Eight Count: Canelo-Angulo, Justin Bieber & Floyd Mayweather Fever

Photo by Al Bello for Getty Images

Friday means one thing here at Stiff Jab’s cluttered headquarters in Chocolate city– Friday Night Fights.

Okay, it means two things, and the second one is our weekly link roundup, The Eight Count. Here’s what we’re reading and talking about, this week:

1) Last week, only one boxer showed up to the Canelo-Angulo bout. Like many of us who watched that piss poor performance from the Mexican-looking Mexican, Floyd Mayweather the Elder is skeptical about Angulo’s technique:

“It didn’t seem like he [Angulo] was throwing punches back to try and hurt Canelo…It just looked like he was taking punches to me. It just seemed to me like he wasn’t trying to hit Canelo back hard at all. He wasn’t coming in strong; he was taking punishment.” [Boxing News 24]

2) Speaking of Mayweathers, Floyd the Younger still has quite a high opinion regarding that Canadian export most of us love to loathe.

“Actually, Justin Bieber texted me a video of him boxing before, sparring” Mayweather said about the first time he learned the singer has a little bit of boxing skills, “ And he can box a little bit. I was surprised he can box a little bit. He has a fitness trainer, so he’s getting a good shape now.” [International Business Times]

3) Floyd Mayweather’s sonning of Amir Khan continues, with this news about undercard possibilities for Mayweather-Maidana. While Khan wasn’t good enough for Floyd, Money Mayweather thinks he’s a better fit for bitchy little brother Adrien Broner. You know, the boxer who got humped in the ring by Maidana before being carried out by a bodyguard after his last fight:[[MORE]]

“Is Amir Khan is still in the lottery drawing? Absolutely,” Mayweather said to Showtime. “Hopefully, Amir Khan and Adrien Broner both fight on my undercard to make the card that much more explosive…Adrien Broner needs to focus more on the sport of boxing…When you have certain opportunities put in front of you, you have to take advantage of these opportunities because they might not be in front of you ever again.” [Boxing News 24]

4) Recently, journalist Rod Liddle of The Sun called “Journeyman” Robin Deakin the “world’s worst boxer”. Ouch. Deakin, who is 1-51, had this reaction to that brutal characterization:

“Records are for DJs. In a boxing bout, you either win or lose. However, everyone who enters a boxing ring is a winner. It shows true guts to enter a boxing ring. Boxing is a big part of my life—it’s not about the money. I love boxing and I enjoy entertaining my fans.” [Boxing Scene]

5) While boxing “experts” claim that Miguel Cotto is too small to win against my future ex-husband, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, Cotto blithely dismisses such boring analysis:

“He’s not too big. He’s just 5'9 or 5'10; I’m 5'7 ½,” Cotto said. “I trust in myself and my skills and what I’m capable of doing in the ring and I know I’m going to do my best.” [The Latino Post]

6) One of the reasons vigilante justice is considered deplorable is because often, the “suspects” on the receiving end of a crowd’s wrath are innocent. Floyd Mayweather (yes. I realize this entire roundup is about him. Trust me, I’m less pleased about this than you are, I PROMISE.) recently took justice in his own talented hands when he allegedly accused two former employees of stealing jewelry from him before orchestrating a “Breaking Bad” style attack:

“Both were ordered to a secret location to meet Mayweather, who confronted the pair with a number of his ‘people’ who then set about beating the duo badly with clubs and other instruments…broken legs and arms were said to have been suffered by the men, who have since pleaded their innocence of any wrong-doing and drafted in lawayers to advise on what course of action to take next.” [World Boxing News]

7) The Grey Lady looks into a story we highlighted last week about Malaysian MMA warrior Ann Osman, who is set to fight Singapore’s Sherilyn Lim tonight. The story is more in-depth than last week’s link, so it’s definitely worth a look:

“To prepare for their rematch, Lim and Osman both said they had been training two or three times a day, six days a week, for several weeks. The grueling schedules are in addition to their normal jobs: Osman is a business development manager for a property company, while Lim is operations manager at Fight G, Singapore’s oldest M.M.A. gym.” [The New York Times]

8) Finally, over at Sports Illustrated, Jeff Wagenheim discusses how the TRT ban levels the playing field for MMA:

“But now it’s over. Not the war on drugs in its entirety – cheaters will continue to cheat – but at least the official sanctioning of a shady shortcut. The most influential athletic commission in combat sports and the most powerful promotion in MMA have ended the hypocrisy, and it’s about time.” [SI]

I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw you this very special bonus link, which deserves to win an award for “Best Stiff Jab Post Title, Ever”:

Grappler Taps Out, Vomits After Fart to the Face

And with that evocative statement– happy weekend, everyone! Try not to get farted on.