The Stephen A. Smith ShowInterview: Teddy Atlas and Stephen A predict Vegas Boxing Matches and discuss top fighters.
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
You know, ladies and gentlemen.
I mean, there's very very few people you understanding, I could be in the presence of and and I have to I have to dial it back.
I have to understand that, no matter.
How large I might think I am, I am nothing compared to a giant like this. Now I have to confess that I love to get on his nerves. It's totally true. It's totally true. I love to get on his nerves because I love him. He's my big brother. The one and only Teddy Adallas boxing analysts, extraordinary fight analyst, extraordinary spanning decades, one of the best to ever do it in the United States of America.
My man, what's going on, buddy? How you doing?
I'm good, you know. I look, I love you, but I'm here for somebody on the road. God, no, no, no, I mean the truth is the truth. Hey, look, we're about the truth. I mean, you know we are. I mean, truth is powerful and power to words.
And till you hear from my sister, that's what you're trying to say. That's what you're trying to say.
Everybody here is stephen A is common common. Uh my god, it's greater. Look at it, and I'm I when I have a chance to say calmon, and you hit me up and you say, Teddy, you think you got time. I know you're in Vegas doing the UFC for ESPN. I'm out here to do you have time? Maybe to break down the fights to two main events and stuff? I said, is she around? You said? You said, Teddy, I like I said, I'm here in Vegas. No, I hear Stephen, Good God bless she round.
Yes, you did do that, Teddy? Do that? Teddy?
I mean, you know, you know what's pathetic. You know what's pathetic about you?
Teddy. You're supposed to be here. You got you got the fight in your blood. We got two big fights in Vegas tonight. And what do you do? You bring her flowers? You brought my sisters, my sister flowers.
Something you should learn to do. You can always wait.
Get down, you can we get down.
The business saving. As great as you are told you, as big as you are, you still can grow. You still can grow in so many ways. And that's one of the ways. I love you, Steven, And.
You know what I love you.
I must admit I've never heard the swave to the OTLiS. I mean he's a little bit swave right now. I mean, you know, I saw your son earlier the day you're looking kid.
By the way, I saw a good looking kid, my grandson, Your grandson, good looking.
He looks like he's gonna he's gonna be a fight. He's gonna let your grandson fight.
Good. Teach him, teach him, gonna teach him definitely, you know, might get him into this industry more at the end of the day. You know, his nose, I don't want his nose to look like Papa's.
But you look good. Grandpathera's good.
But you know Papa wasn't born with this nom You know.
I got you. I got you. So let's get down to business. You're out here in Vegas tonight. But it's not for the Canilo Alvarez edgablinga fight. It's for it's for the UFC main event at the Sphere, Sugar Sean O'Malley, the main event going against Morob What the willis Villi, the Vallas Villi, the Vallas Villi.
I go with Marab but you you know you you so so first off, a little better you went to college. I didn't say I stayed with Morab.
Okay, So, so what are your thoughts before we get into the boxing, because we've known for decades that's your level of expertise. I want to hear your UFC expertise for a second. Here this fight tonight at the sphere, uh with this guy Sugar Sean versus Morob.
What are your thoughts about the fight?
If I walked into a studio, you know, we're in the studio and I looked at a monitor and Sugar O'Malley was on it and he was fighting right yep. I if I didn't notice he didn't have shoes on, I'd say, Hey, what's that box's name? I haven't I'm surprised I haven't heard about it. I haven't seen him that Well, that's Sugar, that's Sugar O'Malley, Sugar Sean O'Malley. But he's UFC teddy, he's not a boxer, he is. I don't do that. I don't, you know, throw those kind of platitudes out there just to throw him out there.
You don't.
