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Mailbag: Bad blood brews

Yahoo Sports

Manny Pacquiao has rarely, if ever been in a boring fight. The same is true of Ricky Hatton. And that's why so many boxing fans are anxious to see their May 2 super lightweight bout in Las Vegas.

It's got Fight of the Year potential.

But I'm interested for a different reason: the battle between Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr.

The two have had a simmering feud that has already exploded in the public. Roach began the taunting by noting he'd be much more concerned if Hatton were trained by Roger Mayweather, not Floyd Sr. That was a dig because Floyd Sr. frequently disses his younger brother's training ability in public.

Mayweather Sr. is not one to hold his tongue, and he fired back in repeated volleys at Roach, repeatedly referring to him as "The Joke Coach."

It should be fascinating to see, though, which man is able to help his fighter the most in the ring. Most boxing experts these days consider Roach the finest trainer in the world. Top Rank's Bob Arum said he believes Roach is the best and said the outcome of the Feb. 7 fight in Anaheim, Calif., between Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce may have been different had Arce had Roach as his trainer.

Mayweather, though, has referred to himself as "the world's greatest trainer" for years and has handled a collection of the world's finest fighters, from Oscar De La Hoya to Hatton to his son, one-time pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao has made great strides under Roach, greatly improving his boxing technique and developing into Mayweather Jr.'s successor as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Mayweather Sr. helped Hatton make significant improvements in a victory in November over Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton will go into this fight as an underdog, but if he pulls it out, Mayweather Sr. will have a good argument to make for himself.

Guaranteed that there is going to be a lot more smack talking between the trainers – far more than there will be between the fighters – before this one is over. Stay tuned.

Now, let's move on to the mailbag and hear what the world's boxing fans have to say about the Sweet Science. My answers are in italics.

ANOTHER JEFF LACY

I enjoy watching James Kirkland, but after his fight with Joel Julio, I can't help but to think he has the makings of another Jeff Lacy. He is a big, strong puncher with a lot of heart and personality, but his technical flaws, especially on defense, will be exposed by a good boxer with fast hands and it will ruin him. I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see Kirkland having a long career at the top, although he might pick up one of the many alphabet titles along the way.

Pat D.
San Diego

I don't disagree much with your assessment, Pat. Kirkland gets hit far too much to survive against the elite competition. I've never been the big Julio fan, going back to his welterweight days, so I wasn't particularly surprised that Kirkland handled him as easily as he did on Saturday. But Julio was in retreat all night. How will Kirkland react when his opponent stands his ground and, perhaps, even forces him back? And like you say, a classy boxer will give him a lot of problems. I do think Kirkland will wind up with a belt, but I don't believe he'll have a long reign as a champion. He will have a long run, though, as a fan favorite given the way he fights. And that's really what matters most.

GHOST SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED

James Kirkland will not last long with his head being his defense. Robert Guerrero upset his hometown fans by not going on in his fight with Daud Yordan. Why not test your skills and try to gain more fans? He should have continued to fight and show a warrior instinct. The fight would have probably been stopped at a later round due to the cut and he would have put another win on his record.

Alex I.
Forest Hills, N.Y.

It was a nasty cut and Guerrero said he couldn't see. If you can't see, you can't defend yourself and if you can't defend yourself, you can't fight. Having said that, I see your point. A veteran such as Guerrero knows that when you tell the doctor or referee you can't see, the fight will be called. I'm not going to rip him, but I was surprised he said that.

IN OVER HIS HEAD

Robert Guerrero totally quit against Yordan. He quickly realized that he was in with a guy he couldn't handle and took the opportunity to "cut and run," pun fully intended. He, not the referee or doctor, concluded that he couldn't continue, even though the bleeding had been stopped in very short order. That fight should be a loss on The Ghost's record.

Jeff
Los Angeles

It didn't seem to me that either referee Jon Schorle or the ringside physician were of a mind to stop the fight. They had no choice when Guerrero said he couldn't see. It was an awkward fight, with one left-hander and one right-hander, and the two were banging heads frequently. The cut was only going to get worse. In Guerrero's defense, he was going to have a hard time fending off Yordan as the already-large cut grew even bigger. By stopping, he can let it heal and they can fight in a rematch.

HATTON'S MOTIVATION

Ricky Hatton has been saying his main motivation for his fight against Manny Pacquiao is the chance to become the best pound-for-pound fighter. Although I think he has a chance against Manny, I don't think that this will necessarily mean he is the best pound for pound fighter out there. What do you think?

Ollie H.
Oxford, U.K.

