The Last Cotto Fight

I have such great memories from watching Cotto's fights. This is really the end of an era for me. Here are some of the more memorable bouts (for me) from Cotto's career.

Cotto vs. Judah (June 9, 2007) I had just moved to New York City - barely been there a week - and my first order of business was to make a trip to Madison Square Garden. It's called boxing's Mecca for a reason. It was the night before the Puerto Rican day parade and as I looked around the stadium, I noticed the place was packed to the rafters with Puerto Rican Cotto fans. When they played the Puerto Rican national anthem (state song? U.S. territory ditty?), the whole pace sang along, including little children (Puerto Rican pride is no joke). I quickly realized that if Cotto didn't win, there would be a riot. I scanned my area for the nearest exit and worried about how fast I'd be able to move in a dress and heels. Luckily, Cotto won by TKO in the 11th round.

Mayweather-Pacquiao 5/2/2015

Going in, I was never under the illusion it was actually going to be the fight of the century. Maybe the most anticipated fight of the century so far. The fight had more action than I expected, but with a predictable outcome. Though it wasn't the most exciting fight of t he century, it may have been the most important. It may actually be The One to change sports viewing, especially the pay for viewing structure.  

Periscope and Meerkat, live-streaming applications for smartphones, allowed those that had purchased the fight to stream it and, those that didn't, to view it. It probably cost the promoters, the networks, and cable companies pennies on the dollar, but big companies are not known for their proportional responses when it comes to money and for good reason. Anyone remember Napster? How about buying whole CDs after only hearing a song or two? Yeah. The ability of consumers to share content for free changed the music industry forever. This might, too.

It makes sense for boxing fans to be the pioneers/original criminals. If you want to watch boxing these days, you need a $100+/mth cable bill*, not including PPV services that cost almost as much. If you're a fiscally responsible person living within a budget and don't make a living from watching sports, you probably cut the cable cord a while ago. Showing up at friends' houses with snacks and booze every Thursday/Friday/Saturday isn't sustainable. So, what to do?

Return to Boxing by Way of Froch v. Kessler - Super Middleweight

I took a break from boxing. Not cold turkey (that would be impossible), but a break from allowing it to rule my life. Whenever I've watched a fight in recent months, I realize how much I miss it. I'm overjoyed to an almost overwhelming point.

I tried to get back into it by starting to watch Friday Night Fights again. I went to the Lazy Dog. It's a huge restaurant with a huge bar area and multiple big screens. I asked the bartender if I could get a channel change to ESPN 2. As usual, the bartender asked me what was on. This (almost*) ALWAYS happens to me. I fear it's because I'm a female. I always want to reply "Cheer nationals" and see what happens. Who gives a fuck what's on?! It's a bar with big screens. That means sports. ESPN 2 is a sports network. Shut the fuck up and change the channel. I'm also really disappointed that bars, even sports bars don't automatically put it on ESPN 2 on Friday nights and that the management and bartenders don't know that there's boxing on television on Fridays. That's just un-American.

I tell the bartender "Friday Night Fights".  He has to ask his manager. So I wait. And I wait. After 10 minutes I ask him if he's actually asked the manager. He says yes. 10 minutes later he comes back and says the manager said they can't put on boxing because it's a family restaurant. It's almost 8 pm on a Friday night. I don't see anyone under the age of 21 in the entire restaurant. And I'm in the bar area. Boxing isn't suitable for viewing in a family restaurant? I'm pretty sure they show hockey and football, which are also violent sports. Boxing is an Olympic sport and once upon a time it was one of the big three (boxing, horse racing, baseball - I miss you Bert Sugar!).

I now consider the Lazy Dog an anti-American organization. Don't go there. Don't give them your money.

