My Boy Can Whup Your Boy

While it is a standard part of pre-fight hype for fighters to mouth off about each other, the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight scheduled for May 1 in Las Vegas just offered a fascinating side show. The daddy lions were roaring about their boys.

Both Jack Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Sr. have had their ups and downs, as father and managers, with their sons. However, nothing is stopping them from grabbing themselves some limelight, most recently as two ends of a single conference call promoting their sons trying to beat the living daylights out of each other.

I know when Shane fights he fights the way I've trained him to fight... we've already laid the tracks across our brains how to fight him, ....It's not going to be a surprise to me when Shane wins because we've already had the strategies for years.  – Jack Mosley

First of all, I heard Jack. He is crazy ... Shane's going to get his ass whooped. ... Floyd's faster than Shane, much faster, much slicker, more clever, smarter. You understand? – Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Fight On!

Punch Love

In one of the more unlikely love stories, we find a father, daughter and boxing. It was explored in detail a few years ago as A Surprise in the Ring in the Los Angeles Times by Kurt Streeter. A former gang banging, heroin shooting, ex-felon Joe has a bond with his third-child baby girl that blooms into an extraordinary partnership in the ring. Now, potential 2012 Olympian Seniesa Estrada, on the verge of turning pro, has joined her father in telling their story, "My Daughter the Boxer," for Story Corps. At eight she wanted to box; at 17 she's on her way to being a media star in so many ways because of the natural love between father and daughter.

Taking a Shot

"I'm not fighting Julio Cesar Chavez. I'm fighting his son," said Jose Celaya on the eve of his Leon, Mexico, bout with JCC Jr.

Chavez is the latest hope for sons of great fighting fathers. The list of those who in recent years could not carry on the balled fist tradition of their champion fathers include Roberto Duran Jr., Hector Camacho Jr., Aaron Pryor Jr. and Cory (son of Leon) Spinks.

The son of the Mexican champ goes into this evenings contest undefeated and perhaps overhyped. Also undefeated and trying hard not to be overhyped is the paralegal and law school applicant Nicole Atlas, daughter of trainer and tv commentator Teddy (son of Dr. Theodore) Atlas, who is studying under her father to be a judge — boxing, that is, in case the legal thing doesn't work out.

** Will Thing 1 or 2 wish to fight me to take over WD someday? **

Calling the Big Guy

Fredericksburg, Va., Mayor Tom Tomzak (TomTom) called on his God and yours — albeit, via surrogates, thanks to a court decision — to encourage fathers to be better role models.

Among the people he should have had in mind, but probably didn't are Scott Baio, who announced to friends "his life is over" now that he will have to be a dad for "reality" tv and shamelessly plug his show by dragging his daughter around:



While Baio can't tell anyone his daughter's name while plugging away on "his" pregnancy, because VH1 owns it, Floyd Mayweather Sr. never had any hesitation about letting the world know who was the father of boxing champ Floyd Mayweather (jr.). Sr., however, does have some problem with loyalties, reportedly willing as he is to help out in the corner of Oscar de la Hoya (for some pretty big bucks) in the rematch of their May 2007 fight that Mayweather Jr. won on points. [Earlier: Mano a Mano; Dado to Sono]

** Sell your daughter's name? Help someone beat up your son? Yes, God please help them. **

Mano a Mano; Dado to Sono

"My dad is getting old," says Elijah McCall, son of former WBC heavyweight champ Oliver McCall., as he plans to take up the sweet science. McCall says he has no inclination to take on his father in the ring, but the Roanoke Times report is written under the cloud of the younger McCall's quote that "He [Oliver McCall] never took me seriously [as a boxer]."

Under a cloud of family dysfunction grows Lehkei Mayweather, son of Roger and cousin of current welterweight contender Floyd Mayweather Jr. But he's looking pretty fearless taking on dad



Also living under a shadow he may never emerge from is junior middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexico's greatest fighter, who also will have to contend with whatever legacy is created by his younger brother Omar, who looks and fights more like dad.

** When boxing isn't brutal is it the essence of competition and what can be more essential than fighting a dad's legacy? **