Boxing Rostrum

Notwithstanding some very stiff competition, the WBC Youth Title has to be the most brainless creation yet by that supposedly serious organization.

A Polish boxer called Pawel Kolodziej has just retained the WBC Youth Title at cruiserweight against a trier from Georgia called Armen Azizian. I mention it because Kolodziej is 22 years old, while Azizian is 24.

Grown men in their twenties fighting for such an "honour" is absurd, but the overall situation is even more farcical.

Kolodziej’s win last Saturday night brings to mind a defence of the WBC Youth lightweight crown by Manchester’s John Murray last September. Murray, rising 22 at the time, kept his bauble by points decision over Moebi Sarouna, and it’s just as well for the WBC that Murray came out on top. It saved them a lot of embarrassment. If, that is, they are capable of feeling embarrassed about anything.

As for Moebi Sarouna, had he managed to capture the WBC Youth title that night, just one month shy of his 34th birthday, I suppose it would have been something for him to tell his baffled grandchildren about, wouldn’t it.

Rumours that Lennox Lewis was back in the gym and contemplating a ring return have been refuted by the man himself. That’s great news for boxing, and for Lewis.

Word was there’d be millions in the pot for Lennox to get it on again with Vitali Klitschko, and there probably would be at that, but Lennox doesn’t need the money or the aggravation. And the last thing boxing needs is for him to fight again and take a beating.

Properly motivated, Lewis could sweat down to 250-260 pounds and maybe look something like the part. After all, he was always a fine physical specimen as well as a great boxer. Trouble is, Lennox is 41 years old now and gone to fat, and even if three months in camp melted all that lard and gave him back a chiselled look, it would only be cosmetic. The fighter that was has passed into history.

Well, that’s it then. Audley Harrison got wiped out by one left hook from Michael Sprott in the third round at Wembley, so his dream is done. Audley could fight again, and says he will, but even victory in a rematch wouldn’t redeem him after this. Not that a return is on Sprott’s agenda anyway. Post fight, Michael said he’s not interested in rematches any more and just wants to move on, which is his prerogative, though a somewhat bizarre statement given that his next outing is almost certain to be a rematch with Matt Skelton.

First round action had Harrison well in control. He dropped Sprott with a chopping left to the ear after digging home a right downstairs, and seemed at that moment to be too big and altogether too much for Michael. But Sprott wasn’t badly hurt by the spill and got through the round without further alarm, even though a distant second best.

From the start of the second Sprott became more lively, breaking cover to fire occasional bursts, and he landed a few sharp jabs which snapped Audley’s head back. Harrison now had some sort of fight on his hands, but who can have seen what was about to happen. Not me. The shocking finish came right out of the blue, and it will hurt Harrison all the more to know it was a lucky punch that did it. No question about that. Audley was trying to force things when Sprott, head down in blind man mode, threw a pair of wild hooks. The right missed. The left didn’t. That simple.

I’m not sorry for Audley Harrison. He’s a millionaire. But I am happy for Michael Sprott. He’s worked hard to get where he is, and enjoyed no favours along the way. Winning the British title from Danny Williams three years ago was an achievement to be proud of, even though he didn’t hold it for long, but this win, and the manner of it, has really put him in the limelight.

Amir Khan knocked out Mohammed Medjadji with one right hand in less than a minute. Some of the crowd booed at the brevity of this fight. Strange reaction. I mean, what exactly had they been expecting.

Amir Khan has fight number eleven tonight on the big Wembley bill and he’ll more than likely put on a dazzling show, but the chosen opponent doesn’t figure to add much to the lightweight phenom’s education.

Last time out Khan was in with Rachid Drilzane, a tough light welter. Amir took a landslide points verdict but it was a demanding physical workout against a man who was strong and determined and never got discouraged at any stage. You learn things from fights like that. It was Khan’s first ten rounds job and he showed he can box at high tempo over that trip.

There’s no merit in tonight’s task. Amir goes in with Mohammed Medjadji, a super featherweight who can’t punch. Medjadji has won seventeen from twenty, which is creditable, but only three by stoppage. It’s a mismatch that shouldn’t have been made and can serve no good purpose apart from giving us a reason to hit the bar and unparch the throat – plus the added bonus of getting some circulation back into our numb bums. Those fight seats might be alright per se. They’re just no good for sitting on.

Audley Harrison is back tonight. As usual, we don’t really know what to expect. He bashed up Danny Williams last time out, and looked quite good, but that will count for nothing if he can’t back up his mouth by doing something similar to Michael Sprott at Wembley. If Harrison loses, he’s finished. If he wins but fails to shine, the same applies, effectively if not literally.

I’ve a lot of respect for Sprott. He’s learned this game the hard way and turned himself into a decent fighter who has taken on and tested the best in Europe. And he can test Audley too, at least for a while, by coming out fast and taking it to him.