And no, I mean, you can't buy your reputation. You can't bout your credibility when people hear you. You want to know at least they know you're going to truly tell them what you believe, based on your experience, based on things that affects to you and facts to me my experience. I look at him, he's a pure boxer. I mean, this guy could box, you know, with some decent boxer. I'm not saying people. The haters out there, they go, no, Teddy, you know he didn't clean out his division. Yet You're getting ahead of yourself and go, Look, I don't care. I know what I know, I know what I see. The guy controls rain steved here's the dimensions, controls range beautifully, as good as any box I've seen. He's able to create space where he makes you make mistakes. He sets traps when you make mistakes. He's got quick hands. He puts his punches together. He don't hit you with just one, you know some of some of the MMA guys, they hit you with one big one, hit you with three or four, and then you get off to the side. Look, I'm really gonna blow people's minds now and maybe yours a little bit too. But again, you know that I'm not about the eye of bowls. That really, if I say it, there's a reason to say it. I'm gonna name a guy that he that he reminds me of the things he does. And again, don't get nuts out there, people, Calm down, don't go crazy. I'm not saying he's him, but I'm saying there's similarities to one of the greatest lightweights who I loved. He's up there now, but I I loved him. He's one of the greatest of all time. And you know he's also got a sweet name, sweet and.
Pe sugar showing you sugar.
They're both sweet, they're both sweet, and what they do. Look Whittagar just unbelieva. But look, there's a couple lines of defense. Move your head, make a mess, use your legs right the due. Those are two of the lines that he does. Both he uses legs to make you miss and he uses his legs to create offense. Pinell Whittaker would make you miss, make you reach count of the crap out of here. He would also a great sense of his environment. You know that old saying you must be aware of your environment. He knew his environment when he was getting when he was getting close to the ropes. Whoop right off the ropes, Whittaker, You never trapped him on the rope, same thing. Watch some highlights of sugar Shane. He's getting he's getting near, he's getting Sugar Sean. He's getting a little bit near the ropes bomp or the cage boom right off and him make you miss with his legs here, count of you also him move his head, make your miss right there, bank bank bank kanda uh. He also gets full extension on his punge. He's got long arms, O'Malley. I've seen a lot of guys in my business with the reach, with the length as I call it, the length and the height, and they don't know how to fight long. They don't know how to fight talk.
He does, he does that that where as skinny as he is, where does he get it?
Where does he get a power from? Where does he get went power from?
I'm not surprised because nobody interviews better than you and brings out the things you gotta bring. I'm so glad you went there. All the skinny guys, the wiry guys in my business, they're the bunches. They get leverage, they get talk whatever you want to. That's right, you look good, you're looking good night. Short punch. That was like there was more like a Joe Lewis combination.
I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that real shot. I would do that.
I would use my lik to my mind because I ain't trying to get there. I ain't trying to get into the trenches. I ain't trying to do that. I want to punch with leverage.
You want to keep guys away from me, I get it. You want to get him on the out type before they get closed. You got where they can put you. And that's what he does. That's what O'Malley does. He keeps you. He makes you fight his fight. You know, he uses his physical assets with the length and again a lot of guys don't know how to use it. He knows how. He gets full cension on his punches where you can't get close to him, where he creates a bad neighborhood that you have to go through. And you know what, you go through a bad neighborhood, sometimes you get.
Mugged, you know what. That's what he does. But let me throw this at you.
I totally agree with you if you're talking about trying to stand straight up and slug with him. A guy like Morob is known as a grappler, a wrestler. That's where history. Well, you dive, you if you're diving for his knees or his ankles. I mean, that's how you do it.
But you get counted on the way in. See, that's why I'm picking O'Malley and I'm glad you brought that up. You're right, that's the dimension of this fight. That's what this fight comes out. You hit it perfect at some point. If he can't put his hands on him, if he can't shoot and get him to the ground, he can't win. Can't win, cannot win on the outside. Morob, He's great, I love him, can't win on the outside. He's got to get it. How do he get in? You gotta take a risk. You gotta go through that bad neighbor as he goes through the bad neighborhood, and if he tries to reach a little bit.
