Mailbag: Referee could have cost Tsurkan his life

Sergio Martinez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Alfredo Angulo delivered brilliant performances on Saturday. And so did HBO commentators Jim Lampley, Lennox Lewis and Max Kellerman.

But all of it was marred by a poor decision by referee Tony Crebs in Angulo's technical knockout victory over Andrey Tsurkan in Temecula, Calif.

Crebs allowed Tsurkan to absorb a frightful beating, ignoring the fact that Tsurkan had no chance to win the bout and was taking potentially damaging shots to the head.

With a minute left and Angulo battering Tsurkan, Lampley began shouting to Tsurkan, "Go down! Go down! Save yourself. Go down!" Lewis chimed in at that point by adding, "I don't know what the referee is looking at." Lampley then said, "There is no point."

Tsurkan's corner mercifully threw in the towel with 33 seconds left, which it should have done several rounds earlier.

Crebs clearly erred in not stopping the bout sooner, as all he did was allow Tsurkan to sustain punishment from a hard hitter. Good for Lampley and Lewis and, to a lesser extent, Kellerman, for having the courage to speak out against the referee and the athletic commission. Boxing needs more commentary like that. It certainly doesn't need media praising Tsurkan's bravery and ignoring the danger that existed in that fight.

Crebs' decision detracted from a night in which Martinez emerged from obscurity with a superb effort against Alex Bunema and proved he's ready to fight anyone at super welterweight. Given Oscar De La Hoya's intention to continue fighting in 2009, he ought to consider Martinez as an opponent.

Gamboa, the 2004 gold medalist from Cuba, is reckless offensively and has defensive flaws, but he is fun to watch and has big-time skills. When he hones them, he's going to be a major force.

With that, let's get on to a busy mailbag. My answers to your questions are in italics.

DEVIOUS OSCAR?

What is your take on Oscar's plan to keep fighting after his bout with [Manny Pacquiao]? It seems to me that he's planned from the beginning to search for that big-money fight and make it look like it's his last when in fact it is not.

Patrick

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, Patrick, so I'm not sure I buy your argument. I just think Oscar thinks Mayweather is going to come back and he knows there is huge money for a fight like that. Plus, I believe Oscar knows he'll get big money for a fight with Ricky Hatton. Suppose he fights Pacquiao, Hatton and Mayweather back-to-back-to-back. He'll not have fought anyone in his own weight class and he'll have hauled in over $100 million in purses while doing that. Not a bad move, eh?

STAY RETIRED, VITALI ("Klitschko a 'champ'? Give me a break," Oct. 1, 2008)

Excellent article on Vitali Klitschko, Kevin. Personally I think that he should have stayed retired and let his brother try to unify the titles because I doubt that he will be able to stay too far away from the hospitals. What do you think of Juan Carlos Gomez? He wants to be the first Cuban heavyweight champion and I think that he has a good chance. I still don't know how he managed to lose to Yanqui Diaz, but anybody can have a bad day and probably he learned his lesson.

Enrique Garpa

Thanks, Enrique. Vitali was a wonderful heavyweight, but his body is so brittle and frequently betrays him. I would hate to see him win the belt and then have it held up again by his health issues when he's not able to defend. That's not good for boxing. I'm not big on Gomez, though Freddie Roach is talking him up. To me, he's a second-tier guy at best.

LAY OFF OSCAR ("Cotto eyes future after loss to Margarito," Oct. 2, 2008)

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin! How miserable is a man who can't even write a story about Miguel Cotto without having to take a shot at Oscar De La Hoya? So what did he do to you anyway?

Oscar doesn't owe anyone anything. Not boxing. Not the media. Not even the fans. He has single-handedly carried boxing over the last five years. He has earned the right to go out any way he wishes. Did he make the wrong choice of fights? I think not. Like it or not, Antonio Margarito is still a nobody in the boxing world. He just came off a win against Kermit Cintron -- a man he had already knocked out. Before that, he had lost to Paul Williams, who is another nobody. There is no one on the face of the earth that can tell you who those three guys are except for hardcore boxing fans. A fight with Margarito has no appeal to European or Asian markets. It might sell in Mexico and to Hispanic fans in the U.S.

A fight with Manny, on the other hand, has worldwide appeal. He is the second most popular fighter in the world -- second only to Oscar. The fight sold out in hours, and it will have huge pay-per-view numbers throughout the world, something Margarito could never do. Of course he made a wise decision to fight Pacquiao. You cannot bash Oscar for choosing this fight. Fact is, there are probably more title belts on his resume than anyone in the history of boxing. He fought anyone and everyone in his younger years. Oscar of seven years ago easily knocks out Margarito. Oscar has never had problems with guys that come right after him; Margarito would be no different. Oscar is a good defensive fighter and has one of the best, albeit underrated, chins in boxing. Don't count out the possibility of the fight in the future. If Oscar feels his conditioning and skills haven't deteriorated much after his next fight, we may still get to see him KO Margarito with his patented left hook.

