With the deluge of bloggers everywhere, it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the real experts from the angry fan and it's no exception in the fighting world of boxing and mixed martial arts (mma). While I claim to be no expert in these two fields, I do know an expert when I see one. In boxing and mma, there is no bigger name than Yahoo! Sports' resident expert Kevin Iole.
Covering boxing since the early 1980's, Iole has an impressive army of insightful and entertaining articles, not only about boxing, but also mma, which he started covering in 2000. His articles combined the right amount of facts, drama and comedy all within a mostly objective tone. T
hat's why I it was my great honor and pleasure to pick his brain about the burning questions I have about boxing and mma.
In this exclusive web interview, Iole discusses, among other things, his theory on why he's labelled "anti-Pacquiao," and who he believes to have the best chance of becoming the next Filipino boxing star.
Sharwin Tee: Of all the fights you have covered, what would you consider as the greatest boxing match ever? What MMA match you covered would you consider
as the greatest?
Kevin Iole:
The best fight I ever saw in boxing was Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I. In MMA, the best was Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar I.
ST: With Marquez and Mayweather fighting soon, do you think it is possible that one of the two could fight Pacquiao by the end of the year?
KI: Unlikely either will face Pacquiao in 2009. I expect Manny to fight Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14
ST: Gerry Penalosa has announced he would fight at least one more time, planning on challenging for the 118 lbs belt (against the winner of the Fernando Montiel vs Eric Morel, if I recall). Do you think it's a good idea for him and if he does fight for the title, what would his chances be?
KI: I think Gerry would beat Morel, but I think Montiel would beat him. He's younger and still in his prime.
ST: Shane Mosley has been saying all the right things (his willingness to drop weight and take less money) to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao, meaning he really thinks he ca
n handily beat Pacquiao. Do you agree with him or will the drop in weight mean Sugar will have a difficult time?
KI: I think Shane's going to have a tough time getting to 144. When is the last time he made that weight? I believe it was in 1999.
ST: Other than Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, are you familiar with other Filipino boxing stars like Z Gorres, AJ Banal, Bernabe Concepcion and World Champions Donnie Nietes (minimum weight), Brian Viloria? Who among them would you say has the brightest future in the sport?
KI: I'm familiar with all of them but Nietes. Of that list, I think Viloria has the best sh
ot at becoming a star.
ST: While you have been fair in your articles, there is still a sentiment among others that you are anti-Pacquiao. Why do you think this sentiment exists?
KI: I'm not anti-Pacquiao, but I think Manny's fans don't want someone to say what they feel. I felt Oscar would beat him, feeling he was too big, and they took it that I didn't like Manny. Just because I don't believe a fighter is going to win a specific fight doesn't mean I'm against him.
ST: Let's switch to MMA. With the impressive victory by Lyoto Machida over Rashad Evans, do you think it proves that a wrestling background isn't necessarily always the best base to train for MMA? Or do you think that Machida is merely an exception?
KI: Wrestling isn't a requirement, though it helps. But there are plenty of fighters in MMA who are successful w/o wrestling backgrounds.
ST: Personally, do you feel that Rampage Jackson ducked Machida by choosing to coach TUF 10 instead of challenging for the title because he feels he needs more time to train or does he really hate Evans so much he needs to coach against him?
KI: No. I don't think he ducked him. I think he is trying to make the most money and he'll make himself more known appearing on TV in the US on a weekly basis for three months.
ST: With the countdown to UFC 100 on Yahoo Sports, which would you consider to be the best and most spectacular knockout in the first 99 UFCs? Best submission?
KI: Best KO in my mind is Gonzaga over Cro Cop at UFC 70. Best sub was when Frank Mir snapped Tim Sylvia's arm, at UFC 48 (I think)
ST: The UFC is gaining prominence in the Philippines, especially with fighters with Filipino heritage like Brandon Vera, Philippe Nover and Mark Munoz making the UFC shows. Unfortunately, they have all seemed to run into big time losses. Which of the three do you see has the brightest chance to achieve popularity and success in the future? Will any of the three win UFC titles?
KI: Vera is the best by far of that group, but I don't think any of them will win a title.
ST: Again, with regard to the popularity of UFC in the Philippines, is there a chance the UFC would put up a show here? Maybe feature the Filipino fighters in three matches and then bring in a main event?
KI: UFC will eventually hold a show in Philippines, but will wait until the economy improves.
ST: Thank you for your time.
KI: Thank you for asking me.
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