Wednesday, December 19, 2007
UNFORGETABLE ICON IN BOXING PART 1
Any ardent follower of the sweet science will quickly know who I am talking about. He is the oldest man to have won the heavyweight title, a feat Evander Holyfield may not easily achieve. Did I hear you say, yes I know him? Of course you should, he is none other than the “Big one” George Edward Foreman. He is fondly called “Big George” by his fans around the globe. He and the great Mohammed Ali made rumble in the jungle thick and up till this time I don’t think any boxing fight has equaled that display of the sweet science.
Today I decided to: first go back in time and secondly come back to the immediate past present. George Foreman is one boxer that exhibits many good sides. He is one boxer that brought credibility to the heavyweight and also proved that as a boxer you can stay healthy even after the age of 40, when critics think that any one involved in the fistic sports should retire. Further more he is one man who has demonstrated that as a boxer you can utilize your fame and popularity for other money making ventures. I figure that if the great one, Mohammed Ali was to be healthy, he may have become a renowned writer, a poet, a motivational speaker and probably a politician.
As I said earlier, I will go back in time to catch a vivid glimpse of his exploit then make a swift come back to the immediate past present in this order;
The First Half of Foreman’s Career: Born on January 10th, 1949 in Marshall, Texas, he started fighting on the street, constantly getting into trouble because he always beats up other kids and was involved in other social vices; this ensured he was on the run from the police. He was later discovered to possess raw boxing skill and was eventually introduced to the sport. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1968 summer Olympics held in Mexico City at the age of 19. As is typical of most boxers, he turned professional in 1969 and gathered a whopping eleven knockout out of 13 fights, some of his victims includes Gregorio Perelta and George Chuvalo. Who is remembered as one of the toughest fighters in Heavyweight history and was never knocked down after engaging in more than 90 bouts, Foreman only managed a technical knockout win over him but the fight was recklessly brutal with Foreman unleashing the punishment.
On January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica Foreman knocked down the then Champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier a record six times before the referee finally stopped the fight in the second round apparently to save Frazier from some lethal punishment. The fight is most remembered for the manner Foreman’s punch took Frazier down for the sixth and final time. The power packed upper cut took Frazier off the ground before he finally landed on the canvas, after the fight, Frazier barely managed to stand on his feet. Another memorable event, in what was HBO’s first Broadcast was the call made by Howard Cosell “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier.
He went on to defend his title, first against a Puertorican heavyweight Champion named Jose Roman, he recklessly dismissed him in 55 seconds of the first and the only round, the fastest knock out for a heavyweight bout. His next title defense pitched him against Ken Norton, a boxer noted for his awkward boxing style, who in the previous year had broken the jaw of The Great Mohammed Ali, while defeating Ali on points. The pair produced an astonishing display of aggression and punching power. Foreman demolished and flattened Norton in just two rounds. Foreman later stated in his autobiography that he was attempting to kill Norton in the ring. Considered to be the most physically empowered boxer and the hardest hitter in the history of the sport and in other occasion, he is touted to be the greatest heavyweight ever, he seemed invincible. Then came his defense against the Great one, Mohammed Ali.
Rumble in the Jungle: The next title defense was against Mohammed Ali. In what was christened “Rumble in the Jungle”. The fight was nothing short of historic. The venue was the former Zaire now Congo Democratic Republic. The whole country was set ablaze as the eye of the world was focused on the country. It is an event that would surpass generation to come. Meanwhile before the fight proper, Big George suffered an injury which led to the postponement of the fight for one month, Mohammed Ali, (as was typical of him) used the period to tour the country and endeared himself to the populace which made him the toast of the fans before the fight. When they finally met in the ring, Ali began on his toes, dancing almost through out the duration f the bout, he adopted a technique he called “Rope-a-dope” tactics that allows him lean on the ropes thereby warding off punches from Foreman. The intensity in Foreman’s attack made him lose lots of energy, Ali would hold him while leaning on the rope and released those psychological words that angered Foreman and further weighed him down. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout, by the eight round was on the driver seat. Late in that round Ali sprang off the ropes with solid combinations of blows to Foreman’s head and he was able to land a hard flush on his jaw, the champion staggered, lurched and collapsed, by the time he managed to regain his feet, it was goodnight. It was Foreman’s first defeat and Mohammed remains the only boxer to have defeated him by a knock out in his two phased career, although Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young did manage to floor him. After losing his title, he was inactive for a whole year but made a come back in 1976, against Ron Lyle in a battle that was voted “The fight of the year” by Ring Magazine. It was one of the most brutal fist game ever performed by any pair of fighters. Both men knocked each other down but it got to a point where Ron Lyle became exhausted and Foreman delivered a dozen of Punches until Lyle collapsed, the fight was stopped and Foreman was declared the winner.
His next come back fixtures was against “Smokin” Joe Frazier. It was dubbed Foreman-Frazier II. The fight was not expected to produce any solid entertainment given that Frazier had been comprehensively dealt with by the great one, Mohammed Ali the previous year. However the fight lived up to its billing as long as the fight lasted but in the fifth round Foreman caught Frazier, he was floored two times before the fight was stopped. He went on to beat Scott Ledoux and Dino Dennis by knock out to end that year.
The year 1977, would prove to be a life changing year for Big George, he surprisingly lost to less fancied Jimmy Young by a unanimous decision but was knocked down in the last round of that encounter. He later became born-again Christian after he encountered God in his dressing room. He went on to become an ordained minister of the gospel, devoting his life to his family, the Church and the youth center that was named after
Friday, December 7, 2007
EXCITEMENT RETURNS TO THE HEAVYWEIGHT
At a time when the lower division continues to provide boxing fans with excitement and pleasure they crave for. The fans have every reason to be skeptical about fixtures because of the manner scheduled bouts are recklessly abandoned. First it was the Maskaev/Peter fight, and then came Vitali Klitschko/Jameel McCline, another one was the collapse of the Ibragimov/Chagaev unification fight. This situation has made fans loose confidence even when fights were made official. But that situation may not continue, giving the desire of the fighters to step out and save the heavyweight from what is now seen as mediocrity.
The series of fight to bring back beauty to this esteemed division are as follows: February 2, 2008. Oleg Maskaev/ Samuel Peter. The venue of this fight is the Mecca of boxing, the Madison Square Garden in New York. This fight has the potential to put the world on the edge of their seats; the result of the fight will significantly determine the direction of the heavyweight. The loser of this fight will be slowed down and would really need to climb the hard ladder.
A win for Maskaev would confirm him as the undisputed heavyweight Champion and the man to beat, but if Peter comes out tops, he would have opened up a new book of history, in addition to been the undisputed Champion. First, the only black skinned heavyweight Champion after the defeat of Hasim Rahman, The first African ever to win the title, then the prospect of any of them (Maskaev/Peter) to face Vitali Klitschko would produce a solid fixtures that is enough to quench the thirst of boxing fans around the globe. Mention must also be made of the fight between John Carlos Gomez and Vladimir Virchis who will face each other to determine the mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight championship after Vitali Klitschko gets his shot at the title. This is the time table for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.
February 23, 2008, the venue once again will be the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden New York City. It will be a unification fight between the WBO Champion Sultan Ibragimov and the man that is seen as the most authentic and true heavyweight Champion, the IBF king Wladimir Klitschko. “Dr. Steel hammer”as he is fondly called had as victims Ray Austin and Lamon Brewster in the passing year.
Against Brewster, the Champion broke his wrist but continued in pain and got the victory he desired. Fighting with pain is the true character of a Champion, Champions don’t complain, they get the job done. On the other hand Sultan Ibragimov is happy about of the unification fight.
In his words, “Before I became champion, my goal was to win the title and unify it, but when I won the belt, I found no champion willing to fight me. I thank klitschko for being a true champion and for fighting me. I know we will put up on a great show for the fans in New York and around the world. So, the joy and dream of Ibragimov has come alive but when the fight gets underway the odds will favour klitschko yet we must also apply caution and prepare for a possible upset because the southpaw man (Ibragimov) is tricky and has got good balance.
