that no “financial compensation was paid to the boxers from FMC (Fort McDowell Casino) so it was not a professional event. FelKO Promotions did not pay anything either.’’

ABC President Tim Lueckenhoff does not believe that the fighters were not paid.

“There is no way I could imagine that either fighter is going to fight for free after being paid in the past,’’ Lueckenhoff told 15 Rounds Thursday in an e-mail. “It is hogwash!’’

Gunn, who won a third-round stoppage over a Chris Stewart, is a well-known pro who fought for cruiserweight titles, including the International Boxing Federation’s version two years ago in a loss to Tomasz Adamek.

If no money was paid, it would have been an amateur event, which means it would not be subject to state regulation. Then, however, Lueckenhoff said it still would have to be regulated by USA Boxing.

If true, Lueckenhoff said, “this must be sanctioned by USA Boxing.’’

Before the bout last week, Dave Feldman of FelKO said he expected controversy. He said he also understood the safety concerns initially expressed by the Arizona Commission.

Dennis O’Connell, Arizona’s executive director, said he would never have allowed the event. In a news release last week, the state’s regulatory agency stated that bare-knuckle bouts “have serious health and safety implications.’’

The ABC called it “abhorrent, barbaric, egregious.” The national association said the bout also was “in contravention of a multitude of federal, state, and tribal boxing laws and regulations.’’

The ABC questions whether the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation has in fact a working commission. In 2008, Fort McDowell terminated a relationship it had with the Arizona commission, which had supervised pro cards on the reservation as part of a compact that it continues to have with casinos on Native American property.

The ABC promised to investigate “with the possibility of a referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office toward the ends of barring any such activity in the future, instituting a criminal prosecution, or both.’’

Feldman said last week that he plans further Bare-Knuckle bouts. He said he has spoken to people in other states interested in bringing back an era in boxing that vanished more than a century ago. Feldman declined to identify either the people or the states.

LOS ANGELES, August 11 – One of the most exciting fighters in the sport of boxing today, Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo has an aggressive style and knockout power that has made him a must-see competitor for years. Now, Angulo will continue his attack on the junior middleweight division as a member of the Golden Boy Promotions team, and the Mexican warrior has just one goal in mind…to win a world championship.

“I always want to give the fans a great show and I work hard to get to my goal of retiring as a world champion,” said Angulo, a former interim WBO and WBC Continental Americas junior middleweight champion. “I believe Golden Boy Promotions is the right company to further my career and achieve my goals in boxing. I can’t wait to become Golden Boy’s next world champion.”

“There are a handful of fighters who always deliver excitement whenever they’re in the ring and Alfredo Angulo is certainly one of those select few,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Alfredo has already accomplished a lot in this sport, but at 29, there’s much left for him to accomplish and we’re going to be with him every step of the way as he moves from being a star to being a superstar.”

A native of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, Alfredo Angulo (19-1, 16 KO’s) is a 2004 Mexican Olympian who took the professional game by storm as soon as he debuted in 2005. A devastating puncher whose relentless pressure has seen him break the likes of Ricardo Cortes, Richard Gutierrez, Andrey Tsurkan and Cosme Rivera over the course of his six-year career. Angulo rebounded from the lone loss of his career via decision to Kermit Cintron in 2009 to win the interim WBO World Title just two fights later against then-unbeaten Harry Joe Yorgey. In 2010, Angulo continued to show his world-class talent with knockouts of Joel Julio and Joachim Alcine. Following Angulo reaching a settlement with his prior promoter Gary Shaw Productions, he is ready to resume his quest to rule the junior middleweight division with Golden Boy Promotions in his corner.

A date and opponent for Angulo’s Golden Boy Promotions debut will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or visit us on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page.

By now you’ve read the press release about my Monday column, the one that was to be a workaday review of Kelly Pavlik’s comeback match with Darryl Cunningham, written for a transcendent website that gets more daily hits than every boxing site combined. After that would come a masterwork that announced my comeback as a serious voice.

I cancelled all that, Wednesday. After Pavlik cancelled his fight and offered a telling interview to Alec Kohut on Tuesday, I had a contentious phone call with the editor of the site for which I’d intended to write my next two columns. A transcript follows.

Me (cutting in): Listen, hey, wait, I’m tired of spending hours each week fretting over what strangers will opine of my subject. I need to start thinking about me, and riffing on art museums and favorite novelists. And I’m getting that tattoo of 15rounds.com on my lower back changed to a dolphin, just so you know – with the 5 becoming a dorsal fin.

Editor: Do what you want with your body. But remember our deal.

Me: I remember it and planned to honor it. A throwaway review of a mediocre fight, something to reintroduce me to readers as a writer who can fashion a passable report without experimenting, followed by a sprawling epic about Marvin Gaye’s use of boxing to overcome drug addiction, written to the chord changes of “Inner City Blues” and featuring interviews with much of Detroit.

