After the bell with Kyle

Notes and thoughts:
-Watching the Andy Vences-Frank De Alba co feature on ESPN Saturday night and I noticed one thing in a fight that neither guy really shined, not too much action  but a solid win for Vences. The fact that De Alba knew he was down going into the last round, knew he needed a KO and he actually went for it. It’s unfortunate but the majority of fighters don’t go for it in the last round. This could be because of several reasons. The first could be the obvious, they would rather lose a decision than get KO”d trying to go for the win. The greats don’t do this and your all action warrior types don’t do this but lets face it, those guys make up a small percentage of the sport. The second could be because they have a corner that is not truthful to them. Either they assume they are winning a close fight (which should never happen in a competent corner) or they just don’t like being blunt in a sport that demands it sometimes. But credit to De Alba, who finished like a true fighter. 

-Danny O’Connor missing weight and the result of that being that ESPN lost a good fight in Jose Ramirez- Danny O’Connor was disappointing. I thought Ramirez would win and probably by stoppage but O’Connor is an underrated solid fighter. An 08 Olympic Alternate (anyone involved in amateur boxing on the east coast in the years before he turned pro saw with their own eyes how slick a boxer O’ Connor could be. Think Paul Spadafora). I feel bad for both guys. Some may say its O’Connor’s fault, he couldn’t make the weight and it caused the fight to be cancelled due to major medical issues trying. But that is the important thing to me, he TRIED. Unfortunately that has become rare in boxing and MMA recently. We have seen numerous times in big fights guys miss weight by 2-3 pounds and just walk away and take the fine. That gives certain guys a huge advantage. Now you may say, how much of an advantage can 2-3 pounds be?. A lot. And not because of the difference in weight, because one guy busted his ass and probably went the last week eating ice cubes and small salads while working out hard in the gym. The other guy, while still maybe working hard just does not put in the sacrifice, sleepless nights due to hunger, mental exhaustion and  much more. So yes, O ‘Connor missed weight and caused the fight to be cancelled. But only because he was trying to be professional and come in on weight and do his job. Don’t feel too bad for Ramirez, he will get another payday soon. O’Connor missed out on a lifelong dream of a world title shot and probably a career high payday, none of which are guaranteed since he was a voluntary defense for Ramirez, not a mandatory. 
-The Pacquaio-Mathysse is next week on ESPN+. Interesting fight between two guys who are past their best. Several years ago Pacquaio’s speed, angles and footwork would’ve been way too much for the power punching but flat footed Mathysse. Now, Pac is almost 40 years old, hasn’t fought in over a year and his last fight was a loss and he is no longer training with Freddie Roach. Im picking Mathysse to win. 
-The same night as Pac-Mathysse ESPN is showing Regis Prograis’s fight live from New Orleans., This kid has it all, a power punching come forward southpaw which is extremely hard to handle. He has the talent to be a star. Expect an impressive KO because that is what he usually provides, even as his level of competition has gone up. A fight between him and Jose Ramirez, which has been talked about, would be an absolute can’t miss great fight. 
-Going back to the issue of making weight. Its obvious that small fines are not a deterrent because it continues to happen. Sometimes a guy is just lazy or lets his weight get way too high during his time off (neither of which are acceptable to a real pro) but sometimes guys are just trying to fight in weight divisions that their body just cannot make anymore. Either way, I would be in favor of taking a point from the fighter who does not make weight. That way he or she is starting the fight down a point and it is a real penalty for something that is very important. Not sure if it will ever happen but I like it and hope it does.