Rob Pilger's Boxing Performance Blog Delivering Real World No BS Boxing Training Info

We're Moving!

2009-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

It's time to move to a new and improved blog. Please join me at my new blog
RobPilger.com where I'll continue to bring you the best boxing performance training info and my ever so blunt pre/post fight opinions.

I want to thank all of you for reading and I hope you visit me at RobPilger.com Please comment anytime.

See you there!

Rob Pilger

Gym Notes: Patience A Missing Ingrediant In Coaching Fighters?

2009-02-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

I have a young fighter that has been developing nicely. I've been taking my time with him and making sure he absorbs and displays the basics before moving on. He's been with me for about three months now and in any other gym he probably would have had his first fight by now.

I'm patient though. I want to see certain things repeatedly done before even thinking about his first fight. Tonight in sparring he started to display what I want to see.

I feel patience is very important ingredient in coaching. Fuck, rush a kid in fight sports and you make him love shy, make a fighter glove shy and it's pretty much over.

Patience allows a coach and fighter to gel, allows a coach to learn more about his fighter, and allows the fighter to develop at a pace they're comfortable with.

Some gifted fighters can obviously be pushed and developed faster, but to watch a young fighter start to take impressive form lets you know that the patience involved was indeed warranted and needed.

Take a step forward, then take two step backwards, but steady progressing never the less with a patient coaching style allows a fighter to really become all that they can be.

You know what they say...Haste makes waste, and it ruins untapped potential.

Boxing Defense Drill: Rolling with Body Shots.

2009-02-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a drill I like to use with my fighters while teaching them how to defend against body shots. You just don't see much of this being taught to young fighters anymore.

Gym Notes: Establishing The Jab.

2009-02-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

One of the rules I have in my gym is throw few single jabs. It instantly pisses me off if I see a fighter do it more than once. I get enraged if I see a fighter flick it or paw with it even more.

The jab is an awesome weapon when used correctly. When watching the Mosley-Margarito fight yet again I was impressed with how Mosley doubled and tripled up his jab. Doing that aloud him to land his power shots. The conductor that got Shane working the jab in that way was of course Nazim Richardson. He knows boxing and knows what the jab can do. The jab allowed Shane to do what he wanted to do to Antonio, keep him at bay, out of rhythm, and mesmerized by it.

Watch that fight again and see for yourself. Fuck those flicking jabs which Shane does still throw a lot of. Solid double and triple jabs allow you to control the rhythm and distance of a fighter. It just opens up many opportunities while closing the opposing fighters would be opportunities as well.

Need more proof on the potency of the jab? Study the great Larry Holmes and watch how he positioned fighters and controlled them with his jab. Yeah, he did it for eight years as heavyweight champion of the world!

Visit http://boxingperformance.com/ to master how to throw a bone jarring jab!

The Product of Great Match Making or Skill?

2009-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

I struck a lot of readers nerves on eastsideboxing.com with my latest article...http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=18595&more=1

It appears that many people are fooled that Wladimir Klitschko is indeed a great fighter. I say the best heavyweight in the world is his brother Vitali. Big brother Vitali continues to beat up the fighters that have beaten or ruffed up his brother in Corrie Sanders, and Sam Peter. If big brother always takes care of little brothers problems then HE must be considered the best.

I respect Vitali far more because he is far more battle tested. He also doesn't quit or suddenly fall apart in fights when the opposing fighter fights back hard. Why the fuck is Wladimir then looked at as such a great heavyweight when big brother is the one who dominates the fighters Wladimir struggles with?!

Great match making puts quite a trance over many people it seems. Minus his dominant performance over former heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov, who the hell has Wladimir beat with a fighting pulse?

The shit I read coming from some people is that Wladimir is far more experienced and doesn't make the same mistakes he did in his past losses. Really?! Ok, he beat Lamon after Lamon suffered a bruising defeat to Serguei Lyakhovich and after not fighting for 15 months. Yeah, that's pretty impressive isn't it? The fuck if it is! Are you kidding me? Sure Wladimir beat the shit out of Lamon in the rematch but it was very clear that Lamon was nowhere near the fighter he was the night he knocked Wladimir out. I know that's not Wladamir's fault, but that's also what happens when you wait for the strong to get weak. Their patience and timing paid off and that's bullshit!

All good fighters lose and it's necessary for them to get better I know. Provided that the mistakes they made don't happen again OR their weaknesses aren't again exposed. Wladimir's losses have resulted from a weak chin and heart. Every fucking time he's pressured or pushed against a strong puncher these weaknesses vividly reappear.

