"Critiquing the Cage" Henderson vs Pettis: Pre-Fight Pick

 Tonight, Ben Henderson defends his UFC Lightweight Championship against Anthony Pettis in a sensational match up of MMA proportions. After defending his title successfully, three consecutive fights, Henderson will have an enormous task of fending off Pettis, who already has a win over him. Pettis has a fantastic striking game, while Henderson is most comfortable on the ground, submitting many of his opponents.  

Let's just look at this match up realistically: Pettis becomes new UFC Lightweight Champion by either submission or knockout. His striking skills are far more superior than Henderson's, having a length and height advantage, so if Pettis can get Henderson to engage with him, he could possibly land a knockout. Henderson, on the other hand, has to take Pettis down hard and fast in order to have a chance to retain his Championship.

This match will surely be action packed, and we will see who comes out on top.

"A Way of Life" Spotlighting Jason Chen

I would like to give special recognition to one of sport karate's gear suppliers, Jason Chen and AllStar Gear.  Jason, has in the past, sponsored local urban karate tournaments, giving back to kids in these communities.  His gear is worn by many of sport karate's top ranked fighters, and can be seen at tournaments, internationally.  Thank you for your hard work and dedication to sport karate, and continue to make quality gear!

"Logic Behind the Leather" David Tua vs Alexander Ustinov

So it seems that the comeback bout between David Tua and Alexander Ustinov at the Claudelands Arena in Hamilton, New Zealand, will take place on August 31st.  There are reports that the match up would have to be postponed due to an injury from Tua, but the fight will go on.  And what a match it will be between Ustinov, who's in contention for a Heavyweight title bout, and Tua, who's making a comeback after two year layoff.  This highly anticipated fight will reveal Ustinov's legitimacy as a heavyweight and Tua's legitimacy as a heavyweight contender after a short retirement.
Alexander Ustinov is a powerful heavyweight, but his heart and legitimacy is questionable.  In his last bout, and first loss in his career against Kubrat Pulev, he took a knee in the 11th round and was counted out.  He seemed to lack the heart and perseverance that it takes to become one of boxing's elite.
David Tua is on the road to reclaiming his status as a dominating heavyweight.  After years of legal and financial troubles, and two years out of the ring, Tua hopes that this comeback will once again make him a formidable contender in the heavyweight division.  Tua, 41, also has a tremendous task of preparing himself physically and mentally for the bout.  Physically he has to be in tip top fighting shape and at the age of 41, many question his ability to perform against Ustinov.
I think that the real questions here are not Tua's punching power or how tough he is, because he's never been knocked out in the 58 matches he's had, but how accurate his distance and timing is.  Ustinov shows his ability to brawl in the ring, something that Tua will probably reciprocate, but leaves himself wide open to Tua's infamous left hook.  On the other hand, can Tua get around Ustinov's reach and penetrate him with his punches?
Ultimately, David Tua has chosen a good comeback match up against Alexander Ustinov, as he has a good chance of defeating him and putting himself in line to contend with other heavyweights.  Ustinov needs to prove that he belongs in the ring with other heavyweights by beating Tua and proving his legitimacy as a boxer.    

"Logic Behind the Leather" Seth Mitchell vs Chris Arreola

The non-title heavyweight bout between Seth Mitchell and Chris Arreola will take place on Saturday, September 7th at the Fantasy springs Resort in Indio, CA.  Seth Mitchell is coming off a win against Jonathan Banks, capturing Banks' WBC International Heavyweight title.  That match-up was the second meeting between the two, Mitchell losing the first bout against Banks.  Mitchell showed his lack of boxing skills compared to Banks', and had very amateur like tendencies in the ring.  When he matches up with Arreola, these issues are going to hurt his chances of beating him.  Arreola's aggression and his ability to lure his opponents into a slugfest, is something Mitchell can't afford.  

It seems as though throughout Seth Mitchell's matches, he's looking to get comfortable in the ring, as Arreola has already reached this level.  Going head-to-head with an opponent whose had Arreola's experience, Mitchell does not have the luxury not to feel at home in the ring, because his boxing skills is what is needed to get him through this fight.  

Mitchell has also shown how he can get hurt quickly in the ring, and his lack of recovery after he's been knocked down is practically nonexistent.  Arreola may possibly get a knockout against Mitchell in the early rounds of their bout, if Mitchell doesn't find a way to outbox him, keeping his chin down and staying off of the canvas. 

