• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

May 2, 2015, Queens, NY  James Ali Bashir, (aka, The Venerable One; aka, The Sage of the Sweet Science, aka, The Wiz-dom of Oz), is one of the most respected boxing trainers in the sport.  There is so much more to the brown-skin, bald guy who you see holding up one of the Wladimir Kitschko’s belts during the ring entrance.  He is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable aficionados in the sport.  Every week, we will “Jab” (which means talk, discuss, chop it up) with the J.A.B. (James Ali Bashir) to get his take on all things boxing  and some things life.  This week, we’ll discuss the most dominant issue in the sport of boxing and sports itself: Who will win between Mayweather and Pacquiao?

The interview was conducted by PureSportsNY Senior Boxing Writer Greg Jacobs and me via phone.  Here are some excerpts.

Being a man who has been involved in boxing for over four decades, J.A.B. has witnessed the sport in its heyday and was asked about the significance of this fight.  “This is the biggest fight in a long time, but the fight is five or six years past due.  They are going to bring the best that they have left though.  These guys are natural-born fighters.  Both guys are prepared to fight.”  J.A.B. went on to explain that even at an advanced age, boxers can summon that “one last great fight” and he feels both fighters are at that stage in their careers.

Mayweather is the bigger fighter and seemed to dedicate himself to getting stronger during his training.  Whether this gives him the power edge in the fight remains to be seen.  When we asked J.A.B. about this, his response was, “I give the power edge to Pacquiao, however, Mayweather is very fast, and speed becomes power.  Floyd is chopping wood which is a new aspect to his training, but this might come back to haunt him.  Floyd is the more accurate puncher.  I think Pacquiao is the faster fighter but having speed takes a lot of energy.  Floyd throws potshots, rests, and throws potshots again.  He is a master at picking his spots.”  He went on to point out that punching power is a natural phenomenon even though you can maximize your power with proper technique.  J.A.B. related that Mayweather’s power emanates from his speed, but if he gets too “muscular” his speed might be compromised.

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Jabbing with the J.A.B.

J.A.B. made an interesting observation regarding the selection of referee, Kenny Bayless, who has refereed for both fighters.  “Kenny Bayless is going to play a critical role in the fight.  I don’t think he’ll allow Pacquiao to fight close.  He’ll break the fighters, and that will be advantageous to Mayweather.  When Mayweather and Maidana fought a second time, Bayless was the referee, and he separated the fighters immediately.”  Regarding the judges, this is what J.A.B. had to say: “This will be a hard fight for the judges to score, and they probably will see the fight differently.  Does the judge like the boxer or the brawler?  Does the judge like variety of punches or accumulation?  Remember, a judge saw the first Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield fight as a draw.”

Senior Boxing Writer for PureSportsNY, Greg Jacobs, wanted to know where this fight ranks in history to which J.A.B. replied: “How can anybody say where this fight ranks in history? You can’t make that determination until after the fight.  Right now, we are judging the fight hype. But the fight’s place in history can’t be determined until they actually fight.  Then we can say that it is or is not an all-time best.”  We asked the jab about both fighters’ legacies.  “Pacquiao’s legacy is etched in stone already.  Now for Floyd, it’s a different story.  Floyd’s legacy rides on this fight.  When he fought Cotto, De La Hoya, and Mosely, they weren’t in their prime, but he was in his prime.  Pacquiao’s not in his prime, but the equalizer is that Floyd is not in his prime either.  This is a defining moment for him.”

Before we asked J.A.B. about his prediction, the possibility of a rematch was broached.  If Pacquiao wins, it will be in his best interest to give Floyd a rematch.  Mayweather won’t give him a rematch unless he finds Pacquiao easy to hit and easy to beat.”  J.A.B. went on to discuss the economics of the fight game (something you’ll see in subsequent articles as well as his take on performance enhancing drugs and how to police their usage) and how potentially lucrative a rematch could be if the first fight is competitive and action packed.

“The fight can end in a knockout.  It doesn’t have to be a powerful punch.  It can be a sharp punch.  Floyd is fighting to save face.  Pacquiao wants a knockout.  I think the fight will wind up with Pacquiao winning by split decision.”

In the next installment of “Jabbing with the J.A.B.,” we’ll ask James Ali Bashir to give his post-fight analysis and to assess the state of boxing along with the renewed interest in broadcasting fights.

Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com.

 

 

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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