Awakening The Beast Without A Doubt
On Friday night, Austin Trout (27-2 14KO) was facing an opponent he was reportedly a 25-1 favorite against, Daniel Dawson (40-4-1 26KO). All seemed to go as planned in the first two rounds; but round three was a different story. Dawson knocked Trout down two times by landing straight counter rights over Trout’s noncommittal lefts. Trout may have been dazed but recovered nicely. “They were two, quick flash knock-downs, but he was strong. But, at the same time, I just didn’t see them coming, he had to wake me up and I got woken up and the beast came out.” Trout went on to dominate the rest of the bout, and added a knockdown of his own, flooring Dawson in the 8th.
So, where does Trout go from here, a rematch with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Erislandy Lara? Perhaps, but he must first tighten up his guard and work on his leg strength and balance. He has been dropped in three straight fights and in reviewing said knockdowns, his balance was not good and his legs appeared weak. Ring rust was expected here but Trout showed little.
In the end, Trout accomplished his mission; get back in the ring, get a victory, and start road back to elite level.
Freezin For A Reason
By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have seen or participated in an ice bucket challenge for ALS. Boxers and others involved in the sport have jumped right in to donate and be subjected to the cold shock. Iron Mike Tyson got into the action and challenged Jim Gray among one of his selections with Gray choosing Floyd Mayweather as one of his. At the end of the day, it’s all about giving back.
Not A Laughing Matter
During the ice bucket challenge, 50 Cent decided that he would change it up by challenging Mayweather to “read a page out of a Harry Potter book” and that he (50 Cent) would donate $750,000 to a charity of Mayweather’s choice if he completed the task. Once this hit social media, the comment and posts opened up the floodgates to the cesspool of hate. It didn’t take long for the jokes to surface about Mayweather’s alleged inability to read, and they were brutal. Mayweather apparently countered by posting checks of his earnings with the caption “read this” which would imply to some that you don’t need to know how to read as long as you make millions. To the countless youth who look up to these men, the wrong message was sent that it’s ok to make fun of a disability or not bother to learn how to read as long as you make lots of money. These men are in a position to positively affect the youth who idolize them, sadly that wasn’t the case in this instance.
The Next Great Boxing Promoter??..Can I Get A What, What??
Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation Sports has ventured into the boxing arena and they aren’t coming alone. The signing of well-regarded David Itskowitch to oversee operations is a strong indication that they mean business. While they haven’t inked any fighters as of yet, they plan to promote their first event by the end of the year. Behind the scenes, they are strategizing on which fighters they will pursue and are on record saying that they will work with any promoter, manager, or network. Jay-z has been successful as a rapper, music producer, and entrepreneur so there is no reason to believe that he does not have what it takes to succeed here. With the right team around him, he should be able to make things very interesting with Golden Boy and Top Rank.
Dr. Needs A Dr.
Wladimir Klitschko suffered a left bicep tear postponing his September 6 bout with Kubrat Pulev until November or December depending on recovery time. “I am very disappointed that the fight cannot take place as planned. I am in absolute top form and had a great training camp.” said Klitschko. Somewhere Shannon Briggs is thinking about his next stalking appearance.
Standing-8 