Dustin Poirier || A Rebirth of Skill || Breakdown • Film Study • Highlights ᴴᴰ
From Eddie Alvarez, to Justin Gaethje…..Anthony Pettis to (recently) Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier has been on an epic run of rebirth post losing to Conor McGregor and the oft-overlooked flask KO at the hands of Michael Johnson.
I worried about the mental toughness of Poirier after he lost to McGregor, and his chin post-MJ, but I was equally impressed with his wins over the aforementioned, especially the latest interim win over Max Holloway. Dustin is a good study in what moving up in weight looks like when it is beneficial, and for intents of expertise, what a skill set with potential looks like vs. a skill set with some polish.
His next fight against undefeated Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is by a planetary distance his toughest test to date. Does he have the skills required to beat the Dagestani Eagle? I’ll let you speculate, hopefully after you watch my assessment. Cheers.
Heavyweight boxing is stronger now than it has been at any other point in the past 20 years. In Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, boxing’s flagship division finally has a trio comparable to Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, who competed for titles in the late 1990s.
There’s one problem, though: they aren’t fighting each other.
When Joshua – the WBA, WBO and IBF champion – defends his belts against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden on 1 June, much of the focus will be on about that isn’t even happening. A meeting with WBC champion Wilder would provide Joshua – who is the 1/33 favourite in the boxing betting at Betway to beat Ruiz – a chance to fulfil his long-term goal of becoming the undisputed world champion.
Chasing the final belt has proven extremely difficult for the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, though. That’s because there are now more obstacles involved in winning multiple titles and organising mega-fights than ever before.
For a fight between Joshua and Wilder to be made, their respective promoters must come to an agreement.
Negotiations between Eddie Hearn and Shelley Finkel – who manages Wilder – have become public and personal over the past two years, with Hearn referring derogatively to his counterpart as ‘Shirley Winkle’ on several occasions.
It’s quite common for long-held grudges between promoters who have often been in the sport for decades to jeopardise fights.
The financial benefits of staging a contest – namely a greater share of pay-per-view and ticket revenue, and the ability to secure sponsorship deals on top of that – are a clear incentive for promoters to do all they can to hold the rights.
They also decide where the fight will be staged, the size of the ring and even minor details like which fighter will take which dressing room.
But boxing agent Tim Rickson, whose clients include former British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Tommy Langford, says promoters unwilling to cede ground to their rivals can also get in the way of their own fighters’ interests.
“It’s business, but a lot of ego comes into it as well,” says Rickson, who is also the editor of British Boxing News. “That power play comes into it where they’re trying to be the biggest promoter with the biggest backing and the biggest fanbase.
“Often the fighter is willing but then sometimes the conflicting promoters’ interests – and now the bigger problem, which is the TV broadcast deals – can result in the fight not being made.” Indeed, the broadcast boom has created another obstacle for these super-fights to overcome.
There’s more money available than ever before for boxers who sign exclusive deals with broadcast companies. In February 2019, Tyson Fury signed a five-fight, £80m American broadcasting contract with ESPN, following in the footsteps of Joshua and Wilder, who have similarly valuable deals with DAZN and Showtime, respectively.
With the big three now all tied up with separate stations, negotiations look close to unworkable. “It’s so fragmented that it’s just going to be extremely difficult to bring any of those three together,” Rickson says.
“If you’re ESPN and you’ve put £80m into a fighter, you’re not going to let him have a rematch with Deontay Wilder on Showtime.
“Will ESPN say they will step down to let Showtime put it on, or vice versa? No. “They both want the fight, they have both paid for the fight, they both deserve the fight. They aren’t going to give up their rights to profit from it.”
Rival broadcasters have occasionally found common ground in the past. When Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao in 2015, for example, HBO and Showtime aired the bout as a joint production – the first collaboration between the networks since 2002.
The protracted negotiations pushed that fight back five years later than when it should have taken place, though.
Pacquiao had lost twice since talks first began in 2009, meaning his one-sided defeat to Mayweather failed to answer the question of which fighter was greater at their best.
That is always the risk with super-fights. The sheer scope of negotiations that must take place can push the event further and further down the line, until its relevancy is lessened.
There’s incentive for promoters to keep their fighters away from dangerous opponents for as long as possible, too.
Allowing the hype around a fight to build only increases its financial potential, and allows fighters like Joshua and Wilder, for example, to remain undefeated for longer.
That latter point is more important now than ever, as defeats are more damaging than they were in the past.
It’s what Rickson refers to as “the Mayweather effect”.
“I think Floyd Mayweather is to blame in an indirect way,” he says.
“There’s this new influx of casual boxing fans who only get up for the big fights and aren’t really purists.