Yeah I know it's been a while since he's showed even a glimpse of these weaknesses, but it's also been a long fucking time since he's fought any fighter with balls and heavy hands.

The way he's been matched recently has fooled many people into thinking that his weaknesses have been strengthened. I'm not buying it, styles make fights and a fighter who comes to fight turns Wladimir into a different fighter and he in turn fights a different style while wearing a skirt.

I don't give a shit that Haye hasn't beaten any top heavyweight contenders yet. Minus Arreola, he's the only one who'll come at Wladimir and check his chin. That's what I want to see, how this new and improved Wladimir handles power and pressure. Yes even against a less experienced and blown up crusierweight fighter in Haye. A fighter can't improve his chin and grow balls after he's been neutered by big punchers in the past by fighting soft opposition. Haye for as inexperienced as he is will at least check Wladamir's chin. We'll see if Wladimir does indeed still have some hanging when Haye hits him hard. Haye will carry some good power in this fight. That's all I want to see. I want to see how much he's really improved mentally and emotionally.

If Haye can pull the upset will we again see big brother coming to his little brother's rescue in getting get back? We'll soon find out when the soft match making ceases.

Mosley Proved Great Fighters Are Forged In The Gym.

2009-01-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

Shane surprised many people last Saturday night myself included. I thought Shane would have his moments just not enough of them to beat Antonio. I was pleasantly wrong. So how did he pull this off and rise to the occasion? I'll tell you how...

Mosley owes EVERYTHING he's learned in the gym as a young teenager and over the years sparring many good Latino fighters to his victory over Margarito last Saturday night. He forged a strong back bone in his sparring sessions learning the lost art of body punching. He learned how to defend against them, dish it out, and deal with hard body shots.

In looking back coming into this fight besides Antonio's strength what does he do that Shane hasn't dealt with over and over again over the many past years sparring with Mexican fighters? Nothing much is what. That's what quality sparring and gym work instills in a fighter with an over abundance of talent.

I failed to recognize this. I failed to realize that Margarito's style, strength advantage or not, fits right into Shane's. I looked at Shane's past performances against Cotto, Wright, Vargas, to voice my logic. Bad move.

Style's make fights and Margarito's style was perfect to make Shane look very special that night. Shane of course had to fight a perfect disciplined fight to take advantage and he did. He's a pro, always has been and always will be until he retires.

He also knows how to fight and take advantage of a fighters weaknesses while nullifying their strengths when their style fits like a glove to his. Mosley slayed the feared and rugged beast in Antonio, and he owes all his hard core sparring sessions over the years with Latino fighters for this huge win.

Shane proved he is old school and one of the best fighters of our generation. Shane has always been a great fighter but minus his first stellar victory over Oscar he hasn't left a lasting impression to cement his greatness... Until last Saturday night that is.

I'm not throwing Antonio under the bus either I was just shocked on how he couldn't get anything going. But then again, that's what superior ring generalship does to a fighter. Shane displayed that superbly. I'll say it again, styles make fights. Cotto beats Mosley, Margarito destroys Cotto, Mosley destroys Margarito. That's boxing!

We all should feel VERY fortunate to be able to have watched living old school fighters like Hopkins and Mosley school younger feared champions in Pavlik and Margarito.

If today's aspiring fighters want to follow even remotely close in their footsteps, they better get quality work in the gym, because that's where champions are created and forged.

Note: It's now Pilger-1 Cosgrove-1. My bud Alwyn was smart enough to take Shane and even up the score... For now at least! :-) We have a blast analyzing fights and we both are very happy with how boxing has opened up 09. The best is yet to come in what is going to be a HUGE year for boxing.

Showcase it and they will come

Mosley-Margarito was jammed packed with real boxing fans and no promotion was really done. Price a great fight correctly while putting it in a real fight town and this is what happens. Let's hope this trend continues.

Where's Oscar?

What the hell was Oscar doing at the Affliction fight that didn't sell well that night? Oscar continues to prove that his actions don't match his fake words... When will he come out of hiding? The REAL boxing fans in LA were booing when Oscar's name was announced. Alwyn who was at the fight said " they booed so loud I thought he was in the building!" I'm glad he wasn't at the Margarito-Mosley fight because the real fighters from Golden Boy Promotions enjoyed the post fight spotlight that night in Mosley and Hopkins. They of course are what Oscar isn't.... REAL fighters.

Margarito-Mosley: My pick.

