Eight Count: The Aftermath Of Mayweather Picking Maidana As His Prom Date
Tony Jeter photo by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com
It’s the end of the week and that means it’s time for the Eight Count, our weekly roundup of boxing and MMA stories that we’re talking about here at Stiff Jab’s luxurious headquarters.
This week’s edition has an international flavor, and it tastes better than sriracha. Yeah, I said it. That hot sauce sucks. Forget controversial statements, let’s get ready to tumble!
1) Many young fighters come from rough backgrounds, so a boxer raised in foster care isn’t particularly novel– but a boxer whose father was murdered by the Taliban is. AJ Faizy escaped Afghanistan at 14 and was aged out of foster care in England by 18. He would have been homeless if not for his trainer, who has this to say about Faizy:
“He had nowhere to go and was just sat on a wall with six bags around him when I picked him up…He’s a right good lad; really pleasant and appreciative. He’s at college, a volunteer at Age UK, and I just wish I had another 10 boxers like him. He’s also got the right mind-set for boxing, he’s a very tough kid. Boxing-wise, there’s still a lot to learn but he’s got a big heart, he can bang and he’s in your face all the time.”
2) A much sadder tale out of South Africa, where professional MMA fighter Booto Guylain died after getting elbowed in the head during a match:
“He is the second pro MMA fighter to die in the last six months, with Brazilian Leandro Souza passing in Sept. due to organ stress suffered during his pre-fight weight cut. And he is the third fighter to die directly from injuries suffered during a bout. Michael Kirkham, 30, and Sam Vasquez, 35, passed from cerebral hemorrhages in 2010 and 2007.”
3) Former world champion Antonio Tarver was arrested over the weekend during a traffic stop in Florida:
“Tarver, who lives in the Tampa Bay area, was named in a criminal complaint filed in Las Vegas alleging that he failed to repay three casino loans totaling $200,000 obtained in July 2012 at the posh Wynn Las Vegas resort. Nevada treats written casino IOUs, known as markers, like fraudulent bad checks.”
4) In far more entertaining news, we may have finally discovered the fighter who could pummel pound-for-pound champ Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr.– but it’s probably not anyone you’d think of:[[MORE]][[MORE]]
“(Ronda) Rousey, who is an Olympic bronze medalist in judo, said she could beat undefeated welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather if he were ever so inclined to step into the octagon.
‘I wouldn’t even stand up, I wouldn’t even be anywhere near him. I would just do like a little army crawl over there, and he would have to run away,’ Rousey told Power 106 FM.”
5) Everyone reading this roundup knows what “MMA” stands for. But here’s an alternative definition for the acronym, one which I guarantee you haven’t heard before: Malaysian Muslim Awesomeness. Meet fighter Ann Osman, of Sabah, Malaysia:
“Has Ann Osman shattered your stereotypes yet?…Osman, 27, says she has never felt ostracized because of her gender or decision to push boundaries. 'I’m fortunate to not have felt any of that pressure about me being Muslim and a female MMA fighter at the same time…I’m very fortunate to have the support from everyone I know.’”
6) Personally, I’m sick of hearing about the Mayweather-Maidana-Khan unrequited love triangle, but if you’re aching for more coverage, here you go: Ring Magazine has a piece detailing why Mayweather dissed Khan for Maidana…there’s also trivia like what he’d do if he weren’t a boxer, how much he weighs, whom he dreams of fighting, etc. Here’s one of Floyd’s answers:
“Maidana has come back, lately, very, very impressively. A lot of great wins, lately, whereas, Amir Khan is 2-2 in his last four fights. So I chose the better man.”
7) Speaking of the pride of Bolton, if Amir “King” Khan can’t have Floyd Mayweather, he’ll settle for the jackass who thinks he’s heir to the shoulder roll: Adrien “The Problem” Broner:
“Broner’s recognition in the U.S. is something that Khan will want to tag himself onto. He knows a win against the American would strengthen his position in the eyes of the boxing community and for the TV companies that organise the biggest fights. Furthermore, Khan already holds a win over Marcos Maidana, the man who stunned Broner in his recent outing.”
8) Bollywood mega-star Priyanka Chopra is hard at work in the ring, filming the Mary Kom biopic. Mary Kom is an Indian Olympic bronze medalist and five time World Boxing Champion. The producer behind the movie is shrewdly creating two versions of the film: one for song-and-dance loving South Asia, another for the rest of the world.
“The script has been reworked accordingly with a lot of the overt sentimentality reduced in accordance with international tastes…'There will be two separate national and international versions of the Mary Kom film. The international version would be far more tightly edited with no songs and a lot more bouts in the boxing arena. The Hindi version would have more of Mary’s family life, the sacrifices she made for her husband and children’s sake, the compromises they had to make, etc etc.'”
9) …and here’s a bonus link, just because it was breaking news when I sat down to compile this roundup and it has to do with this weekend’s fights. Boxing champ Carlos Molina has been arrested in Las Vegas for not registering as a sex offender; it’s unclear whether he’ll leave jail before his bout Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden.
"He was convicted in 2002 of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Outagamie County, Wisc. …Leon Margules, who promotes Molina, said 'we made an agreement with Wisconsin for the fighter’s release in the sex offender registration violation…I’m still trying to find out exactly why Carlos is being held. I’m hopeful we can get it resolved, get him released and get him in the ring Saturday.’"
Have a great weekend, everyone. And be sure to check back later for our full preview of the weekend’s action.