WHORE ANALYSTS DESERVE NO RESPECT
(INSIDE BOXING) Mountaineer Park located in Chester, West Virginia should be a place every boxing promoter worth his or her salt avoids like the plague. "Home-cooking" along with cheerleading for a weight troubled Paul Spadafora made the broadcast one to forget.
In the final installment of Friday Night Fights for the year 2000, ESPN 2 and the above named venue offered a card featuring the IBF Middleweight elimination bout between Carl Daniels (46-3-1, 30 KO’s) and Brian Barbosa (28-4, 20 KO’s) as the main event.
Controversy was immediate as the IBF #3 ranked contender Barbosa could not make the middleweight limit of 160 pounds. The best he could do was weigh in at 166.5 pounds. This meant that should Daniels, the IBF #4 ranked contender, be victorious he would be in line to get a shot at current IBF middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins.
Commentator Teddy Atlas wasted no time in chastising Barbosa for allegedly weighing as much as 180 pounds 2 weeks prior to the bout. A 13.5 pounds weight loss in that period of time is abhorrent and the fighters’ health is endangered by such rapid weight loss, according to Atlas. Counterpart Bob Papa agreed.
The undercard was attracting much attention as the IBF #2 ranked lightweight contender Joel Perez did battle with local favorite John Bailey. None other than the IBF lightweight champ Paul Spadafora, the poster boy of dangerous weight loss, was in attendance
Spadafora made his name in the lightweight division courtesy of ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights. Encouraged by the ESPN 2 duo to join them, the conversation centered on whether Spadafora would be troubled by Perez, the anticipated winner of the fight, as his next opponent. Spadafora intimated he saw no problem there and specified that he would rather look to the winner of the Diego Corrales vs Floyd Mayweather, Jr. bout scheduled for January 20th of 2001.
During the 4 to 5 minutes air-time given Spadafora, neither the well-respected Atlas or counterpart Papa got near the subject of the documented weight problems attributed to Spadafora. How he would attack Perez and what tactics Bailey should be using was all Spadafora was questioned about.
This, fresh off the lambasting Atlas gave Barbosa for his attempt at reaching the 160 pound limit when just 2 weeks prior he weighed 180 pounds!
The affiliation Spadafora has with ESPN 2 was never more evident than this past Friday night. ESPN 2 has officially joined the ranks of HBO and SHOWTIME by unveiling their own team of broadcast whores. Never asking a single question about the weight allegations surrounding Spadafora was a joke.
Having Spadafora sit next to these two broadcasters was the perfect time to grill him on whether he should be fighting as a lightweight or consider moving up in weight so that the health issue could be laid to rest. Spadafora is on record as saying that he loves to eat, so the issue could have been tackled by Atlas on a purely diet issue. Sadly, the opportunity was never taken advantage of as the ESPN 2 "Golden Boy" was given a free pass.
Even more amazing was the way Spadafora was allowed to bypass discussion about the more than adequate competition sitting right there in the lightweight division in the form of Jose Luis Castillo, Stevie Johnston or Hector Camacho, Jr. Spadafora has never mentioned these three names in a lightweight fight conversation. Why? Because these three are legitimate LIGHTWEIGHT fighters!
Paul Spadafora is a WELTERWEIGHT! His everyday weight of 170 pounds dictates that. His lack of power in the Billy Irwin bout exposed him. If he can’t get a big money fight with Corrales or Mayweather (which he doesn’t deserve) he will have to battle one of the tough lightweight fighters mentioned.
He can always move up in weight class where the likes of Kostya Tszyu or, if he feels real brave, "Sugar" Shane Mosley await him. These options probably aren’t viable ones for the Spadafora camp. All are aware that any current champion at 140 pounds or better would destroy Paul Spadafora. So he will continue to lose an unsafe number of pounds in order to attempt to lure one of the legitimate lightweight title-holders into a match in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he fights well.
ESPN 2 is probably expecting to be known as the place that an up-and-coming fighter gets his notice. They now must shoulder responsibility concerning health and safety issues.
Teddy Atlas should never have allowed himself to "sellout". The reputation he had was flushed with one single interview. Not by what he said, but by what he didn’t say. Had he suggested to Spadafora that he and Barbosa both should consider moving up in weight to avoid long-term health problems he clearly would have established himself as an ambassador of boxing. Instead he chose to jump into the pit with all the other analyst types who are concerned only with their next paycheck.
Bob Papa is, well, what Bob Papa is. He has nothing to lose when teamed with a well-respected trainer such as Atlas, who should ask the tough questions. Papa is there to learn the fight game. Atlas is there to provide insight and teach.
Teddy Atlas could usually be depended upon to "tell it like it is" concerning any aspect of professional boxing. That dependability can no longer be relied upon.
Atlas should look at any broadcast involving trainer Emanuel Steward, who provides valuable analysis with honest opinion that doesn’t cater to network or combatant. He doesn’t prostitute himself for the sake of a payday. Neither should Teddy Atlas.
Spadafora didn’t have to worry about a possible bout with Perez as the West Virginia Boxing Commission allowed judges to provide local boy Bailey a unanimous decision with scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 97-95 in his favor.
There was loud protest from the ESPN 2 crew as they had Perez being a slight winner. Except their scores weren’t the ones that counted! Atlas even suggested that ESPN 2 commentators develop their own list of Judges that should considered for banishment from the sport.
The West Virginia Boxing Commission and ESPN 2 ended the year with things attributable to professional boxing that continue to have the sport seen in a negative light. Both should know better.
Boy Wonder
12/31/00