2009-01-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

Boxing is off to a BIG start in this year! Tonight's fight is SOLD OUT and there's a lot of buzz surrounding this fight. Rightfully so because there's going to be a lot of action. Great to see all the support for this fight. Now let's get into it.

Look for Mosley to try to pick his shots with Antonio early while mixing in some body work of his own. He'll box and try to turn Antonio as best as he can. He'll give Margarito fits while he can keep it up. Can he keep it up though? IF he can it'll he can pull the upset. He's up for this fight that's for sure but I don't know if he has enough in the tank to keep Margarito off of him for twelve rounds.

Look for Antonio to walk Shane down just beating away at anything he can but mostly targeting his body. Antonio is going to look a lot bigger in the ring and with his big and strong ring presence I think he'll beat on Shane's body and arms and wear him down late with relentless pressure and will. Antonio sucks the fight out of a lot of fighters. Antonio will make the ring a lot smaller with his cutting it off. This will allow him to pin point Shane and beat on him.

I think it's going to be a big night for Antonio and I think Shane is going to put on a great performance but I just don't think he's strong enough to keep Antonio off of him the whole night and that's the fight right there.

Margartio UD. Don't be shocked if he stops Shane late though.

Berto Was Taught What He Couldn't Have Learned In The Gym.

2009-01-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

In this weekends tough and close fight against Luis Collazo Andre Berto gained some serious experience that he couldn't have received any where else. This fight was a war and both fighters showed heart, will, and the substance of champions. For the record I had the fight 114-113 Berto. This was also the exciting fight HBO was looking to open 2009 with.

Going into this fight many doubted Berto's talent and mental makeup. Some thought he hit a ceiling in his development. I don't know why people thought this from a young and inexperienced fighter like Berto. I mean he's only had 23 fights going into the fight with Collazo! What the hell do you expect from a young fighter with that many fights? Shit, they're acting like he's had 37 fights or something.

I think Berto proved a lot in this fight and he needed that experience badly. No longer will he, his team, or anyone else really should wonder how he'll perform in REALLY tough/close situations against a good fighter. Berto gained some valuable big fight experience against a crafty, fast, and experienced fighter.

Andre learned a lot about himself in that fight just as we learned a lot about Andre.

The kid has 24 fights now and came through in a very tough fight that many other young champs probably would've folded in. Can everyone please shut the fuck up now and let this kid continue to develop?!

Based of this last weekends performance. I know he will.

*** Berto really needs to stop being so wild and sloppy at times when he's exchanging. His lateral movement must improve to to take advantage of his vast strengths. A more consistent body attack needs to be developed as well. Head hunting gets you tired quick and leaves you open for counters as Berto found out last weekend.

PS: Big props to Luis. The dude has earned a rematch or at least another crack at another champion. How about Collazo-Clottey? Hmmm... That would be a pretty damn good fight!

You Better Be Adding This To Your Training For Improved Boxing Performance.

2009-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

I was asked recently how important I thought massage was to a fighters performance. In my opinion and what I see is that fighters don't get enough how quality deep tissue work. Deep tissue work is vital to keeping trigger points ( tight taut knots of muscle tissue ) from limiting your boxing performance.

I know a quality deep tissue therapist is expensive but you can also look into a massage therapy school and pay half the price that you would for an experienced therapist. Keep in mind you get what you pay for and the quality won't be as good as comes with an experienced therapist but it beats nothing at all.

Another alternative is using a foam roller to address tissue quality. The foam roller is great for improving mobility as well. It's a wonderful simple tool for recovery and improving tissue quality that'll lessen the chance of any soft tissue injuries that can happen in training.

Bottom line, get some deep tissue work done or roll to increase your chance of making it to the fight without a hidden injury.

Are you really mastering the basics in your boxing training workouts?

2009-01-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight on Friday Night Fights Bernard Hopkins and Teddy Atlas noted on how many of todays fighters lack the basics in a huge way. Everyone wants to be a Roy Jones Jr. or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

They were gifted fighters, gifted with awesome reflexes and speed. Floyd got out because his well was drying up and we have been seeing what has been happening to Roy. His reflexes are gone and he has NO basics to fall back as Hopkins pointed out.

Take your time. Master the basics like footwork. Learn the art of boxing. Building that base and mastering the basics ensures longevity as Hopkins displays.

I take my time with my fighters always going back a step once we take a small step forward. This is the sweet science baby. Train like it is!

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ for more world class boxing training workout instruction and tips.

