Weekend Wrap Up and Two Lessons on What and What Not To Do When Managing Fighters.

HBO's Boxing After Dark series showcased a decent triple header last weekend.

Alfredo Angulo is starting to blossom into a pretty damn good fighter but one thing his brain trust needs to do to take him to a higher level is get him fast and more explosive. Angulo can crack but he's slow and boxers will cause him some problems if his relentless pressure doesn't break him. Alfredo can fight, this we know and this is great. Now get him in the weight room and build a strength base and then build explosive power with plyometrics and watch his performance really improve. This is what his management needs to do to go to higher heights with their fighter.

In fighters like Alfredo you can really see on how strength/power training can add and help him. If anybody knows his management send them this post so we can get to work right away.


In watching Gamboa you were getting a lesson in management on what not to do with a prospect fighter. Gamboa is being pushed too fast. I'm not saying he was in tough last Saturday night, it's just that his management seems more focused on their next move and how fast he's going to get there than on where they are now and what they currently have.

What they have now is a fighter with a mistaken identity. Gamboa is not using his natural boxing ability, athleticism and speed by choosing to instead brawl to please the crowd. Fuck the crowd at this stage. Hone your skills and do what you do best. Box and break fighters down.

Gamboa has a solid strength/conditioning coach this I know. But his skill trainer needs to do a better jab at Gamboa utilizing his gifts and skills.

It just seems that his team is focusing on the finish line without even fully developing their fighter for the race. This is why Gamboa has looked less than spectacular of late.

They need to slow their role and develop Gamboa for the long hall before he ends of being a flash in the pan champion that fades as a fighter fast because he was pushed too fast too soon.

Just look at David Reid and Fernando Vargas's careers as proof.

This is supposed to be a growing process at this point in his career, not a stunt in growth.

Much props must be given to Sergio Martinez in stopping Alex Bunema. Alex posted a few upsets with a few decent fighters leading up to this fight and this gave reason for some to call this fight a pick em. But Sergio proved how much he has matured and grown over the years since getting man handled by Antonio Margarito. No shame in that though.

Sergio looks like he can cause some noise in the Jr. Middleweight division. We'll have to wait and see.