I don't think he's close enough to the top to become No. 1 if he wins. He'll move well up into the top 10, but I doubt seriously anyone will name him No. 1 if he wins.

BOXING AFTER DARK CARD

I have three questions about Saturday's "Boxing After Dark" card on HBO. First, can a ring doctor say "I don't believe you" when a fighter says he can't see? Because that was the look on the face of the doctor when Guerrero said he couldn't see. I didn't believe him. Second, how can a referee stop a fight when a fighter gets hit with only three punches early in the fight and has not been knocked down yet? That's what I saw in the Victor Ortiz-Mike Arnaoutis fight. Third, how in the world did James Kirkland escape a point deduction for his flagrant foul against Julio? I'm referring to when the ref was holding onto Kirkland's right hand and Kirkland hit Julio with a hard left hook before the fight had been restarted following the ref warning Kirkland for something that escapes me. It was right after that when Julio's eye started swelling significantly. What I saw last night was three golden punks getting preferred treatment. It is one of the reasons that I have all but given up on boxing for mixed martial arts.

David A.
Eureka, Calif.

The doctor has the right to decide independently a fighter's condition. But as in any doctor-patient relationship, he significantly considers input from the patient in making his decision. The doctor theoretically could have said "I don't believe you," as many boxing fans have, but had Guerrero then been signficantly injured, the doctor may be looking at a malpractice suit. In the Ortiz-Arnaoutis fight, I think Arnaoutis was hit far more than three times. He was badly hurt by an uppercut and couldn't defend himself. The referee's job is to protect the fighters and in that case, I believe he did his job properly. As for your third question, it's a judgment call by the referee. In that case, more often than not, the fighter is not penalized at that point.Kirkland isn't a dirty fighter, and I think he was given the benefit of the doubt and not given preferential treatment.

WHITHER CLOTTEY?

What is going on with IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey? Will he get a shot at one of the names?

Khalil H.
Washington, D.C.

Clottey had a chance to fight Antonio Margarito in November, but his management couldn't reach a deal with Top Rank. But I expect Clottey to face WBO champion Miguel Cotto on June 13 in New York.

EARLY WEIGH-INS

Can you explain why boxing continues to do weigh-ins the day before the fight, allowing fighters to artificially lower their weight in an unsafe practice? Why not just have the weigh-in the day of the fight? The boxers will be in better shape if they're fighting, training and weighing in at their natural weights. Someone like Ortiz rehydrating 15 pounds in 24 to 30 hours isn't safe and makes a mockery of weight classes.

David D.
Wichita Falls, Texas

There have been numerous studies done on this issue and while there are views on both sides, the most commonly held one is that it's safer for the fighters because it allows them to rehydrate. If the weigh-in was on the day of the fight and a fighter was very dried out in an attempt to make it, the risk of an injury would be increased by a day-of-fight weigh-in. To me, the answer is for fighters to compete in their proper class. Most, though, choose to fight at as low a weight as they can make, figuring it benefits them in terms of size and strength.

IF DIAZ HAD POWER

True or false (your opinion, of course): If Juan Diaz had real power, he would be the best all-around boxer in his division? Do you think he would have beat Juan Manuel Marquez? I believe the answer is true! If he had at least as much of a power-punch as Rocky Juarez, he would have beaten Marquez.

Antonio G.
Houston

I'm going to say false. I think Diaz is a wonderful talent, but he's simply not as good as Marquez, who is in his division. He'd be better and more dangerous with more power, but I think Marquez is overall a slightly better fighter.

NO NEED FOR PBF TO COME BACK

There is no disputing the fact that "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world prior to his retirement. I don't see any point to him coming back other than the possibility that he may need money (which I doubt), and for my own personal satisfaction. If he returns, there is no one worth fighting that would change his legacy, which is already cemented. If he beats Marquez, people will say he beat an old fighter who had too many battle scars. If he beats Manny Pacquiao, people will say he beat a smaller inferior fighter. If he beats Mosley, people will say he beat an over-the-hill fighter. It would go on and on. As much as I would like to see him fight, I believe that he should stay retired while in his prime.

Rick R.
Toronto

I totally disagree with your premise. Anyone can make any argument they want, but if Mayweather came back and defeated Marquez, Cotto, Mosley and Pacquiao, he'd have a lot greater legacy than he does now, hands down. He's retired and I'm never going to ask a fighter who doesn't want to fight to do so, but selfishly, I'd like to see it because he's so talented. But if he comes back, there should be no tolerating him fighting stiffs and B- and C-level competition.