A Must Have Training Tool For Your Boxing Training Workouts.

2009-01-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

Not as many gyms as you may think have uppercut bags. The uppercut is a very neglected and underdeveloped punch. Great fighters master it and know what it can do.

In this video clip below I teach you the basics on how to work the uppercut bag.

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ for more world class boxing training workout instruction and tips.

Gym Notes: Bend Your Knees and Don't Box So Rigid.

2009-01-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

I'm working with a 6'6 heavyweight on footwork, stance, and not being so rigid when he moves. This is particularly important when he slips punches. A common bad habit for a lot of fighters is bending at the waste and not the knees. Kelly Pavlik did this in his loss against Bernard Hopkins. That was one of the first things Bernard told Kelly to improve.

You have better balance, more rhythm, are less of a target ( especially if you're tall ), and you can counter better when bending the knees. Do you have this problem? Do you even look to see if you do? That's what the mirror is for when shadow boxing. Check yourself next time you're in front of a mirror shadow boxing. If you're boxing rigid correct that and watch how much better you become.

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ for instructional videos on how to master basic to advance boxing skills.

Q/A: Boxing Striking for MMA.

2008-12-29T19:18:00.001-08:00

Here's a great question I was asked about teaching boxing striking to an mma fighter and what it can add. Rampage starched Wanderlai with an awesome left hook on the money and Mir displayed improved hand striking in his win although he still needs to improve on it a lot more.

Bottom line modified boxing striking adds a lot to an mma fighter as you'll read in my response below. Look for me to blog more on how mma fighters are adding or need to add more in the future upcoming big fights.

Rob, I wanted to know what you thought about applying boxing to mma striking and where do you see it going in the future. A lot of mma guys throw haymakers and looping punches but seem to get away w/ it (Fedor, Wanderlei Silva, etc.). Some guys (Rampage, GSP, etc) have more of a traditional stance and better technique. Do you think as mma progresses, guys will start applying more head movement, combos, and counter punching as a professional boxer would? Thanks in advance Michael.

I work striking with mma fighters using modified techniques. I can add some footage very soon. I think when it's taught right it adds a lot to a fighter and I obviously see and get this feedback as well.

You can't turn an mma fighter into a boxer with a typical boxing stance. Teaching them how to maximize their punching leverage, turning their hips, shoulders, and wrists over goes a long way to increasing punching power.

Tools that the fighters I work with dig are the maize ball ( shown in a previous post ) and the double end bag. In fact many fighters have never used these great training tools. The maize ball goes along way into improving head movement as does the double end bag along with punching far more accurate, improving timing, speed, movement etc.

You saw what happened to Wanderlai as he got stretched because he was there to be hit. Same thing with Evans blasting Chuck out a few fights ago. They can be countered on easy . Head movement is a must and not worked on enough.

Yeah I do think that mma fighter will add more modified boxing techniques to their game. They'll alo learn to relax more so the punches flow faster, more accurate, tighter ( meaning not so wide ) and harder for longer. This takes time to master.

Those gloves are fucking small so it's either kill or be killed by punches. Meaning you can get a guy out fast when you master hands or a fighter will get stretched by someone who's good if they're an easy target who walks right into shots with no head movement.

One thing I do with the fighter I work with is that when they work on the heavy bag I'll get behind the bag and after a combo or mid combo I'll thrust forward with the bag like I'm shooting in on them so they can move out of the way and back in with knees or kicks. This keeps them very sharp and prevents them from getting lazy and in a lull.

First annual year end Boxing Performance awards.

2008-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here's my first annual boxing performance awards. We had a great 08 in boxing, look for a bigger 09 in boxing! Enjoy....

Best performance of the year

1) Pacquiao
2) Hopkins
3) Margarito

Fighter of the year pound for pound

1) Pacquiao (no one else comes close this year)
2) Bernard Hopkins
3) Paul Williams

Fight of the year

1) Vazquez-Marquez 3
2) Cotto-Margarito
3) Pacquiao - Marquez II

Event of the year

1) Pacquiao-De La Hoya

Upset of the year

1) Pacquiao- De La Hoya
2) Hopkins- Pavlik
3) Prescott-Khan

Comeback of the year

1) Vitali Klitschko: Returns from a near four years away and shuts out the so called most feared heavyweight in the world.
2) Vic Darchinian: Beats down Mijares in impressive fashion.