He dethroned Shannon Briggs and ensured that Holyfield considers retirement from the sport that brought him fame. The other fight will feature the two freshest faces in the elite section, Eddie Chambers (30-0, 16 KO’s) will face Alex Povetkin (14-0, 11 KO’s). The fight is to determine the number one contender for the IBF title, the bout is schedule for 26th of January, 2008 and the venue will be in Berlin, Germany and fighting in Germany favours Povetkin who is based there. Not many boxers get results in Germany but Chambers Manager, Dan Goossen has declared that his fighter wont be affected Psychologically,because he is a kind of fighter that believes he can fight any where but I doubt if he can get a result in Germany. However, with Klitschko favourite over Ibragimov, either of them (Eddie Chamber/Alex Povetkin) faces a tough challenge.
Meanwhile, the defeat of the men like Byrd, Brock, Jameel McCline, Holyfield by young fighter like Povetkin, Chambers, Ibragimov has paved way for young and better fighters with more marketable potentials. The prospect of excitement also includes other young, up and coming fighters with great skills and power they include, the undefeated knockout artist Chris Arreola, Alexander Dimitrenko, American’s Kelvin Johnson Israeli Roman Greenberg and many others.
By the time this fight comes up and the young stars get a chance at the title the glory days of excitements, passion and solid performance would be resurrected. Am looking forward to a years where champions will not pull out of fights, a period where injuries will not rock fighters schedule. Am also looking at the first unification fight since Lennox Lewis fought against Evander Holyfield. I am impressed with the courage of Sultan Ibragimov and Wladimir Klitschko at least it’s the step to having one man be the undisputed heavyweight Champion can get underway, maybe we might put together this association scattered every where. Ruslan Chagaev should be getting an opponent, when Nikolai Valuev squares it up against Sergei Liakhovich to determine who the mandatory challenger to the WBO title becomes.
The division might just escape mediocrity and bounce back to its enviable height that it occupied in the past. Am also dreaming, that boxers above 35years old, would be beaten so that freshness will return to the heavyweight.
But make no mistakes about it, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Oleg Maskaev, Sultan Ibragimov are solid fighters with top class experience. I watched with awe over the weekend the match between Maskaev and Rahman 1&2, and it was a pure champion performance, that man maybe 37years old but he is rock solid and almost fearless, delivering punches with no mercy and even he is been hit, he keeps coming forward, that attitude will surely frighten opponent, like it happened to Rahman. Samuel “The police man” Peters had better prepare well. On the other hand, Vitali Klitschko is absolutely amazing, if not for the experience of Lennox Lewis, that fight would produce an upset. The Russians have some strength that can only be matched by a man with a resolved will to succeed, the right mental attitude and the right strength. The Russians are not easy meat, sweeping them off their feet may not be that cheep. But above all am happy that excitement is returning to the heavyweight class and to the sport.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
THE KING CAME HOME
When Samuel Peters Kicked off his career not many knew him, talk more of giving him the chance of rising to the top of the game. He was lured into the game as an 11year old when he came in contact with some boxers who came to Uyo, his home town to train from then on the boxer never looked back, he won the local Eagle Belt in the year 2000, same year he was selected to represent Nigeria at the Sydney Olympics where he was stopped by an Italian known as Paolo Vidoz in the quarter finals but became more popular than the eventual gold medalist because of his orthodox boxing style. He was spotted by Ivaylo Gotzev who said he saw in him a “Youngman with raw power and the will to succeed”. He turned professional and has moved up in the right direction, today he is the biggest personality brand in Nigeria and probably in Africa’s sports.
As a follow up to last week’s article on the state of the pound game in our country, I did say that, it’s a laughable situation in Nigeria when an athlete who in time past is relatively unknown and given no support suddenly becomes successful you would see our administrators pouring encomium on such individual and in Samuel’s case it was exactly so. However, this week I want to x-ray, the significance of Peters’ feat, and the deplorable condition of the sport at home I will also be looking at the preparation of the Interim Champ to see if he stands a chance to be the next undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.
The Significance of Samuel The Nigeria Nightmare” Peters Feat: A candid and concise review of the heavyweight class today will indicate that, there are not many fine fighters in the class of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield ( in his glory days), James “Buster” Douglas and many others. You will also notice that the pound game is getting on without any American fighter in focus, except “fast” Eddie Chambers get past Alex Povetkin and becomes the number one contender to the International Boxing Federation title and that is if the unification bout been planned between Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov does not hold in February 2008 or maybe if it does hold the winner will face the American.. Lack of solid amateur background has attributed to be the major set back for American fighters and the fact that other sport in that country also pays huge purse, the youths there don’t really see reasons why they should get beaten up before they earn money. The Russians are sweeping through the heavyweight class and there seems no stopping them, no doubt they have solid armature background and tends to be well packaged, before now they hardly get to turn pro owing to the system of government that was on in the then Russia but its important to also note that they are prone to injuries especially as they grow older, only God knows what will happen if the Cuban’s embrace democracy. Africans possess solid amateur background but lacks basic infrastructure that would have put them on world map but with the performance of Samuel “The Nigeria Nightmare” Peters the door has open for African boxers with more emphasis, boxers from this continent still suffers from poor remuneration and poor family background. Now that this fact is known the promoters are likely to provide the needed motivation that these boxers require to hit the lime light. To say that there are many more Samuel Peters in Nigeria and Indeed Africa is not out of place, just like the performance of Stephen Keshi paved way for many other Nigerian and African players to ply their trade abroad so also has the performance of Samuel Peters opened up the opportunity of many other Africans to trade punches outside the shores of this continent. The world can trust that African can produce a solid, discipline and professional athlete that can handle fame. By my estimate if African boxers are properly packaged we might just be ruling the heavyweight class and if that comes to pass it will remain for a very long time because of our raw strength.
The Deplorable State of Boxing at Home: So much gap exist when one compares the success of our boxers and the management of boxing at home, a situation where the association does little or noting for the boxers in terms of welfare and provision of basic infrastructure. They know little about the travails of these prize fighters but no sooner have they hit goldmine the next thing you hear are wonderful words of praise. I am not against congratulating athlete’s when they succeed rather am of the opinion that the association should get involved in the building and making of the boxers, they should provide some form of standard for the sport. The pound game is a money spinner if well packaged. It is my firm belief that if boxing, even now, is well put together can still attract sponsors and promoters and that will translate into big money for the boxers and the sport itself, not relying on subventions from the government and fighting over estacode. Another issue that must be taking seriously, is the issue of welfare, it is laughable to note that national team boxers rely on “Agege bread and ewa” as stable food. I use this medium to plead with Samuel “The policeman” Peters to lend his voice to this condition. Our beloved president should also move from supporting Samuel Peters to supporting Boxing. The NBB of C should create modalities that will enable our boxers outside these shores to contribute to the growth of the sport.
The Training Period: The longest training period for Samuel Peters 27, was an 8weeks training session when he was billed to face Oleg Maskaev in the botched October 6th encounter at the Madison Square Garden. This time, he started training on Monday 19th of November 2007, this translates into 9weeks and 4days, and this is bad news for Maskaev (who is said to be training secretly in an undisclosed place) because in addition to this fact, he is well motivated by the awesome support here at home. The Akwa Ibom born pugilist was overwhelmed by the honour accorded him upon his arrival to Nigeria, it was indeed a kingly welcome. He met with the President Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he was assured of government support he then conferred with Order Of the Niger: a national honour. Another moral booster came alive when the Inspector General of Police promoted the prize fighter to the position of Deputy Superintendent of police and went ahead to convert his employment from sports policeman to a regular policeman (Thumbs up for the Nigeria Police Force).
Put differently, Samuel “The Policeman” Peters is well motivated ahead of the clash come February 02, 2008, I pray Maskaev does not develop any injuries. This time Sam is aware of the expectation of the average Nigerian and has on first hand witnessed the kind of support he has here at home, that alone can boost his performance.
Meanwhile, the Maskaev camp was quick to announce their readiness to fight Samuel Peters after the McCline fight, which apparently suggest to me that they feel that Sam will be knocked out or taken out easily, well if they base their assumption on that, then they should also take into cognizance the fact that The Nigeria Nightmare is powerfully motivated this time and he is not ready to drop his position as the king of the WBC. The ears of Maskaev should also know that Samuel “The Nigeria Nightmare” Peters is now better experienced to ward off any onslaught. He also came home and has been recharged to produce a five star performance. Mention must also be made of the Don who came with the King, ofcourse you know with the Don any thing is possible, the fight may just be shifted to Nigeria, who knows.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
SCORE CARD: THE STATE OF BOXING IN NIGERIA
the pound game was so interesting that it became the number two sports in Nigeria, second only to football,the followership was massive, the excitement was top class, and it produced such rivalry among fighters that made the sport marketable. Fight’s like Jos Lasisi against Jerry Okorodudu was one of such fights.