So, I leave the Lazy Dog and head into the dark night, unfamiliar with my surroundings as I'm still new to the area. My phone tells me there's a bar in a strip mall a mile away. The Shady Nook. It was both. It was a bit of a scary crowd for a woman alone, but I pressed on. I sat down and asked the FEMALE bartender for a channel change to ESPN 2. SHE DIDN'T ASK ME WHAT WAS ON. *This is the first time that's ever happened to me. It was a great fight night and I started contemplating letting boxing take over my life again. However, it's a difficult sport to follow. I don't have cable. I haven't found a bar to watch Friday Night Fights. I don't know anyone near me with HBO or Showtime. I miss McCann's in Astoria so much. Best bar to watch any fight. HBO is right. Boxing isn't a sport. It's a way of life.

But oh my stars Froch-Kessler may have pushed me to be really aggressive with my performance review at work to better my chances of a big raise so that I could get cable. What a spectacular fight! Both excellent technical fighters, but with the ability and willingness to brawl. Froch looks great physically. He's filled out and he was able to take Kessler's punches better. Kessler, who's been a favorite of mine since I watched him work Librado Andrade like he was a hanging side of beef. He's lost a step, but he can still throw bombs and he's very active in the ring.

Digression: I drove up to Oakland to watch Kessler fight Ward in 2009. I had to leave for the trip right after a morning practice. I was still in my sports bra and didn't have a chance to shower before attending the event. Talk about a place a woman shouldn't travel alone. I was happy to have the extra funk as protection. I felt safe in the Oracle Arena, but I had to park far and it was a long walk in the dark. Kessler lost, but I was so excited that he was fighting stateside. I still regret not seeing Naseem Hamed when he fought in Vegas. I had traveled alone and done some other activities alone a bit, but I wasn't at a place where I felt comfortable going to Vegas alone.

I wholeheartedly agree with Froch about a fight with Ward - a good fighter, but not entertaining (fight-wise or personality-wise). Personality is important, not just in sports or entertainment. If you're a cubicle dweller at American, Inc., you still need to have some sort of engaging personality to succeed. I would welcome Froch-Kessler III. Maybe I'll be able to afford to watch it in the comfort of my own home by then. Keep your fingers crossed for my performance review!

Rios v. Alvarado – Junior Welterweight

Was it action packed? Yes. Did fans and boxing analysts nut themselves over it? Yes. Was it a good fight? Yes. Was it a great boxing match? No. Rios has had 400 amateur bouts. It certainly didn’t show. It looks like he decided he knew all he needed to know about boxing after his first couple of fights and stopped developing his skills after that.

A minute into the first round, Rios started to lose control of himself and started brawling. Despite his record, I think this is as good as Rios will ever be. If Alvarado were younger, I would say that he has a future. If he can learn not lower himself to the level of brawlers and work a bit on his defense, I think he could still have some great boxing moments. Also, ain’t no shame in taking a knee and a standing eight count. It’s a more noble defense strategy than Mayweather’s shoulder defense. *eye roll*

Marquez or Pacquiao would dismantle Rios, especially if they catch him on one of his off nights. Rios is a bit inconsistent. That could be attributed to his problems with making weight, but even if has all of that under control, I wouldn’t put up against any high caliber fighters.

Rios did do something that’s not done as much in boxing anymore: He worked the body. He did a great job, early on, of working over Alvarado. It gave him the edge by making Alvarado just a little bit more fatigued as the fight went on.

This fight didn’t rise to the level of Barrera-Morales or Gatti-Ward, but it was the slugfest it was promised to be. I just wish there had been more technical skills displayed.  I would definitely watch a rematch!

Rios did win by TKO as the ref stopped the fight in the 7^th round.

Donaire v. Nishioka – Junior Featherweights

“High intensity chess match.” A display of “extreme athleticism.” That’s what most boxing matches should be. This was more of a slightly active chess match than a high intensity one. I do love the lighter weight classes, because when they let those fists fly, it’s beautiful. They remind me of hummingbirds in flight.  This did not happen here.

