Your weekly random thoughts …
• Showtime knows no shame. It's bad enough that its Saturday tripleheader is one of the weakest cards on paper that it has presented in ages, one headlined by a pitiful matchup between former light heavyweight champion
Antonio Tarver and club fighter
Danny Santiago (a matchup it is paying seven figures for, by the way, and only about $90,000 of which is going to the Santiago side). But to make even more of a mockery of the pathetic show, the network sent out a press release following this week's final news conference that was just sad. It begins, and I quote: "Showtime Championship Boxing will present an extraordinary tripleheader as its season finale when … " Anyone calling Showtime house promoter
Gary Shaw's card featuring Tarver-Santiago,
Vernon Forrest-Michele Piccirillo and
Nonito Donaire-Luis Maldonado "extraordinary" is as disingenuous as one can possibly get, even in the overheated world of boxing hype. At least Donaire-Maldonado should be a decent scrap. But you know what the card as a whole really is? A miserable end to Showtime's weak year.
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Dan Rafael
