Bernard Hopkins defeats Jean Pascal in Rematch to Become Oldest Champion
Hopkins, who turned 46 in January, eclipsed the record set in 1994 by George Foreman, who knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round to win the heavyweight title at the age of 45 and 10 months.
The fighters started out slow, but their dislike for each other showed through as the fight wore on. Hopkins taunted Pascal repeatedly, sticking his tongue out at champion several times. He even came out before the seventh round and did about four or five pushups to prove he was not as tired as a 46-year-old man should be.
The tongue-wagging by Hopkins seemed to touch a nerve in Pascal, 28, who responded by charging like a bull at Hopkins, who was able to avoid most of the punches and appeared to enjoy doing it, as if he was teaching the kid a few lessons leanred in his 23-year career.
Judge Guido Cavaleri scored the fight 115-113, Danseco Reynante 116-112 and Anek Hongstongkam 115-114, all for Hopkins, who used his guile and years of experience to avoid some of Pascal’s wild swings, and to tie up Pascal whenever he needed a breather.
It was textbook Hopkins, and the stats proved it. Hopkins landed 131-of-409 punches (32%), while Pascal connected on just 70-of-377 (19%).
“First I want to thank God for the victory,” said Hopkins. “It all started with Smoky Wilson (his mentor in prison). I didn’t feel like I was 46 tonight. I felt more like 36.”
Another masterful performance by G Manifesto Hall of Fame Member, Bernard Hopkins.
I still remember when I used to roll in Hopkins’ entourage back in the day. (Watch the old tapes, I was the young, Custom Suited Down cat rolling. Or just look for the only, non-African-American cat in the entourage).
It will be interesting to see if he can dismantle Lucien Bute.
Miami Beach is a very intoxicating place; the ocean, mad amounts of fly girls (easily the most highly concentrated of any place in America), high heels, dresses, short skirts, drugs, late nights, succulent Comida Cubana, etc. It can also be a godforsaken cesspool. But one place can’t have it all, right?
However, as we have mentioned before, South Beach has been many a player’s “Waterloo”. Top ranked players from NYC end up looking like dorks on the beach because they rock wack beach gear. And as a result, they end up filleted. Top tier California playboys get put through the wood chipper since they are not used to the late nights, late dinning hours, rhythms of the night, and smoking in bars in South Beach (they can thank the Gov and the Police State California has become for that). Even top foreign G’s get battered and bruised.
Lucky for you, the reader, your humble author has one of the greatest track records of all time in South Beach.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes I see guys constantly making in South Beach:
1. Not wearing Custom Suits – South Beach is definitely Custom Suit turf. Amazingly, not that many cats bust them. Which in turn makes it more effective. If you dress in tight jeans or glittery Ed Hardy shirts, expect to get blanked in South Beach. However, on the plus side, you should find plenty in common with about 99% of the guys in America. So you will never be at a loss for friends to go out to the local sports bar and eat “Mondo Nachos” and “Jalapeño Poppers” with.
2. Not Street Gaming – Street Game is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for swooping in South Beach.
3. Going into clubs “Cold” – Here is the thing with South Beach: the nightclubs are pretty difficult to swoop girls at. You need to have girls cooking before you roll to the club and use the club as a closing tool. If you understand this, you understand South Beach.
4. Not rolling to the restaurants – Sure, most South Beach restaurants are overpriced and the food is kind of wack. And it’s hard to get some decent sushi. But the restaurant bars in Miami are literally, Bolivian gold mines for swooping (and we all know where the price of Gold is today). Roll in Custom Suited Down and slide up to the Colombiana and Cubana in high heels and short skirts at the bar. Proceed accordingly.
(Side Note: I have thought for years that if someone opened up a legit traditional Sushi place in South Beach you would print money. Key words here being “legit traditional”. As a matter of fact, maybe I will talk to some of my Sushi guys when I get back to California.)
5. Not going after locals only tourists – Sure the tourists are easier to swoop on a one night basis, but the local Miami girls way more fly. Check out Brickell; and prepared to have your mind blown.
6. Not smoking – Choosing not to smoke is a horrible move in South Beach. By being a smoker, you get mad free leads. Plus, the health benefits from swooping tons of fly Latinas will easily counter act the “potential” risks from the inhalation of tobacco smoke.