Names like late Dick Tiger, Hogan Kid Bassey, Godwin Anyamena, Ngozika Ekwelum, Obisia Nwakpa, Hunter Clay, Joe Lasisi, Jerry Okorodudu, Hakeem Ishola and many more, became national and international icons, we had great prospect, and our boxers dominated Africa and at some point won world titles.
I remembered vividly, though as a child, I watched Godwin Anyamena win a world title at the national stadium; he was later stripped of the title.
The sport continued to enjoy followership through out the 80’s up till mid 90’s, suddenly we began to witness a decline. First the NBB of C become embroiled in power tussle, which was never resolved, owing to this, Amateur boxing suffered lots of set backs. The democratic dispensation saw some individuals
scheming for Governors to become sports association chairman, which also contributed heavily to setting the game backward, for it was clear that the intention was not primarily to develop the sports at the grass root level rather it was for other reasons. National Championship is fast becoming extinct,
the amateur show at Rowe Park, Yaba where upcoming boxers test their might, is no longer a matter of importance, the Olympic game is at hand but back home its like the game will not hold.
The nation’s amateur boxing team sweats it out at the national stadium on daily basis under the experience and watchful eyes Obisia Nwakpa,but the question is, what is the level of preparation like? How is their welfare, what is their psychological state, are they confident that they will win any medal at the Olympics? These questions must be answered before we can make impact in boxing again.
The state of boxing in our land is so worrisome, most often the only boxing news we get to hear are foreign ones. The boxing fraternity got excited recently only because of Samuel Peters, and now we have to wait until 2, February 2008 to get excited again. That apart, another time we get to hear boxing news is when Bash Ali comes up with a promotion of some sort, my only concern is why does he promote only his own fight and turns around to claim Jesus of boxing. Oscar De La Hoya is a promoter and does promote other fights other than his. But even at that, I still give kudos to Bash.
Furthermore, boxing news hits the air waves only when the plight of the game is in focus, recently coach Obisia lamented bitterly about missing a Championship abroad, which would have helped the boxers gain exposure before the Olympic Games comes up in China next year.
A quick glance at the above, would present one fact and that is I have mixed Professional boxing and Amateur boxing together, this is not because I don’t know the distinction but the truth is that both aspects of boxing is in bad shape in the land. The amateur arm is still kicking but at a very low capacity.
As I said earlier those who are into the sport are doing so purely out of passion, looking at the sports, it’s going to be difficult for parents to allow their wards take to boxing. What then is the problem of boxing in Nigeria?
Firstly, you can’t talk about building a house without a foundation. The fact is that our boxing administration’s foundation has been rocked and the focus of the association is suspect “Those who claim to be members of the NBB of C are doing nothing to promote good boxing in Nigeria” so says Hakeem Ishola, speaking further he said “I left boxing because things started to go awry in the profession. There
was no encouragement on the part of the administrators. The boxing managers do not know the sufferings of boxers. They are not interested in the welfare of boxers, it is only when those who know what professional boxing is, are brought on stage, that boxing can move forward. Ishola who is now a police inspector was trained by the legendary boxing coach Archie Moore and won a gold medal at the 1979 national sports festival, he turned pro in 1984 and became the junior lightweight champion of Africa in 1991 when he fought and won Sam Akroma of Ghana.
The situation becomes more worrisome when we understand that, the crisis in NBB of C is still on. Recently a faction of the body that is seen as the authentic executives invited the other party that is seen as fake to come on board if they are willing to do so.
These scenarios have not only forestalled the development of boxing but have made boxing become endangered “specie” and as such should be saved from extinction. Lending his voice to the situation on ground, Joe Lasisi (Former WBC Light Heavyweight number one contender) sates “it was painful that NBB of C was currently engulfed in crisis.. However, aside all this drama my major worry is how we can come up with lasting solutions that can move the sport forward. I am of the opinion that the present board be allowed to finish its tenure of in office, after which lasting structure be put in place to ensure such crisis does not arise. Am also of the opinion that people with boxing administration experience should run the sports, a situation where people who don’t have pedigree in boxing run the sport is totally confusing.
As the saying goes, when two elephant fights, it is the grass that suffers. The youths who have taken to boxing as a means of livelihood are the ones bearing the pain. This explains why most boxers prefers to move abroad at the slightest opportunity and most of them change their nationality and fight for their
adopted countries, so they can make headway in their career, an example of this is David “The Dream” Defiagbon who is now a Canadian citizen and won a silver medal for his adopted country (Canada) in 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. Another laughable situation, is a case where the board and top government
officials pour encomium on boxers who have had hit it big whereas, in actual fact they are the ones who have tried to destroy the dream of that boxer by not providing the needed platform for development.
I use this medium to call on all those who are involved in this crisis to strive and save the sport from total extinction.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Eddie too Good for Brock
It was a fight that was filled with lots of Technicalities and Eddie proved the better fighter.
According to Ted Sares of East side Boxing, it was an enjoyable tactical fight as Brock used his jab effectively early while Chambers used fast counters to keep it close. Fast Eddie used some nice rights and extremely fast jabs to dictate the second stanza.
In the fourth stanza, there was an almost imperceptible shift as Chambers picked up the pace and used sharp counter disrupting Brock’s game plan. Still, while Brock appeared ponderous, he got off a lot of free body shots and probably led on the cards going into the fifth. Chambers was clearly waiting for Brock to tire.
By the fifth, Brock’s right eye began to swell up and Eddie, who punches in a slashing manner, went after it. As well, he began to stalk the larger man.
In the sixth, Eddie did his imitation of Jersey Joe with some relaxed shucks (facial expressions and all). Meanwhile, Brock’s blows had very little on them. One had the feeling that Chambers would open up with explosive combos at any time. Chamber did steal the round with a last minute combo.
While the fight was close going into the seventh, a relaxed Chambers was now dictating the pace. The next few rounds would reveal the success of Eddie’s fight plan; namely, to take a tired Brock into the late rounds and then pick him apart. Now he began to press the action against the slow-handed Boxing Banker, but he did not press it enough.
Brock’s face began to show some wear in the ninth, as Chambers continued the stalk, albeit cautiously. Chambers had a good ninth even taking some pot shots, though Brock kept punching back without much impact. It was now clear that Eddie’s hand speed was the decisive factor here.
Brock had a good tenth round and was hoping to catch Chambers with his hands down, but it seemed too late to matter. In the eleventh, he opened by landing some good punches, but Chambers countered with sharper punches. Brock then exploded with a monster combo, but it surprisingly did not seem to bother Chambers, who rallied in the last minute to make the round close.
Going into the last round, I had Chambers ahead and he closed the show with a decisive last round. After a long delay, the judges agreed scoring the fight in favor of Chambers by split decision. I had Chamber winning 115-113. Actually Eddie was looking to end the fight with a knock out but it didn’t happen.
I see Eddie going his way to become the number one contender for the IBF title, and Povetkin won’t pose a problem given his Intelligence. Eddie will too tough for the young Alex.
Reference: Eastside Boxing.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Know Your Nigerian Boxer
Olympic Results
* Defeated Gitas Juskevicius (Lithuania), KO 2
* Defeated Svilen Rusinov (Bulgaria), 9-7
* Lost to Roberto Balado (Cuba), 2-13
Professional career
Fighting under the name Richard Bango, Igbineghu turned pro in 1994 and has had limited success. Although he began his career 16-0, Bango took three years off, from 1996-99. At the advanced age of 36, Bango took on his first real challenge, goliath Nikolay Valuev. Bango was TKO'd in the 6th round. In 2006, Bango dropped his second loss, to a young Alexander Povetkin, via a 2nd round KO.
Right Now I have no clue where he is. Please if you do inform me via fabianharty2k@yahoo.com
The American Clash:BROCK VS. CHAMBERS
Last week in Erfurt, Germany, Russian Alexander Povetkin, 14-0 (11), the 28 year old 2004 Olympic heavyweight medalist, defeated 37 year old former two-time titlist Chris Byrd, 40-4-1 (21), it was Byrd’s father Joe who threw in the towel at 1:52 of round 11 to protect his son from further punishment. By all accounts, Byrd fought heroically, trading punches in volume, but was unable to escape the pitfalls that he faced on the ropes and was forced to take more than he was able to give, at the end the younger boxer came out tops and looks bright for a shot at the title.
