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You would really have to have your head in the sand not to recognize that there is still a measure of racial divide in this country. Even though we have finally evolved to the point that an African-American is the presumptive nominee of his political party, it seems we can't go longer than a day without having race interjected.
One poll said that 20 percent of Americans would consider race as "very important" when entering the voting booth. Somehow it just seems distasteful that it should be an issue.
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| Floyd Mayweather Jr., who retired recently, accuses HBO of racism. (AP) |
Mayweather said the following: "Even a guy like Jim Lampley, he praises Kelly Pavlik, who has won some good fights, he beat Jermain Taylor twice, we have to give him credit for that. But they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he's the second coming or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I'm a black fighter. Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters they never praise."
Never? Like never, ever?
Not Ray Leonard? Roy Jones Jr.? Shane Mosley? Evander Holyfield? Lennox Lewis? Never?
If HBO has a bias, it's toward the fighters they have under contract, no matter if they're black, white, brown or yellow. The announcers know they can only stray so far from the reservation without being reined in, which is why we like Larry Merchant, who is the most willing to push the envelope.
But racism? No way. Lampley, whom Mayweather trashes in the Mayo article, is an enlightened man. Floyd should read the Huffington Post.
I can't imagine Max Kellerman with a bias against Floyd, given the way he gushes when mentioning his name. And Manny Steward?
Like most corporate giants, Time Warner's favorite color is green. HBO has made stars and wealthy men out of a number of athletes from all races. When it comes to earning power, they have a big tent.
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Mayweather states that he hopes to be a billionaire by the end of 2008, and while it is true that his success was based on his own hard work and God-given ability, HBO had a prominent hand in his good fortune.
With his wealth and celebrity, Mayweather could be a positive force to bridge the remaining racial divide and help bring the country together. But the feeling here is that he is a troubled young man. Mayweather could be a billionaire several times over, but he'll never have enough money to buy class.
Third time a charm?
Apparently junior welterweights Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt can't avoid being in exciting fights together.
There has been explosive action in both bouts, including five knockdowns over the twelve rounds of their two fights, dramatic twists and turns, and more than a fair share of controversy.
Holt, 24-2 (13 knockouts), came out on top in the rematch last Saturday, knocking out Torres 32-2 (28 knockouts), at 1:01 of Round 1 to win the WBO crown. But it was far from an easy victory.
The chinny Holt hit the deck when the heavy-punching Torres connected with a right hand just 13 seconds into the fight. Seconds later, Holt, who appeared to be on shaky legs, was back on the canvas. It seemed as if Torres was on his way to a blowout victory a half minute into the fight.
Holt tried to move to stave off another Torres assault. Suddenly, Holt landed a left hook to the body that made his opponent gasp. As Torres bent over from the impact of the blow, the fighters' heads clashed and Torres rocked backward.
The head-butt happened so fast that it was overlooked until the replay, but it placed Torres against the ropes and made him a stationary target for Holt's Sunday-best right hand. Torres was out and crumpled to the floor. He remained seated on the bottom rope with his arm draped over the middle rope for several minutes without moving a muscle, even after referee Jay Nady counted him out.
It was a tremendous showing of heart and resolve by the New Jersey resident Holt, who was floored twice and cut over his eye. He fought back with his back to the wall to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
This fight will be a guaranteed contender for Round of the Year and Knockout of the Year honors, and Holt is a deserving new titlist.
So while it's true that Holt's walk-off flush right hand was the shot heard from Vegas to Baranquilla, it certainly appeared from the replays that the butt had clearly hurt the Colombian and placed him in a position to be taken out, along with the body blow. Frozen for a moment, Torres was open for a shot that might have taken down a building.
I'm not sure if there is comparison to an accidental head butt and the assorted flying debris that Holt had to dodge in Baranquilla 10 months ago, except that they both led to an element of controversy. Taking that into consideration, plus the fact that Torres put Holt down twice in the round for a total of three knockdowns in two fights, would indicate that the two should be paired again.
Not that fair play ever entered into boxing matchmaking, but Torres was under no obligation to give Holt a rematch, so hopefully Holt will be every bit as accommodating.
In the co-feature, Lamont Peterson, 25-0 (12 knockouts), was impressive in his Top Rank debut, dominating Rogelio Castaneda, 24-14-3 (8 knockouts), before stopping him at 2:50 of round nine. Peterson's hand speed brutally pummeled Castaneda with flurries of multi-punch combinations throughout the fight, putting the Mexican in trouble on a couple of occasions prior to the stoppage.
Peterson had finally softened up his opponent enough to close in for the kill in the eighth round. However, Peterson appeared to tire and let a seemingly hurt Castaneda off the hook with a swarm of punches.
Peterson landed a stiff straight right that put Castaneda on the floor in the ninth round. He quickly followed up, landing shots from every angle, and Castaneda's corner asked referee Russell Mora to stop the fight.
Peterson has scored TKO's in four of his last five fights. He needs to face a legitimate top-10 contender, and if he wins, he will be a bona fide contender for a belt. He's solid defensively, has a good chin, excellent technical skills, and he's getting better with each fight.
Top Rank promoted the card, which was held at Planet Hollywood before a crowd of 3,226. It was broadcast by Showtime in a special edition of its ShoBox: The Next Generation series.
It was, in fact, special on a number of levels. Not only did it feature championship-caliber boxing as Holt became ShoBox's 28th world titlist, but the announcers remarked early on that Torres was enticed to the rematch with a $250,000 purse.
That figure alone, not even including the purses of the other three combatants, is far and away in excess of the standard ShoBox licensing fee, which is normally in the $50,000 range. It should prove to be a good investment when Showtime returns Holt and Torres for a main event on Showtime World Championship Boxing.