3) Ricky Hatton (he didn't retire but he rebounded well from a beating by Mayweather )

Round of the year

1) Holt-Torres 2 round one

KO of the year

1) Casamayor - Katsidis
2) Holt-Torres II
3) Miranda-Banks
4) Prescott- Khan
5) Mosley-Mayorga

Trainer of the Year

1) Freddie Roach
No one else comes close this year.

Fake Ass Fighter Nothing but Hype Award

1) Roy Jones
2) De La Hoya
3) Sam Peter

Dude you should have stayed retired award

1) Angelo Dundee: He added nothing to Oscar and it was a distraction and all hype to have him in camp. Back to the sunny beaches of retirement Dundee goes... Please stay there Angie.

Gym Notes: The power of distance and using angles.

2008-12-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start blogging now with more gym notes from my gym. I think this will allow everyone to have a great look about what goes on and arises in training fighters.

Tonight at the gym during sparring one of my fighters kept making a basic but yet very over looked mistake. The mistake was getting in position to land the jab and follow up right hand left hook then take 3-4 steps straight back taking himself out of position to get off again.

He would also have success doubling up his jab yet take himself back out of position. I explained to him while he was sparring that he was having success and taking that success away from himself by doing that. You can't fight for position then take it away. You get nowhere fast and build no momentum or rhythm. What solves this common error? Moving laterally allows you to evade incoming punches while turning your opponent and allowing you to be in position to punch in on angles. This is how you control another fighter and it's truly powerful and very fun to do!

I know what boxing is and how to define it... It's to hit and not be hit yet be in position to counter ( punch ) back and score. Many coaches forget this. I don't. This is boxing and this is what I teach at my fight school.

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ to master how to move laterally and punch in on angles.

The Best Heavyweight in The World, But Ready To Be Blown Over and Out At Any Moment.

2008-12-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Wladimir Klitshko took care of business against sub and sloppy looking Hasim Rahman in a one sided beat down last Saturday night. Hasim looked to show up just for the check and lets hope we don't hear from his bitch ass again. I say bitch ass because of the way he weaseled out of the Toney rematch and he goes on to perform like this! A fucking joke and embarrassment to his team.

Why was Marshal Kaufman fired weeks before the fight? Why in favor of McGirt? who did give good instructions in the fight. Did Marshal foresee what was coming and voice his concern? Wlad played with Hasim and this fight really sucked to watch!

In watching Wladimir you obviously can appreciate how he uses his size and skill well. Offensively he is there although he has a poor body attack and defensively he's still flawed. Emanuel Steward is notoriously a more offensively minded coach. Watching Wladimir fight you can still see he gets uncomfortable when pressure is applied. ( Not that Hasim applied much! ) He just looks like he can be blown over with a heavy shot at times. I just don't trust his toughness.

How do you expose Wlad's defensive flaws you may be thinking? Look at the Pacquiao- De La Hoya fight that followed this bore fest. You take Wlad's strengths away by turning him and pressuring him. You beat him by using movement ( foot, and head ), power, feints, and HARD counter punching.

A heavyweight that I first laughed at by thinking he could pose a threat to Klitchsko is starting to make me a believer in him. His fight against Barret has nothing to do with my thinking this either.

David Haye has the athleticism, power, speed, and foot work to catch and test Wlad. If he can improve his head movement and shorten his shots by not getting too wild I give him a hellava shot of beating Wlad. Haye has pretty fast feet along with his hands and I think he could punch in on some nice angles created by his footwork. Wlad fights totally different when he worries about what's coming in return or when the other fighter doesn't cooperate and fights his own fight.

Wladimir has everything but a chin. Haye's chin is suspect too but he has balls and would bring it too Wladimir WHICH is what he hates. I feel Hay's pressure if he doesn't make any mistakes could really stress Wladimir and fatigue him as he fatigued against Lamont Brewster. Haye seems to hit harder and is obviously a lot faster than Lamont so you can't help but think he has a great shot.

I tell you what.. If they fight like they should.. It'll be a lot better rather than watching that one sided beat down we seen against that pretender Rahman. Haye comes to fight and will go out on his shield. That's a can't miss fight and one I'll guarantee we'll all enjoy seeing. Wishful thinking on my part? I don't think so. Lets hope this fight happens.

Dreams Can Come True With Your Help.

2008-12-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

I contributed to this awesome holiday tips e-book. I know you all will dig it and find it really beneficial. Now I'm asking each of you to reach out and help those in need this holiday season by purchasing this e book. Help yourself while helping those in need by purchasing this $10 e-book. It doesn't get any better than that!

Here's what's inside the e-book....

