Tyler's 'Real Bite' w/ Magno on Cotto, Martinez, Mayweather, Pacquiao, Schaefer, GBP, Haymon & more
 By David Tyler, Doghouse Boxing (May 7, 2014)
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Split Face Art - Left: Cotto / Right: Martinez
Image by © icheehuahua, Doghouse Boxing Inc.
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| Paul is one of the elite Subject Matter Experts in our sport. Please welcome him into the doghouse as he shares his thoughts on recent events and some discussion of tonight's PPV event on HBO PPV.
David Tyler: Let's talk some boxing prior to our discussion about tonight's big middleweight fight -- Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto on HBO PPV.
Since we last spoke, both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have won PPV events by decision. Your thoughts on both fights?
Paul Magno: Pacquiao's performance didn't surprise me one bit. He did what he did the first time against Bradley, but won more comfortably this time. Bradley seemed conscious of the fact that he either needed a knockout to win or maybe he became infatuated with the idea of possibly being able to knock Manny out. Whatever the case, swinging for the fences in the first three rounds did nothing for him and when things finally settled down, he had no plan B... Pacquiao looked superb and was allowed to fight at his own pace and distance.
Mayweather, on the other hand, disappointed me. He seemed to come into the bout with a sense of entitlement, almost like as long as he shows up and shoulder rolls a few times, jabs to the body a few times, he'll get the win. He fought like someone who was just there to put in his time, get back in the limo, and pick up 500 McNuggets on the way home. He didn't start getting serious until the middle rounds when we could all sense that this one was close. Maidana's unorthodox style and absolute lack of self-doubt kept pushing him forward...He got legitimately close to beating Mayweather. The decision was a fair one and, by the way, one that Miguel Cotto should've gotten when he fought Mayweather.
DT: What's up next for Pacquiao and Mayweather?
PM: Mayweather is a tricky one...If his team lives up to its word and severs ties with Golden Boy, then the answer is a great, big question mark. Mayweather Promotions is not a licensed promotional company and I doubt there will be too many other promoters willing to step in and foot the bill for the promotion without having a huge financial stake in the event. I can see them entertaining the idea of fighting in the UK against Khan, where they could hook up temporarily with one of the UK promoters.
As for Pacquiao, I think there's only one real target set and that's Juan Manuel Marquez. If that can't happen, they'll entertain Provodnikov and/or try to swing a deal elsewhere. But if I had to guess, they'll make every effort to bring Marquez over to Macau and could very well succeed.
DT: Any chance of a Mayweather/ Madiana rematch?
PM: I think there will be. Maybe not Mayweather's next fight, but it'll happen-- and Mayweather will dominate.
DT: Paul, I have to ask you about Richard Schaefer and his resignation from Golden Boy Promotions. What's going on behind the scenes and how will his departure impact GBP?
PM: I can't tell you what's going on behind the scenes, but as someone who has worked in fraud detection/corporate corruption as well as boxing, I have a few theories regarding what may have happened and what may happen in the future. Let's just say it is alleged that, for some reason, Schaefer was using Golden Boy resources to build certain Al Haymon fighters without having them actually signed to GBP contracts. There's no way that this was an oversight. So, if the allegations are true, you have two ways to look at it-- Schaefer was looking to screw Oscar down the road and take all the talent with him or, and this may be closer to what I'm thinking, Schaefer was covering his own ass against an owner he felt was volatile, undependable, and a liability to the company by keeping company assets out of reach. Showtime has the TV deal with Golden Boy, Haymon has his deal and doesn't seem interested in being an actual promoter, so if there's no deal between the fighters and Golden Boy, all things must go through Schaefer. And if Schaefer is removed, the company could collapse like a house of cards. If the allegations are true-- and it's not really fair to say one way or the other just yet, but if they ARE true, then, to me, it looks like Schaefer was making a back door escape route for himself and leverage for when/if Oscar did decide to become a hands-on boss. Honestly, it would be reasonable for Schaefer to think of Golden Boy as his baby after all these years of, really, doing all the work that resulted in the company's massive growth. He was the day-to-day guy and while Oscar created the name, he built the foundation. But, ultimately, a CEO is not hired to be a surrogate mother. He has to run the business like a business and what Schaefer is accused of doing is not proper conduct. This also creates a problem with the front office, though, because all of these guys are used to working only with Schaefer. Oscar is going to have to find a quick, genius-level fix or his entire front office may pick up and leave once Schaefer gets situated somewhere.
