411 Boxing Fact or Fiction 02.10.09: Margarito, the Welterweight Division, Calzaghe and More

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 02.10.2009

Joe Calzaghe did right by retirement, or did he? Will Margarito be guilty? What's the best division in boxing? All these topics answered and more on this week's Boxing Fact or Fiction.


Original image by Rafael Rivera

Alright, here we go with this week's edition of Fact or Fiction. This week in the red corner is Jonathan Yaghoubi who talked about David Haye giving the heavyweight division a shot in the arm, while Matt Knowles, who previewed Darchinyan-Arce stands ready in the blue corner.

Now let's get it on!

Round 1: You think Antonio Margarito and Javier Capetillo will be found guilt of using illegal substances or materials before the Mosley fight.



Matt Knowles: Fact - The only way that the California commission can validate their original claim from fight night will be to find someone guilty of wrong-doing. There's no way that the officials involved could now, after the fact, back-track on their claim that there was something added to Margarito's hand wrap(s), so at the very least, Margarito's chief second will be suspended for a considerable amount of time. As for Margarito himself, it's a tough call, since he wasn't the one who (theoretically) instigated the shenanigans, but somebody's gonna have to pay the piper on this one.

Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fact - Barring any last minute new evidence, there is no doubt in my mind these two will be found guilty of the shady events that happened before the Mosley fight. They already had found the illegal substance before the fight so there is really nothing more to argue about. I agree with Matt on the point that there is no way they are going to just backtrack and suddenly say "Oh no, we made a mistake!" I do believe both will be suspended for at least 6 months and hence, Margarito credibility as a world champion suffers the big hit we all expect. He needs to win back our trust as a true champion because right now, I have no trust for the Tijuana Tornado.

Score: 1 for 1

Round 2: Ticket prices will remain affordable all year long.



Matt Knowles: Fiction - Simply from the standpoint of what I, the consumer, would consider "affordable." The $25 upper deck tickets for Margarito-Mosley were a big treat to fight fans in SoCal, but I believe that this was an exception to the rule. Nose bleeders for Hatton-Pacquiao went for $150 and sold-out in mere minutes. The same price tag/demand should be expected for each of their respective follow-up bouts as well. Let's see: me and a friend, upper reserve tix, $300 + fees....yep, I think I'll be watching from home!

Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fact - It all depends on what the fight is and if it's PPV or not. With Matt pointing out that the Hatton-Pacquiao cheap seats were selling for 150 bucks a pop and were sold out, ticket prices will continue to remain sky high for the big time PPV battles. However, I feel that the non PPV fights ticket prices will be more "affordable". The $25 upper deck tickets for Margarito-Mosley was certainly a proof of that and last year's De La Hoya-Forbes fight had ticket prices starting at 25 bucks. It's a smart business move considering the state of the economy right now and a trend we will see more of. So in a few words, PPV fights ticket prices will still be sky high but the non PPV fights will be way more affordable for the average Joe.

Score: 1 for 2

Round 3: Joe Calzaghe made the right decision in retiring.



Matt Knowles: Fact - I do feel that this was the right decision for Joe, in the sense that he has accomplished all that he could over a remarkable career. Three championships in two divisions, combined with a perfect record, is first ballot HOF material. I must admit, however, that I'm disappointed that guys like Calzaghe and Hopkins are not passing the torch to the younger stars (namely Chad Dawson) by accepting their challenges. If Joe is satisfied with his late-career W's over faded former champs, and he's got enough scratch stored away to get by for 50+ years-worth of unemployment then, good for him!

Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fiction - I could not be more down on a fighter retiring than I am with Joe Calzaghe. I mean seriously, he wants to go out of a sport off a win over the very aging and clearly washed up Roy Jones and feels he retired on top? Then has the nerves to say that boxing is a dying sport but fails to look in the mirror and think "I am one of those reasons why it's dying!" He comes off a very cocky fighter who thinks he is better than he really is. There was a big mega fight right in front of his eyes with Chad Dawson and other up and coming light heavyweights but he just walked right away from it. Does anyone really feel that was a sincere congratulation from Dawson about Calzaghe's retirement? Do the sport a favor Joe and pave the way for the younger and hungrier fighters by giving them the same chance you got when you were younger.

Score: 1 for 3

AND NOW FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS!

Round 4: Jorge Arce will never be a world champion again.



Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fiction - Despite the lopsided loss to Darchinyan, Arce proved to have a heart of champion and that is why I believe he will be champion once again. This man took a beating from someone that hits exactly like his nickname, "Raging Bull". In the first two rounds, it looked like Darchinyan wasn't going to make quick work of Arce. But in the third round, Arce started to show some promise. He began tying up Darchinyan and working inside to the body. Arce also displayed the toughness that has made him a fan favorite as well as a champion. A left hook at the end of the round wobbled Darchinyan a bit and Arce ate leather as he tried to follow up.

Even though Arce could not take advantage of that round, he continued on and took every uppercut and elbow he could from Darchinyan. Arce took them better than his countryman, Cristian Mijares, did. Darchinyan knocked out Mijares in the ninth round in November. And Mijares won a lopsided decision over Arce in April 2007. Arce just went 11 rounds with the best super flyweight in the world and he is only 29 years old. I have a hunch that says he will win a title one more time.

Matt Knowles: Fact - While Arce has clearly proven that he's one of the toughest little gladiators in the sport, being tough only gets you so far at the championship level. Arce is nearly sixty fights deep into a long, physically brutal career. His body can only take so much use and abuse, and the wars look to have possibly caught up to him. He gave it a great effort against a ruthless 115-pound boss in Darchinyan last weekend, and I applaude his tenacity and effort in defeat. And I guess that in this day and age, with the 4+ title opportunities in every class, Arce could potentially pick-off the weakest link (kinda like Carbajal did to him back-in-the-day). Chances are, however, that he probably can't keep up with the pace of the elite fighters in the fly/bantam classes at this stage of his career.

Score: 1 for 4

Round 5: Should Andre Ward get a fight with Glen Johnson, you'd favor Johnson.



Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fact - This is a huge gamble by Ward and his team. Johnson is a very tough, and risky, step up for the 2004 Olympic Gold medal winner. While a win over Johnson would be huge and come with a big reward, a loss may shatter his confidence and it's something he may never get back again. Unless they are expecting Johnson to drop loads of weight, this will be a tough one. It's a massive leap up in class, unless Ward's team thinks Johnson is there for the taking. I understand Ward wants to step up and fight for a title this year, but there is stepping up and there is stepping up. This is as hard as a world title fight, just about. The best light heavyweight in the world, Chad Dawson, could not dominate Johnson so I am very sure that Ward won't do the same. This will be a bad loss waiting to happen if Ward takes this fight next.

Matt Knowles: Fiction - I don't think that I could legitimately favor either fighter going into this one. Glen Johnson is the hard-hitting seasoned veteran with the granite beard, while Andre Ward is the speed fighter with great technique and reflexes. Each man poses threats to the other stylewise, which should make for an entertaining offensive fight. If Ward is the real thing, he needs to beat guys like Johnson. I am always excited to watch the young guns go after the old war horses, because the ego-trips alone motivate each guy to bring their A-game. Will this be like when Dawson whooped Tarver, or when B-Hop schooled The Ghost? WHO KNOWS?!?!


Score: 1 for 5

Round 6: The welterweight division is the best division in boxing.



Jonathan Yaghoubi: Fact - Is there ever any doubt on this one? Now with the addition of Manny Pacquiao, the welterweight division has become the clear cut best division with boxing. Now if Pretty Boy Floyd ever got back into the ring, then we are talking about this division being so good as compared to the SEC in college football. In 411's last pound for pound ratings, 4 of the boxers on the list come from the welterweight division (Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao, and Williams.) We can also add in Ricky Hatton and I really can't go further how good it is. And the next big PPV mega fight? That would involve two of the best welterweights in Hatton and Pacman.

Matt Knowles: Fact - May I say...AB-SA-FRICKIN-LOOTELY. As far as the "active" fighters go, we could see about 3-4 years-worth of matches between my personal "Big 5" of Pacquiao, Hatton, Mosley, Cotto, and Williams, who are all legitimate stars that reside in or around the welterweight class. Then you have the other young champs like Joshua Clottey and Andre Berto waiting in the wings. Then you've got the floundering careers of Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Margarito that may or may not shake up the landscape. And once the dust clears, Floyd Mayweather might just come outta retirement to fight the last man standing...for a billion dollars. Okay maybe 30mil, but regardless, it looks like we are in for about 5+ years of welterweight championship superfights.

Final Score: 2 for 6

Well these two certainly weren't in agreement much but who said they had to right? That'll do it for this week's Boxing Fact or Fiction. We encourage your thoughts as well so let us know how you see things.

Till next time, see you at the fights!