However, another angle that must be taken seriously is whether the young Povetkin is really ripe for a shot at the title given his age and experience so far. I would rather prefer he gets some fight before venturing for the title. Yet even before that is considered he must get pass the challenge that would be provided by the winner of Chamber and Brock.
Looking at this fight critically it provides some hope of some sort for American boxing, at it is possible that an American will challenge for the title if all goes well, for we hear that a unification fight between Sultan Ibragimov and Wladimir Klitschko is been packaged if that come alive, the winner of the elimination contest may have to wait for an undisclosed period.
In trying to analyze this fight one will quickly discover that, the 25 year old Chambers was impressive in his last outing, dominating Dominick Guinn in his ShoBox debut and winning a convincing unanimous decision. The only blemish on the 32 year old Brock’s record is a seventh round knockout loss to the titlist Klitschko, and he obviously cannot afford to lose. A loss to Chambers would not only foil any opportunity to fight Povetkin for an opportunity to get a rematch with Klitschko, but it would create a huge uphill climb to reposition himself as a viable challenger.
Brock last fought in June against Alex Gonzales, winning a lackluster eight round decision, getting floored early in the process, in the walk out bout of the Sultan Ibragimov-Shannon Briggs card. Actually Brock came very close to fighting for the WBO heavyweight title that night. With the participation of the then champion Briggs uncertain almost up to the opening bell, the promoters had received the green light to substitute Brock to fight Ibragimov for the vacant title in the event that Briggs pulled out.
The opinion here is that Chambers will be too fast and too slick for Brock in this one. But “The Boxing Banker” does bring power, experience and craft to the table so it won’t be a walkover by any means. It just appears that, despite all of his skills, Brock seems almost too cool under fire, and the concern is whether he has that killer instinct to win the big fights. Against Klitschko he had an almost “deer in the headlights” look about him before he was stretched face first to the canvas. Insofar as Chambers and Brock are concerned, we will have a better idea of their future prospects after they face each other tonight. One would hope that the elimination series would produce a worthy challenger by mid-2008 or so. Certainly, we are all tired of seeing Klitschko being fed light opposition, as he has up to this point.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A Possible Unification Bout
What is certain is that the value of a rematch between Klitschko and Peter has decreased; now the most important fights, the ones that would decide who the Champion is, are other ones. In my opinion, there are two: Wladimir Klitschko versus Sultan Ibragimov or Wladimir Klitschko versus Ruslan Chagaev. For the moment, Samuel Peter is excluded from the equation, at least until he defeats Oleg Maskaev (if he defeats him, which is not sure).
How close are we from a fight between Klitschko and Chagaev or Ibragimov? There haven’t been rumors of a fight between Klitschko and Chagaev. Now that the World Boxing Association belt holder has recuperated from his illness, he could do something remarkable and accept a fight against another titlist (without taking a tune-up first). But will he do it? His mandatory will be probably the winner of Liakhovich-Valuev, so he is free for some months. A fight between Wladimir and Sultan is more probable. According to recent news, the Klitschko camp has already started negotiations with Ibragimov. We can only hope that they will make an agreement. Ibragimov, let’s remember, has Tony Thompson as his mandatory challenger, but that fight can wait. Klitschko is free, his next mandatory will be the winner of the tournament between Povetkin, Byrd, Chambers and Brock.
Meanwhile, the World Boxing Council has its hands full with other things. After the fight between Maskaev and Peter, the winner will have to fight against Vitali Klitschko (if he plans to return anyway) and then against Juan Carlos Gomez or whoever is their next mandatory challenger. Forget about the World Boxing Council.
In retrospective, it is incredible that just some months ago unification would have been easy to organize. But there wasn’t luck. Wladimir Klitschko’s injury occurred post-Brewster and also the cancellation of the duel between Chagaev and Ibragimov. Let’s hope that the rest of time we have to wait isn’t too much. Almost four years have passed since Lennox Lewis retired.
QUEST FOR GLAMOUR II
It is a total package. In other words before a fight takes place a lot had happened behind the scene. I remembered how I glue to our black and white TV set, those days to watch chuka Momah present the big fight of the decade. The program usually gets people seated to watch the analylical depth of the presenter and the manner he adds glamour to the fights, it was a pure show of distinct.
The sport had names like Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, later names like ken Norton, George foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Leon Spinks and the greet one – Mohammed Ali. Another era erupted and names like mike Tyson, Frank Bruno, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Michael Mooer, Oliver McCall, Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman, James Douglas etc. Mention should also be made of Michael Spinks (the younger brother of Leon Spinks (even though he was knocked out in round one by Mike Tyson) who as a light heavyweight withstood Larry Holmes and conquered him. At this point the sport enjoyed great followership, the names of this prize fighters was on every ones lips and they enjoyed greet popularity, appearing in many commercials. As Mohammed Ali puts it “I’m the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren’t no satellites when Jesus and Mosses were around, so people far away in the villages didn’t know about them”. As regards popularity around the globe, the sports and the major player enjoyed massive coverage. They were more popular than some heads of states. When the Ali –Foreman fight was held in Zaire (now, Congo DR) it drew so much attention. The nation stood still for them. Today the heavy weight class is facing a decline in followership and glamour. Some fighters have showed that they can’t manage the fame that comes from the sport. Outside the ring, some of today’s fighters can’t be trusted. Another noticeable fact is that, the American isn’t there at least for now. When Rahman lost to Oleg Maskaev, it was a clean sweep. All the world titles are in the hands of Russians. According to Bob Arum before the Rahman – Maskaev fight, he said Rahman is America’s last line of defense “, and so far it has proven so Rahman knew it also when he said “I need to hold it down for my country. If I lose this fight, I let me down. My family down, my team down and my country down” after making such patriotic comment, need I say that Rahman is still down. It was he who was expected to hold up the American dream.
Another issue that should be taking seriously is the fact that, the glamour is huge when an American is the Heavyweight Champion. One may want to ask, why I have moved from a global picture to a specific one. Well, one can’t talk about the heavyweight division without mentioning the American’s, they bring in the trills that makes the pound game enjoyable and use friendly or put differently watching friendly.
So where has all the big men gone? This situation is so disturbing and the first to speak is smoking Joe Frazier. In his words “We don’t even know who the Heavyweight Champion is, all these crazy sanctioning belts they‘ve got. Do you know who it is “well, there’s the WBA’s Ruslan Chagaev of Russia, IBF king Wladimir klitschko of Ukraine and WBO Sultan Ibragimov . But we only know, because it is our job to know- and even we are not sure of the spellings”. We have seen the attitude of these boxer, pulling out of schedule fights, this is not in taking away anything from them, it must be said also, that the Russians or betters still boxer from the old Russia have very solid amateur background, they remain amateur till they are about 25years old before they turn pro, but in America they turn pro at 16, 12 and 18 and if you don’t get the experience in the amateur system you are in the world of trouble. “Amateur boxing is like high school or college. It’s where you learn about the real world.
Legendary trainers, Emmanuel Steward of America add’s: the Europeans system of teaching the basics of boxing is superior to America. Another angle to it, is that African – American the main stay of the heavyweight scene for the last 50 years are no longer filtering into boxing the reason is so simple, as stated by Al Mitchell ( former head coach U.S Olympic boxing team) “there are so many ways to get rich now in America”
This trend has continued and away from America, here in Africa apart from Nigerians such Friday Ahunaya, Albert Eremosele, David Defiagbon, David Izon( who is fighting as an American) and Samuel Peters no notable African is seen around the heavyweight class. To talk about boxing back home is to open up some wounds that require some form of divine surgery to rectify. In South Africa the game is fair, well organized and fights still holds but the caliber of boxer it turns out is suspect and I doubt if they can get close to a world title fight.
