Saturday, June 30, 2007 Quijano: Tito returns By Jingo Quijano Last Round
JOHN Pope (popejohn46@yahoo.ca) made my day when he sent me this email: “Just a quick note to let you know I enjoy your Last Round column.
It’s one of the best in boxing. I thought the one where you gave an “open letter” advice to Oscar de la Hoya on how to fight Mayweather was perfect.
Oscar seemed to follow it perfectly in the early rounds when he also made the most of what I would guess was a ten-pound weight advantage by fight time. His problem is that he tries to do just enough to win and doesn’t fight all out throughout the fight. It must be the businessman in him.
Hatton won’t have this problem if he fights Mayweather. Hatton will fight like the warrior he is but may have some other problems like having to go up a weight class in order for Mayweather to agree to the fight. Keep up the good work.”
One of the best in boxing, you say? Please excuse me while I try to peel off this manic grin plastered across my face.
I agree with you, John, that Oscar really could have done more as the fight wore on. Stamina problems perhaps?
Whatever the case, I still think he did enough to pull it off, but you are correct in that he tends to slack off a bit in big fights. It happened in the Trinidad fight, the second Mosely fight and it happened again with Floyd Jr.
Speaking of Floyd, he never really weighed around 154 lbs. when he fought Oscar and so his best fighting weight is still at 147. And considering that Ricky Hatton already won the WBA welterweight belt before, this fight is really doable and is the biggest fight out there for both fighters. Thanks for your email and your appreciative thoughts.
TITO RETURNS. Another fighter has been bitten by the comeback bug after Vitali Klitshcko and Rocky Balboa. (Yo Adrian!) A fightnews.com story confirmed that Tito has reportedly reached an agreement with Don King Productions and is un-retiring (again), seeking fights with Roy Jones Jr. and Jermain Taylor.
Although age 34 is not yet a death sentence and Tito probably still has that fire in his belly, the Last Round thinks that he is past his fighting prime. Sure, he could still probably beat a handful of contenders out there, but becoming a champion again is quite hard to fathom.
A fight with Jones is indeed interesting but it is one that should have taken place eons ago, when Jones wasn’t a fossil and Trinidad still had that aura of invincibility. Beating Jones will prove nothing. Big deal. So did Antonio Tarver (twice) and Glen Johnson. Jermain Taylor? I wouldn’t go anywhere near him. He’s too young and too fast.
Tito’s losses to Hopkins and Winky Wright have painfully exposed his weaknesses in the ring, one of which is his lack of lateral movement. He also has trouble with opponents who have fast hands. His punching power makes up for his shortcomings, but if he is to aspire for the upper echelons of boxing again, he better bring something new to the table. But at age 34, it remains to be seen if he can learn any new tricks.
JAB OF THE WEEK. I just had to share with you this interesting quote from Brendon Smith, trainer and manager of Australian Michael Katsidis who will face our very own Czar Amonsot on the undercard of the Hopkins-Wright fight. This was posted on www.philboxing.com and contributed by the prolific Salven Lagumbay:
“All I can tell you is Katsidis The Great will enter the coliseum...and you will see not only the fear in his opponent’s eyes but the hair will be standing up on the back of every ones neck in the arena as he makes his entrance and then they will witness one of the most ferocious attacks ever made in a boxing ring….he will be the most talked about warrior in the world..”
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on the Yakal birthday celebrants for June, Julian Antonio (7), Bana Fabricante (11), Ces Kasilag (19), and Rorie Cruz (20). Cheers!
