Cotto Wins An Interesting Stadium Slugfest

The first boxing match at the New Yankee Stadium was not a marquee pairing. Miguel Cotto was a premier welterweight until a plaster-handed Antonio Margarito knocked him down in the eleventh round and quite possibly broke his will. After easily handling Michael Jennings in a rebound fight and winning a close and debatable decision over Joshua Clottey, he got a shot at Manny Pacquiao because the mega-bout with Floyd Mayweather couldn't be put together. Cotto hung in there against Manny, but it was clear early on that they were on different levels, and he fell victim to a TKO in the 12th round.

Yuri Foreman's career, on the other hand, was still ascending coming into last night's fight. Only two and a half years ago, he fought on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah bout and coming of a recent win over Daniel Santos to claim the WBA super welterweight chanpionship, finally earned a bout against a name brand fighter. Foreman carried a 28-0 record into the Bronx, but with just eight knockouts, clearly wasn't going to out-slug Cotto, particularly considering that it took Antonio Margarito 11 rounds with illegally hard gloves and Miguel was still standing when Pacquiao won.

This fight was more about the characters and the location, which paired a Jewish fighter who is studying to be a rabbi with a popular Puerto Rican in a baseball stadium in New York City, a city that is home to what are probably the largest populations of both of those ethic groups in the United States.

In the early going Saturday night, Cotto took control. Rolling his shoulders and bouncing on his toes, he kept coming forward and popping the aspiring rabbi with jabs, double jabs and the occassional left hook in the first couple of rounds, pushing him back with each clean shot. As a smooth Cotto stayed in rhythm and on the offensive, Foreman shuffled back and forth on his feet, his elbows suspended awkwardly away from his body, just trying not to get hit too hard.

Midway through the third round, though, Foreman discovered that he could start with his right hand and square up on Cotto's. As the fourth began, Foreman finally landed some solid combinations and hung on to win his first round, although it was around then that his nose started bleeding from both sides.

The fight settled down in the fifth and sixth, with both boxers trading shots, but neither making much of an impact. Had the fight gone the distance, the judges would have likely awarded both to Cotto, but there weren't any standout punches or powerful exchanges in either direction.

The seventh round was what earned Yuri Foreman the respect or the fans in attendance who paid good money to see the fight, with the exception of his wife, who was sitting ringside. About a minute into the round, Foreman's right knee buckled as he tried to plant his foot and he slipped on the canvas. He wears a brace on that joint and it was clear that he was seriously injured. As Yuri hobbled back and forth, referee Arthur Mercante, Jr. offered him the obligatory five minutes to recover but Foreman declined. The announcers seemed sure that Foreman couldn't continue. But he did. And it wasn't just that he stayed in the ring. Without the lateral movement that he relies on so heavily, Foreman stood toe-to-toe with Cotto and traded some powerful blows as the Stadium came to life with the loudest cheers of the night.

With about a minute left in the eighth round, a white towel came flying into the ring from the direction of Foreman's corner, brushed off Cotto's shoulder, and appeared to signal the end of the fight. Trainers, officials and press started flooding the ring, and Cotto even came over to talk to Yuri and congratulate him on a gutsy fight.

However, the fight wasn't over, yet. Mercanti determined that Foreman wanted to continue and he cleared the ring. The PA system in the Stadium announced that the bout was still on, of those still in attendance.

It was only a short reprieve. Foreman lasted into the ninth but was knocked down by a powerful left hook from Cotto less than a minute in. It was inevitable that Cotto was going to win, and it's probably good that Foreman didn't go down after a series of shots to the head.

Although it was immediately apparent that Foreman wasn't in the same class as Cotto, but he showed a lot of heart in the ring. It was the first time he had been beaten and although he took an injury that no one would begrudge him stopping the fight over, he wasn't about to give up. Miguel was the far superior fighter tonight but Yuri undoubtedly won plenty of supporters and respect.

IFs, ANDs & BUTs

• The Stadium was not even half full, with storms in the area probably limiting walk up sales, but over 20,000 people showed up. From the overhead shots that were shown, there were lots of people sitting on the playing field (I think I heard 9,000 at some point leading up to this) but there were a ton of empty seats. This is one of the reasons I'm lukewarm about the Stadium as a multi-purpose facility. Baseball parks just don't translate well to other sports and events.
  