Oh what about those who counter with this argument that Morob, who's considerably shorter and we got sugar Sean, has that reach, has that power in either hand, and like you said, he can put his punches together, et cetera, et cetera, because that's to his advantage. If you're Morob, Yeah, you want to grab him, you want to wrestle him, you want to grapple with him. But in the same breath you got to go through that bad neighborhood. What about the notion that because he's shorter and because sugar Sean has to reach down that again and knowing he's a grappler, that that will lower sugar Sean's defenses and that's how Morob can catch him, similar to Hownmega metof caught Connor McGregor when he dropped them with the overhand right because Connor had his hands down.
What about that.
Argument, eloquently put Wells said, I answered with one word, upper cut. As he's coming in shraging the upper cut the right punches. The good fighters have this sense of not only where they are in the ring that's how you already said, or in the cage the octor god, but also what punched the throw at the right time. They have the IQ. The great ones are smart too, cerebral. He's very cerebral, just like Panel Whittaker. When he comes in reach, he's got to get lower. You said it, He's got to get lower. He's gotta come down low. But he comes down low. Bang the upper cut and when you get hit with an upper cut, you don't see it.
You don't see it.
And those are the ones that do the most savage, right, Those are ones that get you into the locker room where later on somebody's waking you up and you're saying, what.
Happened, what happened, what happened?
How they do? Right?
Well, what are your thoughts based on what you just said? And listen, Sugar Sean has been so great. I don't want to take any I didn't want to take anything away from him, but when he talked about aspirations of getting into the boxing ring to ultimately emulate Connage mcgreg and what he did with Floyd Money Mayweather getting into the ring with him. Sugar Sean has talked about wanting to fight a guy like Javonte Tang Davis and others at the lightweight to visit.
Ain't Davis to me is one of the top five boxes.
I totally agree.
Yeah, he's the package. He's at the beginning. A lot of people I was one of the first to say, to be honest, two years ago whatever to people were saying, Oh, he's just a pun.
No, no, no, he's not. No, he's count of show showed me against Isaac that that he can box. He can ebeye punches.
He's good defensively. He can go get you. He can he can get you out in space. He can make it come to him and count him. He's very patient, he's very controlled. When he's aggressive, he doesn't do it in a reckless way. You know, he's a solid He is solid in every area. Right, I mean, the guy is the real deal.
So in other words, we're making the wrong guy.
Probably, that's what I.
Get you saying, Sugar Sean, go ahead of going to boxing, but you're picking the wrong guy.
I want to fight again.
I wouldn't pick that guy if I'm his manager. I think I get fired if I if I see that guy you know as my first guy, my first hole in the water. No, no, because you told might get bit off.
So you believe the sugar Sean for this fight tonight UFC. Right note j UFC at the sphere, Sugar Sean, O'Malley walks away.
Victoria is beating Morob.
Yeah, I my question. Look again, if he doesn't get in, I'll put it simply this way, you know, And I'm being not really a little facetious, but I'm really not Can you beat anyone at anything in combat sports if you can't put your hands on him?
No, that's you don't think he's gonna be able to put his hands or Sugar show.
And he's got to put his hands on He's got to get close enough to get his arms around him. And I don't think unless you know, again, unless Sugar Sean, you know, makes a mistake and he gets close enough, he gets him on the floor, that's his only chance to get him to the ground. But here, but here's the other thing, the other X factor, the other reality that O'Malley's pretty damn good at defending the takedown, okay, and he knows how to handle himself on the floor. He knows how to do that. He's done grappling before, He's put himself in tournaments, before he got into the UFC, getting prepared for that world, you know, for that dimension. So I'm not saying he's morob on the floor, but I'm saying that he can survive. When Alessandro, who was a great striker when he was at his day, when he at that time where he was really really good, I mean, he was like BRUEs Lee like and he's he's doing his striking thing. There were times that he got people tried to take him down. He was good enough of surviving the takedown defending the takedowns to get back to his thing, to get back to doing what he does, which is striking. O'Malley's good enough to survive again. That is Morov's chance. Get him to the floor.
