Dave Smith

As most of you know, I no longer follow college basketball and didn’t have much interest in yesterday’s Selection Sunday show….

My reasons for not watching?….

-Too many teams get in, which make the regular season irrelevant.

-Every good player leaves after one season, due to David Stern’s asinine rule forcing kids to go to school for a year.

-The officiating is horrendous and ruins games. In half the games during the tournament, the wrong team wins due to getting jobbed by the zebras. The whistle blows constantly, elite players are taken out of the game and it’s a parade to the free throw line.

-With eight TV timeouts per game, six coaches time outs and all the whistles, it’s impossible for a game to have good flow.

So I’ll pass on the whole thing….

I’d make my Final Four predictions, but since I haven’t seen any games it would be ridiculous….

Oh, what the hell. Here they are:

Georgetown, Syracuse, West Virginia and Villanova….

The winner? West Virginia….

Sleepers? Washington, North Texas and Siena….

This ought to be interesting….

Going into Saturday night’s Welterweight Championship fight, Joshua Clottey was known for the following things: 1) Very strong, hard puncher, great chin and a guy who gives everyone hell. 2) Excellent defensively, keeps his hands up, comes forward and extremely difficult to hit. 3) Tends to be too cautious at times and does not throw enough punches. 4) Seems to always find a way to lose against top-notch opposition. Yes, he’s always on the verge of winning, but doesn’t throw enough punches late in fights….

As much as I like Clottey, I picked Manny Pacquiao to win, either by unanimous decision or late knockout, because of reasons #3 and #4….

Against Pacman it’s not a good idea to fight defensively and punch sporadically. A lesson Clottey learned the hard way….

After giving away the first two rounds, Joshua opened up a little bit and was effective in Round 3. I gave him the round and thought we were going to have a war, but unfortunately Clottey went back to covering up and fighting defensively….

This is a very good strategy if the goal is to last 12 rounds, but if the objective is to win the World Championship it’s not going to work….

Of course, Manny had a lot to do with this, because he throws punches non-stop, from all angles and applies constant pressure. Had Clottey exchanged and tried to win, he would have gitten knocked out….

Easy for me to say, because I’m not in the ring with Pacquiao, but I’d rather go out on my shield trying to win than simply cover up and go the distance….

To Clottey’s credit, he fought hard in the last three rounds. But by that time it was all over and his only chance to win was by knockout….

As for Manny, he continues to climb the ladder as one of the greatest fighters of all time. To win World Championships from Flyweight to Welterweight is incredible and makes him the Henry Armstrong of this generation….

If someone had told me a few years ago that the 126 lb. Pacquiao would systematically destroy Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, I would have called for the guys in the white coats and butterfly nets….

But that’s exactly what Pacman has done and hopefully his next bout will be against the winner of the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight….

That one is tough to call, but I think Floyd is just a little quicker, just a little faster and will win a close decision….

After that, if I’m Team Pacquiao, I give Team Mayweather one week to accept our terms: We will not subject Manny to random, unannounced, round-the-clock blood testing. We will abide by the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (The probable location of the fight), or the Texas State Athletic Commission (If Jerry Jones steps up and makes this happen)….

No more wrangling, no more negotiating and no more bulls***. One week to accept these terms or we move on to someone else….

Team Mayweather’s steroid accusations are unfounded and ridiculous, because Pacquiao has never failed a drug test. Floyd needs to man up, take the fight and prove to everyone he’s the greatest fighter of all time; which is how he refers to himself….

To be the best, you have to beat the best: And so far in his career the Pretty Boy has not been sufficiently tested to call himself the best ever….

A win over Pacquiao, however, launches Floyd into all-time great status….

So the ball is in Floyd’s court: Step up and accept the challenge or forever be known as a whiner who avoided his toughest opponent….

The ironic thing is I think Mayweather would win the fight. Pacman has never faced an elite, black American fighter and would be facing hand speed, reflexes and quickness he’s never experienced….

Floyd would be in and out, counterpunch and frustrate the charging Pacquiao all night long….

If Juan Manuel Marquez outboxed Manny over 24 rounds, the Pretty Boy should be able to deliver a boxing lesson….

It looks like The Matador against The Bull to me….

But first, Mayweather has to cut the bulls*** and get into the ring….

In Manny’s last loss, to Erik Morales in 2005, Pacman suffered a nasty cut early, fought the rest of the fight with one eye and lost a unanimous decision. After the fight, Pacquiao admitted he “freaked out” at the sight of his own blood….

He reportedly has a fear of needles and his own blood, which is what I believe is the crux of the matter in Floyd’s steroid accusations….