  
• Appropriately, Fack Youk favorite Max Kellerman did the broadcast. A huge fan of both the Yankees and boxing and a native of New York City, this fight was made for him. After the fight, he said:

  It doesn't quite measure up with the great fights in New York history or Yankee Stadium history, but it does do credit to that history. It adds to that history. It was a better than expected fight, it had an odd kind of ending, but it allowed Cotto to show what he still has left. And it allowed Yuri Foreman to show, for the first time, his guts -- he showed that he's a real fighter.

• Roy Jones, Jr. was also in the booth. It was the first time I've heard him in that role and although he certainly wasn't up to Lennox Lewis' level, he wasn't too bad as an analyst.
  
  
• When Foreman hurt his knee, you could hear Mercanti say "Suck it up kid. Walk it off". Between that and restarting the fight, you could tell that Mercanti had a lot of respect for Foreman and wanted to see him go out with as much dignity as possible. However, sending a guy in there who was severely diminished could have been really dangerous and, although I'm not expert in boxing, thought it was inadvisable. Foreman obviously wasn't going to win.
  
  
• I'm pretty sure I saw Bob Simon from 60 Minutes in the crowd, so I'm guessing there is a profile on Foreman upcoming. Not that Cotto isn't interesting, but you could put together a pretty compelling lede about a boxing rabbi.
  
  
• After the fight, Foreman thanked God for keeping both fighters healthy, "more or less". You probably tore a ligament in your knee, man. I don't think the Big Man needs a "thank you" for that one.

The Fight Tonight: Pacquiao vs. Cotto

We don't talk too much about the boxing here at Fack Youk but the 145 lb. bout between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto tonight couldn't fall more squarely in our wheelhouse. The photo about was taken at the press conference for the fight held at Yankee Stadium and we've discussed both contestants on the blog before.

Cotto is the current pride of Puerto Rican boxing, a mantle previously held by past champions Sixto Escobar, Wilfred Benitez, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Vazquez and most recently, Felix Trinidad. The only loss of his professional career came at the possibly plastered hands of Antonio Margarito in July of 2008. Since then, he punished Michael Jennings and won a narrow (and questionable) split decision over Joshua Clottey in his most recent fight in June.

Between his last two fights, Cotto fired his old trainer and uncle, Evangelista in favor of 32 year old Joe Santiago. He has a masters degree in athletic training and has been surrounded by boxing his whole life, but Santiago has no experience in preparing a fighter for a bout of this magnitude, something that Pacquiao's trainer, Freddy Roach has made sure to point out in the HBO documentary series 24/7 leading up to the fight. The conflict between the two trainers nearly turned physical at the weigh-in, when Santiago reportedly looked at Roach when Cotto was weighing in and said "145, asshole". It was a not-so-subtle barb aimed at the fact Roach had questioned whether Cotto was going to be able to make weight.

This incident was just the latest in an uncharacteristically tumultuous few months of training for Pacquiao. He started his camp in Baguio City in the Phillippines and withstood one Typhoon but was forced to flee to Manilla when another one was bearing down. They eventually relocated to Roach's Wild Card gym in Los Angeles and completed training there.

Within his ever-massive entourage, there was drama as well. His conditioning coach Alex Ariza and an "advisor", Michael Koncz came to blows over who would be in the corner on fight night, and have been at odds all along the way. To a fault, Pacquiao greets people with open arms, but Koncz is pretty clearly a snake and according to many on 24/7, serves essentially no function.

It's been asked if this turmoil will have any effect on Pacquiao, however he wouldn't be poised to take a title in an all-time record 7th weight division if he was easily distracted. He debuted fourteen years ago as a diminutive 106 lb puncher in a 4 round fight and, against all odds, has a chance to break his tie with Oscar De La Hoya - who Pacquiao mercilessly destroyed last December - with championships in six distinct weight classes. He's notched belts at 112, 122, 126, 130, 135 & 140, so tonight would be his highest yet, although he beat De La Hoya at 147.

If you're watching the fight tonight, be sure to cash in on Tecate's promotion that grants you a $25 rebate on the PPV purchase in exchange for buying a 12 pack of their beer. You can get the fight for essentially half price, just for buying a 12 pack of beer. In fact, in New York, no purchase is even necessary. Can't beat that with a stick.

As was the case with Pacquiao's last fight, I'm a fan of both contestants. However, unlike Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto can take some licks, so I doubt this fight is going to end in a scintillating 2nd round KO like that one. If Antonio Margarito couldn't knock Cotto out with plaster on his hands, I don't think Pacquiao is going to be able to do it either. Even Freddie Roach admits that Cotto is the physically stronger of the two fighters, but it's obvious that Pacman has the quicker hands. The game plan is for Manny to be aggressive early and prevent Cotto from gaining any momentum.