Before I get to the boxing match, let me ask you this question.
You brought up how Javonte Tank Davis is one of the top five fighters in the world, and I.
Completely agree with you. Give me your top five fighters in the world.
You gotta start with Uzik after you do what he did the magic, Yeah, you gotta steve it. You gotta start with him because he went and unified all the titles. He beat Joshua, who's the next best guy out there besides Fury. He beat Joshua twice in England in his home place. Right then he goes and unifies that. You know, he doesn't do it with the extra pizazz and with the you know, bells and whistles and all that stuff, with his personality, all of that stuff, but he does one thing I don't know, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody who does it better. You know what, that one thing is win. He knows how to win.
He always so he's the top five. Give me so you got him, you got himage Bob winning.
This is a guy who won the gold medal in the Olympics, right because is a guy who went and consolidated all the Cruise aweight titles and then goes to heavyweight and goes to London with a bigger guy, with Joshua in his home place, his home country, and he beats him twice.
Yeah, by decision, by decision, I got it.
I think that Anthony Joshua what he was then compared to what he is now, I think he's different. I think something different place. He's in a better place now. I think that's I think that that's that needs to be said. But so you got you got Davis. Give me three more in your top five.
Okay it's not Crawford, of course, tervins Crawford in a way.
Huh in a way, yes, Japan, Yes, a monster monster, no question.
I mean, and the last one. I gotta give you one more I'll give you before. Okay, So again you went all.
I mean we remember names sometimes, right, But but you know right here, listen, I get where you're coming from.
For all, Yes, is gonna fight better be of coming up pretty soon?
Okay? And how could you put him ahead a better BV?
Just boxing s somewhat right? Just you say pure boxing. When you say pure boxing.
I'm just talking about top five five is in the world.
Okay, But but that encompasses all the all the facets of the sweet science being a louserve eluciativity, right, whatever is that? I don't know.
You can lose elusivity.
Elusivity, that's what it is.
It's okay, I'm here for you. Tell I'm happy.
I know, okay, I know you listen. He mixed, He mix his defense and offense beautifully, controls range beautifully. You know he can box, he can he can live on the outside. He could go live on the inside if he has to. I don't know. I love better be if. I don't know if he has all those dimensions to him, But one dimension he does that's not only power, but still like determination where where I mean this this guy, you know.
He take a punch too, can take it, he can give it and will maul you and beat you up.
And he's a little better or a lot better technically than he gets credit. He's not just a walk seekings destroyed walking guy takes five to get to one. No, no, he technically he is better than that. He covers real well. He moves his head at the right time. But his thing, make no mistake about it. His thing is what it is. Apply pressure to you. Ain't there no more? I mean, that's it. He He does what I used to say when I was the one calling all the fights on his band. He he is like a puddle in the middle of July. You see those little puddles get in the street in the middle of July. You know, I know in your neighborhood they don't have puddles. No, no, no, go ahead, no no, no, I know I know this zip called you're in all right now, And God bless you. You work hard to get there. So you got the little puddles in July in the middle of the road, and the hot July sun beats on it, beats on, it beats on it, and all of a sudden you go away for a half hour. You come back with the puddle he got evaporated. That is the best way to describe what better Beef does. He evaporates his opponents.
Okay, so let me go here. I asked you for the top five fighters in the world, and you made no. I love being with you too, Teddy, but I gotta get on you about something I asked you about the top five fighters.
In the world. We are here in Vegas tonight.
There is a super middleweight championship about taking place between south Old. I'm just saying, I'm just saying, he didn't mention him in the top five.
Why did you mention him in the top five? Canelo Alvarez? How that happened?
Why? Because tremendous, tremendous, solid fighter, tremendous, tremendous, amendous based, Mexican, great, great fans, everything, all of that. Everything he lost to people. He he lost to Triple Jus first fight. Yeah, I know, they made it a drum.