Nishioka looked tired from the beginning.  Donaire seemed to have some difficulty with Nishioka’s fighting style.* Waiting until the 6^th round to start boxing was a little odd for this weight class. I guess Nishioka getting knocked down lit a fire under him. Hey, whatever it takes.**

Donaire won his 29^th straight fight over the span of 11 years with a 9^th round TKO with a stoppage by the ref.

*This led to the first instance I have experienced where Roy Jones, Jr. had some good advice for a fighter in the ring and that his personal story actually related to the fight. Not quite a miracle, but a cool breeze may have blown in hell.

**Also known as “whatever the fuck it takes.” My favorite “move” from one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long, long time, Win Win. 

Boardwalk Empire: Spaghetti and Coffee

Got Yourself a Gun

It looks like prison was hard on Eli, but in a good way. He’s lost his baby fat and his dumbass-ness, too. He’s asking all of the right questions. (How IS  Mickey Doyle still alive?) He’s making better decisions. If I had found out Mickey Doyle was my new boss, I would've kept walking. Good for him. Having Nucky not completely bail him out may have helped him become more capable. 

I don’t know what it says about me that I find Bobby Cannavale more attractive in this role than in any other role.  I swear he’s Anton Chigurh’s grandfather. I can’t stop laughing when he’s in a scene. He’s so great!!! Gyp Rosetti should have his own web series . . . shorts of him at various restaurants ordering food. Or a food critic should use the face he made while eating that spaghetti when he’s not a fan of a meal.

   

Ugh. Margaret has to go through Owen to give messages to her husband? I guess being a lady isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I think Margaret would be an amazing social services case worker, but she would quickly burn out on people who refuse to take her suggestions. Maybe she’ll regain some of her old dignity taking full advantage of her position with the hospital.

Is Nucky really jealous that his mistress might have other lovers? Your good wife is dead. You’re not going to get your sweet life back by marrying an ambitious gold digger and committing adultery with a showgirl. Being a ruthless gangster isn't going to bring you in contact with “nice” girls, either. No matter how he feels about his wife, now, he still has his duties of a husband to fulfill, which include escorting her to important events.  Weirdly, I want the same thing as Nucky: for everyone to be honest about what they want. I just wish I could fall in love as easily as he does. Or be as manipulative.

I find philosophical bureaucrats endearing. Especially when played by my favorite homosexual vampire from True Blood. It’s a good thing, too, because I have no idea what the money exchange scene was about. I’m not the best with plot. I’m more of a character person.

I wonder if this is the type of guy Chalky would want for his daughter? A spineless professional? Or someone who would kill someone for her? Out of every character on this show, Chalky is the only one I’d love to hear talk about himself. I could listen all day! Uh, oh. A woman who wants to marry someone she actually finds interesting. Good luck with that. As the daughter of the greatest dad in the world, who is a very interesting person in his own right, I can understand it being difficult to settle down with someone you look at and think, “Well, maybe he’ll be an interesting man. Someday.” Of course, there’s interesting and then there’s too interesting. Maybe I’ll marry that nice accountant who really likes Claim Jumper’s.

The best part of the gas station scene is that if anyone came across a closed gas station in the middle of nowhere crowded with such nicely dressed men, they would feel safe. In those days, you would keep driving and risk breaking down and having to spend the night on the side of the road.  

This was the first time that I didn't wish anyone were dead. Note: No scenes with Gillian.

[If anyone could explain the current plots to me, I would really appreciate it. Nucky and that bureaucrat, Nucky and Rothstein, Mickey Doyle and Nucky. I will take that explanation in diagram form.]

Boardwalk Empire: Resolution

'Cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks - Mobb Deep

The theme of the promos for season 3 is “You can’t be half a gangster.” My first reaction was, “who thinks Nucky is anything but ALL gangster?” Then I thought about it some more and realized that he was just a SUPER unethical business man. Until he shot his everything-but-by-blood son.  That’s all I consider him to be now. Just a dirty gangster, married to a trampy shrew.   

