Welterweight (147) has always been my favorite weight class. Most men aren't born giants. Extraordinary men come in ordinary sizes. If you're five foot nine or so, if you're average, and you really, really got into shape, you probably could make weight at 147. In other words, there are probably more natural welterweights than natural heavyweights, lightweights, or any other weight. This, I think, contributes to the vivacity of the division. But the welterweights, unfortunately, have yielded in recent years, for me at least, to the lightweight (135) and junior welterweight (140) classes. HBO's Saturday night broadcast proved that welterweight is back as the weight class in boxing.
The night started out with one of the sweetest knockouts I've seen in recent years (other candidates include Antonio Tarver's jaw shot to Roy Jones and Demetrius Hopkins blind clubbing of veteran Michael Warrick). Check out these YouTube clips of Kermit Cintron absolutely flooring Walter Matthysse. It was absolutely devastating, particularly since Matthysse is no cupcake. Cintron's knockout is the stuff of highlight reels.
The in-ring, action-hero Arturo Gatti graced Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, hopefully for the last time. The co-author of some of the most compelling bouts in the last decade, Gatti at 35, and Gatti at 147 pounds, proved too old and too small to continue fighting. Saturday's antagonist, baby-faced Alfredo Gomez of Contender fame, outboxed and outmuscled the aged warrior. Even the presence of Mickey Ward, Gatti's antagonist in an unforgettable trilogy, couldn't breath life into his former foe. It's always sad to see the greats go, but in boxing the emphasis has to be on the sweet in bittersweet as it's always sadder to see them hang on.
The final HBO bout showcased the future of the welterweight division, the freakishly long Paul Williams, who outpointed fan-favorite Antonio Margarito. He reminds me, and everyone else, of Thomas Hearns. Williams stands at six foot, two inches, with a reach that doesn't end. If that's not enough of an obstacle for opponents, Williams never stops throwing. He let his hands go more than 1200 times in the twelve-round fight. They call him Paul the Punisher, but Pattycake Paul may be a more apt nickname. His punches are light, but one gets the feeling that the tork those long arms could generate would unleash some amazing power should Williams desire to shift styles from volume to power. Margarito, whose reputation has been made more by calling out great fighters than by beating them, cried foul at the decision. I didn't, scoring the bout nine rounds to three for Williams.
Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah, Miguel Cotto, Kermit Cintron, Shane Mosley, Paul Williams--welterweight is a stacked division. And it will be even more so in the coming year, as undefeated Ricky Hatton may come up to face Mayweather and champion moneyman Oscar De la Hoya may come down to make his farewell match. One things for certain: prizefighters go where the biggest prizes are. With so many money fighters in one division, other fighters hungry for money will crowd the weight class even more.
I can't watch boxing anymore. MMA is the way to go. It can get boring with the grapling but when they stand there with 4oz gloves man the knockouts are unreal. Thats what boxing needs to do, get back to 4oz gloves. sure the fights aint goin to last 12 rounds but so what. You know that it doesn't matter who you are, you get hit with those gloves yer go'in DOWN!
MMA?! Ugly people, ugly fights. Yuck.
Boxing was (and still can be sometimes) great when it was "the fights" and guys actually hit eachother and weren't out there just to dance around and outscore the other guy. Seems that Boxing has gone the way of most of society where raw skill and power have been replaced by technical calculation to achieve the same end.
Can't handle judo or grappling of any kind in the fight. Not sure if they're fighting or f'ing sometimes.
Gatti kicked ass