     

"Logic Behind the Leather" Garcia vs Matthysse: Fight of the Year

The super fight between Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse on the Mayweather vs Canelo undercard on September 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, is going to be a shoe in for Fight of the Year.  The explosive bout will be for Garcia's WBC, WBA(Super) and The Ring Light Welterweight titles, as Garcia attempts to keep his record unblemished, and Matthysse makes an effort to become the new champ.  
Garcia (26-0), is a relatively young boxer compared to Matthysse.  He has the tremendous potential to be a great boxer, but will tested considerably by Matthysse (34-2), who is a seasoned vet with massive punching power.  Garcia gets touched a lot in his fights,  and in his lastest bout against Zab Judah, he struggled and was stunned by Judah's punching power.  He went on to win the decision against Judah, but most certainly cannot perform the same with Matthysse, who's power and skills eclipses that of Judah's.  Matthysse aslo went head-to-head with Judah, but lost the decision, which was immediately questioned by fans and analysts alike.  But he wasn't denied his TKO victory against Lamont Peterson, whom he knocked down three times in the third round of their bout.
I don't feel that Garcia is ready for his match-up with Matthysse.  The Zab Judah fight should've been a testament to how unprepared he is, not to mention his questionable conditioning for the match-up.  He will have to be in the best shape of his life if he wants to go toe-to-to with Matthysse, using his smarts and boxing skills; not rushing in trying to land a knockout.  Matthysse, on the other hand, is confident and is more than ready to take on Garcia.  When these two men clash on September 14th, it will make for a fiery bout, with Matthysse handing Garcia his first loss, or Garcia shocking Matthysse with a victory.      

 

"Logic Behind the Leather" A Candid Portrait of Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is undoubtedly one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in boxing's history.  No other boxer has created so much fear and destruction in the ring like Tyson did during his career.  The sheer mention of his name spoke volumes in terms of how great of a fighter he was, including his ability to knockout many of his opponents in the early rounds, and sometimes minutes of his bouts.  But as we all know, Tyson has had his share of ups and downs, inside and outside of the ring.  Legal woes have not only plagued his boxing career but his personal life also.  And who can forget his infamous bout with Holyfield, bitting his ear during the fight.  More recently, Tyson has confessed to being an alcoholic and drug addict.  Many have thought that Tyson was moving on with his life and changing it for the better, but he has "fooled everyone around him," according to Tyson.  He has only admitted to being sober from drugs and alcohol for six days, something of a "miracle" for Iron Mike.  In a teary eyed, sometimes whimpering talk during a press conference, Tyson shared another side of himself, referencing being a "dark and negative vicious alcoholic, and how it's "dangerous to hang out this neighborhood (pointing to his head), "It wants to kill everything, it wants to kill me too, I don't want to die."
There are a lot of people out there that will view Tyson's press conference and think that he must be crazy and that he should've gotten help a long time ago.  Others will see Tyson's confession as a step in the right direction toward his sobriety and living a sober life.  Both assumptions are true in their own respects.  Tyson has shown over the years, how unstable and unpredictable that he can be.  But no one cared about his state of mind, as long as he was knocking out everyone he was matched up against, and keeping those people who were riding his coattail funded and famous.  Where is the support now from the people who were with him during his thriving career? Where were the same people when his 4 year old daughter died tragically? As humans, where was the sense of responsibility to recognize his shortcomings and unfortunate circumstances?  Mike Tyson is not the only person we should blame for his catastrophic life, as the responsibility should be shared by the people who stood by and watched his fall from grace.
But there is a light and the end of this tunnel, as Tyson is making the necessary strides toward reclaiming his life.  Let us not dwell on his downfall, but embrace his passion for wanting to live and be a better person.  After all that has happened to Mike Tyson, there is no denying his greatness as a boxer.  Not only was he a beast in the ring, he was an intellectual fighter, understanding the sweet science of boxing.  Hopefully Iron Mike will continue to take his sobriety seriously and embrace the sweet science of life!

"Logic Behind the Leather" Gonzales vs Mares: The Results

And the newww!!!!!!.......  Jhonny Gonzalez is the new WBC Featherweight Champion after knocking out Abner Mares in the first round, after setting him up with a light jab and landing a left hook.  Our earlier prediction was on point, as Gonzalez used his reach to measure off Mares and knock him out.  Mares was very classy in his first defeat, giving Gonzalez the credit and respect deserved after a spectacular performance.  Kudos to Gonzales!