7. Not having Swagger – We have talked about Swagger in South Beach before. If you come light in South Beach, prepare to get nothing. If you come heavy, the blimp reads “The World is Yours”. It’s really that simple.
9. Not speaking Spanish – You are going to need to speak at least little Spanish and hold a conversation in Spanish if you really want to come up Aces in South Beach. Other languages help as well. I would say I typically speak about 40% English – 60% Spanish (and other languages) when I am in Miami.
10. Not Dancing – You are going to have to dance if you want to close in South Beach. Here is the Salsa Swoop Move.
11. Being undercapitalized – Sure, you might be able to swoop girls in South Beach if your Game is super tight and your broke. But why make it hard on yourself? South Beach girls love that Young, Handsome, Dashing, Rich, International Playboy in the Custom Suit with the big Bankroll. Why do it any other way? Anything less would be uncivilized.
The other advantage is you can really be a “bully with the bucks” in South Beach. So you really might as well hit hard like Camacho and Vargas and peg the market.
Kentucky Derby Picks and Manny Pacquiao VS Sugar Shane Mosley
Undisclosed Location, South America –
First off, if you want to win at The Kentucky Derby, make sure you read The G Manifesto’s Classic: How to Win at The Kentucky Derby.
Second, I usually have a lot of input in years past for the Cinco De Mayo weekend’s boxing festivities/Kentucky Derby Weekend. (Check the archives for a near flawless track record on boxing picks/racing picks in years past). This year I haven’t really focused too much. Manny Pacquiao VS Sugar Shane Mosley doesn’t really capture my attention, neither does this years field for The Kentucky Derby.
In fact, I won’t be showing up at either event. Which is really a shame since I just picked up the sickest Custom Suit from my tailor.
(Side Note: as we all know, this weekend marks the start of summer on The G Manifesto Calendar.)
Anyways, that all being said, I am going to defer to Andy Beyer (a gentleman that I have been fortunate to have a table next to at The Turf Club of The Del Mar Racetrack in the past) on the Derby:
At the start of the year, people involved in Thoroughbred racing were speculating whether Uncle Mo would win the Kentucky Derby and go on to sweep the Triple Crown series. Three weeks ago they were asking if he would be fit and healthy enough to perform well in the Derby. This week they were wondering if he would even get to the starting gate. On Friday morning they got the disappointing answer: The colt is scratched from Saturday’s race.
In a way, the decision by trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole shouldn’t affect bettors’ analysis of the Derby. There were so many negative signs surrounding Uncle Mo that many handicappers were prepared to throw him out – even though he was, on his best form the oustanding horse in the field.
After his championship season as a 2-year-old, Uncle Mo’s 3-year-old campaign has gone awry from the start. He won a trumped-up race at Gulfstream Park that was little more than a glorified workout and then suffered a shocking loss against a terrible field in the Wood Memorial Stakes. A few days later Pletcher issued a press release saying that Uncle Mo was found to be suffering from a gastrointestinal infection – the excuse for the defeat.
Some skeptics weren’t fully satisfied with this explanation because owners and trainers rarely tell the whole truth about horses’ physical problems. Questions about Uncle Mo multiplied since he arrived at Churchill Downs. His two workouts were undefinitive. His camp kept hedging about whether he would run. Repole announced that he, Pletcher, and three veterinarians would confer Thursday evening to decide the colt’s status – hardly a sign of confidence two days before the Derby.
With Uncle Mo out of the lineup, Florida Derby winner Dialed In solidifed his status as the favorite. Many fans have watched his exciting last-to-first rallies and concluded that Nick Zito’s colt is a natural Derby horse.
Yes, Dialed In was impressive charging from far behind to win the one-mile Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream in January. But in his two subsequent starts at 1 1/8 miles, he lost an allowance race and then struggled to win the Florida Derby. The race – filled with speed horses, run with fast early fractions – was a perfect set-up for him, yet Dialed In barely got past the 68-1 pacesetter, Shackleford, to prevail in slow time. Eleven horses in the Kentucky Derby field have earned higher Beyer Speed Figures in 1 1/8-mile races than Dialed In did in either of his starts at the distance. I believe that Dialed In’s best game is rallying at shorter distances and that he will even less effective at 1 1/4 miles. Throw him out.