Get inside advice from some of the world’s top personal trainers, coaches and strength athletes while benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. .

Team EliteFTS 2008 Holiday Tips contains 137 tips to get through the holidays with relatives, no gym,commercial gyms,holiday food and parties.This also includes 10 workout programs and one Circa-Max Raw Bench Press Program to peak your bench before the new year. As always you will find our usual EliteFTS humor scattered throughout the manual.

We request a minimum $10 contribution for this e-book, but we are leaving the option to donate extra if you like.

Team Elitefts Holiday Tips (e-Book)

Oscar Found Out That If You Play With Fire You Do Get Burnt... Really Torched.

2008-12-08T12:21:00.001-08:00

It looks like the days of Oscar hand picking his opponents for a big event and pay pay are finally over. Last Saturday night in a fight touted as mismatch Manny Pacquiao proved everyone wrong while beating Oscar's ass into obvious retirement.

This fight was seen as a joke to many experts and even team De La Hoya. They obviously didn't take Manny serious enough and totally mis judged what Pacquiao could do.

I though coming in Manny would rise to the occasion and perform spectacularly. I didn't think he'd dominate Oscar that easy though. I mean it was EASY for Manny. He kicked Oscar's ass from pillar to post.

Oscar was finally taught the lesson that if you want to be a part time fighter and not take boxing serious enough by being active before taking on a beast like Manny you get embarrassed.

It was obvious coming into this fight that Manny was the real fighter. The size factor was the only question mark and Manny proved the adage of it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog very true.

Ironically though Manny was heavier than Oscar going into the ring. The speed, movement, and defense Manny displayed was spectacular. He upped his game big time. Yes it was a one sided fight but Manny made it that way and kept it that way until the end. That's how good he has become.

That's what special fighters do. Manny has done what Oscar was never able to do and that's dominate in a big fight. That's why when Manny retires he'll be looked at as the better and more accomplished fighter. Manny has taken more risks and beat better fighters than Oscar. Manny takes risks because he's a fighter and now a multi multi millionaire as well.

He's had a Henry Armstrong like year and the sky is the limit as a proposed Hatton fight nears. Yes Manny is P4P #1, yes he'll be a hall of famer, and yes he proved with last Saturday nights performance that he's a throw back fighter.

The scary thing is that Manny hasn't even peaked yet! The best seems yet to come. While Oscar's act and charade as an elite fighter is finally over.

- Big props to Freddie who devised and had Manny follow a brilliant fight plan. This bout was sweet revenge for Freddie and it couldn't have happened to a better trainer.

- Thanks to Bob Arum for listening to Larry Merchant's idea of this fight and having the faith in Freddie Roach when Freddie confirmed that Manny could do it.

- Of course thanks to Manny for proving all these fucking moronic experts wrong who called this fight a mismatch in favor of Oscar. It's fighters like Manny and of course Bernard Hopkins who continue to prove how little these experts do know of boxing.

My Late Prediction For Pacquiao-De La Hoya.

2008-12-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

From reading my last post here on my blog and my latest post on the elite Q/A under Olympic sports you guys obviously know who I want to win. I really think Manny can do it too.

Lets remember that Oscar hasn't fought frequent enough and against solid opposition to be really sharp tonight. That's what's going to hurt him against Manny who's been very active against awesome opposition. I mean fighters like Marquez who is amazingly skilled and everything that Oscar isn't pound for pound.

Oscar should have a few movements with his size advantage but the fight will change when he's tired. Manny can go all night and he's VERY durable. That'll make the difference along with his movement and speed. I think his power will surprise Oscar and we'll soon see.

Manny by close decision... Because they're fighting in Oscar's town... Vegas.

Enjoy the fight!

The Pacquiao- De La Hoya Promotion Should Be Titled The Fighter Vs. The Fraud

2008-12-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you guys something. How did you like hearing Oscar regurgitate the same old shit he has his whole career during Pacquiao- De La Hoya 24/7? Are you sold on it? Do you believe his twisted hype? Do you believe Dundee can add anything or has made Oscar better? What about Nacho for that matter? After all wasn't Oscar SOOOO elated that Nacho was training him and saying that Nacho is the weapon that'll help him beat Manny yeeeet he brings in Dundee?

Oscar is anything but a real fighter and hasn't been for quite a few years now. Why does he fight then? He's established his promotional firm as the soon to be juggernaut promotional company of boxing.

Oscar wants to have his cake in boxing and eat it too. But at last he's fighting a REAL fighter who loves to fight, can bring the fight, and will bring the fight for the whole 12 rounds if it lasts that long.