You can't go wring picking either guy, but one good reason to root for Pacquiao is that he has the better chance of enticing Floyd Mayweather to fight him than does Cotto. Floyd has become a massive draw and right or wrong, is only going to agree to step into the ring with someone who he views as a big ticket fighter. Cotto might bring most of Puerto Rico along with him, but in terms of drawing the numbers worldwide that Pacquiao does, he just isn't there yet.

There are justifications for pulling for Pacquiao that don't have anything to do with Mayweather as well. It's hard not to like a guy who walks towards the ring smiling ear to ear. He's got an entire country pulling for him and maybe a little harder than usual given the typhoons they just went though. But this is the biggest fight of Cotto's career, he's fighting closer to his natural weight and he has a lot to prove. Neither are afraid to brawl and that should result in some fireworks early.

I'm guessing Pacquiao wins by split decision but Cotto at +195 doesn't seem like too bad of a bet. Enjoy the fight. It should be an entertaining one. And keep an eye out for some Yankees sitting ringside.

Enthusiasm For Derek Jeter Can Not Be Curbed

I'm guessing that everyone reading this blog was watching the World Series last night, but there was an interesting discussion about Derek Jeter taking place on another channel sometime between 9 and 9:30. And unlike the last time we talked about a baseball player in conjunction with a TV show, this one is true.

FanGraphs has the transcript:

Stonemason: “That guy [Derek Jeter] sucks.”

Larry David: “Who sucks?”

Stonemason: “Derek Jeter, he’s the most overrated player in baseball.”

Larry David: “What did you say?”

Stonemason: “I can’t stand Derek Jeter, you know he’s the worst defensive shortstop in baseball statistically?”

Larry David: “Oh Bullshit! He’s a great clutch hitter, he’s a great clutch player!”

Stonemason: “There’s no way he deserves that kind of money he’s making.”

And then Larry David changes the subject.

Later in the episode, Larry David starts talking about the stonemason’s Jeter hating and says, “…starts telling me how Jeter’s overrated. What an ignorant moron. My God, please, give me a break. There’s not one person who has ever said that except this asshole, honestly.”

FanGraphs takes special pride in this little snippet of conversation because the implication is that the statistical justification the stonemason is referring to is Ultimate Zone Rating. The assaults on Jeter's defense are familiar to those of us in the baseball blogosphere but I heard plenty of people react the way Larry David did when confronted with what UZR says about Jeter. I don't think you'll hear too many people complaining about his salary of his defense this year, however.

On a related note, this is my favorite Curb episode with a Yankees-related plot line. Here's the best I could do for a clip. Skip to the 1:13 mark (and beware of the strong language).

Kellerman Will "Hopefully Be Back On-Air Soon"

For the first time since unceremoniously leaving his radio show on 1050 ESPN in New York, Max Kellerman commented publicly about the departure. He did so in an interview promoting the upcoming Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight on HBO PPV this coming Saturday former adversary Bob Raissman, whose mustache Kellerman frequently pondered the Freudian implications of.

After discussing his ascent from his cable access show "Max on Boxing" to his current role as primary analyst for the Mayweather vs. Marquez fight, Kellerman expressed regret for how he departed his radio show, saying:

Would I do certain things different? Absolutely. I don't know anybody who has made the optimal choice at every moment in their life. Some things, given the information I had at the time, well, I made what I thought was a good choice. Now, I would be more diplomatic, not so plain-spoken behind the scenes.

Loyal members of the Max Kellerman army wish it had gone down differently as well. After Kellerman left, his slots were filled by the Brandon Tierney Show and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, neither of whom provided the unique perspective on the Yankees and Giants that Max did since his show debuted in August of 2006.

He also made some opaque comments about his eventual return to the radio:

"I love the radio. I loved what I did," Kellerman said. "Now that some time has passed, yes, I was interested in (joining) Mike Francesa and WFAN. What he's done with his show, and his career, is very impressive and I was absolutely interested in that. And I think there was interest there too," Kellerman said. "There are several (radio) things we are looking at. Hopefully I will be back on the air soon."

Interesting that Kellerman talks about his interest in partnering with Francesa, something we speculated about a while back, in the past tense. Interesting also that the interview was published almost exactly six months after he left the show, when his contract was supposedly up. Given that ESPN no longer controls his rights, a return to the air is likely near.

As I said back in February, I think WFAN should slot Kellerman from 10-1, where his old show was on 1050. A pairing with Francesa would be annoying to loyal listeners of each host and they would get better ratings by spreading two big draws out over two time slots. But what do I know? I'd only been listening to Kellerman since the day his show came on the air and represent the most desirable demographic of radio listeners - males 18-34.

