At the age of 74 he left this world. Not only known for his boxing but his amazing spirit. He will not be forgotten. "Float like a butterfly. Sting like bee."
Last Wednesday, I was scrolling through my feed on instagram and saw Triple G (the boxer) announce that he was going to be at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Friday at the Field of Dreams store meeting and greeting fans. I instantly thought, "Oh that would be so cool to meet him!" I'm a huge GGG fan and so is my husband. He is the knockout king of boxing and he's always very entertaining in his interviews. Well, I finished scrolling through my feed and went back to work but I had told my husband about it. Flash forward to Thursday afternoon and I get a call from my husband asking me if I can get Friday off work because we're going to Las Vegas.
By 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning we were up and getting ready to get in the car. Since it was such a last minute trip we couldn't fly but we could drive. So we got in the car and headed to Las Vegas. We made really good time and rolled into town by 1:30 p.m. We checked into our hotel, MGM Grand and immediately got down to Caesars Palace to see if there was already a line forming because GGG was starting at 5:30 p.m. There wasn't a line so we went to Planet Hollywood to grab something to eat. Then once we were done eating we got in line and were only the 3rd people in line.
GGG showed up and we got to meet him! I was so excited I even asked him for a hug! Which of course he was generous and gave me. I think he was surprised someone was like Can I have a hug?
I then of course tweeted, instagramed and facebooked the photos. Well of course we couldn't drive all the way to Vegas for just a 15 minute meeting so we stayed in town for the Canelo vs Khan fight the next day. I'm not a Khan fan so I was rooting for Canelo to win. We also hit up one of my favorite things on the strip... M&M World.
The fight took place at the new T-Mobile Arena located behind the NYNY hotel and Monte Carlo. This is the first fight to take place there since it's opening. Outside the arena they had all of the fight gear up in their courtyard.
The night of the fight we were sitting up top but still had a good view of the fight. I had never seen someone knocked out so hard like that in person before. I thought he was dead for a few minutes that's how long he laid on the carpet. It was a really good fight and I can't wait for the next match up which is suppose to be GGG. Clearly we all know who I'll be rooting for in that match up.
The next day after the fight we had to get up and drive back to Sacramento. We were once again blessed by the traffic Gods and made it back in good time. It was a fun little road trip for us and we were able to meet our favorite boxer!
On May 2nd, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will engage in the fight of the century. Boxing fans have been begging for this match up for the last decade. Now it's finally happening. Months of speculation, behind closed door meetings, major contract negotiations and then the announcement came. The fight is on!
Undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather will be taking on the Pilipino legend Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. Only one will emerge as the winner and with Floyd and Manny both nearing the ends of their career it could also be either one of their last fights. This fight is going to be the most profitable fight that has ever taken place. The press conference had over 250 media outlets and a red carpet. To say that this fight is highly anticipated is an understatement. So of course, Beezy being the boxing fan that he is we've watched and followed the fight news closely.
The ticket that money can't even buy. It's a little over two weeks until the fight and the tickets have not went on sale to the public. The is unheard of in the boxing world. Usually the tickets would have went on sale shortly after announcing the fight to the public. People from around the world are awaiting the tickets hitting the market. Celebrities have been begging to spend up to $100,000.00 a ticket. High rollers, heads of state, boxing legends they all want tickets and there is only so many seats in the MGM building. Naturally, only a small amount of tickets will be going on sale to the public. The prices are said to be starting at $1500.00 a ticket (probably the nose bleed section). People are waiting with money in hand and they can't be bought. MGM is holding the tickets and haven't released them. They are also advising that there may be many copycat tickets so beware of who and where you buy them from.
Then there's the matter of the weigh in. The weigh in takes place at the venue the day before the fight. This event has always been free to the public. You get in line, wait for the doors to open and they fill up the venue and then shut the doors. Not this time.... for the first time ever the Las Vegas Boxing Commission is allowing them to charge $10.00 (which will go to charity) for each ticket. They are worried about the line and the crowds (since for lesser hyped fights crowds sleep around the hotel in line waiting to get inside). Those tickets haven't went on sale either.