I thought he lost too.
Yeah. Please, that was the unfortunate side of boxing, Okay, right, the unseemly side of my sport. I've been in fifty years.
So that was we were arguing about that. Now, you were very upset.
You were very upset he lost to Mayweather. I know it was some years ago. I get it.
Yes, very young, but very young, very young.
But he lost there, he lost them Lara. He that was a fight that I thought he lost by a point, but they gave it to him against Lara and Larva is fighting on a card tonight too. And he's forty one years old now. But he has when he has been at that of that thin air if you will with the guy, he has come up short enough times, no more than twice.
You're talking about, even when the Gwanti won, he didn't deserve to wait, he didn't win to Vettelia.
Yeah, for me, I'm looking at it in a in a harsh way, in a deep way. But look, he's also he's a gold boy. He's the golden goose. He's had the privilege, the benefit Stephne of being able to pick his spots more than most people, where he can get guys to agree to fight him. That all lowe and wait a little older. He can pick his spots and still make a fortune and pay per view because he's the pay per view king. So he could pick a spy and he has. And I'm not knocking he's food enough. But did he did he fight Benevedas.
No, that's the fight I want to see. Everybody wants to let.
Him go fight Benevedas and then let me come back into the studio, any studio in and ask me where I got him. Now, Oh, I might have number two, I might have him number three. I might, but I will have him in the top fight. But let him go fight Benevidez. Let him go. He's talking about he wants to rematch with BEEVI Beevi's got to get past better Vie. Yes, get yeah, So let before I'm sorry, he's got to get past better be better, Uh, better be if he gets past him and he does be people, Okay, I'll put him in there. I will, I'll do immediately put him in there. But I think I gave a good enough case of it's not hating. I think the guy's tremendous, but there's a reason for it. Again, he's had he is really and he earned it by coming to pay per view king. But he has had the privilege of being able to.
Right hold us. Not right, there's not right there.
See, I love Canillo, But in the same breath I've ended, I've interviewed him a couple of times, and I've called him out about not fighting David Benavidez because I believe an argument could be made. He's one of the top five fighters in the world, the brothers twenty eight and oh with twenty four. KOs got power in either hand, tremendous speed, reach, et cetera. Never even seen him hurt me personally. I think Benavidez is the real deal and he deserves a shot.
And I hate the fact Supermiial he had to leave.
He has to go to the light heavyweight visision because people wouldn't fight him at the super middleweight division. But I ask you this question when we talk about Canilo Averaz and you said he hand picks. It's something you've lamented about the sport for quite a long time. The fact that these the fights that we want we gotta wait forever to get because the promoters and the fighters themselves are controlled it instead of a sanctioning body.
Is that Canilo's fault?
Yeah, because at the end of the day, if Canelo wanted to fight Benefitas, we'll stay on that one. It gets made because the money's there, The money's there enough there, You're right, A lot of times one promoter has the guy. The other promoter owns the rights on the other guy. They don't go across the street because both promoters are greedy. I don't mince my words. I'm sorry. Both promoters are greedy. So they're not gonna give up control, they're not gonna give up bucks. So the fight ain't gonna happen. But then every once in a while, you get those fights that are so big, kind of like years ago were Pacchio and Mayweather. The problem was it was five years too late. But finally it happened because so you guys, the fans demanded that it happened. That they said no, no, we want that fight. And it was big enough where the two different promoters could come together and they could make that fight. But that only happens when it's big enough. But with Canelo, he's always big enough. The money is always there for it to make sense. Yeah, he could have had those fights. Again, he's he's picking, and he's picking with an age, with an advantage, like he's picking guys that are small, head that are small older whatever.
They're talking about possibly fighting Crawford, who'd have to move up three weight divisions, and I don't think that's gonna happen now, not now.