A quick glance at the heavyweight class presents Champions who are well above 30years and some close to 40years, frankly the game is for young men. The age of some the current heavyweight champs may just be the reason, injuries is springing up every now and then. A more serious trend is the fact that in America, the youths are taking to other sports, back home the game is in bad shape, we don’t get to write local content news on boxing except Bash Ali comes up with a fight or you hear Obisia Nwakpa complaining about visas and not been able to go for championships. The youths here are obviously doing something else because the sports is no longer attractive, those who are still taking to boxing do so purely out of passion. The worries of many of us enthusiast is the way forward, how to bring back the glamour of the sport that once made me glue to the T.V set. That quest may not be close, “the immediate future of heavyweight boxing across the Atlantic does not look good” so says Smoking Joe Frazier, who himself ruled the heavyweight division for three years. He continues, “The guys don’t train right, some trainers today never had gloves in their lives. Back in the old days trainers would know the fight game and know what to tell the guys to do. With boxing more than any sports you really have to know what you are talking about and I add, if not, you might be directing someone to the dream land. At the moment I think the Russians and perhaps other European countries will rule the heavyweight until Samuel Peters comes up to restore the glamour of the heavyweight. However, we should not lose sight of upcoming young American by the name Isaiah Thomas, he is been trained by the Legendary Emmanuel Steward, he is 6ft,4inc tall and he won the under 17 heavy weight title in Liverpool at the age of 16 and should be featuring in the 2008 Olympics. Another great prospect is Alexander Povetkin who was billed to fight Chris Byrd in Germany, yet these fighters are not in the class of the vocal, Mohammed Ali, or any of those in fighters in Tyson’s days. The picture looks bleak and the glory days may not be coming back soon, yet like a circle, I see the return of the glamour of the heavyweight, where the fire works will surpass those days, the excitement is about to be unleashed like never before.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Povetkin Comes out best
Povetkin, the 2004, Olympic Gold medalist, produced a strong performance against an experienced opponent in an exciting fight. Povetkin’s accurate combination punching did most of the damage and forced the American’s corner to eventually throw the towel in after 1.52 of the 11th round.
The 28 year-old Povetkin made a cautious start but soon upped the pace from the second round onwards, working away at Byrd’s body. Byrd responded by firing in fast combinations. Povetkin was cut in the third round from a accidental clash of heads but it did not effect him too much and he continued to compete at a high work rate.
Byrd fought back in the fourth session connecting with a well timed right hand to the head. In the sixth round Povetkin trapped Byrd in the corner and with a series of ferocious combinations.
Byrd, though, game as ever-returned fire to finish the round strongly. Povetkin continued to rain in several big combinations in the seventh and eighth rounds to slowly break down the former WBO and IBF heavyweight titleholder. The pattern continued through to the 11th when Byrd’s corner finally rescued their brave but out-gunned charge.
Povetkin.14-0-(11), will now face either Eddie Chambers or Calvin Brock in a final eliminator for Wladimir Klitschko’s IBF heavyweight crown. Byrd falls to 40-4-(21).
Speaking about Povetkin after the fight Byrd said: "You have to give him credit. He is a very strong fighter and on his way to the title. He will go a long way from here."
Prediction is not a easy job to do, it has the capacity to make you or floor you. Yet I stock out my head last week to give Alex Povetkins an edge over Chris Byrd who by estimation is gone past his prime. I also wish to say that, it was for deep rooted respect for Byrd that worked against Alex. Who would have given Byrd more vicious beating that would have made him consider other job than boxing.
I wish Alex all the best as he begins to climb his way to the top.
Some parts of this article was culled from www.secondsout.com
Thursday, October 25, 2007
ALEXANDER POVETKIN VS CHRIS BYRD
The fight between Povetkin and Byrd is part of a special four-man heavyweight tournament administered by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), which will ultimately result in a mandatory challenger for its heavyweight champ, Wladimir Klitschko. The other "semi-final" bout will feature Calvin Brock against Eddie Chambers on November 2 in Tacoma. Considering that Brock and Byrd have both lost to Wladimir already (in Byrd's case, twice), the tournament lacks a certain lustre. But it is meaningful nonetheless.
Analyzing the Contestants.
POVETKIN (13-0, 10 KO's) originally made his mark in kick-boxing, winning titles in both the amateur and professional ranks. He was as successful an amateur heavyweight as has been seen in the last twenty years. Povetkin won almost every amateur tournament he entered, and capped it off in the Athens Olympics with a gold medal in the super heavyweight division. As a pro he has disposed of thirteen opponents. Only Friday Ahunanya, who has stood in with some good fighters, and former Olympian Larry Donald were noteworthy, and Donald, at 40 years of age and off a year and a half of inactivity, was clearly on the downside. But Povetkin was indeed impressive, scoring a shutout decision. He has cleared every hurdle that has been thrown in front of him without much of a problem. Many observers consider him to be the best prospect in the heavyweight division.
BYRD (40-3-1, 21 KO's) is, of course, the former IBF and WBO heavyweight champ, and a long-time amateur standout. His biggest wins were probably over Vitali Klitschko, who suddenly quit with an injury when he was well ahead on the cards after nine rounds; David Tua, a masterful performance over a big puncher without finesse or boxing technique; and Evander Holyfield, who he dominated over 12 rounds to win the IBF crown in 2002. He's also had some close calls, namely a draw with Andrew Golota and disputed decision wins over Fres Oquendo and Jameel McCline. Some would argue that Byrd hasn't really been impressive for almost five years.
In terms of "last appearances" I wouldn't read too much into Byrd's win over the less-than-estimable Paul Marinaccio, which lasted seven rounds back in April. When fighters know they have nothing more than a tune-up fight, you can't expect them to prepare for it with the same level of intensity as they would for a fight with real significance. Povetkin's win over Donald, on the other hand, came in what was the biggest fight of his career up to that time.
In terms of how these two match-up, I'm sure Povetkin isn't too worried about the fact that Byrd is a southpaw, because he probably faced many of them in the amateurs. What is of some concern, though, is the style this one southpaw in particular brings to the table. Povetkin hasn't necessarily seen everything there is to see in the pro ring, but Byrd is the kind of fighter who is troublesome for anyone to match up against. He moves, he clinches, he comes at different angles. He often makes for horrible fights, but has also been known to have opponents "sleep-walking" around the ring. He doesn't care if he puts on a boring show; he wants to be effective.
The way to overwhelm Byrd is with power and all-around size, because he really is not the ideal "natural" heavyweight (in fact, Byrd once fought in the Olympic Trials at 139 pounds). That is why he had so much difficulty with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Ike Ibeabuchi. Povetkin is not a particularly big heavyweight, coming in at 225.5 pounds for the fight with Donald, with 226 being his career high. He may have an inch or two in height over Byrd, but that is nothing compared to what Byrd had to go through against the Klitschko brothers. Povetkin is an aggressive type, holding his hands high and coming forward at his opponent. He is one guy who is not afraid to let his hands go.
But in a sense, that is the kind of opponent that is tailor-made for Byrd - someone he can parry, who comes without a lot of odd angles, who stands in front of him and can probably be frustrated if he's not landing with the accuracy rate he's used to. You can bet that if Byrd isn't a completely shot fighter (and that is so hard to gauge, since it can happen overnight), his game plan is centered around making it difficult to be hit, throwing Povetkin's timing off, and in general taking advantage of his opponent's inexperience in the pro ranks. I know that Byrd is considered to be a stepping stone by many, but the fact that he was not handpicked means that this isn't a case of "matchmaker's calculation."
Povetkin is the younger guy (by about nine years). He is fresh. He is talented. He is accomplished. He is the fighter on the rise. And by the way, in case you're not aware, he is the "house" fighter, living in Russia but fighting out of Germany for promoter Wilfred Sauerland. If you thought it was hard to win on the road in football, it's even harder in boxing. Some European countries are more difficult than others, and in Germany it is extremely difficult. They do not roll out the red carpet for fighters from the U.S., and the boxing commission out there plays a lot of games.
Even so, I do not think I would lay this much of a price (-550 at BetUS) with a guy who has not proven himself at this level AS A PRO. Byrd has a very big experience edge; if he comes in shape, and in any way resembles the Byrd we have seen through the years, he can make this is a very awkward evening for the Russian who has never really encountered anyone like him. I might add that for someone who has been more than six rounds just once, the 12-round distance has the potential of depositing him into no man's land. At this point, Povetkin is probably the guy with more of a future, but as far as an evaluation of this fight and this price, Byrd (+400 at BetUS) is worth a small boxing betting play.
Culled from www.betus.com
In Opinion I give Alex the edge cos he is younger and has great technique. Chris for me has passed his prime.
Know your Nigerian Boxer
Friday Chinedu Ahunanya, born November 19, 1971 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, is a professional boxer. He is a journeyman heavyweight best known for his appearances on ESPN fight cards.
