Vol. 5, No. 4, April 2008
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Ring Cycle
The drama’s plentiful on this month’s boxing card
A dynamite doubleheader awaits boxing fans April 12. Boardwalk Hall, under the Caesars banner, presents a billing stuffed with irony and opportunity. It will command the eyes of the boxing world, the pockets of casino gamblers, the tables of nearby properties and the interest of a worldwide television audience.
Miguel Cotto defends his WBA welterweight title against Alphonso Gomez, and Kermit Cintron puts up his IBF welterweight crown against a man who previously beat him, Antonio Margarito.
That fight defines the irony. Margarito knocked Cintron out in a 2005 title bout, only to lose his crown and watch Cintron get a different championship. Who has the edge in this rematch—the champion, or the person who remembers scoring a knockout win?
Cotto, one of boxing’s superstars, brings a fanatical following. The 2000 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico sold out fabled Madison Square Garden in a victory over Zab Judah last June. He followed with a narrow victory there over Shane Mosley in November. His bout against Gomez completes a card furnished by Atlantic City’s fight maestro, Ken Condon.
Condon, formerly Bally’s Atlantic City chief executive, delivers this event in his new consultant’s role for all four Harrah’s properties. With up to 12,000 seats, this fight should connect with fans, major population centers and gamblers.
“Cotto has enjoyed a fine career fighting between New York and Atlantic City,” Condon says. “We’re also delighted about having Cintron (a Reading native), who for several years has enjoyed a good Atlantic City following. All four fighters, in fact, have great Atlantic City exposure. Everybody wants to see these fights.”
Condon ensured the participation of Bally’s, Showboat and Harrah’s Atlantic City along with Caesars before making this deal. Atlantic City’s casino quartet may soon redefine how boxing originates here.
In the meantime, this fight will get a lot of interest. Cotto, 31-0 with 25 knockouts, had one of his stiffest career tests in Atlantic City in 2005. He was dropped early by Ricardo Torres, but rallied to knock him out. Cotto also owns a 2006 title victory over Carlos Quintana in Atlantic City.
His opponent is a real-life Rocky. Gomez rose to prominence through TV’s The Contender, in which he finished third. The reality show, pioneered by boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard, was viewed as nothing more than a novelty. It gave boxing a niche for unheralded fighters, crowned its own champions and gave them the long shot dream of opposing boxing’s top talent.
Gomez changed the perception. He got a career-making opportunity last July, facing Gatti at Boardwalk Hall. The bout was viewed as a shot for Gatti to recapture lost skills and set up one last major fight. In pre-fight billing, Gomez was an asterisk. Yet he improvised his own script with a convincing knockout victory that retired Gatti. The upset further legitimized The Contender and propelled Gomez to another payday against former champion Ben Tackie, which he won. That helped produce this bout. Gomez resembles the gambler making a lifetime fortune on one hot roll. He’s an even bigger underdog now against one of boxing’s elite performers.
“He’s done an excellent job stepping into the limelight,” Condon says. “He should not be regarded lightly.”
Cintron elevated his reputation last July in Atlantic City with a rousing two-round knockout of Walter Mattysse to retain his title. He stands 29-1 with 27 knockouts and seeks to avenge the only loss of his career.
Margarito, 35-5 with 25 knockouts, must take a smaller role than anticipated on this Atlantic City trip. A high-profile showdown against Cotto was all but signed for the Hall before he faced Paul Williams last July in California. Against a tall, stylish lefty, Margarito fell behind early and could not rally. His setback ruined the Cotto matchup. The Mexican native can still make that happen. He must win impressively and hope Cotto does the same. The scenario is possible, but so are others.
This foursome represents an elite slice of the welterweight division. What happens here will significantly affect boxing’s 147-pound division.
Companion Ticket
Promoters love piggy-backing one event on top of another. Top Rank Inc., which promotes Cotto-Gomez, brings in another bout April 11 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Worldwide media assembled for Cotto can stroll down the Boardwalk and cover the Friday card. The multi-event concept also encourages casinos to target players for a longer period of time.
At the Tropicana, New York welterweight Chris “The Mechanic” Smith takes a 21-4-1 mark with 13 knockouts into a 10-round battle against Jesus Soto-Karass, 19-3-3 with 14 knockouts, from Los Mochis, Mexico.
In the 10-round co-feature, Ben Tackie takes his 29-9-1 mark with 17 knockouts against Henry Bruseles, 26-3-1 with 15 knockouts. The undercard will feature rising regional talent.
A June Jewel
Kelly Pavlik, who became a marquee fighter by knocking out Jermain Taylor here last September, will make a June 7 return. The WBO middleweight champion was set to face Ireland’s John Duddy in New York, but Duddy suffered deep cuts around his left eye and looked defensively inadequate in a February battle in Madison Square Garden.
Without Duddy, New York was much less interested in a Pavlik bout. New York’s loss became a huge Atlantic City gain. Pavlik’s come-from-behind triumph over Taylor was one of boxing’s premier 2007 fights. Atlantic City officials wanted the February rematch, but MGM in Las Vegas entered Godfather mode, making a financial offer that promoters could not refuse.
As for the bout in June, Pavlik will be facing Gary Lockett, the number one contender for the WBO.
Golf Tip of The Month BY MATT CALLAGHAN
There’s no other club in your bag that is used more than the putter. The short game (chipping and putting) represents 65 percent of the game for most golfers and the majority of that is putting. Yet most golfers spend more time practicing their full swing on the driving range than they dedicate to putting. Becoming a better putter is the fastest way to improve one’s score.
To produce a successful putt, you must: a) roll the ball on the correct path or line, and b) do so at the correct speed. So to help lower your score, put more emphasis on putting. Go to the practice green and try one of these drills:
Pace Drill Purpose: To develop a stroke which can produce a consistent pace for various distances. Description: Place three balls on the putting green. Putt one ball to no particular target, but closely monitor the effort it took to get there. Putt each of the other two balls so they finish the same distance as the first.
Ten-in-a-row: Put tees at one foot increments starting two feet from the hole. Putt progressively from each location trying to make ten in a row. When there is a miss, return to the beginning.