But but yeah, Daddy would probably do. And that speaks to why again, I'm not being a hater. I don't do that. That speaks to why he's not on my list of top five. Those guys I put on there have earned that spot, and I take it very serious putting them in those spots.
Let me transition and ask you a very sensitive question, in all seriouslyness, Teddy, because you've been around the world of boxing for over forty fifty years, for crying out loud, one of the greatest analysts we've ever seen. And I say that from my heart because that's how I've always felt about you. And I think about what boxing is today, and I'm looking at you here in Vegas. You're not down at the T Mobile Arena getting set to do Canilo Berlinga. You're gonna be at the sphere doing Sugar Sean versus you know, Morob. What do you enjoy more at this point? And I asked that question. In this sense, boxing is all over the place where different promoters getting in the way of our fights. What I think has contributed to the success of the USC is Dana White's existence.
Because you don't get to avoid the fights.
Whatever you whatever fight the people want, Dana White is gonna get, is gonna give it to you. You can bet with each other in the damn hallway here in the Win Hotel.
Dana White will jump in the middle of it and.
Say, hold on, hold on, hold on, sign here on the dotted line and get your behind an octagone.
You ain't gotta do it here. Let's go make this money. Do it right here and he'll have to fight. Y'all want to be fine, take it to take it to the octagon. That's what Dana White does. There's nobody in boxing.
That does that as a realist, as a pugilistic pugilistic expert who is as authentic as they come. How do you feel about being associated with the UFC on a night like this considering what I just brought up?
Look the powers to be at the ESPN. You know they decided after fifty years in boxing to move over to UFC. You know they went to college. I didn't, so I guess.
I would have you on both personally. But that's just me.
Thank you, and I thank you, And at the end of the day, I appreciate a couple of things I appreciate that the UFC took allowed this boxing primate that's my whole life. They opened their arms and they said, come on in, come into our industry. Not everyone would do that, really, And I appreciate that the champions to fighters, all of them have opened their arms and made me feel comfortable where I'm going into a different realm, their realm. They're well, the striking is my realm, but still the other dimensions make it their realm. And I appreciate that. And I appreciate what you alluded to. And you're right on the money. You are. It's his way or the highway day ina way, and you know, and it's easier when when you're dictator. I think dictators have for have a place sometimes if long as they're not lobbing heads off, they're lopping heads off, no no good, that's they're no no good. And then taking people's rights away, no no good. But if you're controlling things for the benefit of the sport at the end of the day, for the benefit of the brand. He's a businessman for the benefit of the brand really, for the brand and and the sport. And it looked as guys that people are gonna say oh, well, this this UFC fighter, they're not getting paid with some of the boxes are getting paid. Look, it's like anything else. There's a progression of growth and in those kind of areas and you see it. You see those guys get more and more money in the UFC. Now, the key would you touched on is that in the UFC because of everything, all the elements we just talked about, we broke down, I think in a proper way and clear enough, the best fight the best. That's what you want in any in any sport, in anything, you want the best fighting the best, and you get that in the UFC. You do not. I say it again, you do not get that in boxing. But it's changed in the last year. You know how a man from Saudi Arabia named Turkey alis Chic came along and started bringing the Saudi money and all of a sudden going to the promoters who didn't talk to each other for a hundred years, going to them and say, I'll give you this, I'll give you this, make that fight. They made the fights we've been making, they've been making fights in my business in boxing over the last year now that couldn't be made without Turkey alos Chik's influence just couldn't be right. I mean, it's a fact. And now that has made the sport healthier, it has made it more more, just more relevant. It was becoming a less relevant box my sport. It killed me, but it was it was almost moving towards a niche yeah, and I was like, oh my god, how can the sport that's been around two thousand years, where where they have pictures and caves of depicting guys throwing punches, it goes back. We don't even know how far it goes back. How can you stop making that sport irrelevant? A nitch sport. But now he's come along and he's given the fans what they want. He's given a sport what it needs and making those fights. But again they know why. It's been doing it from day one, where where only the best fight the best, and it makes the brand, it makes the sport, It makes the fans happy, yes, and it makes me happy to be in a sport. I love boxing, obviously, I'm always that's my life. But to be in a sport that I know whatever I'm calling is going to be a fight that really truly means something. There's gonna be a magnitude to it. There's gonna be, you know, a real important. Look. Any fight, there's a magnitude any fight, your first fight of your career. Without that, you don't get to the place you want to get to. I get that, But I'm doing about fights that mean something to the fans, mean something to the sport, and means something to me. I get a chance to call those fights. Every time they asked me to go to a UFC fight, and I appreciate that. It's beautiful and I am just beautiful.
