50 CENT MAKES WEAK ASS BOXING DEBUT
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
San Francisco, CA– Let me preface this with I covered “The Arts” as a freelancer with the Oakland Tribune. My job was to review concerts like Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, the San Francisco Symphony. In addition, I’ve had friendships with some of the finest vocalists of our time like platinum recording artist Lenny Williams, the late Ron Banks and the always effervescent L.J. Reynolds, both of The Dramatics. Current Average White Band lead Brent Carter is in that bunch as well. That being said folks, 50 Cent couldn’t hold a note if you put it in his hand!
SEEN JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY SANS ELVIS
Having seen hundreds of acts over the years, I had never once to my knowledge ever heard a tune from the mega-millionaire Rapper who is quite the successful businessman with many endeavors. That being said, I think his vast financial profile speaks volumes about Curtis Jackson. Having a rusty Yuriorkis Gamboa under a promotional contract, a singing Mr. Jackson was lowered from the roof in much the manner professional wrestler Owen Hart fell to death years ago in a WWE event when the cable lowering him snapped.
IMPRESSED WAS NOT THE FEELING I WAS GETTING
Although the entrance thankfully lacked the tragedy of the Hart plunge, it fell woefully short when it came to ring entrances as many guys, Prince Naseem Hamed for one, got 50 Cent beat when he came in on that “Magic Carpet” prior to the March 2000 Vuyani Bungu fight in London. In other words, I thought the entrance was lame, the vocals were horrendous and that Carmen Basilio quote applies here. Some 20 years ago I sung Carmen “Happy Birthday” on the radio. The ex-undisputed World welterweight (147 lbs.) and middleweight (160) champion’s stoic response, “What did you do with the money your mother gave you for singing lessons?”
GAMBOA IS THERE TO BE TAKEN
Yuri Gamboa
In the 1980s, there was a Black fighter based in Italy named Nino LaRocca. When he fought Donald Curry in 1984 he was 59-1 with that lone loss was a stoppage by Gilles Elbilia in that same year. The Frenchman who retired at 23-4, with 3, yes only 3 knockouts, one of which was LaRocca. So while Nino looked like the second coming of Muhammad Ali at welter, that’s how smooth and talented he was, underneath all that flash was a “glass jaw.”
DE JA VU BABY!
Yuriorkis Gamboa has been down like six times in 22 professional fights, including Saturday night against Filipino Michael Farenas. I see this as a major problem. Being dropped once, maybe twice on the way to boxing stardom can be called an anomaly, getting decked six times is a scary pattern that the Cuban may never be able to shore up. If Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, who will be on “Ring Talk Worldwide” this Saturday at 11 AM PT, were to have put Gamboa down, a good finisher, Mancini would have done just that, finish him.
MERCHANT NOT A GAMBOA FAN!
Although I thought Larry Merchant was a bit “coarse” with the unbeaten Gamboa, he is talented and won with scores of 117-109, 118-108 and 117-108. But Gamboa has shortcomings both in the ring and out of it. The in the ring flaws are his defense and soft beard. Outside the squared circle, Gamboa has had more investors than average for a fighter with just 22 scraps. Again, ultra talented is the now 22-0 Cuban. But when you on an average have been decked nearly once in every three fights, longevity, regardless of talent, isn’t in the cards.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
50 CENT IS STILL GREAT FOR BOXING
I welcome Curtis Jackson to the boxing business, an even more unsavory atmosphere than that of the music industry. Having seen tens of guys, gals too, with mega-millions get burned by boxing. If Mr. Jackson is willing to acknowledge that boxing is what it is, he’ll do just fine. As for cleaning up boxing and 50 Cent. If that were his intention, the late, great ABC broadcaster Howard Cosell said, “You can’t clean dirt!”
Pedro Fernandez