Known as Friday "The 13th", Ahunanya began his career in 1998 with a good deal of promise, winning his first 16 fights including a victory over undefeated Nate Jones, and he was thought to be a future contender. In 2001 he lost a decision to future titlist Serguei Lyakhovich and in 2004 was blasted out in the 4th by Lance Whitaker. The loss to Whitaker was the beginning of decline for Ahunanya. He went on to lose to Taurus Sykes, draw with Dominick Guinn, and most recently lose to undefeated prospects Sultan Ibragimov and Alexander Povetkin.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
QUEST FOR GLAMOUR
February 2, 2008, has become an important date in the history of boxing. This is the day that has been chosen to stage what I call the contest of repute. It is the day that Oleg Maskaev and Nigeria’s Samuel Peters would clash to determine who the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world become. The venue will be the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York. By the time this fight will be taking place Samuel would be making another history, as the African to have stepped into the new ring a record second time, the first was when he defeated Jameel McCline.
The fight is made possible by the Don King Promotions; like I said some time ago, the Don is scheming well. Having said that, if you have been following this page judiciously, you recall I said “My dream is only Maskaev away”. That dream of mine and perhaps that of other well meaning boxing fans across the country will come to physical manifestation; an African will become the Heavyweight Champion of the world. Another angel to the announcement of the association is that the winner of the fight must battle with Vitali Klitschko, that apart and given the performance of Samuel Peters against Jameel McCline , the question now is can Samuel Peters defeat Oleg Maskaev? An answer to this question should be devoid of hast and emotions that stems out of patriotism. At the moment both men are good fighters; for me the best for now, until we see what Vitali Klitschko really looks like.
A deep glance at both men popped up some of these facts: Records: Maskaev has fought 39 times, his records stands at 34-5, out of which 26 were via Knock outs. This proves that Oleg is a seasoned and experienced professional. Samuel Peters on the other hand, has fought for 29 times and has won 28 times and lost one ( only to wladimir Klitschko), Oleg has an edge over Samuel, but we have to also realize that Samuel Peters is coming up strong.
Quality Of Opposition: Oleg has fought against Hasim Rahman on two occasion (The man Vitali Klitschko tried very hard to avoid), Tua, Kirk Johnson, Derric Jefferson, Sinan Sam, David Defiagbon, Oliver McCall, Alex Stewart and many other top class opponent. Samuel on the other hand has fought Wladimir Klitschko, James Toney on two occasions and Jameel McCline. Prior to the James Toney’s fight he has knocked out Julius Long in one round. Others include Charles shufford, Taurus Sykes and Jeremy Williams. He was stretched by both Shufford and more recently Robert Hawkins, who incidentally was knocked by Oleg Maskaev in round four, that fight took place in 1995.At this too; Oleg has got an edge over Samuel Peters. Another factor to really look at is what Ted Sares calls boxing I.Q. No doubt Maskaev is good, but very importantly Peters is getting better. Samuel Peters has the tendency to get frustrated and a little in a hurry, when this facts come alive he tends to use what is called clubbing, (which can get him disqualified), he showed against James Toney and was warned by the referee, but he has tremendously improved on those limitations. However, he still needs to polish his offensive and defensive techniques, against McCline he was suspect. Oleg has an edge here but once more that gap has closed. He showed tremendous character against McCline and relied on his strength to win the fight on points.
Chin: According to Ted Sares “Peters chin has lost its granite reputation”, Maskaev’s chin is questionable which was evident in knock out loose to Oliver McCall, Tua, Feather-fisted Lance Whitaker and Torey T-Rex Sanders. To this end both men has suspect chin. Another area of comparison is power. Oleg is known for having a powerful punch. Peters punch can send any one to dream land as was evident in his fight against Jeremy Williams. Both boxers have late round power, we must also appreciate that Maskaev punch can really hurt, yet if Samuel Peters can land some shots on Oleg, it might just be goodnight.
Having stated all this, another important area to focus on would be, on Maskaev’s injury, has he fully recovered and will he be fit for the fight on second February 2008. I dare to ask, was he ever injured or was he by the side to see how Peters will fare against McClien.? What has suddenly motivated Maskaev and his team to ask for the fight early next year? Is it because of his quest for glamour? Or hunger to keep his belt or the assumption that Peters may just fall like pack of cards. Well whatever it is that spurred up Maskaev’s determination it will be greeted with the best opposition available. Meanwhile I sense that, the association is lining up fight to either make Sam slip or actually become a true Champ.
First he fought two times against James Toney (the second fight was totally unnecessary), then he fought Jameel McCline, now he will face Maskaev and if he wins he will defend same title in November against Vatali Klitschko. The schedule looks tough. I trust that God will strengthen him and grant him the capacity, tenacity to remain the pride of the Heavyweight class. In my view the glamour of the Heavyweight class will be restored if Samuel Peter could just put up a championship performance, until that dream comes alive the quest for glamour continues.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Oliver McCall Losses
The bout was an awkward affair, with both fighters showing their age and with their best days clearly far behind. Gomez was far more matador than Black Panther, with his jab and straight left enough to neutralize "The Atomic Bull" and avoid most of the incoming over the first half of the fight. It wasn't pretty, but certainly effective enough for the former cruiserweight king to build an early lead on the cards.
Thanks to open scoring, those in the arena who spoke or even understood German were informed that Gomez was pitching a shutout on all three scorecards after the first four rounds. McCall didn't have to sprechten Sie Deutsches to know that he was already running out of rounds as early as the fifth.
The 42-year old began closing the gap as the fight entered the second half, sensing he was already in desperate need of a knockout. The moment would never come, though McCall had Gomez marked up after eight rounds. However, the judges wounds ran deeper, with open scoring revealing a 4, 6 and 8 point deficit on the cards with just four rounds to go.
McCall turned up the heat in the 9th, with Gomez reluctant to engage, fighting in reverse in avoiding any potential incoming. It worked for much of the round and into the 10 th, before McCall landed a right hand that shook the transplanted Cuban. A four punch combo ended what was undoubtedly McCall's best round of the fight.
However, poor conditioning – a statement rarely attributed to McCall throughout his career – led to fatigue, with McCall all but giving away the 11 th. Gomez took advantage, turning a fight back into a boxing match as he put the final nail in the coffin.
Well aware that he needed a knockout to win heading into the final round, McCall danced as hard as his 42-year old body would let him. Unfortunately for Oliver, Gomez wasn't settling for sitting on a lead, throwing and land just enough to not only prevent a dramatic ending but also take the round on all three cards.
There was no doubt who won the fight at nights end, with the announcement of the official scores a mere formality. Final scores of 118-110 (2x) and 116-112 gave Gomez his fourth straight win, running his record to 43-1 (35KO). He is unbeaten in his past seven fights (6-0-0-1 NC, 4KO), following the lone loss of his career, a shocking upset 1 st round TKO at the hands of Yanqui Diaz.
Gomez was the announced winner over McCall in their first fight two years ago, but the official verdict was changed to a no-contest after Gomez tested positive for cocaine. He vehemently denies having used the drug, calling the test a false positive, but was still forced out of the game for a year before returning to the ring last December.
McCall falls to 51-9 (36KO) with the loss, snapping a six-fight win streak. He was somewhere in the WBC mix, having won an elimination bout against Sinan Samil Sam four months ago. The win placed him as a mandatory challenger, due to fight the winner of the cluster that is the Oleg Maskaev-Samuel Peter-Vitali Klitschko triangle.
It's understandable why McCall would take a tune-up in the interim. Why he would take a rematch with Gomez, though, is anyone's guess, though financial compensation obviously played a big part. Drug test notwithstanding, Gomez handled McCall with relative ease their first time around, and it's clear that McCall, at age 42, wasn't about to adjust his game to somehow solve Gomez' style.
McCall took this fight and a $400,000 payday that came with it, having turned down a $100,000 offer as a late replacement for Samuel Peter after Maskaev pulled out of their October 6 bout.
Jameel McCline took the bout, thrice dropping Peter before letting his foot off of the gas and giving away a decision. It's not unreasonable to suggest that, paydays aside, McCall will second guess the decision-making process in this one, perhaps the closest he'll ever again get to fighting for an alphabet title.
Gomez takes McCall's place, though a shot at an alphabet title isn't exactly around the corner. Peter is due to face Maskaev in February, with the winner ordered to face Klitschko, in the event that Vitali elects to actually go through with his comeback. Wherever Gomez lands in that mess, he's still in a better place than he was a year ago – completely irrelevant, which is saying a lot considering the state of the division then, now and in the foreseeable future.