So everyone is waiting. Their holding their cash in hand waiting for them to drop online for sale. MGM is charging $150.00 a person to even watch the fight on closed circuit in the hotel. It's one of the most expensive PPV fights of all history. So we wait.. just like everyone else to see when and where. It's like we are all in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and we are searching the chocolate bars for a golden ticket. Who will the lucky winners be and where will the next golden ticket strike?
That is the question ever is asking right now. Will Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather actually step into the ring and fight each other? For years there has always been hope that these two legendary fighters would step into the ring and fight each other. Floyd's upcoming retirement and the fact that these two fighters fight on different Paid Per View channels have given people little hope. That is until recently... these two fighters have come to the table to actually talk about stepping into the same ring.
Manny Pacquiao flew to America this past week and has publically said that he has signed the papers to fight Floyd. Now the world awaits Floyds signature on the contract. Will he finally step up to the plate and put the naysayers to rest? Will he risk his perfect 49-0 record to fight the other living legend? The world sure is hoping so! We've waited for a decade for this fight and this is the closest the two fighters have ever came to the table.
If the fight takes place it will be happen in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. The rumored date is in May. The fight is said to be taking place on both Showtime and HBO for PPV. If this fight takes place, we will be booking a flight and trying to get tickets to the fight! We already have our bet on which fighter will go home with the belt.
So if these two step into the ring, who will you be rooting for?
This is the fight we'd all been waiting on. The moment it was announced that Mayweather had granted a part two with Chino Maidana, I jumped with excitement. I've followed Mayweather's every move on instagram. I googled where Oxnard, California is actually located in the state. It's home to Chino's coach and practice area. I waited for the Showtime All Access episodes and with each one airing the anticipation grew. I even started following Mayweather's ex Miss Jackson and his new girlfriend Bad Medina. Who doesn't love a good love triangle back story?!
The history between these two is known. The gloves incident from the first fight. The head butt. The fights that have broken out on the press tour. Chino's coach getting into it with Mayweather. We know it all. You know my favorite memory from the first fight? The moment Floyd "Money" Mayweather thought he finally lost a fight as they were announcing it was going to score cards. Then the fact that Mayweather won.
So when the 70.00 dollars was paid to view it on pay per view and the pizzas were hot. We sat there hoping to see another great match up and maybe the fight that would put change Mayweather's undefeated zero to a one loss.
This fight was completely different from the first match up. It was obvious in round one. Chino was throwing far less punches and Floyd was running around the ring to not be caught on the ropes. Chino seemed in a haze when he was throwing punches. Many weren't landing. Floyd seemed depressed. He spent the majority of the fight running around the ring trying to avoid punches. He would spend half of each round either running around avoiding the fight. The other half he would let Chino hit him once then hold him so the ref could break them up and start fresh. Then the infamous incident happened...
Floyd was holding Chino's head down after a punching trio. The next thing the audience knows, Floyd is holding his glove out saying that Chino bit him. He claimed that Chino bit down through the mouth guard and glove to get to his hand. The ref said he didn't see it. The crowd didn't see it and neither did anyone in the television audience. Chino said after the fight that he did not bite him. Mayweather says still that he did. He said his hand became numb afterwards and could hardly use his hand after that.
So how did this fight end... with Floyd winning yet again. It was probably the most boring ending to a fight ever. The entire last round Floyd ran around the ring avoiding a punch. He claims to THE BEST EVER.... well to me the best ever doesn't need to run around the ring. He stands there and punches toe to toe with his opponent.
The match was set and the ring was ready. The Barclays Center in Brooklyn was the scene for Danny Garcia to fight Rod Salka. This fight was originally set for 12 rounds but since the boxing commission refused to sanction the fight the center made it 10 rounds. Now you might be asking yourself why would they not sanction the fight? The boxing commission wouldn't sanction the fight because Rod Salka isn't a ranked fighter. He isn't on the same level as Danny but this was the fight Danny was doing. So the fight went on...
Rod Salka known as the Lightning Rod stands at 5'7'' and 31 years of age.
While he has 3 Knockouts under his belt he's far inexperienced in the ring compared to Danny Garcia. That fact proven once the boxing commission wouldn't sanction the fight.