“When a fighter gets a loss on his record he is now almost dismissed, which is absolutely nonsensical to a hardcore fan.
“It’s that Mayweather effect – promoters don’t want their fighters to take a loss because they could be dismissed and lose a big following, which would result in fewer tickets sold and fewer pay-per-views.”
Delaying big fights brings a couple of risks into play, though.
The first is mandatory challengers.
Sanctioning bodies can rule that their top-ranked challengers have earned a shot at the title, forcing a champion like Joshua to defend one of his belts, rather than go fighting for a new one.
Put these defences off, and the champion will be stripped.
The second is sheer dumb luck.
You simply can’t legislate for injuries, or opponents failing drug tests that force them out of fights. That’s something Joshua and Hearn have had to deal with in just the past couple of months, with Jarrell Miller – who was meant to be the opponent on 1 June – testing positive for three banned substances and being replaced by Ruiz.
There’s also the chance that the opponent they have been eyeing for months will lose before a deal is done, a fate Joshua nearly suffered in December 2018 when Wilder scraped a draw against Tyson Fury.
Should Wilder’s rematch with Fury go ahead before Joshua gets his hands on the WBC champion, there’s a good chance it will be the Gypsy King – not Wilder – that he must beat to win that final belt.
That would require Hearn to negotiate with British rival Frank Warren, with whom he is even less likely to strike a deal than Finkel. Or, Joshua could lose on 1 June, leaving Ruiz as the man with three belts, chasing the fourth. Surely not.
Laird Hamilton on Breathwork for Health and Stress Control
For those of you who are unfamiliar with his history. Laird Hamilton is regarded as perhaps the greatest big-wave surfer the world has ever known. Raised in Hawaii, by the age of seventeen he forged a name for himself as a top-level surfer. He decided at an early age that he was not going to become a full-time competitor. But decided to focus more on building his media personality through modelling and several movie roles.
His love for surfing combined with his acting career led him to innovate new ways in which he could surf bigger and bigger waves. The film Riding Giant chronicled the story as he and his crew rode some of the biggest waves on the planet. With the aid of their newly invented tow-in technique using jet skies. It was this technique which would lead to world records for the biggest waves ever ridden to be broken year after year.
But it was his own surfing of the freak of nature wave at Teahupoo in Tahiti that would place him firmly on the map as the greatest big wave surfer to ever do it. Here Hamilton discusses the importance of proper breathing. Which helped him elevate his own capacity to deal with the conditions and situations in which big wave surfers find themselves. With these techniques can make the difference between life and death in the big wave surfing world.
But how important is it in terms of combat sports competition? In a sport where we regularly see ultra fit competitors quickly fade during a fight. Could said techniques be the answer to the issue which plagues some of the sports biggest stars?
Here Hamilton along with Joe Rogan put their arguments forward for why and how breathing could impact some of these fighters performances. Giving example after example of the proven benefits the exercises have given those who use them
Taken from JRE #1301 w/Laird Hamilton: https://youtu.be/FYsvhzhAK2g
The Mystery of ChessBoxing || Volkanovski vs. Aldo || Breakdown • Film Study • Highlights ᴴᴰ
Volkanovski vs. Aldo || Breakdown • Film Study • Highlights
Upon watching the recent fight between Alexander The Great Volkanovski and Jose Aldo in Brazil, I realized a few things, or maybe a few possibilities. One thing was that some crowds are just horrific for television purposes. Like bad or biased commentary, they can sway public opinion and perception of what they are watching. Brazil is very nationalistic, a word that has taken on new meaning amidst the fascist PC language police in my country, but I don’t think it is within itself a bad thing. Pride in country is to be expected.
What ruffled me a tad was booing a striking chess match with the King of Rio. Brazilian fans tend to not only be good at “their sports” but obviously understanding of them as well.
SO…….with the many times I’ve mentioned chess, and my love of Wu-Tang, I decided to break down some intricate moments that were missed amidst the prior mentioned, a few by commentary as well.
‘The Mystery of Chessboxing’
Chess boxing, or chessboxing, is a hybrid that combines two traditional zero-sum competitions: chess, a cerebral board game, and boxing, a very physical combat sport. The competitors fight in alternating rounds of chess and boxing.
Music: Ninja Checkmate aka The Mystery Of Chess Boxing (1979) Intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIrLJGLTjuM
Mike Tyson – Iron Mike (Original Career Documentary – Remaster)
Mike Tyson will forever be remembered as one of the most feared and ferocious boxers who ever lived. Yesterday’s Iron Mike is today’s cuddly and considerate podcast host and Marijuana Ranch entrepreneur. Moving both physically and mentally from the mean streets and mean temperament of the past. The years and fans have been kind to the boxing great.