Editor: That was the plan.

Me: Right, and then I realized you’re using me. You’re going to use my Marvin Gaye opus to drum up a hundred more clicks then tell me to scram.

Editor: Depends on how the second column goes over. You have to prove –

Me: I’m a famous writer. If I end a sentence with a preposition or use a hyphen in lieu of a semicolon, everybody talks about it. I coauthored a book with Thomas Hauser, for goodness’ sake! People know Bart Barry.

Column: And that’s why we offered to pay you what we thought was reasonable.

Me: “Reasonable”? I know you offered David Greisman $10,000 per column. Now maybe on the East Cost or the West Coast or the Midwest, Greisman’s name means more than mine, but in South Texas, in San Antonio, the Centertown portion – Houston Street? – my name is bigger than his. He gets $10,000 per column, and I get $50. C’mon!

Editor: What are you talking about? That $10,000 number is preposterous.

Me: I know what I know. At least offer me, like, $59, or fly me to Los Angeles, where boxing occasionally happens. I’d do my column for $50 in L.A. But you’re asking me to write about a deceased Motown talent, in South Texas, for $50. It’s outrageous, pardon my French.

Editor: Your what?

Me: It’s despicable – and I don’t mean to cuss. About my invoice . . .

Editor: We have a standard way of reimbursing our writers, one you are familiar with and –

Me: I don’t do this for the money, OK? I’m not one of these knucklehead boxing writers who acquires contemporary art or manages an expensive designer-eyeglass collection. Believe me, I’m fine. And if I’m fine, and I don’t write for money, obviously I’m not going to write unless I get paid what I think I’m worth! I don’t mean to swear, but it’s illogical.

Editor: You seem worked up. Are you back on the caffeine?

Me: Really, this again? Find me one writer who so much as tweets without a mug of coffee in his fist. I’ve been honest about those few times I had too much at Starbucks and it made me incoherent. Do you have any idea how hard it is to generate words out of thin air and have others question your talent and craft?

Editor: That’s what you are paid to do. Do you how many boxing fans would love to get paid for their opinions?

Me: You know what, I’m like any other guy. When some Wal-Mart greeter goes to a job where he makes less in a day than I make in an hour, does he do it for me? No. I write for the money – money I do not need. Frankly, I don’t even care if anyone reads my Marvin Gaye masterpiece.

Editor: For which we would pay you $50.

Me: How is a writer going to make $35 for a column comparing Marco Antonio Barrera to Jane Austen, a column maybe 20 people finished, and fewer than 10 enjoyed, and then take short money for a story on Marvin Gaye?

Editor: This was supposed to be a redemptive effort for you. After your issues with editors.

Me: Every writer fights with editors. One time, one time, Frauenheim and I get in a conversation and miss the early shuttle to Cowboys Stadium, and Abrams calls, and I tell him what happened, and he says it’s not a big deal, and I say it is. The only reason people talk about that is because Bart Barry is a famous name.

Editor: This is an impasse.

Me: Look, there are knowledgeable people out there. One guy, we call him “Spandex” – he knew a guy whose grandfather met Henry Miller in Paris – and he told me I need to not just write about art museums but really bore into them, controversial stuff about minimalism.

Editor: And when readers say it’s nonsensical?

Me: Maybe if they’d get off their asses and pay a subscription fee or send an eloquent email, instead of worrying about what Bart Barry is writing, maybe then . . .

(End Transcript)

As you can see from what’s above, my side of the story, I walked away from that other gig for good reasons. We can all agree this was the best thing for my boxing-writing career. Don’t miss my next column.

Bart Barry can still be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com, where he’s still happily writing, having never once fought with his editor.

In a heated back-and-forth grudge match, undefeated Vernon Paris got off the canvas to score the biggest win of his career to date with a seventh-round stoppage of world ranked Tim Coleman in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California on Friday night.

Coleman (19-2-1, 5 KOs) of Baltimore, Maryland downed Paris (25-0, 15 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan late in the second-round with a clean right hand. However, the Detroit native got right back into the fight at the start of the third as the action went both ways through five rounds.

Paris, 140, turned the fight in the sixth, as he hurt Coleman, 140, to the body early and eventually downed him twice with left hands downstairs. Coleman, who entered the bout the IBF#5/WBA #14 ranked light welterweight, rose from his knees the second time just before the bell sounded to end the sixth. In between rounds Coleman told his corner he was ready to continue, but Paris made sure not to give him the time he needed to recover.

Seconds into the seventh, Paris forced Coleman to the ropes and placed another solid left to his body. Coleman fell back on his left knee and referee Dan Stell immediately stopped the bout without a count. Official time of the stoppage was 27 seconds of the seventh.

