If you have the sporting bug, an action-packed weekend of matchups is one of the great remedies when the world engulfs us with disastrous events. Japan is in the midst of unimaginable trauma after the mammoth 8.9 earthquake unleashed tsunami waves 23 feet high and numerous aftershocks that have caused mass destruction. The rest of the world has been transfixed by the horrific images and video of the disaster shown over-and-over again as the death toll continues to rise.
Thankfully, sports fans in the United States are blessed to take a break from the devastation in Japan or the civil war in Libya to sit back for a moment and enjoy the wonders of college basketball’s March Madness and tonight, boxing on the Vegas Strip.
Miguel Cotto defends title vs Ricardo Mayorga
Super welterweight champion Miguel Cotto defends his title Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Nicaraguan bad-boy Ricardo Mayorga. The challenger’s legendary trash-talking ways make this an interesting event even though he is a 10-1 underdog and 38-years-old.
“He’s not in my league, on my level. It’ll be a sparring session, three or four rounds max,” said Mayorga in his dressing room before the fight. “I honestly and truthfully don’t like the man. As a boxer and a person, he is vulgar, disrespectful, and snobbish.”
Cotto seemed very calm and collected in his pre-fight interview and offered no rebuttal to Mayorga’s verbal assault. “I just have to do my work,” said the champion from Puerto Rico.
Bob Arum and Don King promote Showtime PPV card
This Showtime PPV fight marks the first time in five years that Bob Arum and Don King have co-promoted a boxing event. Fierce adversaries for over thirty years, the two legendary promoters spoke with Showtime commentator Jim Grey.
When asked by Grey if all was kosher between the two, Arum joked, “Let’s see what happens after the fight.” Arum promotes Cotto, while King represents Mayorga. Arum also mentioned that he and King are planning to co-promote a fight when they are 100-years-old.
Of course, King, possibly the most formidably long-winded talker in American history, took over the microphone. “When Mayorga knocks out Cotto we want Pacquiao. We are going after all his (Arum) jewels.”
King then finished the interview with a humorous expose on the difference between him and Arum. “Bob graduated from Harvard. I graduated from the streets of hard knocks, broken dreams, summa cum laude!”
Wolak defeats Foreman
On the undercard of Cotto-Mayorga, Pawel “The Raging Bull” Wolak won a super welterweight bout against future rabbi and former champion Yuri Foreman via 7th round stoppage. Wolak dominated the fight, battering the game Foreman around the ring until the referee finally stopped the bout.
Foreman, an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, NY who has gained a solid following in his native area was not up for the challenge, looking lethargic following his knee surgery after it was damaged when he lost his title to Miguel Cotto last summer at Yankee Stadium. During a pre-fight interview, Foreman seemed confident he was ready to come back. “I may be orthodox but my knee is reformed.” Clearly, he was not.
Lee knocks out McEwan for come from behind victory
In other boxing news, Andy Lee snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a middleweight clash against Craig McEwan. Dubbed “Celtic War” with Lee hailing from Ireland and McEwan from Scotland, this undercard bout at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut did not disappoint.
Live on HBO as the undercard to the WBC middleweight diamond championship between 2010 fighter of the year Sergio Martinez and Sergiy Dzinziruk, it looked like McEwan was on his way to winning a decision. But, that all changed at the end of Round 9 when Lee finally caught up to him and dropped him. Sensing his opponent was still hurt, Lee took to the offensive in the 10th and final round and finished him with a powerful left hook that sent McEwan to the canvas for good as the refere waved off the fight. A remarkable and thrilling comeback that may catapult Lee into a title shot in the near future.
Benn Schulberg - Benn grew up inside the world of boxing and has been a student of the sport for as long as he can remember. He learned the art of sports ...