A pair of prospects offered impressive showing in the evening's two swing/walkout bouts. Gomez stablemate and heavyweight prospect Odlanier Solis (6-0, 5KO) starched American-based punching bag Jeremy Bates inside of two rounds. Solis, a gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics and six-time Cuban national champion, defected from the Cuban squad last year to sign with German-based outfit First Artist. He can stand to lose at least 15-20 of blubber, but Solis continues to impress within the ropes. Turning pro in April, Solis racked up his sixth win in just under six months.
Bates is on the other end of the spectrum, suffering his fifth straight knockout loss, none lasting longer than two rounds. Bates is infamously known as the comeback opponent of choice for Evander Holyfield and Andrew Golota, both of whom blasted the West Virginian out in two rounds.
For those who cry "wasteland" when discussing the state of today's featherweight division, remember the name Yurierkor Gamboa. Solis' amateur teammate and fellow defector finished his nights work in the same amount of time, against a far more established opponent in Samuel Kebede (25-2), knocking him out in two rounds of their scheduled eight. Just six fights into his pro career, Gamboa (6-0, 5KO) is raising the bar for prospects, with his opponents boasting a combined record of 107-21-3 prior to entering the ring with the 25-year old featherweight phenom.
This story was culled from Jake Donovan
Monday, October 15, 2007
Holyfield Humbled But Stays On
Holyfield was easily out pointed by Sultan Ibragimov for the World Boxing Organisation heavyweight belt in a fight that appeared to thrill the Muscovites, but probably did very little to raise the fallen stock of a heavyweight division that has turned increasingly farcical.
The veteran from Atlanta first won a version of the heavyweight title 17 years ago, but he entered the ring on Saturday night as a credible challenger and arguably the best-known active heavyweight in a division that has not recovered from the retirement of Lennox Lewis and the miserable excesses of Mike Tyson.
Ibragimov is nearly 14 years younger than Holyfield, but is clearly yet to discover the dedication necessary to extend a heavyweight fighter's career because on Saturday night he looked ponderous and often hesitant. Holyfield has made a habit, a very lucrative habit, of defying the form book and concocting a plan that leaves less experienced fighters bemused, but on Saturday he was simply too predictable and slow for a very average defending champion.
Once the punches had stopped and the lively and satisfied crowd had left the Ice Palace, Holyfield predictably grabbed the microphone and uttered the phrase he has been using for about the last 10 years: "I will fight on."
In the present climate, which often leads to fighters of limited skills with awful records receiving a call-up for a world heavyweight title fight, there is every chance that, during the next six months or so, Holyfield will once again venture into the slipstream of another anonymous world champion.
"I lost this one, but I will sit down and watch the tape and see what I did wrong," said Holyfield, who was having his 53rd fight and is surely one of boxing's greatest fighters. "Now I will just have to get back in line and wait for another chance."
More to come on Holy Field.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
McCLINE DECLINED: PETERS REMAINS CHAMP
In my last article before the fight, I made it clear (when I did a review on McCline) that he does not have a solid amateur background, secondly, I noted that a ranked boxer can spring surprises and third, that when it matters most, McCline lacks the will or desire to succeed. All these factors came to play in Saturday’s fight. First He (McCline) Started up surprisingly and knocked down Samuel Peters in the second and twice in the third round, in my opinion a “good” boxer would have finished Peters in the fourth round because Peters leg was still wobbling but amazingly McCline declined to take what would have made him the “Big Time”. More so and true to fact, McCline lacked the will and desire to succeed, from the fourth round those wonderful combinations of his hands fizzled out, it was like he had no fire in those hands any more, as the match progressed he began to tire and Peters gained confidence. I think strongly that McCline poor amateur background is taking a toll on him and it did also in that fight and more importantly you don’t assume you have won a fight when the opponent is standing right in front of you or maybe Peters relentlessness sparked fear in him, for he obviously had no ideas of what next to do, especially from round five. According to the great Mohammed Ali “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them-a desire, a dream, and a vision. They have to have last minute stamina; they have to be a little faster, they have to have skill and will but the will must be stronger than the skill”. And it was the will that was lacking; maybe a pep talk from the great one would have done the magic.
On the other hand, Samuel “the Nigerian Nightmare” needs to thank God and perhaps the unwillinglyness of McCline to be a Champion or put differently McCline just declined to be a Champion. This is not to take away anything from the bravery of the Champion. He showed a tremendous trait of a true Champion and becomes one of the few Heavyweight Champions that survived knock down and still went ahead to win the fight, Larry Holmes and Klitschko been the other two who survived such obstacles. The great Mohammed Ali never did. According to Ron Borges of ESPN “Peter pulled himself back up again despite moving as if walking across a sheet of ice on a frozen sidewalk, McCline oddly began to retreat. Further More, Promoter Don King said “Like a toddler, he learnt a lesson tonight, he learned to get up”, A lesson Mike Tyson never learnt until his career wind down. Kudos must also go to the Peters corner they were exceptional, they helped him gain back confidence and came back into the fight by the 10th round Peter become sharp, landing some good jabs that moved sweat off McCline’s face. Between the 10th and 12th round he landed only one punch but by that time Peter knew he was well ahead and maintained composure. I called up my editor by the end of the fourth round and he asked me “any hope?” I said yes but only if he can regain confidence and that he did. Another aspect to it is the fact that the Champion proved that he can win by either a knock out or by points, he can take beating and can also give out, he showed class against Toney and a against s declined McCline he amazingly showed he could pick out points, I guess his corner made him slow down and gradually picked up those valuable points. An important observation must be taken into cognizance, Peter defended poorly, McCline almost strolled into him and that why he could land some super shots at Peters. Almost through out the fight He lands a shot with one hand and leaves the other low, that was why McCline caught with a right shot to the chin. But from the 8th round Peter began working on McCline’s body which was the most appropriate thing to do, since the opponent was bigger and had a longer reach. Another fundamental question is, what happened to Samuel’s left hand, where the fire power usually is. He did not seem to use the hand much as I expected, after the fight, Peter informed that he had broken the hand in training but refused to inform the commission so that he could go on to fight. If that is truthful, then he fought like a Champion enduring pain to ensure he retains his title.
All three Judges scored in favour of Peters (115-110,115-112,113-112) the commentator was able to record 114-111, McCline did not contest the decision, in his words “I let him away, I could have finished him, I should have finished him but I didn’t”, he now has a pedigree “allowing Champions go free” I guess he forgot his wife was at the ring side.
Peter won, we thank God, my dream is a Maskeav away but the truth is that a good fighter would have punished Peters and to add to that He is beatable and looks very vulnerable, except he improves. Note also that Vitali Klitschko is itching for a fight early next year and most probably against the interim Champ and that would be big pay and a fitting heavyweight clash.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
THE INTERIM CHAMP OR THE REAL CHAMP
The decision of the Association (WBC) is seen as a good move, because no association at that level wants to toy with inactivity. In my last article, I asked a question, when will the new date be? Is it a pullout or a boycott? In an attempt to answer the question I tried to analyze what happened between Hasim Rahman and Vitali Klitschko. That incident remains fresh on my mind. First the fight was fixed for April 30th 2005.Klitschko injured his thigh while training for the fight, so it was rescheduled for June 18. As the date approached, Klitschko’s camp said that the thigh had not fully healed; The WBC made July 23 the new fight date, soon after the second postponement, Vitali’s doctor reportedly discovered back injuries that they said demanded minor-yet immediate corrective surgery. The WBC pushed Rahman’s title shot again, this time to November 12.
After this third rescheduling, Rahman, tired of the delay’s needlessly risked his guaranteed title shot by fighting for a WBC “interim” Heavyweight Championship. Rahman defeated the number 2 contender at that time: Monte Barret on August 13, 2005 via a unanimous decision in what was seen as an uninspiring effort (Both men were friends though).