I love seeing you anytime there's a big fight around. I want to see Teddy Atlas. My sister hears you. You can testify to that. They can want me to ESPN wants me to cover up. They want me to cover a major boxing match with Teddy. With ted I want to be on the air with Teddy. I gotta get on his nerves. I mean as I love for it. I love to get on your nerves.
I just love it. I just love it. Canilo versus Edgar.
Berlanga, your thoughts about this fight. I have to confess I'm worried about Berlina. I don't know I'm rooting for the kid to put forth a good showing Brooklyn from Brooklyn, Puerto Rican descent, Puerto RICANX. Right, we get what we come to Mexican depends that we get all that I am. I'd be shocked if he lasted more than five rounds against Canilo, because here's my thing about Canilo. Anybody, unless you're the obvious, bigger, stronger guy, anyone who's fighting Canilo must know how.
To back up.
If all you know how to do is come forward, you don't stand a chance against him.
That's my fear with Bolna. What are your thoughts?
You need to know a box on the outside and use your jab, use your legs. Yes, I think Bologa has to the athleticism to do that. I don't know if he will do that. I let me put a let me throw an X fact at you. Okay, there's one thing that could I agree with you. I think Canelo wins, but I get into more specifics in a minute. I don't know about five rounds, but I think he wins to fight, and I think there's a chance he stops him, Yes, and a pretty good chance. But so I think you're on the button with that thought. But here's the X factor. There's one thing, one kind of one opponent that could show up that could really change everything. And his opponent's undefeated. He's called for all the time. No, no, and when he shows up, he shows up like this, okay, like you don't even know he's coming.
He just did.
He just he's a sneaky dude. He don't even get a ticket. He just he he just gets in there. Man, I love you. He just gets Sometimes you don't even have to talk. Remember that. Remember that everyone. Sometimes you're good even when you don't talk. That's just something. I'm leaving him up for you. So you don't even know. You don't even have to get a fortune cookie for that. That's just my little If he has been pro since he's fifteen or sixteen, the guy's got sixties some fights, you know what I mean. I know he's not you know, he's not forty, he's not in the forties. But he's in his thirties getting up there a little bit. But I don't judge a fighter chronologically necessarily. I judge him by the amount of fights and punches he's taken. And look, he's given more than he's taken. I get it. I understand that. But sixty fights pro since he's fifteen, sixteen whatever it is, turn pro young over in Mexico. Wow, you don't know when that for all the time guy is going to show up. So that aside. But he's already he's already chipping away a little bit, chipping away. He's a sculptor for other times a sculptor, he chips away a little bit. Hey, Canelo is still terrific. But I tell you why he's chipped away. Canelo has slowed down a little bit in some ways. People say he's like a fine wine. Maybe he got better. I won't even argue that. But where he's chipped away, he's not as busy. You could auhouls him, possibly, but he's not as busy. He's a guy that has he doesn't. He doesn't close the gaps quite as consistently, well quite as quickly as he used to do. But what is he teddy? He's a terrific counter of puncher. He's a good puncher. He's an accurate puncher, goes to the body as well as he goes there, he chooses what punched the troll at the right time. He uses the experience he's got good eyes, good vision, he sees everything in there. He's real calm in an uncommon environment. He's all of those things. And you know what, Those things are a problem for a lot of fighters, and I think they will be a problem for Bolongo. And one other thing. I'll be consistent with what I said to you earlier, Stephen, where he picks the spots and listen, it might turn out that I'll have to eat Crow, that he loses tonight, and then I gotta go eat cro whatever, But I'm still giving my opinion based on my experience and what it should be based on. He picked his spot Canelo because he doesn't think as I don't, and obviously you don't. He doesn't think that Bolonga is ready yet. Belong has had like twenty one fight whatever it is.