Art Fimbrez

California

I've never said that the Pacquiao fight wasn't the most lucrative fight, Art. Clearly, that's the case. But you're talking about a guy in Pacquiao who began his career at 106 pounds fighting a guy in De La Hoya who once held a middleweight title. Oscar should fight someone his own size. That's all. I respect Oscar for what he's done for the sport. I have given him much credit for that over the years. I disagree that a prime Oscar would have knocked out a prime Margarito, but we'll never know. I do know that Oscar had all the best of it in his prime years; he forced guys to move up in weight to fight him or he fought them as they were on the decline, or both. Still, Oscar was an outstanding fighter and deserves much respect for his accomplishments. But he doesn't deserve respect for bypassing many credible opponents in his weight class to pick on a much smaller man. If he admitted that he was taking on Pacquiao for the money, that would be one thing. But he's trying to frame it as if he felt challenged. That's where I draw the line.

GAMBOA FEVER

What did you think of Yuriorkis Gamboa on Saturday? I'm very excited to have found out about him at an early stage of his career because I usually don't hear about guys until

they're at least 25 fights into their pro career. His chin seems a little suspect but he seems to recover quickly and come back twice as hard after he gets up. It's almost like he just

needs to get hit hard enough to get good and mad before unleashing a fury of fists! I wish Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez weren't so far along in their careers, because I'd like to see a well-established Gamboa have a war with both of them.

Mars Hall

St. Louis

Gamboa is going to be a superstar. He's got power, he fights offensively and the fact that he has a questionable chin puts you on the edge of your seat. I think he needs to improve by leaps and bounds defensively before he even thinks of fighting someone like Marquez or Pacquiao. But if he has a good trainer and works at it, he's going to be a dominant fighter for more than a decade.

ANXIOUS FOR COTTO'S RETURN

I haven't heard much about or from Cotto since his loss to Margarito, but its reassuring to hear he's still confident and taking the same attitude in defeat as he had in his many victories. I've been following Cotto since his fight with Victoriano Sosa and appreciate his style and professionalism, inside and outside the ring. He's definitely filled the gap left by Tito Trinidad for all of us Puerto Rican fans. The Margarito fight was just another example of Cotto's fearless, "I'll fight anyone" attitude when other big names like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar are simply chasing money and ducking meaningful fights. It

showed the true character of both Margarito and Cotto: Two professionals who will risk it all, put it all on the line and put on a great show, not just dance around like some other big names do once they get their shot on the big stage. A lot of boxers say they'll fight anyone, but when it comes down to it they don't. While no one would take a fight with Margarito or Cotto, they stepped up and made it happen with no restrictions. Who do you see as possible fights for Cotto now? He's already gone through the biggest names at welterweight.

Danny Rivera

Milwaukee, Wis.

Thanks, Danny. My guess is Cotto will face Sebastian Lujan and then rematch with Margarito in the summer.

LOOKING FORWARD TO OSCAR-PACMAN

I respectfully disagree with your opinions on De La Hoya and Pacquiao. The fact is, it's a dream match. If you say it's a dream match for whom, then get ready. The fight is going to be the biggest fight of the year for sure and probably will break De La Hoya's PPV numbers with Mayweather. People want to see the fight. This is not a couple of heavyweight hacks who can't even make it onto TV. This is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world against arguably the most famous. And when you talk about the weight differences, let's be real. De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins, who has fought at 175 before. Did you say anything about the nerve of Hopkins to do that?

Jed I. Goodman

I hope it's a good fight and I hope both guys make a lot of money. I will remind you that De La Hoya was a super welterweight when he moved up one division to take on Hopkins at middleweight. And I'll further remind you that Hopkins knocked De La Hoya out.

ESPINOZA, VAZQUEZ SEND PROPER MESSAGE("Vazquez readies for the long haul," Oct. 2, 2008)

That was a very responsible article on Israel Vazquez and his manager, Frank Espinoza. It sends the message that machismo and consistent fighting lead to death, where an intelligent and healthy approach to fighting can lead to longevity. There is life after a boxing career. Boxing isn't everything, although an epic bout can appear to slow time, focus a crowd and create the illusion of timelessness. Managers, promoters and fighters need to remember that in the end, the fighter endures and suffers for the sake of a prize fight.

Norman del Rosario

Los Angeles

I love to see a toe-to-toe war as much as anyone, Norman. But there is a time to say uncle. Much credit to Espinoza for the way he's handled not only Vazquez but all the fighters in his stable. He should be an example for others in the business.

MEMORABLE BOUT

I was lucky enough to be at the third bout between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez. From the moment the first bell rang until the last bell, they did not stop boxing and showed what true boxers are. Both fighters deserve this much-needed break. They did what many hyped/overpaid boxers don't do in their careers. Oscar De La Hoya doesn't help boxing with the fight he agreed to take on. Don't you agree?

Eder Perez

Los Angeles

Rather than take a shot at Oscar, Eder, I'll respond by praising Vazquez and Marquez for the way they competed. Prior to their first fight, I urged Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer to include it on the undercard of De La Hoya-Mayweather. My rationale was that many people who ordinarily don't watch boxing would buy that show and if they saw Vazquez-Marquez, it would turn them into customers. Hopefully, if there is a De La Hoya-Mayweather II, they'll remember that advice and put Vazquez-Marquez IV or some similar fight on the undercard and actually try to increase the fan base.