OnThEGRiND BoXiNG

Wednesday May 13th, 2009
by James Thurston Wallstreet III

Welcome back to the Wallstreet Report! Whether you are on the front line in the boxing community, or you just make wagers on fight night, you are still investing in the sport one way or another. I am here to help you decide. Here is a list I have complied of stocks from last weekends fights…

“Bad” Chad Dawson: Mr. Dawson is a mid-level stock. Even though he has a won 2 championships and is still undefeated, he lacks the intensity that makes a great champion. He pretty much dominated a former champion (who this writer feels is extremely overrated) in Antonio Tarver twice, but the boxing public didn’t get to see this reigning champion dig down deep to pull off a victory. Mr. Dawson showed signs of digging when he fought Glen Johnson, and he needs to show it again. To help his stock go up I would suggest rematching Mr. Johnson in a fight the boxing public is dying to see, or even a fight his mandatory challenger, the undefeated Tarvoris Cloud.

Antonio Tarver: This stock is pretty low right now. If he sticks around he is a gate-keeper at best. At this point Antonio should not challenge for another title, but he most likely will when a title holder form Europe decides that he wants the first man to stop the Great Roy Jones Jr. on his resume. I will give Tarver credit where credit is due. He has beaten the likes of Jones Jr. and Johnson, but nothing else he’s accomplished is really that impressive. Maybe Mr. Tarver should go back to the “Big Screen,” because in the boxing community Mr. Tarver is in the red.

Buddy McGirt: This stock is basically garbage. If you invest in one of his fighters you will lose unless it is a regional fight. When was the last time a McGirt fighter won a title? Also telling Mr. Tarver that he didn’t need a KO when he really did, is puzzling to this advisor. I know he may have thought that if he won the rounds it would come naturally, but it didn’t and once again Mr. McGirt was wrong. One can only hope that next time one of Mr. McGirt’s fighters sees action that he does not tell a fighter he just needs to win a round or two, or even worse quit on a fighter. Then maybe his stock will rise a little, but I doubt it. Is it possible to be worth less than a penny? If so then that’s what Mr. McGirt’s stock is worth.

Craig McEwan: This Golden Boy Prospect is on the rise with Freddie Roach in his corner. He was victorious this past weekend against Brian Vera on FNF, and on the broadcast they mentioned that he has sparred with ring legend Bernard Hopkins. Wow! This is all you can ask for in a stock, is it not? He is signed to a promotional powerhouse, is trained by one of the game’s best, and has sparred with ATG Bernard Hopkins. Is he the total package or does he just seem to be? I feel he seems to be. He has sound boxing abilities, but little to no power. Also, it seems his chin is a bit shaky and will likely be exposed soon enough.

Brian Vera: This what is what I would refer to as a “Penny” Stock. I personally like Mr. Vera, he seems like a good guy and he certainly tries in the ring. The problem lies in the fact that the man has no technique and no game plan. Anyone can go in the ring and throw looping punches. Expect him to fight maybe one more prospect on FNF in the future, then he will be riding the club circuit for the rest of his career.

This Weekend’s Investments:

The only investment prices I have right now is the Miranda-Ward fight. Ward is a TOP prospect ready to take the next step against the hard hitting Miranda. My heart picks Miranda in this one, but my heart is normally wrong so at -210 invest in Ward. Andre isn’t taking this fight for nothing, he sees something in Miranda that’s going to make it an easy night. Can you blame him? Edison hasn’t seemed the same since he was dominated by Kelly Pavlik.

Thank you for reading this week’s Wallstreet Report and if you have any investment questions please email me at [email protected] I will have an update by Thursday for everyone with the European and FNF investments and predictions.