If you have ever listened to his Hotboxing podcast, where he interviews all manner of intriguing and entertaining guests. It may always strike you that if anything, all of these guests are forever enamoured by the host and not vice versa. Of course, Mike respects and enjoys the conversations. But without fail, each and everyone he invites on will at some point bring it back to the man himself. His accomplishments both inside and outside the ring, his crazy life story filled with a never-ending stream of fascinating and unequalled stories.
It’s great that at this point in his life he has finally found some peace a solitude after a life filled with chaos, violence and drama. Now looking back in awe as we do love to do. We can but marvel at the achievements and sheer ferocity of the youngest boxing heavyweight champion in history.
Once asked in an interview about his approach to the sport and how he was perceived. “You would get into the ring and people were scared. Were you channelling the anger that you had from your childhood? You know I think a lot of it had to do with that you know and I realize every fight with a decision or if I’m gonna go back to that lifestyle or not this is all over.”
Tyson was like a sponge who just absorbed everything. That his trainer and father figure Cus D’Amato had to teach him. The head movement, throwing a punch with bad intentions. Such a machine he was programmed to destroy all that came before him. Which he managed to achieve for the majority of his career.
It’s a fascinating story which will no doubt be told many times again into the future. As we remember Kid Dynamite turned Iron Mike Tyson and his legacy.
Mike Tyson – Iron Mike (Original Career Documentary – Remaster)
Mike Tyson will forever be remembered as one of the most feared and ferocious boxers who ever lived. Yesterday’s Iron Mike is today’s cuddly and considerate podcast host and Marijuana Ranch entrepreneur. Moving both physically and mentally from the mean streets and mean temperament of the past. The years and fans have been kind to the boxing great.
If you have ever listened to his Hotboxing podcast, where he interviews all manner of intriguing and entertaining guests. It may always strike you that if anything, all of these guests are forever enamoured by the host and not vice versa. Of course, Mike respects and enjoys the conversations. But without fail, each and everyone he invites on will at some point bring it back to the man himself. His accomplishments both inside and outside the ring, his crazy life story filled with a never-ending stream of fascinating and unequalled stories.
It’s great that at this point in his life he has finally found some peace a solitude after a life filled with chaos, violence and drama. Now looking back in awe as we do love to do. We can but marvel at the achievements and sheer ferocity of the youngest boxing heavyweight champion in history.
Once asked in an interview about his approach to the sport and how he was perceived. “You would get into the ring and people were scared. Were you channelling the anger that you had from your childhood? You know I think a lot of it had to do with that you know and I realize every fight with a decision or if I’m gonna go back to that lifestyle or not this is all over.”
Tyson was like a sponge who just absorbed everything. That his trainer and father figure Cus D’Amato had to teach him. The head movement, throwing a punch with bad intentions. Such a machine he was programmed to destroy all that came before him. Which he managed to achieve for the majority of his career.
It’s a fascinating story which will no doubt be told many times again into the future. As we remember Kid Dynamite turned Iron Mike Tyson and his legacy.
Donald Cowboy Cerrone || Breakdown • Film Study • Highlights ᴴᴰ
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, fresh off an underdog victory against Ragin’ Al Iaquinta, seems to have found a resurgence since the birth of his young son and appears poised for another title run in the 155 lb (Lightweight) division. While talks have gone hot and cold regarding a potential blockbuster of a fight seeing Cowboy taking on Conor McGregor, I see a potential fight with Justin Gaethje on the horizon.
Interestingly, the headhunting (well….kicking), “always down for a scrap” ways of Cerrone seem to be a gift and a curse. His long and storied career, starting with his professional MMA debut in 2006, has been a lot of ups and downs but if he indeed is fighting Conor at any point, my concern is his losses in big fights against southpaws. Cerrone fights traditionally / orthodox, and almost all of his losses have come against people in the open stance. From Diaz to Pettis (that night), RDA, Benson Henderson (x2), Robbie Lawler, Darren Till, and Leon Edwards were all southpaws. In fact, his only losses (in 48 professional fights) against a like-stanced righty are Jorge Masvidal in 2017, and Jamie Varner in the WEC in 2009.
I don’t focus on negatives or flaws in my skill analysis, so the theme here will be more on the refinement of said skill, along with an uncanny ability to land game-changing head kicks, Muay Thai musings (refined in recent years by Joe Schilling), and utilization of his BJJ Black Belt when the opportunity arises. This feels overdue, and Twitter (follow me @brendandorman) seemed to agree. Enjoy and keep it positive, cheers.
Legna Zeg -Take On The World [No Copyright] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Xu0oPI1Uo
Unknown Brain x Rival – Control (feat. Jex) [NCS Release] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZHcnuqscU
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