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12 Rounds with the Trabucco Brothers
By Vito and Joe Trabucco (March 23, 2004) 
Joe Mesi
Site Editor Note: In our American history, you had the Gershwin brothers Ira and George, who made an impact in the music world. You had the Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur, who made their impact in the world of aviation, and even the funny Hanson brothers, who left us with those very funny scenes in one of the greatest if not the greatest hockey movie ever, Slap Shot.

So with great pairing such as these, we bring the Doghouse Boxing family the Trabucco brothers, Vito and Joe. In the weeks and months to come, Doghouse will bring you their back and forth column that will have many of you ringing in with your thoughts on what they say. With that said, we will have both their email addresses for you to reach out to whichever one you agree or disagree with. So have fun reading this, and ring in with your thoughts in this history making column by two Italian brothers busting each others chops to get their boxing points across.

12 Rounds with the Trabucco Brothers

Round 1- Joe Mesi: The Future or Soon to be Memory

Last Saturday, the world was given another look at prospect, Joe Mesi. His opponent, this time, would be former IBF Cruiserweight Champion, Vassily Jirov. After his subpar effort against fringe contender, Monte Barrett, Mesi wanted to disprove his critics. However, after dominating the first 8 rounds of the 10 round bout, Mesi, once again, found himself hanging on
at the final bell. Boxing fans want to know, is Joe Mesi relevant to the future of Heavyweight boxing?

Vito: I can't believe we are even going to have this conversation. Joe Mesi was irrelevant to the sport of boxing even before being slapped around by Vassily
Jirov. All that fight does is make it more obvious. Why are we talking about this?!

Joe: Joe Mesi is relevant to the heavyweight division. He is not going to make anyone forget about Rocky Marciano or even Primo Carnera, for that matter. The point is, he doesn't have to. As long as he keeps on winning and is still able to draw big crowds, you'll
be seeing more Joe Mesi.

Vito: Stop mentioning Rocky Marciano in the same breath as Joe Mesi. I'm so sick of seeing that every time someone writes about Mesi. The only comparison to Marciano that you can make is that they are both undefeated. The comparison ends there. However, it looks like Mesi won't be able to hang his hat on that for very much longer, either. The fact that Joe Mesi avoids competition when there isn't any proves he's a Never-Was. He has no heart and no chin. The only thing he has shown, in his last two fights, is the ability to hang on until the final bell. I'm real impressed.

Joe: First of all, you're not listening to me. I wasn't even comparing him to Marciano. The only people left who do, work for Team Mesi. I can't believe you sometimes, though. Where do you
get off saying Mesi didn't show any heart at the end of that fight? He took a pounding for the last 4 minutes against Jirov, and was completely out on his feet and out of gas. He could have easily quit. As a matter of fact his heart might be the best thing he has going for him.

Vito: You're right about one thing, I don't listen to anything you say. This is a fighter who was out on his feet against a blown up cruiserweight and Monte Barrett! How much of a threat is a guy who managed to 'survive' those two. Boxing isn't about survival, it's
about becoming champion.

Joe: Oooh, you are so deep. Why don't you take a good look around? Joe Mesi doesn't look any worse than the rest of the heavyweights out there. Not that he should be proud of that distinction, but it will keep him in the mix for the next few years. Besides, you can
criticize him all you want about Barrett and Jirov, he was still able to win both fights.

Vito: I will agree with you that the heavyweight division is in shambles. The champions are
forgettable, and would have trouble selling out a high school gymnasium. Because of this, the last thing we need is another mediocre fighter trying to make his mark in the sport. The heavyweight division today is nothing more than a pool of warm bodies for the next great heavyweight to dispose of.

Joe: I'm sorry it's an inconvenience to you, but Joe Mesi does have the right to compete in the heavyweight division if that is, in fact, the career he's chosen. It's people like you, who won't let go of the days of Mike Tyson that are the problem. You go on and on about who the next great heavyweight is going to be. As if boxing cannot survive without an invincible heavyweight champion. When a fighter dominates a division, it is exciting. Unfortunately, the sport
can't sit on its hands and wait for that guy to just appear. It has to work with what it has. Whether you like it or not, Mesi brings in fans and that's what boxing really needs right now.

Vito: It's people like you that make me sick to be a boxing fan. It seems today that we're settling for mediocrity in the heavyweight division, while the lighter weight classes excel. Until Joe Mesi acts like a contender by fighting other contenders, he's just another Brian Nielson. The guy has fought almost 30 professional fights. How much more does he have to "learn", before he starts living up to the hype?

Joe: First of all, life's not fair and either is boxing. The lighter weight classes excel because they
have superior fighters. There isn't always going to be a balance of great fighters in each division. I
completely agree that Mesi needs to fight other contenders to be considered a contender. You have to look past the hype, though, and to the reality of the situation. Mesi has been so protected his entire career that it has slowed his learning process. He isn't ready for the big time, even if his hype machine says he is. But that doesn't mean he won't be one day.

Vito: Then when will he be ready? We are way to forgiving of heavyweights. We demand excellence from other weight classes, while the heavyweight division goes through the motions. Chris Byrd defended his title against Fres Oquendo. Both fighters looked horrible. Instead of pointing this out, analysts praise Oquendo for his performance. Are you kidding me? Now he's challenging John Ruiz for his title. Now we have this so-called prospect named Joe Mesi making
his drive to the title on cruise control. Let's stop this bandwagon before anyone else gets on!

Joe: Well, the media is always going to be more lenient with the heavyweight division because, in the past, it's been the most marketable. But don't kid yourself. Joe Mesi has taken a lot of heat for his past two performances. He hasn't exactly been given a free ride. Until someone beats him, though, he'll have to be reckoned with.

Ten Seconds...

Vito: Whether you want to admit it or not, Joe Mesi is a mediocre heavyweight on his best day. Just because the division is at a low point doesn't mean he deserves a free ride to the top. He doesn't belong in Atlantic City or Las Vegas. He should just stay in Buffalo, and do commercials for local car dealerships.

Joe: All insults aside, Joe Mesi is still relevant to the heavyweight division. He is definitely at a
crossroads in his career, but a crossroads is not a dead end. All young fighters have struggles on their way to the top, his have just been more publicized. If he does learn from his mistakes, like he says he will, Mesi could make waves in the heavyweight division.

End of Round 1

Email
Questions and comment to
Joe at: joetrabucco@yahoo.com
or Vito at: vitotrabucco@yahoo.com
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