I’m a little wary going into the season. Jimmy was the heart of the show for me. His wife was the only woman with depth, especially after Margaret became so brittle. Harrow is all that’s left for me. The only character left that I would hug.  And I’m not a fan of Bobby Cannavale except in Will & Grace and Thomas McCarthy movies. He’s good when he’s goofy and weird. Well, let’s get the show started . . .

Whoa. Goofy, weird, and unhinged is good, too. Welcome to the Boardwalk, Mr. Rosetti. His eyes are great at going from friendly to crazed and twitchy. He’s definitely the twitchiest man in all of the land. He’s also a breath of fresh air. All of these gangsters have forgotten who they are. How dirty they are and what they really do. Rosetti is keeping it real. Mostly really crazy, but still real.  

We meet Nucky in a dirty, abandoned tenement with two psychopaths and a feeb interrogating a liquor thief and ordering his death. There’s no question about what portion of a gangster he is. His outfit is pushing him into pimp territory, too.  The whole scene made me look forward to winter.

Nucky moves with ease from gangster grim reaper to political donor. However, Nucky is slipping if he can get zinged by a political nut tickler. Then he gets zinged by Manny who quickly works out a deal in his favor.

Margaret has really blossomed into a rich man’s wife, gracefully and powerfully walking into a room bustling with servants preparing the house for a party. I love the little insertions of history into the show. Something as small as a radio news bulletin about an aviatrix flying cross country seems to upend everything.  The novelty of a female pilot. The novelty of someone flying from coast to coast. It’s something that wouldn’t impress many now, but the show is able to convey how impressive it once was. The social reactions to it, especially by men, still irritates me. Yeah, shut the fuck up, Phillip. The lady of the house told you to polish the spoons, not flap your gums. The aviatrix situation does seem to be reawakening the steely, independent side of Margaret. I’d love to see that side of her again.

The Artemis Club is a pretty classy name for a whorehouse. “If it weren’t for married men, we’d be out of business.” – Gillian. If she didn’t have such a cruel streak, she would probably be the greatest Madam of all time. I do understand her crazy. Repeatedly raped as a child. A single mother in a time when that was one of the lowest things a woman could be. Her son murdered after he murdered his father and her rapist. Wanting to forget the past and move forward is probably the sanest inclination she’s ever had.

O’Bannion! Capone! In the same room! Love!!! I like when gangsters use words like “encroachment” and do the legal ear hustle. It sounds so playful and threatening at the same time. Unfortunately, it also causes them to forget who they are and, more importantly, who the guy across from them is.  An Irish gangster insults an Italian gangster’s child? O’Bannion is a dead man.  

Every time I think a show can’t make me recoil in sad disgust, I get blindsided. What the hell was wrong with that woman at the hospital? Oh, a miscarriage. Since when has Margaret every asked anyone what was expected of her or what she could do? She got spoiled fast. And I don’t understand her weirdness with the Nucky’s bodyguard. I still don’t understand why they slept together.

There’s no way that Agent Van Alden will last as a door to door salesman. The stress and indignity will make him lose whatever little control he has left. That little Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey moment does not assuage my fears, but his luck with stepping into O’Bannion’s flower market might just save him. I was hoping Van Alden would fully embrace the dark side and become a full on gangster, too. Oh, well. At least he didn’t kill his boss over the misunderstanding. Maybe the deep thoughts exercise works. Try it yourself: http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/today.asp

Harrow feels so out of place in this episode. I feel like I’m watching flashbacks whenever he’s in a scene. All of the other characters have are so one note and unsympathetic. The moments with him and little Darmody break my heart.  I hope Harrow kills Gillian.* Even his killing the Butcher to avenge Angela’s death feels odd. She’s been so forgotten by everyone else, even her own son, that it took me a few moments to figure out why he shot Horvitz. I love the character, but he hasn’t moved on like the other characters and I’m worried the writers won’t figure out a seamless way to keep him in the show.