Thomas Gerbasi couldn't be more right and I couldn't agree with him more in his article here that's on maxboxing.com http://maxboxing.com/Gerbasi/Gerbasi120208.asp

Don't be turned off and believe the hype of this fight being a mismatch. Don't believe misconception that size conquers will and skill. I mean you had to know who the REAL fighter was in Pacquiao-De La Hoya 24/7! Manny is real fighter in this fight and that's why you should tune in.

Although tis fight isn't for any title nor is their any big stakes at line... You may very well indeed watch and learn that you don't fuck with fighters who take this game serious. Yeah, Manny Pac is a nasty little mutherfucker who likes to make big $$$ and still fight hard. A mismatch was never in his mind. Only the next opponent he has too beat.

Maybe this will be the fight that finally lets Oscar know that he needs to stay his ass out of the ring as it's NO place for part time fighters.

You may very well see in this fight that size is a good tool but only one factor. Quality of recent world class tough as hell opposition means more pound for pound and being severely battle tested going into a big fight trumps many factors.

I'm not a hater of Oscar as much as it seems. I'm a hater of frauds and that's what he is if he or anyone thinks he's still a world class fighter that demands the lions share of the $$, hype, attention, and respect for being a part time fighter that hasn't beaten anyone GREAT since Vargas.

I'm ending my rant and telling you to watch the fight! Manny Pac is one of the last great millionaire fighters left.

Looking Back: Grading Arreola and Williams

2008-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Chris Arreola and Paul Williams weren't exactly in big fights last weekend but they were still pretty significantly important.

Chris's fight was very important for the reason of him being tabbed the real American contender. There was a lot of pressure on Chris for this fight, win and he's closer to a huge fight with either Klitschko. Lose and he's seen as a pretender and not the American contender that has been stamped on him.

When I saw how much he weighed at the weigh in I was extremely disappointed with he and his team. Coming in at 254 didn't give the impression that he took this fight and the stakes serious enough.

I feel he had a tougher time than he should of had against Walker although it was a short but very sweet and exciting fight. Chris is a lot better fighter than he showed in appearance and technique.

Here are his grades.

Conditioning: D

Chris wasn't pushed into the late rounds as team Walker had planned and hoped for so we didn't get a good gauge of Chris's despite his appearance. Taking his weight of 254 into consideration gives you the impression that it would've been disastrous for Chris to allow the fight to go that long. It didn't. He won and he better be damn glad too.

Strength: B+

Chris is pretty strong, he showed his strength of will and mind by getting up and ending the fight before it got out of hand. Many fighters would've folded under Walker's start. Chris didn't and he must be praised for that.

Power: A

The left hook Chris finished Travis with was right on the money and just the power shot he needed to land to call it a day. Power can save your ass quick in a fight as Chris displayed.

Speed: C-

Chris has better hand speed and combos than he displayed last Saturday night. His weight slowed him down. If he comes in at 240 like he should you'll see how quick and nimble Chris can be.

I feel Team Arreala dogged a bullet with the condition they came into this fight with. All that talk of Big Bear being great for Chris and he still comes into the biggest fight of his career thus far looking sloppy! They better get their shit together if they want to take advantage of their next opportunity and not be blown out.

Paul Williams

I thought Paul fought as good as a fight he could have with a bad cut early while winning the 154 WBO strap. I feel that this fight was a great experience for Paul. Verno is an older fighter but he is NO joke. Paul looked stronger at 154 than 147. His grades are as follows.

Conditioning: A

Paul through a lot of hard body shots and combos period leading to his eight round stoppage of Verno. You can't do that if you're not in shape. Paul was and he made sure the cut wasn't a factor by his constant whirl wind punch put output.

Strength A

Like I said earlier Paul looks very strong at 154. Verno is not a weak fighter either and Paul bullied him around the ring. For being a wiry guy, Paul doesn't allow himself to be bullied or looked like he'll be blown over at any moment. Strength makes that happen.

Power A

Verno is fucking tough as hell. Any other fighter would've crumbled earlier under those viscous body shots that Paul was ripping. His was consistent and relentless with his power shots. If he was feared at 147 by the elite, makes you wonder what the best of 154 are thinking!

Speed B-

I feel Paul can be a bit faster. I don't like how he hangs his punches out there sometimes. Against a faster fighter he'll be countered on. I feel he can be faster and I doubt that he's performing any plyo work. I would add some power training to his routine and then watch how the fear of him grows along with that new speed and power.

