But what happens next for these boxers? Do they still get to become the next Sugar Ray Leonards sans medal? Just like his fellow New Yorker Marcus Brown, Sadam Ali left the 2008 Olympic Games in China with empty hands.

Photos by Shingo Urier

A two-time Golden Glove champion, he automatically qualified for the Olympic team, just like Brooklynites Riddick Bowe and Mike Tyson did before him. This also made him the first Arab-American boxer on the US Olympic team and was drawing plenty of media attention. This was good for Ali. The idea was win, win, win and make a name in the Olympics. It didn’t quite work out as he had planned.

“My fight was good going into the first round. But for the 2008 Olympics it was really different. You couldn’t hit somebody with a nice jab and get a point. To me, that

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For a division awash in talent and hungry up-and-comers, there are plenty of potentially fantastic fights.

First and foremost has got to be Sergio Martinez. For one, if the big bucks Pac-Man-Money fight happens, Martinez will certainly not get a shot — even if he’s really be pushing for one (making comments that Pacquiao’s performance against Marquez was second class, for example). That said, we all remember his knock out power against the lanky Paul Williams. (By the way, where is Williams? What is he up to? Oh, he just took out Erislandy Lara.) Maybe there could be a catchweight agreement between the two, or Martinez could lose a few pounds (he has fought at light middle before).

Number two for a Cotto match? That would have to be Sergio

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M61qVugGIfI

Since then Khan has fought brawler Marcos Maidana and not been taken down like that. Either Khan had a bad day with Prescott or Prescott is a heavy hitter. This Saturday fight fans will find out when Prescott is to duke it out with Mike Alvarado (30-0).

Although Prescott is coming off a loss technically from Paul McClusky (23-1), anyone who saw the fight would know it was horrible decision, a classic example of hometown advantage. It might also be worth noting that Prescott got a knockdown (not a clean one, but a knockdown nonetheless) on the Irish boxer in the first round (again).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afhve6F-bzc

Alvarado meanwhile is 30-0, but unlike Prescott, who’s taking money fights in the UK wherever he can get them, is willing to take a chance and has hand some tough fights. A quick glance at Alvarado’s list of opponents will have fight fans running to boxrec, where they quickly find nearly two dozen consistent losers.

Given Prescott’s top physical condition, cagey orthodox style, and – more than that – his heavy left hook, he’ll surely be the name on everyone’s lips – if he can knock out Alvarado.

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Although I applaud HBO for even putting commentators that don’t scream wildly with every punch, or insinuate non-existent background stories – like say ESPN – lately Merchant sounds depressed. It was hard to remain neutral scoring the rounds as Merchant over and over again dug into the “Hayemaker.” At one point Jim Lampley almost reprimanded him saying, “You’re in an odd form tonight, Larry.” Thirty years is a long time to do anything. Could it be Merchant is burnt out?

A conversation about Larry Merchant’s recent groggy commentary has been going on at Boxingscene since the Klitschko-Haye fight. Although I don’t know if, as some in the forum suggest, his bias is against African-American fighters, however I do agree that he can’t stand to watch unorthodox technical boxing a la Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins. Older fans probably feel the same way, but I don’t have to listen to them; Larry on the other hand is inescapable.

Hell, at the end of the day, it’s a sport, and most people want to relax and enjoy it. Life is hard enough, do we really need sports announcers telling us things we like suck? Imagine watching the NBA playoffs, or the Superbowl with commentators insulting the players, or saying, This team is horrible and nowhere near as good as teams used to be.

Why aren’t kids watching boxing? Maybe in part because this old pendant can’t stop himself from telling us how the sport is a state of decline.

Larry can ask all the boxers he wants when they’ll retire, but when being a boxer announcer feels like a telecasted sigh, maybe it’s time to hang up the microphone for good.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZRxGA2xc_E

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlFhLg4l0hY

Trash-talking, like the kind these two champs did in front of Max Kellerman, seemed to me just another hype mechanism, until I heard this interview with ex-champ Sugar Ray Leonard who talk about being truly affected by insults to him and his wife – he also calls Hagler a freak of nature -. Does that mean some of Haye’s gesturing, like say wearing a T-shirt that feature a cartoon picture of him ripping of Klitschko and his brother’s head, might have gotten to champ? Perhaps. If so, Klitch like Leonard might be sucked in a fight in which Hayes set the pace, of cattier combos, and faster footwork. Then again, Klitsch’s usual approach – step forward and punch – might work well if he gets aggressive particularly at the beginning of the fight.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjrfL3Hu_8

Is this the fight to “save” boxing as some have speculated? As others have pointed out, myself amongst them, it doesn’t need saving. Good fights continue to happen. Whether the general public knows about the is another story.

This could however be the fight to save boxing’s most boring weight division. As Jack Donavan from Boxingscene pointed out phrases like, “There’s Heavyweights, and then there’s boxing” indicate everyone’s disappointment at the tubby, oafish big leaguers.

Regardless, this will most certainly be a good fight. That for some is more than enough.

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Let’s take a look first at what’s good about Hopkins outside of technique. Unlike so many other boxers in the biz, Hopkins (1) doesn’t dogdge tough fights – for example Chad Dawson (30-1) – and (2) is committed to giving fans exciting fights.

However more attention has been paid to B-Hop

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Does that mean this will be bad fight? Not at all, but it’s still MMA’s top talent versus boxing’s has-been. This is reminiscent of the last MMA-boxing crossover with the tubby, old, and washed-up, James Toney.

Sure they’re fun, but MMA-boxing crossovers don’t make much sense. You’re saying that someone who is accustomed to fighting a maximum of twenty minutes, is dying to fight for twice that? Thanks to the four ounce gloves, first round KOs aren’t just prized but are expected – and that’s why we like MMA. But boxing is a whole different ball game. I can promise you Nick Diaz won’t be wondering around the ring waiting for the decision with blood all over his face.

The idea that we’re seeing just who is the baddest is ludicrous. These are two sports with very different rules. I think everyone who doesn’t practice a combat sport goes around with the notion that these guys are fighting as they would on the street, but if we were really on the street, what are the chances that (1) this person isn’t armed (2) this person won’t poke you in the eye, or kick you in the groin, or kick you in the head when you’re down (this latter is probably guranteed I would say).

That said, I would like to see how Nick Diaz handles the marathon pro-boxing fight, even if he only won one professional boxing match in a decision to a fall-down guy, Alfonso Rocha (7-4).

Although, I’ve agreed with bits of Dana White’s criticism’s about the boxing industry, I don’t think he treats his fighters very well. The whole sport has become only about what the audience wants. Well, shouldn’t the audience care about their fighters? Everybody has a bad day, but dumping people because they showboat or they don’t win one time.

In case it does happen, I say Diaz could win by decision. Lacy lost his last three of four fights, one to the aging, sluggish, ready-to-retire, Roy Jones Jr; and another to Jermain Taylor, who lost so badly in the Super-Six tournament last year it’s likely he won’t ever be back in the ring. Of course, most MMA fans don’t know that because they don’t follow boxing. They also don’t know that Lacy hasn’t been a name in boxing since Chuck Liddell was in UFC.

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