Now, THAT’s a New Year’s Eve party! Art Deco with an Egyptian theme . . . Swoon! Except for the gauche ending. Too obvious. Yes, it was a greedy time. I can glean that bit of social commentary from people being murdered over bottles of booze.  Until the end of the party, I hadn’t noticed the lack of scenes between Margaret and Nucky. Is the quickest way to kill romance marriage? It seems so. Margaret seems to be headed for change. I can’t tell if it will be a change on her own or if she’s going to try to make her marriage better, too. Maybe changing herself will get Nucky interested again. What originally attracted him to her was her independent spirit and strong will. And that her husband beat her and indirectly caused her baby to die. I’m hoping it was more about the spirit and the will. We’ll see . . .  

They should just call this show, “The Psychopath Variety Hour” and this should be the theme song:

*I think HBO holds the record for most television characters I wish were dead. 

Martinez-Macklin 03-17-12

Middleweight Fight for (eye roll) WBC Diamond Middleweight Title

While I wish Martinez were fighting a higher caliber fighter, Macklin is eager and aggressive. Most boxers spend the first round slowly feeling out their opponent. These two are actively trading punches.

So far, halfway into the second round, they seem about equal, with Martinez having an edge by being a little less hesitant. And Martinez gets Macklin with a left, similar to the left that knocked out Williams. Macklin is shaken. Martinez gets two good punches in the second. Macklin still trying to move forward.

Martinez is more focused and it shows in the accuracy of his punches. I just wish he were more serious. Macklin throws a great combo in the fourth. Martinez does not look like the 10-1 favorite. And he gets in a hard left as I wrote that last sentence. Macklin answers with a hard right later on in the fourth.

Macklin gets in several great rights in the fifth, but Martinez goes in hard at the end of the round and the boxers trade punches. Macklin definitely won that round. Either Martinez is reining it in so as to entice the cowardly Mayweather or Macklin is benefitting from the power of St. Patrick’s Day.  Whatever. It’s better than watching a one-sided fight.

Macklin hits Martinez with a right. Martinez’s stumbles and his right glove touches the ground. It’s ruled a knockdown. That’s legit. The middleweights are starting to slow down in the seventh round. Martinez fights hard at the end of the round.

Martinez showing why he’s the favorite a little more in the eighth. Macklin isn’t just taking it, though. Martinez is hitting HARD.  Damn Irish chin! You gotta give it up to the Irish. They can take a punch, literally and figuratively.

I’m surprised by the lack of combinations. Even counterpunchers throw combos. Macklin has a disturbing blank look on his face, but his body is still reacting. Martinez makes the Irishman wobble, but can’t drop him.

The fighters are going at it. Macklin looks spent and like he’s going on with sheer force of will. Martinez has great head movement. Macklin isn’t moving side to side enough. Martinez finally knocks (back and then) down Macklin with a perfect straight left to the chin. Standing eight count for Macklin. Martinez knocks him down with another left, this time to the jaw, at the bell. Another standing eight. Macklin’s corner throws in the towel. Man, I love middleweights: stamina AND heavy hands!

I enjoy Martinez. I think he’s a classy and skilled fighter. But I can’t stand the hands down fighting stance. It annoys me to no end. Much credit to Macklin. His punch stats and performance were impressive. I think he could have a future on American television. I’d watch him on Boxing After Dark.

On a personal Irish note: I did see old Irish favorite, John Duddy, fight in Madison Square Garden on February 21, 2009. He was on an undercard for Cotto-Jennings/Pavlik-Rubio. That was the night I met Bert Randolph Sugar!

[I wrote this review last week and I remember thinking about what a great night it was at Madison Square Garden and meeting the great Bert Sugar. I was saddened when I heard news of his passing yesterday. I'm so glad I was able to meet him when I did and where I did. One of my fondest memories. He will be missed!]