Fixtures of Revival

Apparently in a bid to keep the heavyweight class as interesting as the lower divisions, some bouts have been lined up for the month of December. Before I move on, I want to use medium to inform boxing fans here in Nigeria that the man who finally destroyed what was left in Mike Tyson (Danny Williams) lost his tune up fight to big underdog Albert Sosnowski from Poland.

Sosnowski sent Danny crashing with some thunderous headshots in the 8th round, and though Williams bravely beat the count he was soon under more fire and referee Richie Davies had no other option than to dive in and stop the contest. The official time was one minute and seventeen seconds of the 8th round, and Williams fell to 40-7(31). The jubilant Sosnowski, six years younger in age 29, improved his record to 44-2(27). Williams’s November 30th date with Francois Botha is now doubtful, I really wonder if he can get ready and in shape for that bout.

I also wish David "Hayemaker" Haye all the best. Congratulation to him, he showed great will and tenacity in knocking out Monte Barrett. The latter was stunned by Haye's tactics and kissed the canvass five times before finally given up.

Meanwhile, I find some these fixtures interesting; a clear sign of boxers trying to gain relevance hence today’s writing is christened “Fixtures of Revival”. The first pairing I want to look at is the fight between James Toney and Tony Thompson.
James Toney (70-6, 43 KOs) will be facing 6'5? Tony Thompson on December 13 for one of the lesser heavyweight title belts at stake. Thompson, 36, is coming off a disappointing performance against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, who knocked him out in the 11th round on July 12th in Germany. Thompson fought poorly and was never able to get his high volume offense untracked against the giant 6'6? Klitschko.

This fight for me is Toney’s way of seeking relevance in the heavyweight class. Pundits believe that Thompson has the edge considering his size and the fact that he is a southpaw. At 40, Toney is probably at the very tail end of his career and it would seem unlikely that he can continue to perform well against the top fighters in the division. I foresee an interesting fixture, at least the Americans have something to cheer for and perhaps Thompson will be the new hope for America’s declining boxing state.

Klitschko-Rahman: How much of fame can one make out of a fight that’s long past. Hasim Rahman (54-7, 2D 36KO’s) has a chance to fight for the world heavyweight title. I have problem with boxing politics. The question is on what criterion was the Rock chosen? Was it for convenience or was it cause of recent form? For Rahman to be considered as a top replacement for Klitschko gives me lots of hope for our own Samuel Peter. No matter what anyone may say about the Nigerian pugilist, he still has a huge chance to dance and possibly wear that title once again. I get exasperated when I hear comment like "Hasim Rahman: is a tough and experienced fighter," says Klitschko. "I will definitely not underestimate him anyway. He is always talking big – I know that back from a fight when he was supposed to meet my brother Vitali. But that does not impress me remarks Klitschko. I am really looking forward to returning to the SAP Arena. There, I became world champion for the second time. The fans in the Mannheim region are just great and I am sure the atmosphere in the arena will be terrific”. Am not taking anything away from Wladmir Klitschko, The 32-year-old is in his 15th world championship fight when he steps into the ring in Mannheim.

The 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Klitschko was WBO champion from 2000 to 2003, and won the IBF and IBO belts in Mannheim in April 2006. In February 2008, he regained the WBO title at Madison Square Garden. His record is 51 wins, with 45 victories coming by KO, and only 3 losses. I see this fixture as an erratic one. Anything can happen, this is the heavyweight class, and one hard punch can change the whole picture. If a Rahman wins it could just be a huge fixture of revival.

Valuev-Holyfield: The question is how far can legendary, Evander “Real deal” Holyfield go. Now I can’t really figure why, he is still fighting. Is it cause of his debts or cause he is chasing the record of being the oldest heavyweight champion. Whatever it is, the fact is that come December 20th. The 46 year old Holyfield 42-9-2(27) will square up against the biggest and heaviest boxer in history, Nikolay Valuev (51-49-1,34KO’s and 1 no contest) The WBA king should have no problems handling the former four times heavyweight champion. Recently, Valuev showed how much he has improved by making good use of his reach and size. I expect to see a dull fight and most probably a one sided affair. A closer look at these fixtures shows an urge to revive ailing careers.