Mayweather is very good at playing mind games and does everything in his power to give himself an advantage….

In my opinion, Team Mayweather doesn’t believe Pacquiao is on steroids; they want him to be stuck with needles several times and see his own blood….

They know he’s queasy about that and want to mess with his mind….

If Manny is lying in bed every night, worrying if there’s going to be a knock on his door for a blood test, Mayweather is already winning the fight….

Hell, if Floyd gets his way there could be a suprise blood test the night before the fight….

Freddie Roach and Team Pacquiao should tell Team Mayweather to go f*** themselves….

Mayweather needs Pacquiao a lot more than Manny needs him….

If Floyd wants to give away a $25M payday over this, more power to him….

Accept the rules of the state athletic commission or watch Manny find another opponent….

I know many people don’t like Jerry Jones and feel he’s an egomaniac, but as a huge boxing fan I love what he’s doing for Saturday night’s Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight….

Back in boxing’s heyday, the biggest fights were held in stadiums and everything seemed much bigger….

Bringing this fight to Cowboys Stadium is a beautiful thing and fight fans everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Jones….

He loves boxing and the sport needs people like him to elevate boxing to mainstream levels again….

I love going to Las Vegas, but the fights aren’t really for the public. All the best seats are reserved for the casino high rollers and corporate sponsors, which eliminates the real fans….

Pacquiao-Clottey, however, will be held in front of a sell out crowd of 45,000 and hopefully begin the dawn of a new era in boxing….

Jones wants to do two or three big fights a year at his stadium, which will be great for the sport. Hopefully we’ll get the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather blockbuster in Dallas this fall….

That is, if both of them win. Not a guarantee by any means….

Both Clottey and Sugar Shane Mosley are dangerous and can win….

Prediction: Pacman by late stoppage or decision in a very tough, grueling fight.

Prediction #2: Mayweather by controversial decision that most people feel Mosley won….

Bob Arum, the promoter for Pacman-Clottey, is also bringing boxing back to Yankee Stadium, home of some of the greatest fights in boxing history….

In June, it’s going to be 154 lb. champion Yuri Foreman defending his title against Miguel Cotto. This might seem intriguing to the average fan, but this is going be be huge and draw a large crowd….

Why? Well, for two reasons: 1) Foreman is white, 28-0, Jewish and can fight. He’s also studying to be a rabbi and with the large Jewish population in New York will certainly sell a lot of tickets. 2) Cotto is Puerto Rican, a former world champion and has sold out Madison Square Garden in the past….

An undefeated white, Jewish world champion against a Puerto Rican world champion at Yankee Stadium? What a great idea and Arum should be congratulated….

Another step in the right direction for boxing….

When I think of Yankee Stadium, I think of Joe Louis vs. Max Baer, Louis vs. Max Schmeling, Louis vs. Billy Conn and Rocky Marciano’s fights against Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore….

Louis-Baer sold more than 80,000 tickets, by the way….

With the heavyweight division in disarray, Jones and Arum are making great strides in bringing back the sport….

Outside of the heavyweights, boxing is very entertaining and has loads of talent everywhere except the big guys….

All boxing needs is a great American heavyweight and we could have a tremendous renaissance. There is somebody out there and hopefully he’ll surface soon….

Very interesting story on ESPN.com today:
“Promoter Don King shot down a rumor making the rounds Friday that he had a deal to promote former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a third fight with Evander Holyfield, but he was evasive about whether he was in talks with Tyson about a comeback against somebody else.

An Internet report citing “a source close to Tyson” said King had a tentative deal for Tyson to return later this year to face Holyfield, but if that didn’t happen there was “a plan B.”

“My man, that is just wishful thinking,” King told ESPN.com on Friday when asked about a third Holyfield-Tyson fight. “It is not true. It is not true about no Tyson-Holyfield fight. That’s wishful thinking. Maybe it’s something I would do for old time’s sake if they were interested in the fight, but I ain’t doing that at this time. I have not even spoken to Evander Holyfield.”

However, when asked about whether he was working with Tyson on a comeback fight against another opponent, King did not deny it.

“I ain’t ready to comment on that,” King said. “Read between the lines. It really is something isn’t it, all the interest there is in Mike Tyson?”

REACTION: I know both Tyson and Holyfield are way past thier primes, but I’d sure as hell watch if this fight happened. With the state of the heavyweight division, this fight would do pretty well on PPV. I know everyone would self-righteously state they will not watch and the whole thing is a farce, but they’re lying.