His competitor Danny Garcia known as the swift cherry picker, stands at 5'8'' and 26 years of age. In his history of boxing he has 17 knock outs and 29 wins. He has never lost a fight.
When these two fighters stepped into the ring the audience could immediately tell that Danny was in control of the fight. He was by far a better fighter than Rod. So much so that a lot of the fans feel that Danny should never have been fighting him. When the cards were counted and the winner announced it was no surprise that Danny was the victor. His next match will be in a few months. Hopefully this time he picks a fighter that will create a better match for him.
Welcome to my first installment of KO'd! This new feature will be all about the sport of boxing and the contenders. Normally KO'd will come out on Sunday's after a Saturday night fight but you never know, you might see it pop up now and then in between.
So let's talk about the latest fight.
Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Geale
I watched all of the prefight shows before this fight. I think one of the most interesting things going into a fight is learning their background history. I think you can tell a lot about a fighter if you see where he comes from and learn what his motivation for winning really is. I like seeing where they train, hearing from their trainers and seeing their family support system. When they showed these two fighters you could tell that they both came from very different styles of training and even more different backgrounds.
Gennady Golovkin
Known as triple G , he stands at only 5'10'' but has a reach of 70 inches and is 32 years old. He's originally from Kazakhstan and one of four brothers. He's never been knocked out during his professional and amateur career. He's the knock out king because he's knocked out 27 people in 30 fights. He's even so good he's got a silver Olympic medal hanging at home for his boxing skills. He trains hard for each fight and gives it everything he has in the ring.
Then there's his competition...
Daniel Geale. Hailing from the land down under of Australia, Daniel has proven himself to the boxing world. He's a year older than Triple G and an inch shorter but he's also competed in the Olympics. He didn't walk away with a medal but he got there. He's also got 16 knock outs in his winning pile and hungry for another one. His mother is currently battling cancer so he's been training especially hard for this fight. He wants to add another knock out to his win.
So when it came time for the fight, I was interested to see who would be victorious. I felt like they would be equally matched up with their age, weight and height. You know what they weren't matched in? Their level of hungriness and wanting it. You could tell at the start that Triple G was going to be hard to take down. He wanted it. He was going for it. He was tossing Daniel around like a rag doll.
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July 25, 2014 - Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America)
Daniel started to feel the gravity of G's punches and couldn't handle the ferocity behind them. His speed and blocking weren't up to par and after a few rounds he couldn't hang on. Triple G dominated this match up and easily won the match with a less than surprise KO. I'm sure Daniel will think long and hard again about taking on Triple G in the future. He'll have things to work on if he plans on fighting again soon because G made it look way too simple this time around.
I love having three days off of work. Yes, I work long ten hour days but the three days off is so nice. So what did I do with those three days off? Well let's see...
I slowly keep looking for things to wear on my upcoming trip to Hawaii. I've never been there. It's going to be hot and I want to stay cool but look nice all of the days that I'm there. So when I saw this dress (and I had a discount code), I instantly saw myself wearing this on the island.
It's colorful, a high low (which I don't already have) and light weight.
Have you been to Hawaii in the summer? What did you pack? Suggestions? Ideas for outfits? Our week there is packed with dinners, luaus and tons of events. We're staying here and I can't wait! Counting down the days! Squeal!
You know what I discovered which isn't probably good for the Hawaii trip? Popcornopolis.
Have you ever had their popcorn? It's not just popcorn. It's amazing little pieces of heaven in your mouth. A few days ago a co-worker had a pouch of their Zebra popcorn. When she offered me some, I said no thank you. I told her I didn't feel like any popcorn. That's when she explained, this wasn't just your average popcorn. So I gave it a try and she was right. When I hunted it down and got to their store, they had all different kinds and flavors. I ended up with three different kinds: Zebra, Cupcake, Cinnamon Bun.
Now the real challenge is to not eat all of these bags in a week. Have you ever had their products? So good! Get a bag.
Saturday night I went with Beezy to his dad's house to watch the Mayweather fight. It was a really good fight and I feel like there will be a rematch in the future! Can't wait!