Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico made his expected history Saturday, becoming the youngest super-welterweight boxing champion of all time.
The 20-year-old, red-headed sudden star from Guadalajara dominated the smaller Matthew Hatton at Honda Center, winning the World Boxing Council 154-pound belt by lopsided scores of 119-108 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Alvarez (36-0-1) not only landed nearly half of his punches on Hatton (41-5-2), he battered the British kid brother of former two-division champion Ricky Hatton 257-75 in power punches.
“This was a good experience for me, the title,” Alvarez said in the ring afterward. “It’s the first of many. I want to fight the biggest and the best. I’m going to be the next big name of Mexico.”
– Alvarez is one of those rare things in boxing today: a legitimate combination puncher.
– When hit, Canelo always fires back.
– He really turns his punches over well.
– The kid is only 20 years old. He really could be the future of boxing.
– He is Mexican and looks Irish. And he fights like both. His mass appeal could be unreal.
– He does seem vunerable on the defensive end. Which should make him an even more exciting fighter once he moves up in competition.
Earlier in the night, 21 year old undefeated prospect, Adrien “The Problem” Broner was given a lopsided gift decision over veteran Daniel Ponce De Leon.
A lot of people that are planning a trip to Colombia ask me, “How do you prepare for a trip to Colombia?”
Great question.
Here is my four point plan:
Salsa
If you want to really handicap yourself from swooping fly Colombianas: don’t learn how to dance. You might as well not speak other languages, don’t smoke cigarettes, stop smiling, stop telling jokes and don’t wear Custom Suits as far as I am concerned. I honestly can’t think of any Colombiana (or any girl for that matter) that I have swooped where dancing didn’t play a big role. Re-read this: The Salsa Swoop Move to brush up.
Boxing
It’s no secret that I am a huge advocate of the sweet science. Although Colombia doesn’t have the aggressive locals of say, Latvia; it is always good to be able to throw a punch when the situation calls for it (always as a last resort). Get your rounds in.
As a side benefit, once you get to Colombia, you can look up the best gym, get some sparring in and get to know some of the local G’s.
Surfing
I always like to get some sessions in when I am in California and Baja Norte. Almost all my best friends surf, so it is a good way to keep in touch with what is going down. Good exercise as well. And sometimes you just need to bust some tail slides and air it out.
Spanish
Maybe the most important thing you can do in Colombian trip preparation is get your language Game tight. Read here for Language Lessons. And make sure you read books and watch some dope movies as well in Spanish. Many a “phony player” has imploded in Colombia without the proper Language Game. Don’t be one of them.
In other news, a Hedge Fund cat explains Why Do Smart Men Date Dumb Girls?:
Dating a less successful woman isn’t about wanting women to be dumb. It’s about wanting someone who prioritizes their life in a way that’s compatible with how you prioritize yours. I love my job, but I work all the fucking time. If I date an equally driven woman, we’re both working 18 hours days, when do we even have time to see each other? We don’t. I date a kindergarten teacher who works—f**k, I have no idea how many hours kindergarten teachers work. How many hours do you work? Really? Sh*t. Well, you’re a really driven person and you love work. But the theoretical Kindergarten teacher, she has a more flexible schedule, she’ll be able accommodate me, it’s going to be easier. Just on a literal level, it’s easier. Why don’t women do this too? Every alpha woman I know wants to be with a man who is as successful as her or more so. And coordinating that stuff is almost impossible. Why don’t they just date some beta male who works in a bookstore and will make dinner for them every night? Doesn’t every successful person—man or woman—see how that’s easier?
Click Here for more by the author of this Guest Manifesto Le Parvenue
There is no better training ground than the real world
Mens sana in corpore sano— a healthy mind in a healthy body– was once the watchword for fitness. But look at what has happened to the way we keep fit: we exercise in windowless basements, ingesting both recycled air and asinine music piped in at a steady feed. The gym is a place of isolation. Just look at a packed gym with all the people hiding in their private worlds of iPods and earphones.
“First things first, you need a place to work out. You don’t want to join the corporate gym that has all new equipment, a juice bar and all yuppie clientele. Join the gym that has boxing equipment and is hot, smells terrible with a felon clientele…Always the top or the bottom, none of that middle of the road, suburban crap…a hall mark of The G Manifesto.” – MPM
But there’s a growing school of thought that, in terms of overall fitness, both physical and mental, the outside world is where we should be looking, not so much for inspiration but for things to actually do. Today, we don’t really push or pull things in our lives any more, and the gym somehow evolved to reflect that. It just isn’t fulfilling—there’s no interaction.
And as the aesthetic ideal for men shifts ever further away from the super-groomed metrosexual to a manlier paradigm, ideal body shapes are being reconsidered.
“You don’t need to lift heavy weights anymore, it’s not the Eighties, and you are not trying to sack the quarterback anymore.” -MPM
Clearly, for this different sort of workout, a different sort of motivation is required. Here is where boxing comes in. It is, after all, the most alpha of manly pursuits: going toe-to-toe in an old-fashioned fight. This is why scores of bankers, lawyers and industrialists (not to mention International Playboy’s on the rise) turn to boxing to boost adrenalin and build muscle. At Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, the 650 white-collar boxers make up more than half the clientele. “It’s a very good way to relieve stress and aggravation,” says Bruce Silverglade, Gleason’s president.