At this point Kiltschko was told that, he will be stripped of his title (now disputed) if he refuses to fight Rahman as his first opponent after recovery. On November 7th, it was announced that Klitschko had suffered severe right knee injury during training; to this end the WBC announced that it would strip him of the title, if he was unable to box within 60-90 days of the a soon to be announced base date. However, on November 9th, Vitali retired. The following day 10th November, 2005, the World Boxing Council awarded its heavyweight championship to Rahman (Wikipedia.org)
The same Vitali came out of retirement and wanted to fight Oleg Maskaev for the same title, which helped to cause delay on the Maskaev-Peters fight. If we take that action into account one might be tempted to say it was a plot to avoid Rahman. But we can’t say that for Maskaev, especially at the moment. Anyway Don King is working very hard to get a replacement for Samuel Peters; the first on the list was Andrew Golota but the unimpressive record of the polish man made WBC reject him and in his place is packaging James McCline and talks are going on smoothly, I hope they beat the time. McCline was billed to actually fight Vitali Klitschko on September 22,2007 but was put off because Klitschko also sustained a back injury. He was to feature as one of the under card on October 6th, against Davarr1 Williams.
The issue now is that Samuel Peters is not ready to take a pay cut for the fight but Show Time wants to significantly slash the license fee for the replacement and King is desperately negotiating with the boxers to ensure a purse is agreed upon, but peter appear resolute at the moment.
Meanwhile Maskaev will be out for three months, we wish him a quick and happy recovery. As it stands now, many boxing followers believe that if the fight had taken place Peters would have come, tops. So is it a method of avoiding the real champ or are doctors working tirelessly to get him fit for the best fight in the heavyweight. According to Gotzev Peters Manger “Peters is happy. He felt like a Champion all along, especially after he beat James Toney two times in a row. We always considered James Toney the toughest fight of his career. We considered it a harder fight than we thought the Maskaev fight would have been. But Maskaev tied to get out of the fight so many times. Then the injury, if you believe it, we’re in this to make fight happen not to make excuses and to avoid fights”.
So if we take the words of Gotzev into account then Peters “the Nigerian Nightmare” is the real champ not just interim: it’s only a mater of time. Meanwhile according to the rules governing the WBC it states as follows:
Rules 1.26 (4) and 1.27 of the WBC Rules and Regulations explicitly allows the WBC, in an instance where an interim title is applicable, to recognize as interim champion the winner of a previous elimination fight. Samuel Peter won not only one, but two final elimination bouts in a row against James Toney in September, 2006, and in January, 2007.
Rules 1.26 and 1.27 read:
1.26 Vacant Title. If a title becomes vacant for any reason, the Board of Governors may in its discretion take whatever steps or actions it deems necessary or appropriate to fill the title, including but not limited to: 1) authorize and cause to be instituted a tournament or elimination contest among leading available contenders in the division of the vacant title, with the winner being recognized as the new champion; or 2) authorize or cause to be instituted a direct bout between the two highest rated available boxers and recognize the winner as the champion; or 3) appoint as challenger the champion of a lower or higher division to contend against the highest rated available boxer of the division for the vacant title; or 4) recognize as champion the winner of a previous elimination bout. This list is non-exclusive.
The Board of Governors may impose such conditions as it deems proper and necessary in its discretion upon the new champion winning a vacant title, including but not limited to: 1) designating the boxer against whom the first defense of the title must be made (who may be selected from the highest rated available boxers or a boxer selected through a final elimination bout); 2) ordering the new champion to make his first mandatory defense within ninety (90) to one hundred and twenty (120) days of acquiring the title; 3) if requested and feasible, to approve one voluntary defense, with the condition that the winner must meet his official mandatory challenger next. This list is also non-exclusive.
1.27 Interim Championship. The WBC may order an interim title bout when a world champion will be temporarily inactive and unable to defend his title for a period to exceed 6 months due to:
a) certified medical reasons
b) a legal impediment; or
c) reasonable cause strictly beyond his control.
In ordering the interim championship, the WBC will follow any of the steps mandated in Rule 1.26. If the inactivity is estimated to exceed one (1) year, the title shall be declared vacant.
Upon the return of the champion, the WBC will order a mandatory bout for the undisputed WBC title with the interim champion. Both boxers are bound to participate in this bout and cannot participate in an intervening contest, except in special circumstances approved by a majority vote of the Board of Governors. If the bout is promoted through purse offer procedures, the purse split will be 55% for the champion and 45% for the interim champion. The WBC may alter this split at its discretion pursuant to the provisions of Rule 2.11(d).
If the champion does not return after a year of inactivity, he will forfeit the title to the interim champion, who will automatically become the undisputed WBC champion.
The World Boxing Council will present interim world champion Samuel Peter his WBC interim world champion title in the following days. Lets Maskaev gets well fast and we shall know if he has the will to battle The Interim Champ.
MASSIVE MASKAEV
The two gladiators are few of the world’s best performers in recent times .Dreaming is normal for anyone who is asleep, how about someone who is not, and walks the streets dreaming? Well that has become my case, there is virtually no day that I don’t dream about the October 6, 2007 epic, destiny fulfilling fight between Samuel
(The Nigerian nightmare) Peters and the Russian Oleg Maskaev.
However, I dropped my anchor when I realized that Samuel Peters is up against one hell of a fighter, reality dawned on me, reasoning also caused me to take a close look at the man Oleg Maskaev .My reason for taking a close look at the Russian was strongly challenged by the spirit of patriotism but thank God for my left hook that leaves every emotional opponents on the canvass.
The man Maskaev has seen the high and low of life ,worked in a farm back in the days, had a stint with the Russian army ,rose to the position of lieutenant .This was before he turned to boxing and since then there has been no stopping the one I call the “Rushing Russian”.
Having been mismanaged by his team it came to a point, his fair-whether friends deserted him, his promoter left him and his trainer advised him to quit boxing. It was a moment of despair, a psychological blow, circumstance was about to hand him a knockout but the man knew what it means to never give up as he hung on, something dramatic took place. Maskaev was called by another trainer, who assembled a team for him what followed immediately was simply amazing. He won 9 fights in a row, 8 by knockout and David Defiagbon was one of the victims. According to B.Bradly, he is one of the few foreign boxers who have scored unanimous decision in Germany, in over 30 years.
In his fight against Hassim “The Rock” Rahman, he showed class. In the first fight, Rahman led on points but in the 8th round, he scored a knockout in what has been described as one of the finest knockouts in boxing history .Maskaev’s right hand ensured that Hassim slipped through the ropes, landed on the television table before landing on the floor. In the second fight he floored Rahman in the 12th round ,when Rahman got up to continue ,he wished he never did for he was smothered with a barrage of punches and referee Jay Nady had no choice but to save the victim. That victory over Rahman was not just another upset, it was an example of a man who found inner strength within himself and triumphed over agony and adversity.
Having said that, another question that must be given answers is “what makes Maskaev thick both as a boxer and as a person?” The answer is not far fetched. As a boxer, Maskaev has got a great team behind him, from Dennis Rappaport, Manager Fred Kesch and trainer Victor Valle and all others, have helped shaped the one time no good boxer to a man that is simply amazing. Outside boxing, he is a devoted Christian, a family man with 4 children and a loving husband. He is also a very strong investor in Real Estate.
The man is complete; he has the quality any one would dream to have. He is fearless, has a strong will, focused and an indomitable spirit. Oleg Maskaev is not a boxer one can push over, today his life is described as that of a Cinderella. His career has produced 34 wins, 26 knockouts, 5 Loses. No draws. As the battle comes closer, I advice Sam Peters to remain, focused and work more on his reflex its my utmost belief that the Nigerian will come out tops as I had dreamt and keep dreaming.
THE COUNT DOWN: OCTOBER 6TH 2007
As a child, I watched with passion those days, when Chuka Momah will present “THE BIG FIGHT OF THE DECADE” for me it was pure gold, fifteen rounds of solid punches, high test of mental alertness, a great display of psychology and a medium through which the mind is tested.
October 6, 2007 will be for me another moment of education, a moment of strength, a day I will once again recall those good old days but this time a fellow country man will be performing the art of self defense, I shall be watching with so much passion and the blood of patriotism will flow through my vain and firmly I believe that my joy will not be short lived.
As the day to this history making event draws near, I can’t help but feel like am the one going for this epic battle, I wonder what will be going through the minds of both fighters as the game of boxing is highly unpredictable.
October 6, 2007, therefore becomes the date where those long hours in the gym will tell us who prepared most; “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under the lights”. So states Mohammad Ali. October 6, 2007, is an important date for our boxing (especially now that the game is suffering much here at home) Samuel Peters may just become the first Nigerian to wear the heavy weight belt round his waist.
Go Samuel and make your country look great while we continue the repair here at home, God helping us. You have my support and the support of millions of other well meaning Nigerians.