Harrison did a lot of damage in quick time against Williams. It was a demolition job and he deserves credit for finally showing us something vicious, but even amidst that one sided action Audley wasn’t entirely convincing. An alarmed look crossed his face the couple of times that Danny did manage to bull him, slow motion style, into the ropes and I’d be concerned as to how Harrison will react when he’s caught up in a real tooth and nailer.

That may not be tonight. Michael Sprott shouldn’t be good enough, or fierce enough, to put Audley under intense, sustained pressure. But Michael does have enough about him to pose problems and make Audley show us which is his real self – the bomber who destroyed Danny Williams or the irritating, negative waster who’s showed up for most of his other fights.

Beating a fat, jaded Williams was not a fantastic achievement in itself but getting it done in the way he did must have given Audley Harrison a huge confidence injection. He may now be more prepared to plant his feet and look to hurt people and, if Sprott comes out aggressively, I’d hope to see Audley thrive on the challenge and do just that. Could be fireworks. Harrison has disappointed too many times to be trusted ( and backing him with hard cash is out of the question ) but if that new self belief translates into performance he has the class, and enough power, to beat Mike Sprott in five rounds or less.

If he does that, and looks anything like devastating, cover your ears!

Best prospect in world boxing right now? Should be hard to say, with such a big field to choose from, but I like the Mexican super bantam, Abner Mares.

Fifteen months ago, Andre Ward was the obvious pick. He’d won Olympic Gold at light heavy, got himself into great shape for a pro career at middleweight, and was looking like he had everything needed to achieve his expressed aim – become the best fighter in the world

Then came Andre’s very first mini crisis when Darnell Boone dropped him in the fourth of a six rounder. You could tell the knockdown shocked him badly. And it clearly affected his confidence. After getting up, Ward was very cautious for the remains of the round, a sensible reaction, but I didn’t like how he stayed in that same mode right through to the end of the fight. A champ in the making would surely have wanted to jump out and re-impose himself at the start of the fifth but Andre seemed focused only on not getting tagged again. Disappointing stuff. To me, Andre Ward has greater gifts than Jermain Taylor, but you need more than talent to reach the top in this game and although Andre has had three outings since Boone and stretched his log to 10-0, it could be he doesn’t have the core hardness to make it.

Abner Mares is also 10-0 as a pro. Apart from his skills, which are plenty, this kid has the Mexican love for battle and I would be astounded if he were to show fragility when the first severe test comes his way. I have faith that this is a real tough guy as well as a blue blood talent.

Mares went to the same Olympics as Andre Ward but for Abner it was a case of the taking part, not the winning. Unlike Andre, he didn’t come into the pro game swathed in glory. But Mares has taken to it just fine, from what I’ve seen, and has championship quality all over. Super bantams will soon be sleeping uneasy in their beds. Maybe they are already.

Abner hasn’t faced anyone very taxing so far. His latest victim, Wilmer Rodriguez, came into the ring undefeated with eight wins and one no contest from nine tries, so looked the part on paper, but those numbers were misleading because the guys he’d been beating had managed only a combined total of six wins against forty nine losses.

Stats alone don’t tell everything though. I stand by Abner Mares. He has the full tool box, including the ability to do what few fighters can, throw a combination using just the one hand. Example……triple jab, hook, then another jab, all fired hard and fast while the right fist is cocked ready to join in at any time. Mares is a smooth, forceful, hurtful little fireball and I foresee an unblemished year ahead, at the end of which Li’l Abner will be a huge threat to whoever wears a crown.

There’s talk of Arturo Gatti returning to action, possibly against Diego Corrales. Maybe it’s just a rumour but, if Gatti is serious, the match could be made. And Gatti may well be serious.

They say a fighter is the last to know when he’s washed up. Can’t agree with that. I say he’s usually the first to know, but almost always the last to accept it.

Arturo’s career as a big time fighter was finished when he folded up against Carlos Baldomir. He took a battering in that fight, as he himself was well aware, and there’ll be more of those to come if he decides to carry on. But I still expect he’ll box again.

Being in the limelight is a hard drug, hell to kick. When a man’s enjoyed the adulation Arturo Gatti has, it’s understandable that he’ll always want that little bit more. Trouble is, that little bit more can do all sorts of harm. Gatti’s time has come and gone, and a great time it was too, but yesterday is yesterday. Maybe somebody close enough, and with enough influence, can make him see that he now needs a life outside of a boxing ring. Chances? Not good.

Junior Witter now knows who he’s got for his mandatory defence of the WBC light welter crown, and it’s probably the one that suits him least.

