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Saturday’s bout between Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins will be a championship fight and decision that will be talked about for a very long time. This is the reason that this week’s revival of ‘The Doggy Bag’ which will focus on things other than the middleweight mega bout and its upcoming rematch. While Taylor-Hopkins will get some questions in the mailbag, we mainly focus on other factors including Jean Marc Mormeck, Erik Morales versus Manny Pacquaio II and much more.
What's next for Morales when he beats Pac again, Chico or another MAB fight? – Joe Jabber
Wow, I didn’t know we were already taking predictions on the rematch Joe. I think, assuming Morales defeats Zahir Raheem and Pacquaio, he should fight Barrera a fourth time. For one the money will be right, and two, none of the three fights between these two have given us a clear-cut, dominant winner. They were all nip and tuck wars that could have went either way.
As far as Morales fighting Diego Corrales, I don’t think I could pick El Terrible in such a fight. After seeing what Corrales could take from a strong 135 pounder and still come back to win, it tells me that even the huge hearted Morales could not stand a chance against the bigger, taller, stronger Corrales. Go after MAB and close that chapter before even attempting moving up.
What’s up Aaron? Let’s see your updated P4P list. At this point in Mayweather’s career, how would you rank him among the other great fighters of this era? What's your pick on the Castillo vs. Corrales rematch later this year? – Abraham Q
Abraham you will be happy to know that my P4P list will be on edition 5 of ‘Ranting and Raving’ and I will try to update it as often as possible.
Floyd Mayweather could very well be the best fighter we have seen since Sugar Ray Leonard. Now if you think I am talking him up, just replay the Gatti fight. While Gatti played the part of a heavy bag in the bout, it was not by choice. Gatti had no offense, no answer for the blistering hand speed and strength of the phenom knows as Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He has superb defense, good power still at 140 and like I said, unbelievable hand speed. As I watched him fight Gatti (a fight in which I did not pick Mayweather to stop Gatti) I found myself laughing in disbelief at the rate he was throwing those devastating blows. Now if you are questioning the credibility of this assessment then wrap your head around this, I am not a fan of Floyd Mayweather. Scary isn’t it?
There are so many intangibles in the rematch. What would have happened if Tony Weeks would not have stopped the fight? Could Castillo have recovered in the last two rounds? The scorecards would have been dead even after the two knockdowns and what we would have seen in the 11th and 12th would have made the 10th look like a sparring session.
Another good question to ask would be how much did that fight take out of each man? Will either of them be the same? My guess is both men will be a little less sharp but not less willing to engage in trench warfare again. I think that Diego will be the stronger fighter and puncher in the rematch and stop Castillo around the 9th or possibly the 10th round again.
Who do you think would win between Hatton and Mayweather? – Champ4ever
My heart tells me Ricky Hatton would make Mayweather work too hard to keep up with the Hitman’s pace.
My boxing brain tells me that Mayweather would keep Hatton at bay and tag him numerous times from the outside while moving out of the storm that is Ricky Hatton. He would spin off the ropes, duck, block, and weave his way out of trouble, but never knock the Hitman down or stop him.
Ricky will bleed, Mayweather will be gassed by the end of the fight, but he will be victorious by a fairly comfortable unanimous decision. I have said it before and I will say it again, it could be a 140lb Ali-Frazier.
What do you think about the stoppage in the Castillo/Corrales fight? Do you think Tony Weeks over reacted? – VatoLoco
I always side with safety when it comes to a stoppage. Even in a great war like that. I think Weeks had a very difficult job but if he had not done what he did Jose Luis Castillo may have been seriously hurt.
In the end Castillo survives to fight another day and can vindicate himself in the rematch. I do not think Weeks should official the next fight though. There is just too much controversy swirling around him and we do not want to take away from the magic the next fight between these two will create.
WHY ISNT JMM AS MARKETABLE AS MORALES PAC AND MAB WHEN HE IS JUST AS GOOD? – Kalven
That is simple. Juan Manuel Marquez is the essential boxer type. Hit and don’t get hit. While this style is the only reason he nearly grabbed a victory from the jaws of defeat against Manny Pacquaio, fans really don’t want to see technical boxing over Pacman style aggression and power.
Should Mormeck move up to heavyweight to secure a meaningful fight? – DublinsFinest
Dublin’s finest you say? Mr. Kevin McBride, shouldn’t you be training for a payday you earned by beating a washed-up uncommitted faded former champion? I digress, now to your question.
Mormeck will not make a legacy for himself by beating up Wayne Braithwaite and O’Neill Bell. Mormeck can achieve fortune, fame, and make his mark on history, by making a move up to heavyweight. I would give him a chance against almost every heavyweight out there. He is big, strong, and a good technician in the ring, something the division is lacking.
How'd you score the Hopkins-Taylor fight and why did you give which rounds to which fighter? And who do you think will win the rematch? – TonyMeltoni
I scored the fight 115-113 Hopkins. The first 8 rounds were split 4 rounds to 4. I gave Taylor the 9th and Hopkins 10-12. The first 8 rounds were made up of this, Taylor swings wildly and misses, Hopkins occasionally counters with a jab. Taylor’s aggression was enough to carry four of those rounds while all the rounds that could have gone either way I gave to Hopkins because he was the better boxer in those rounds and the champion.
Round 9 was close but I gave it to Taylor for the same reason I gave him 4 of the first 8. Ten through 12 are easy to score as Hopkins buzzed Taylor time after time and really turned up the heat on the kid, making it too hard for him to handle the spice from the Hopkins sauce.
Hopkins will win the rematch via 11th round TKO. I hope he then retires and will have a cemented legacy, or fights a third time with Taylor. Forget Tarver, he doesn’t need him.
Aren't judges supposed to look at effective aggressiveness when judging a fight? If so, then why wasn't that honored in the Hopkins/Taylor fight? – VatoLoco
I think the key word in there was effective. Taylor was aggressive but his punches were slipped, or blocked and countered most of the fight.
Taylor did not stop Hopkins from doing what he wanted to do and B-Hop landed more punches and was more accurate. Effective aggression was nowhere to be seen in that fight, just aggression.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Aaron Imholte (July 20, 2005) 