Paul is going to be hard to beat if he's focused. I think he learned a lot about that in the first Quintana fight. The only way I see anyone beating Paul is if Paul comes into the fight drained and over trained from jumping divisions. Team Williams should settle into the 154 division for a bit set up a super fight with Vernon Forrest kick his ass then go to middleweight to cause havoc and terror their. One step at a time team Williams.. haste makes waste... being foolish jumping divisions could get Paul's ass kicked.

Adding and Not Taking Away. Floyd Sr. Knows What He's Doing.

2008-11-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

I gotta give Floyd Sr. his props. Ricky looked a lot better last weekend with his improved head movement, lead right hand and right upper cut inside.

This was much needed improvement and with only seven weeks to prepare Floyd Sr. had Ricky ready for what really was a make or break fight. With his improved style Ricky has added at least another good year maybe two to his boxing life.

I was hoping not to see Ricky rolling his left shoulder and twisting to much with his torso to try and evade shots. It was kinda of a surprise to see Ricky still smother his opponents with his blitzkrieg style while banging away at anything he could. Many thought Ricky would perhaps take a more cautious route with Floyd. That wasn't the case as the much needed head movement along with his aggressive style was still present.

Floyd Sr. is smarter than I thought. He's adding the obvious to Ricky while making sure not to take away his trade mark style that he's famous for. The damage has already been done though due to Ricky's horrible lifestyle. That's another story in itself.

Floyd Sr. was hired because team Hatton wants to preserve what little ring life they have. From the looks of it and with more time to work together it looks like that goal will be accomplished.

I just hope with the added time we don't see Ricky trying to do what Oscar did working with Floyd. That's emulate the style that made his son Floyd Jr. great. That's not going to happen with Ricky.

All Floyd has to keep doing is add while not taking away and he'll be making more big money along with Ricky.

The Incredible Expanding Fighter.

2008-11-21T10:57:00.001-08:00

Paul Williams resembles a marvel comic character with the way he can incredible expand up weight classes yet slim right back down into them. Paul has a very unique tall fame that seems to allow him to achieve these feats with ease. I stress seems because it will catch up with him if his management isn't careful.

Paul made a move up to middleweight to test the waters against a cannon fodder opponent. Paul blasted his opponent out with ease and seemed to carry the added weight with ease but we can judge him on that fight.

Now he's back down to Jr. Middleweight to battle crafty Verno Phillips for the WBO trap. I think 154 is a great division for Paul. Middleweight is where the big money is for Paul with less risk to his health and longevity.

What I'm saying is that Maragrito balked at a 4 million dollar offer and Mosley balked at another million dollar offer. This is a goods thing in a way for Paul because I feel it takes too much out of him to make 147.

Yo yoing up and down in weight classes is too hard on the body particularly when you go too low. I feel 147 is and that's the reason that Quintana beat Paul at 147. Paul was loosing too much muscle to make the weight. It's very hard on a fighters endocrine system to do this as well and if a fighter keeps shit like this up they quickly shorten their careers and end up with thyroid disorders.

So unlike the marvel heroes, fighters take a huge risk to their health, longevity, and getting beat ( being to weak from making the weight ) by performing such feats. I think it's great that Paul wants to test different divisions, hell homicide Henry Armstrong held three titles in three divisions at the same time, but 154 is as low as Paul should go with 168 as high.

I will say though that if there is one fighter who could possible do what Armstrong did, it's Paul.

Larry Knows Best.?

2008-11-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

I know it usually takes everyone a few hours to figure out what the fuck Larry was saying or even meant with his parting thoughts, but this weekend he was right on the money with saying he would like to see Jermain Taylor right back in the ring.

Taylor was never a busy fighter and although he looked very good against a shot Jeff Lacy he needs to jump right back in the ring to gain his swagger back. It looks like 168 is going to be a great stop for Jermain but we'll know more with another fight.

Lets hope Jermain doesn't stall his progress by waiting six months before fighting again. If I was his brain trust I would get him back in the ring before years end. It would be wise to have him sharp and ready for some big fights in upcoming 09.

Activity is just what Jermain seems to need at this point of his career. Larry didn't have me scratching my head and reaching for another beer to ponder where he was going. That was a pleasant surprise and nice for a change!

This boxing workout tip can add a lot of years to your boxing life!

2008-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Don't give a fighter anything. Practice this boxing training drill to learn how.

To learn more defensive techniques and strategies visit http://boxingperformance.com/