Random Thoughts and Weekend Preview

by Phillip Przybylo

28.09 - This is basically a whole column of Double P's Power Punches as I am trying to get back into the swing of things. So, for the short attention spanned fans, this is YOUR column.

More Hopkins-Trinidad Talk

We have a big Pay Per View tomorrow. I still stand by my prediction and preview ( Hopkins vs Trinidad: The Countdown Begins! ) of over two weeks ago. People are not taking Hopkins' intelligence into account. In any situation, he has an answer. Trinidad will not be ready for someone who will match him for almost every move. I think it'll be a close one with Hopkins edging out the fight but not the decision, ala Barrera-Morales. I do not mean to imply any foul-play on Trinidad's part, but he has a way with judges. Case in points, he got the close rounds with De la Hoya and with Vargas before the knockout, two guys who had gotten close decisions before.

If you are planning to purchase the event but have your doubts, rest easy as the undercard has at least one good match-up. Pound-for-pound nominee Ricardo Lopez faces off with former champ Zolani Petelo. I have never seen a full Ricardo Lopez fight due to freakish circumstances. I will get that chance tomorrow.

Speaking of Judges

Pedro Fernandez of Ring Talk radio and website fame has broken more stories than Mike Tyson has broken rules. While his news stories are second to none, it is his opinions I respect the most. Recently he has called Nevada out on their poor judges, Dalby Shirley and Jerry "Ready to Retire" Roth among them.

Judges have the ability to make or break careers and futures, and they have in the past. They should be held accountable if 99/100 of the public does not agree with their scoring. If repeated outlandish scoring takes place with certain judges, they are either dirty or ignorant. Nevada is notorious for reusing judges that have put out some of the worst scorecards of the last decade. The judges should be demoted to smaller and smaller fights.

While one might think that this is common knowledge, there is not anybody that speaks up about it. If a fighter screws up in the ring, he does not get that many high profile main events. Neither should a judge. Judging is not a sacred art practiced by only the upper echelon of men and women in the world, and specific judges should be criticized if they are not doing their job right. The rest of us should take cue from Pedro and speak up. We owe it to our sport.

130 lb. Division Mess...Or the Other Card on September 29th

When a card is being promoted as a night of 130-pound champions, but there are three separate fights featuring "champions," boxing has crossed the line to absurdity. Worst of all, the best 130 guy is nowhere near this card. Is it that impossible to get a couple of these guys together for a unification fight? At least make it seem like it's hard by having them fight at separate events.

On the plus side, for all of you who do not feel like shelling out $45 during this time and have the ability to see it, it is a somewhat entertaining card. John Brown, who enters the ring against IBF titleholder Steve Forbes, is hard not to like. He gets his second chance (well, maybe fourth or fifth if we go back a couple of years) at glory. For those who do not know, "The Eastern Beast" was leading on two of the three judges scorecards (and rightfully so) when a freakish cut appeared inside his ear during his first fight with Forbes. After years of being ultra-competitive, the 5'3" fighter has a chance to reach the next level. For once, I like the perennial underdog's odds.

As an aside, one must give credit to the ever improving IBF for letting John have a rematch after his loss by technical knockout. Many times have commissions looked the other way and given an unjust decision, this is not one of them. The cut in the first fight was a fluke and John was ahead in the match. The only bad thing was that it took so long to get the rematch together. Instead of getting proper attention, it is on the undercard of an event that will not be watched by many.

About the World

I did not want to begin the column for a cheap hit or end the column to imply that I'm some source of wisdom about all that has been going on in the world. I do want to say that my heart goes out to anyone that was directly affected by the turn of events on 9-11-01. I also applaud all of the volunteers for helping and all the people that are strong enough to move forward. Me? I'm a wuss that has not written a column in two and half weeks who has been doing a lot of praying and listening to U2.

If you have anything extra to give, give it. We can all live without an extra desert or movie rental. Those are petty things, and now is not the time to be selfish. Please think about the families that will feel losses for years. Mortgages on houses that'll be hard to pay, kids' tuitions that cannot be met, etc. I do not know if Eastside has any official link to a specific fund, but I will post a few.

America: A Tribute to Heroes
www.tributetoheroes.org
FireDonations.com
store.yahoo.com/firedonations
WTC Police Fund
www.nysfop.org/WTCdisaster/Fund.html
American Red Cross - National Disaster Relief Fund Donation
http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-wtc2/

Good News for Other Sports

The Ultimate Fighting Championships (boxing's more mature cousin) is holding a Pay Per View card tonight at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, titled "UFC 33: Victory in Vegas." If you have never seen the UFC or the mixed martial arts before, I recommend that you do sometime. All who compete in these events are all educated athletes who study and practice multiple arts and combat styles. The main event includes UFC god Tito Ortiz against Vladimir Matyushenko. It is truly back and more professional than ever.

Living in Chicago for about 13 years, I grew up a Bulls fan (basketball to the lay person). I still am one. Sadly, they will have to take a back-seat to the Wizards now that Michael Jordan is coming back. Heck, MJ was Chicago and he was the Bulls, so, I do not feel guilty. All sports fans have a little something to cheer them up now. Oh, and another thing: Wizards all the way in '02, baby!

If anyone wishes to accuse the author of jumping on the bandwagon or comment on the article, he or she can do so at: eastside_double_p@hotmail.com