Either way, I'm anxiously awaiting Kellerman's return to the airwaves. Sports talk radio has been unlistenable without him. We'll keep you posted on any developments in this area.

Pacman vs. The Hitman

If you were one of the 8 people who were reading this site before the baseball season, you would know that here at Fack Youk, we are fans of sports in general, not just of baseball and not just of the Yankees. Those of us from Upstate New York grew up watching Mike Tyson, and were captivated by the vicious dominance of his early years. But like many boxing fans, we sort of lost interest in the sweet science when Lennox Lewis absconded with the heavyweight title, thereby submarining the division.

Boxing tends to live and die with the charisma of its heavyweights. History tells you that. For every Sugar Ray Robinson, there are ten Gene Tunneys, Jack Dempseys, Max Schmelings, Joe Louises, Rocky Marcianos, Floyd Pattersons, Muhammad Alis, George Foremans, Mike Tysons and Evander Holyfields. There is something inherently captivating about watching two of the biggest and baddest men on the planet determine who is smarter, stronger and tougher, playing by the same rules, using only their fists. It's sporting reduced to it's most basic elements: Strength and Strategy.

Between the Klitschko brothers refusing to fight each other and the 7 foot behemoth Nikolai Valuev refusing to throw a punch and still getting the decision, the heavyweight division is entirely unwatchable at the moment. If you bother to dig a little deeper, however, you'll find that sort of drama can exist at any weight class.

One gigantic reason for that is HBO's 24/7 documentaries. Typically four to six episodes leading up to major fights, the crew follows each fighter through their training regiment all the way to Vegas or whever the bout happens to be. They are incredibly entertaining and astonishingly well done. They are beautifully shot and the musical selections are spot on, something we clearly strive towards on our "Game: XX" posts. It's even more remarkable when you consider that they are aired less than a week after they are filmed. Watch the series and you will find a rooting interest based on the way the fighter's personalities come out through the episodes. I realize it's a little bit late for the heads up, but you can catch up on the episodes on HBO OnDemand or on their website.

I've been looking forward to tonight's junior welterweight (140lb) tilt ever since Manny Pacquiao, as Jim Lampley put it, "rearrang[ed] De La Hoya's beautiful face" and Ricky Hatton did the same to Paulie Malignaggi. As was masterfully portrayed in the episodes of 24/7, Pacman and The Hitman are ideal foils; Pacquiao a proud, humble, generous, religious Filipino and Hatton a brash, fun loving joker from Manchester, England. Both fighters are revered to epic proportions in their native lands, but you will undoubtedly notice the cheering section for Hatton serenading their hero if you order the fight.

Each is likable in their own way, but I'm rooting for Pacquiao. I love his trainer, Freddie Roach, and the fact that Manny keeps a tight-knit staff of 10 guys who all live in a 2 bedroom apartment leading up to his fights. I find it fascinating that he is a national icon, literally the most famous person in his country, and is called "the nation's fist". As the Phillipines prepares it's power grid for the surge resulting from almost every resident watching the fight, I will be heading over the la casa de Big Willie Style, pulling in the same direction.

Was That The Last Flight Of The Conchords Ever?

It was the season finale and they ended up back in New Zealand.

I mean... SPOILER ALERT!!!!!11!!1!!!11!

Are they really going to move back to New York and start up Season 3? Will they continue the show in the Southern Hemisphere? I really don't think so.

Hopefully you got on board like Sampson and I did from day one and caught every episode, because if that show only ends up lasting two seasons, it will still be one of my all-time favorites. Regardless if you liked an individual song, especially this season, you could appreciate the effort they put into working it into the show and producing the video.

My personal favorites:

Tape of Love



"Another way that love is similar to tape,
That I've noticed,
Is sometimes it's hard to see the end,
So you search on the roll (search on the roll),
So you search on the roll (search on the roll),
With your fingernail (nail) (ail) (il) (l),
Again and again,
Again and again..."

Inner City Pressure:



"You want to sit down,
but you sold your chair,
So you,
You just,
Stand there"

"You know you're not,
In high finance,
Considering second-hand underpants,
Check your mind,
How'd it get so bad?
What happened to those other underpants you had?"


and The Girl With The Epileptic Dog:


"How’d you meet your lady?
I was going for a jog and she lost a dog,
I was runnin' in the area and she lost a terrier,
Was this about 20 seconds ago?
No about 23 seconds ago,
Ooh Whoa Whoa,
Oh no,
Oh no"