DT: Does Schaefer's exist mean that we may finally get a Mayweather/ Pacquiao bout?
PM: No, because Schaefer wasn't the only one standing in the way. Everything standing in the way is still there...Arum, Mayweather, Team Pacquiao, HBO, Showtime. If Mayweather-Pacquiao does happen, it will be totally unrelated to Schaefer's departure.
DT: Paul, you are on record (http://theboxingtribune.com/2014/06/double-fantasy-cotto-vs-martinez/) as predicting a victory for Sergio Martinez tonight. If he has recovered from his injuries, then I completely agree with your assessment. Martinez is 39 years old, if he beats Cotto tonight, what's next for this great Middleweight Champion?
PM: If Martinez wins, I see there being a push to match him up with Gennady Golovkin. It makes great sense for HBO to have a passing of the torch at middleweight. Martinez may try to have at least one more softer touch before that, though. I wouldn't blame him and, if I were the WBC, I wouldn't deny him. I think Martinez-Golovkin eventually happens, though, and it would be a rough match-up for Martinez. The torch will be passed.
DT: If Cotto wins the fight tonight, what's next for him?
PM: I think they also try and push him at Golovkin, but that would be absolute suicide and I'm sure Team Cotto knows that. The big fight is with Canelo and, win or lose against Martinez, I see Cotto-Alvarez happening sooner rather than later.
DT: If Martinez wins, any chance of a fight with Pacquiao or Mayweather at a catch weight?
PM: Where there's massive money, there's always a possibility...but it would be hard for Martinez to get to a low enough weight to appease either fighter. Plus, factor in the HBO/Showtime thing in the case of Mayweather...I don't see it happening, but I imagine Martinez would saw off an appendage to make weight and make either fight happen. For him, both fights are win-win situations.
DT: Is there any fight on tonight's undercard that the fans should not miss? Also, is HBO doing enough on their PPV events to make the card worth $70.00 ?
PM: Nothing really stands out on the undercard. Vazquez Jr.-Sonsona should be interesting. It's a rematch of a 2010 Vazquez KO win, but Sonsona is a better fighter than he was when they first met and Vazquez is not. So, maybe there's a shakeup there. The rest is, whatever. The show, as a whole, is not worth the price tag, but their research tells them that the strength of the undercard doesn't matter all that much in the final sales figures. The casual fan is what drives PPV buys and most don't even sit down and begin watching until the main event. To an extent, this is true. But what about rewarding the loyalists with some good fights? It says a lot when boxing people can go out and publicly talk about it not mattering whether they deliver a full and satisfying product to their customers. I read an interview with HBO's Ken Hershman the other day where he basically came out and said that. Can you imagine some other corporate big shot saying that? Can you imagine the CEO of McDonald's coming out and saying, "Our burgers will remain decent, but we won't bother doing much quality control when it comes to our fries, drinks, and desserts because out research tells us that most costumers come for our burgers and will still keep coming, even if the rest of the food tastes like armpits."
DT: Paul, thank you again for sharing your thoughts with our readers. Enjoy tonight's fight card.
PM: My pleasure, as always it been a lot of fun.
Readers: Thank you for visiting doghouse.com and reading this interview. Check your local listings for tonight's HBO PPV event - Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto.
-- David Tyler
***David Tyler replies to all his e-mails and loves to hear from the readers. Comments, Questions, Suggestions, E-mail  David now at: dtyler53@cox.net
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