After Tyson was jailed for rape, almost everyone I knew said they were through with him and would never watch another of his fights. I laughed, told them they were full of s*** and said I’d leave my front door open when they wanted to come over for Tyson’s next fight….

Sure enough, most of them were sitting in my living room when Mike got out of jail and resumed his career….

As for the fight itself, I think Holyfield will destroy him….

Yes, Evander isn’t what he once was, but he’s been fighting, is still in good shape and looked good when he fought Nikolai Valuev for the WBA Title last year….

Granted, the 7′, 340 lb. Valuev isn’t a great fighter, but Evander outhustled him and won easily; except in the eyes of the judges, who somehow gave the decision to the big stiff….

So, at 47 years of age, Holyfield should have a share of the Heavyweight Championship….

Tyson, on the other hand, is grossly overweight and doesn’t want to fight. Unfortunately, he has to because of his tax problems….

He was knocked out by Lennox Lewis in 2002, Danny Williams in 2004 and Kevin McBride in 2005….

To be fair, Evander also has severe financial difficulties and needs a payday….

In the end, Holyfield will knock out Tyson in five or six rounds….

He was better than Tyson when both of them were young and now the gap has widened considerably….

Is the fight a farce? I don’t think so, due to the pathetic crop of heavyweights currently polluting the scene. These two still carry a lot of clout with boxing fans and I predict a big PPV and a lot of interest….

Maybe George Foreman could fight the winner….

Back in the day, the Saturday used to be a great time to watch college basketball. Every Saturday morning, NBC had a matchup between two top-ranked teams; highlited by Billy Packer and Al McGuire arguing with each other….

While the two of them bickered, play-by-play man Dick Enberg didn’t miss a beat….

USC and UCLA would play Pac-10 games later in the day, which made it a college basketball feast….

Then, on Monday, we’d gather in the hall before school and talk about the games….

Oh, how times have changed….

This weekend, there were games all over the dial and I didn’t watch any of them….

In just a few years, I’ve gone from a college basketball fanatic to someone who couldn’t name a player on any of the top teams; including the Bruins and Trojans….

With all the high school players going straight to the NBA, I began to lose interest. But when NBA Commissioner David Stern installed that ridiculous rule forcing players to go to college for a year, that did it for me….

I know I’m being unrealistic, but I really miss the days when players stayed in school for four years. The teams had continuity, the coaches could plan for the future and fans knew who would be on the team from year-to-year….

Now, the teams change drastically every year and nobody but the most hard core fan has any idea who is on the roster….

Add to this the interminable commercial breaks and scandalously poor officiating and you have an unwatchable sport….

A few weeks ago, I watched a few minutes of a UCLA game and was shocked at their ineptitude. They have no talent anywhere on the floor and wouldn’t beat a good high school team….

They’re white, slow, unathletic, can’t shoot, can’t defend and very lucky they play in the Pac-10….

I know they’re something like 13-18, but if they played in a good conference might be something like 5-26….

You have to feel for Ben Howland, who took the Bruins to three consecutive Final Fours and has a proven track record. But with all his good players leaving early for the NBA, the cupboard is bare….

Sure, you could make a case that he didn’t prepare and should have recruited better, but when every good player you recruit leaves after a year, eventually it’s going to catch up with you….

Look at North Carolina. I read the other day that Roy Williams is under .500 and the Tar Heels are terrible, which shows it can happen to anybody….

And it looks like UConn won’t make the tournament, either….

The good news for Carolina, UConn and UCLA is that one good recruiting class can get you back to the Final Four….

Kentucky had a losing record last season, but look at them now. John Calipari brought in a monster recruiting class and the Wildcats could win the National Championship….

Of course, Calipari will lose at least three of his star players to the draft and start over next season; which is why people like me don’t watch college basketball anymore….

Unlike most people, I don’t think Manny Pacquiao is going to have an easy time this Saturday against Joshua Clottey….

The African fighter is very strong, has a good chin, hits hard and is the biggest, strongest fighter Pacman has ever faced….

The 50,000 people watching inside Cowboys Stadium are going to get an entertaining fight….

In fact, this is a much better fight than Pacquiao-Mayweather would have been….

The problem for Clottey is he fights mechanically, coming straight forward and looks to beat his opponent into submission….

Manny, on the other hand, gives you angles, punches in combinations and shows a variety of looks….

Pacquiao has the advantage in hand speed and reflexes, which is why he’s going to win….

But it won’t be easy and Clottey is going to inflict some damage….

Unlike Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya, who are shot fighters, Clottey is in his prime and very, very strong….

I like Pacman by unanimous decision or late stoppage….