With the victory Paris claims the USBA Light Welterweight title and will likely appear among the top ranked 140-pounders by the IBF when their next rankings are released. The fight had gained additional heat from a war of words between Paris and Coleman on their Facebook pages. When they arrived at the casino hotel Thursday morning, an altercation in the lobby in which Coleman admittedly threw a punch, led to separate weigh-ins and off site lodging for both main event fighters. In a show of good sportsmanship, Coleman moved past the heightened in-ring security to embrace Paris after the fight.

In impressive fashion, lightweight prospect Mike Faragon (16-0, 7 KOs) of Guilderland, New York broke down Ira Terry (24-6, 14 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee to the body en route to a second-round referee’s stoppage.

Faragon, 134 ¾, ended an aggressive run by Terry, 129, in the second with a right to the body that referee Raul Caiz asked the prospect to keep up. With Terry clearly bothered by the blow, Faragon targeted his midsection with the ensuing onslaught. With Terry still standing but wilting against the ropes, Caiz leaped in to stop the bout. Official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of the second.

What could have evolved into a solid scrap ended prematurely as unbeaten Art Hovhannesyan (14-0-2, 8 KOs) of Glendale, California by way of Gyumri, Armenia clashed heads with former featherweight titleholder Cristobal Cruz (39-12-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in the fourth and ultimately final round.

Ending a long layoff, Cruz, 130, got off to a solid start in the bout landing well with his awkward, winging style. Hovhannesyan, 130, landed one of his better shots, a right hand, just before stepping in with his head. The head clash opened a bad gash just right of center on Cruz’ forehead. Scoring the abbreviated fourth-round under the California rules, each fighter took a card 39-37, with the third judge’s card forcing the draw, 38-38.

Sergio Nunez (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Maywood, California pounded out a one-sided four-round unanimous decision over debuting Ricardo Cubillas (0-1) of Riverside, California. Nunez, 134 ½, was by far the better schooled boxer, but Cubillas, 135, was game enough to last the distance. In the end, all three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, for Nunez.

Promoters for a bare-knuckle fight featuring former cruiserweight contender Bobby Gunn Friday night at a casino on Native American land near Phoenix are promising enhanced safety measures for a controversial bout that the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission would cancel if it had the power to do so.

“Absolutely, we would not allow it,’’ Commission Executive Director Dennis O’Connell said of the bout at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, which is not subject to regulation by the state agency that oversees boxing and mixed martial arts.

Dave Feldman of FelKO Promotions said he understands the Commission’s objection.

“I respect their opinion 100 percent,’’ Feldman said. “I’d be a fool, otherwise. That’s why we’re taking all of these safety precautions.’’

Feldman said plans for the Gunn fight against MMA fighter Chris Thompson include two referees instead of one. The bout, the main event on the card (first bell/8 p.m., PST), is scheduled for ten 90-second rounds. Although the knuckles will be bare, Feldman said wrists and other parts of the hands will be taped. He also said additional medical personnel will be at ringside.

Cuts are the biggest fear, Feldman said. Rules have been modified to allow each cut-man an additional 30 seconds to stop the bleeding.

“Safety is paramount,’’ said Feldman, who says he has researched a bygone version of a street sport that has been not been conducted under official rules or with public approval for more than a century, or probably since 1889 when John L. Sullivan reportedly knocked out John Kilrain in the 75th round in Mississippi.

Feldman said the Gunn-Thompson bout will be regulated by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. However, the Tribe is not a current member of the national Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC). It has not been since September of 2008, O’Connell said from the ABC’s annual convention in Washington, D.C.

In 2008, Fort McDowell also terminated a working relationship with the state Commission, which had regulated a few pro cards on the Yavapai reservation as part of a state-wide compact that includes other Arizona tribes.

In 2008, a Phoenix police officer, Barry Scott died on Sept. 16 four days after a bout on a FelKO promoted card at Fort McDowell featuring cops-versus-firemen. It was not regulated because the fighters were amateurs. Hunter, who wore gloves and headgear, died of suspected head trauma that might have been inflicted during heavy sparring while training.

With increasing interest in mixed martial arts, Feldman believes there might be a future for bare-knuckle boxing. However, he expects controversy and admits he is uncertain about what might happen.

“We’ll see,’’ said Feldman, who said he already has plans for more bare-knuckle boxing, perhaps in other states.

O’Connell said opposition to the bout was expressed in opening remarks at the ABC convention’s first day in Washington, D.C.

The Commission also sent out a press release, dated July 29 and headlined:

State Boxing Commission Not Involved in Upcoming Bare-Knuckle Bout at Fort McDowell.

In the second of only three paragraphs, the Commission’s release said:

“Bare-knuckle matches or bouts have serious health and safety implications for participating contestants. For that reason, Arizona laws and regulations governing boxing and mixed martial arts require the use of approved gloves. A bare-knuckle bout would never be sanctioned by the Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission, nor any other state or tribal commission that is a member of the National Association of Boxing Commissions.”