Above Ground Sounds

While this is not my favorite song on the album it was the best one I could find during a rudimentary search on the old tube. This guy totally rules. The dude was super handsome and wrote some righteous tunes. I highly recommend the songs, "She belongs to me" and "Hard to Keep My Mind On You." Both songs are about man and his perennial affection for the attractive.

In other news....

Floyd Mayweather, who many considered the best pound for pound fighter prior to his sudden retirement (And it should be noted, pre- Manny Pacquiao hayday), remerged in the ring to take on the Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez. Now let it be known straight off the bat. I'm not a big Mayweather fan. I think the guy is an excellent fighter. Without question an amazing fighter in the same tradition and Pernell Whitker of his father, Floyd Sr. All amazing defensive fighters, all quick as lighting, all very skilled pugilists, all weak on KO power. That said... I don't like the guy. I think he is an immature man who blames his inability to sell a fight and unpopularity on racism, when in fact i think it has more to do with the perception that he is an arrogant prick with a chip on his shoulder. Many have also claimed that he emerged as the greatest in an era when his division was not especially deep. Sure, he fought and beat some amazing fighters. I mean the guys is 40-0 at this point. There's no denying that he has amazing skill. Now however is the time for him to prove his greatness. His weight class is deep, there are some real stellar fighters out there in his division. Now is the time to come out of retirement and prove himself. Anyway, i diverge. What I wanted to comment on is how lame I think it was for Mayweather, a naturally heavier, bulkier, muscular fighter to call a catch weight for the fight ( I believe it was 144 although i know there was some discrepancy about that weight in july when the fight was originally scheduled... but it should be noted that the vague terms were 143 give or take a pound not above.) and then come to weigh in 2 pounds over weight. While this may not seem like a big deal, I would argue it is, although i don't necessarily think it was the deciding factor in the fight. First of all, Marquez is a naturally smaller fighter, considerably smaller. He typically fights around 130 lbs. The man had to gain about 10 lbs for the fight, which meant he had to adjust his speed to that weight. No easy feat. Second, as mentioned before, Mayweather is a larger fighter, he fights more in the 145 to 155 range. Third, you can assume that both of the fighters were denying themselves fluids and making an effort to make weight JUST below the limit. However, Marquez was most likely already pushing himself pretty hard to bring himself up to the fighting weight while still maintaining his speed and agility, therefore we can assume he probably isn't gaining much weight after weigh in, maybe 5 pounds, tops. Mayweather on the other hand is a naturally heavier fighter and we can assume, that he is going to gain much more weight after the weigh in. Likely, Marquez came into the ring somwhere around 148-150 whereas Mayweather, who weighed in at 146 was probably coming in somewhere around 155. Now as I said before, I don't think that this was a deciding factor in the fight. I think Mayweather probably would have won regardless. He is quicker, stronger, and a better boxer... he lacks Marquez's heart, but simply put, he has a better skill set. I do however think that it was disrespectful for Mayweather to not take the weight in seriously enough to make it. He could have, he was a partner in agreeing to it, he just did not show the discipline to make it and discipline i have to think is a fighters most prized asset. I feel for old Marquez getting hit with an extra few pounds over the course of 36 minutes... It isn't sportsman like. At any rate, this sets the stage for a premier fight in about 6-12 months for a bout between the winner of the Cotto v. Pacquiao fight in november. I eagerly anticipate it, A) Because I would love to see Floyd beat and B) because i think the likely match up of Pacquiao v. Mayweather to be a rather exciting if unsure fight. Enough said. The next few months are going to be exciting for boxing fans and i hope you stay tuned for my admittedly amateur analysis.

To wrap things up: I have less than 9 weeks left in Koreaville. I shall be returning to the hinterland the third week of November and no later if all goes according to plan. Next week will mark the one year mark of my sojourn from the great city of Portland. I miss you lady Portland and hopefully we will share embraces soon.

Bam. That's it. I'll be posting something at least bi weekly from here on out. there I said It.

As always. Stay tuned.