He's young, seventeen, Ko's first sixteen knockouts of his career all in the first round, only had one knockout since twenty two.
He feels and I feel the same way. I don't know that he's ready. What do I mean by that. I don't mean just physically, I mean mentally. I don't know that he had First of all, he hasn't been on this stage but I don't know that he's had the kind of quality fights that make your ticket deep breadth in the middle of the fight and find out about yourself. Find out about yourself. Can I depend on myself? I don't know that he's had those fights. Who are enough of those fights be ready for this guy? And that's important? That is that is everything. And you know where here I'm gonna give you an exhibit A in a courtroom. He's already shown where he picks that he picked on Gee. I know McGee had a lot more fights. It don't matter. Mcgheea did not have the fights on that level to be ready for Canelo in a way that I'm talking about in those dimensions. He picked McGee for a reason. He thought that he was not quite ready like I thought, and he was right. McGhee is I love McGee, guts you guy. He also thought McGee's defense was faulty enough where at this point in his career he hasn't proved enough in that area. And again he's not even though he's at forty fights. He wasn't ready for this moment. He picked mcgie. Guess what he was right? McGee engaged him, which he shouldn't have done, and he got because that's his temperament. He engaged him, he knew he would. He caught him with top because he dropped him. He set the tone for the rest of the night. But he being Canelo, I think that it's the same. I think it's really the same thing with Bolonga. I think he's picking Bolonga because he doesn't think that he's ready yet in those areas I just laid out for this kind of fight meant and mentally, and when I say mentally, keeping himself together consistently in this kind of firefight if it becomes a fight. But in this kind of moment, I don't think he believes that he's mature enough. And one other thing, there is a fly, a possible fly in the ointment. Besides, for all the time, if Bolonga was to for.
Me when you fighting out power.
Yeah, and he's athletic, he knows how to fight, and he's got a building. Yes, at this point, remember this, if it turns out this way, at this point in so one's career, when they saw getting older that I've already laid out with Canelo, the thing that betrays them first is their legs, not their handspeed not their power, legs, their legs, and if Canelo can't close the gaps, I Belonga fights are really discipline, consistent, smart fight with a real, real, real button down fight plan on the outside, using the jab, using his legs, young legs, staying on the outside. What did I say earlier? I said that Canelo one of his strengths your good counterpuncher. Right. Guess what if you stay on the outside, using your speed, using your legs, you get counted perfect. There's not an the counter. You can't counter something that ain't there. There's got to be an aggressive component for you to be able to counter that person. If he doesn't go and get too aggressive and he fights on the outside, but he could last enough browns to give Canelo and maybe make those legs look a little old. But there's one last thing, one thing with that. I don't know if he can win a decision that way, because you gotta have enough offense to still wouldn't have fight, not just survive.
I gotta get ready to go.
I appreciate this, but I will say this as my last comment before I end this interview. I hear what you're saying. I completely agree with you. The Puerto Rican Mexican thing. Pay attention because of pride that could potentially get in the way, make you not fight smart because you're aggression, because you're allowing all of that peer and patriotic pressure to get into the mix. Canilo is experienced enough not to be phased by that. Whether or not Perlinka is remains to be seen. Teddy Allens, Appreciate you, my brother, Love.
You, my man.
Even though you love my sister instead of me, I love you both, Okay,