None of the Derby entrants (except for Uncle Mo) has yet run a race good enough to stamp himself clearly as a potential Derby winner. Their speed figures are all sub-par. Under these circumstances, it makes sense to look for a colt whose form is on the upgrade and is likely to improve further on Saturday. Based on this standard, these are my top three:
As far as Manny Pacquiao VS Sugar Shane Mosley, look for Pacman to stop Mosley in the fight that no one wants to see (I will watch it however, or at least I think I will). It might go the distance if Paxquiao takes his foot off the gas out of respect.
It will be good to watch Kelly Pavlik’s comeback though.
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
Young, Handsome, Fast and Pretty: South Beach, Miami Swagger
We have written before about how South Beach can be a tricky place. Even top tier players see more defeat than a foot doctor in South Beach, especially when compared to other US “nightlife hubs” like Las Vegas, where going Beyond Undefeated is commonplace.
In the expert opinion of your humble author, I have found that the key to South Beach is Swagger.
You really need to “taunt” South Beach, “clown” South Beach and “own” South Beach.
Kind of like this:
If you hang out in South Beach in winter, you might have even see me jump up on the planters on Lincoln Road, Custom Suited Down, grit in mouth and shout, “I am Young, I’m Handsome, I’m Fast, I’m Pretty and Can’t possibly be beat!” to no one in particular.
Now I am not saying you need to disrespect the people of South Beach, I am saying you need to simply be a Nightlife Maestro: Dress Razor Sharp, Carry Big Bankrolls, Display mad Language Game and don’t take any shorts.
Stick your chin out to South Beach, make it miss, and come back with flashy combinations.
Basically you want to harness Pernell Whitakers boxing steez into your Nightlife Steez:
Make sense?
Give it a shot.
And watch your Model swoop and fly Latina girl swoop numbers rise accordingly.
“How I see it
Anything you wanna be you can be it
If your mind can preceive it
And your heart really believe it
Then you half way there and all you got to do is do it
And if you give it all you got there ain’t really
Nothing to it” – Dead Prez
Many people out there hate on the “Act as If”/”Manifesto Destiny” method of living one’s life. I guess people just don’t like when you try to better yourself and people don’t like change.
“Everybody look at you strange say you changed
Like you work that hard to stay the same “ – Jay-Z
Well, I am here to say that “Act as If” works. Here are three examples:
Hollywood Agent
Back when I was in college, I took a younger kid under my wing and showed him the ropes. He was a cool kid, and reminded me of myself, so I kind of made him my “little brother”, of sorts. He was really into Hollywood and moved up there right after he graduated.
He got a job in the entertainment industry in talent. He always acted like he was going to be a big shot in HWood. I remember when he first started doing it, people used to hate on him.
Later I heard he became the youngest Agent ever at one of the Majors.
Where is he today?
He now represents one of the actors that I respect the most in the world (and I have respect for very few of them) and is the heir-apparent to run Hollywood. I don’t even have to mention the quality of girls he swoops today.
(Interesting Side Note: Over the last few years, we have been hanging out again here and there. Since he is now the man in Hollywood, he sometimes tries to flow me attitude. I have to slap him down real quick every time. After all, I showed him the ropes when we were young proto-type G’s on the rise. He might be the Prince of Hollywood, but when we are in the same room together, he is still #2.)
CEO
I knew another kid in college who was always a little more serious than the rest of us, who were mostly into partying, drugs, traveling and surfing. He got dissed a lot for studying and being organized; things like that. He was a pretty good surfer also, but not near the best.
Where is he today?
I recently re-connected with him. He is now CEO of a major Surf Company (everyone knows what it is). He made it happen.
“If you follow your dreams you can accomplish anything
If you always do your best then your destiny is king
Of the world” – Dead Prez
Want another example of “Act as If” working?
I would be a prime example (and I don’t mean Prime 112 in Miami Beach either).
For as far back as I can remember, I have always acted like an International Playboy. Even when I was a teenage two-bit Bean flipper.
I would talk about Custom Suits even before I had them. I would talk about Big Bankrolls even before I knew what one was. I would talk about swooping models, even back when I was swooping models. (That last one is a bad example).
International Playboy to the fullest, Oh my Brothers.
Act as If.
“And what you get is what you see
In your mind visually
And manifest physically
If you stick to it shit’ll work out terrificly”
Life is like twistin’ a blunt, it’s how you roll with it
Just figure out what you want and go and get it
anybody tryin’ to stop you
For tryin to do for you That’s your enemy dun
The sun be right up in your crew” – Dead Prez
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