“One of the most important aspects of Entering The Dragon. You need to spar. Get your rounds in. They will pay dividends.”-MPM
On Wednesday nights, money manager John Oden leaves his tailored suit and Hermes tie in the locker room at the New York Athletic Club and climbs into the boxing ring in red Everlast gloves and white high-top sneakers. Much like the boxing greats he emulates, he feeds off the energy in the ring. Self-respect is also a factor. Not getting beaten up in front of your friends and colleagues is a much better motivator than wanting to look good; fighting for your pride is about the best goal you can have.
Relating to the Streets and Making a Comeback
While Oden was writing his book, “Life in the Ring: Lessons and Inspirations From the Sport of Boxing,” he was right in the middle of the financial crisis. The Down Economy was taking its toll. In fact, it was during this period that his I-bank’s investors pulled $44 billion from its funds. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell to 676.53, the lowest level since September 1996.
“It was an awful time,” says Oden, sitting in a 36th- floor conference room overlooking Central Park. “Everyone I know suffered.” But many of the 12 boxers he was writing about, including George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins and James J. Braddock, overcame tougher challenges, he says. “I am talking about growing up in ghettos, having no education or role models, going to prison,” Oden says.
Like the business world, boxing requires “manic” preparation and 100 percent concentration. Before his fights, Oden learned about his opponents and worked out 10 times a week. “The ability to dig down and make a comeback in business is just the same as it is in boxing.”
And there’s a desirable side effect: incredible fitness. This is because boxing is massively aerobic, its constant motion and flexion punctuated by quick, controlled movements provinding an intense all-body workout. Plus, you acquire a skill, and you pick up a lot of confidence–not to mention respect.
“Even if people don’t appreciate the sport, they appreciate and understand the discipline and preparation required to do the sport,” Oden says. “Who wouldn’t want someone who has these qualities, who prepares this way for something?”
Miguel “Junito” Cotto VS Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga
On March 12th, G Manifesto Hall of Fame members, Miguel “Junito” Cotto and Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga will meet in the ring for what is sure to be a very entertaining battle of Machismo.
The war of words has already begun:
Ricardo Mayorga:“I respect your mother but I don’t want her to suffer anymore. She cannot take any more of those beatings you’ve been taking. I will finish you off and your mother will be in peace at last. This won’t take me long, about four rounds on March 12.”
Miguel Cotto:“You have about seven more weeks to talk. Get it all out. Keep talking. Then we will go into the ring. That’s when your talking stops.”
Some pre-fight action:
Frente a frente Cotto y Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga:“I’m going to make you think about retirement like Margarito should, after Pacquiao took care of him. I’m going to do the same to you and make you think twice about stepping back in that ring. Don’t let your mom and your family suffer anymore by allowing yourself to continue to take beatings in the ring. Stop making them suffer, I’m going to knock him out and prove to everyone in Nicaragua. First time that I’m fighting someone who is as small as a kid. But the pay-per-view and watch the retirement party for Miguel. I’m going to convince him that he should retire.”
and
“My pants are up higher than Cotto’s. I’m going to be the man, and Cotto will be the woman. On March 12, Puerto Rico is going to be dressed in black for your funeral. I can see fear in your eyes. I will retire you”.
Miguel Cotto:“Welcome all of you to Ricardo Mayorga’s first press conference for his circus,” said Cotto, speaking even as Mayorga continued to taunt him. “When you spoke earlier, I kept my mouth shut, now you remain quiet. I am a professional and with these tiny pants and these tiny hands I beat Shane Mosley. Do you remember Shane Mosley?
And
“Mayorga’s whole career was a joke. I am a gentleman, you (Mayorga) are a joker and a clown. All your (Mayorga) career you have run off at the mouth and in all the big fights you’ve failed. Just so you know who I am, I am a three-time world champion.”
Miguel Cotto Press Conference-NYC: Cotto vs Mayorga
For anyone that knows me personally or has been reading The G Manifesto since the beginning, you will know that I have an uncanny ability to pick boxing matches. I also have a well documented history of breaking down almost to a T how the fight is going to go down before it takes place. (Search through the archives for a near Impeccable record).
However, since that time, I have watched the fight a few more times more closely, and I really think Bernard Hopkins won and have argued that way since. In fact, just the other day, I was with my Godfather and a couple of friends (Suited Down of course), enjoying a mid-day lunch in 80 degree weather (while much of the country is freezing) and I got in a big debate about the fight.
Side note about scoring boxing matches:
When I first watch a fight I don’t really “score” a fight. I watch it more for enjoyment. When I do that, I do sometimes get influenced by the cheer leading of announcers, specifically Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant. In fact, if there was a feature where you could mute out those two guys and just listen to Emmanuel Stewart, I would buy it. Lately, I have been watching fights in Spanish for this very reason.
Anyways, after our lunchtime debate, I wanted to watch Bernard Hopkins VS Joe Calzaghe again (also, I never get tired of learning from Bernard Hopkins).
While looking for it on Youtube, I stumbled upon a series of videos that really breaks down how Bernard Hopkins won. Watch these. Have some patience (and I don’t mean that Exotic Dancer I know from the Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas named “Patience”, real name Jenny, either) as they are long, but well worth it. Hopkins is a true master of the art of Boxing. So crafty. So subtle. So effective.
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 1
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 2
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 3
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 4
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 5
The Joe Calzaghe Deception, the night Bernard Hopkins was robbed PART 6