Vivian “Vicious” Harris has just beaten Juan Lazcano by decision after a hard fought eliminator and will have the chance to redeem himself by becoming a champion again. Harris’ abysmal performance in losing the WBA version to Carlos Maussa remains inexplicable, and still puts a question mark against his resolve, but, on the face of it at least, he’s back on track.

Vivian has now won three straight since Maussa. The first two were easy jobs, if there is such a thing, but this was a bigger ask. In Lazcano he was thwarting a guy who came to rumble, and came to win. You never know what’s in a man’s head but I guess Harris’ confidence might now be high again and, for sure, a confident Harris would pose problems for Junior Witter.

Junior likes people coming on to him so he can unload those fast counters of his. An advancing target is easier to hit, and easier to hurt. Against aggressive types Witter can be devastating, as he’s shown several times, but, despite the quick hands and all round flashiness, he’s rarely as imposing when in with fighters who refuse to feed his obvious strengths.

Vivian Harris is four inches taller than Witter and has the same advantage in reach. He doesn’t need to chase Junior around, and I’m sure he won’t try to. There’s always the possibility that Harris might attempt to surprise with a blitzkrieg because he does have plenty of quick wins, including eight in the first round, but it’s far more likely that he’ll look to hold the centre of the ring and control things with his jab.

If that jab starts finding him, Witter may be in the same position Hamed was against Barrera. Naseem had to force the issue to try and break Barrera’s rhythm but when he lunged and missed, which was often, Barrera punished him with quick bursts before breaking off and going back to the jab. Hamed could do little about it and was beaten out of sight. I wonder if Witter, given similar troubles, can come up with the answer.

Witter and Harris won’t attract massive interest, and might not be an exciting spectacle, but it will be – for me – a fascinating watch.

Credit where it’s due, as always. Carl Johanneson’s physical strength played a part but it was the sheer intensity of his attacking that proved too much for Ricky Burns in their British super featherweight title match.

Johanneson won big on all cards and had brave Burns on the floor three times to emphasize his superiority in what was, nevertheless, an exciting battle. Carl started fast, applying fierce pressure, and kept swarming all night. Burns wasn’t able to deter him at all. He had planned to box clever and make Johanneson miss but could never find enough space to execute the strategy.

Ricky was getting claustrophobia in there. He didn’t shirk the issue and showed great spirit, but being made to stand and fight took away his strengths and exposed his lack of power. Burns didn’t fail for lack of trying. At times he fired in clusters of fast hooks, and tried to utilize an uppercut, but it was apparent from early on that even his best shots couldn’t put a dent in Johanneson, nor stop his advance.

Carl had never been more than eight rounds and he must have had some doubts about setting a ferocious pace and being able to maintain it for the championship schedule. Burns may have been thinking along those lines too during the early going, hoping - and probably believing - that Johanneson couldn’t keep it up. Turned out to be just wishful thinking.

Ricky Burns took a lot of head punches without visible effect but body shots to his side dropped him in the 7th, 9th, and 10th. Many fighters stay down from that sort of pain, and who can blame them. Burns, though, got up each time and came back fighting. I like the kid a lot. He’s got spunk, and he’s got style. Pitted against someone who doesn't have the capacity to suffocate him as Carl Johanneson just did, Ricky Burns can yet win a British crown somewhere down the line and I for one would be very pleased to see him do it.

Carl Johanneson did himself justice tonight, and proved he can box twelve hot rounds. He’s a good strong fighter and a European title should be a realistic target. But can he go further than that. I don’t think so. Seems to me there’d be trouble in it for him if he carbon copied this performance against a classy type who can whack hard. And I don’t think Carl could adopt a more considered approach and be effective in top company. If he steams in, he gets nailed and stopped. If he stands off a bit and tries to probe his way in and be more shot selective, he gets outboxed.

That’s not a slur on Carl Johanneson, just a realistic forecast as I see it. Whatever, he and Ricky Burns gave us a terrific scrap here, and I’m looking forward to seeing each of them in action again. The sooner the better.

I’m beginning to feel some sort of admiration for Nikolay Valuev. He’s never going to be a great boxer, no matter how many fights he may go on to win, but he has made himself into an effective one. That’s a triumph in itself.

Ten years ago when Valuev came to London as a four fight novice, size was the only thing he had. He was the biggest freak to hit town since Ewart Potgieter in the fifties. South African Potgieter was the same height and the same sort of weight as Nikolay and had three fights here in a little over two months back in 1955. He won two and drew the other then went to the States where he dropped a couple of decisions and promptly retired from the ring after a career that lasted less than three years in total and embraced only fourteen bouts.

Valuev has shown a lot more stickability than that. He’s worked hard and learned well, albeit slowly, and now is at least competent enough to make the most of his huge bulk. He boxes quite well, in a limited sort of way, and his confidence has grown as he’s got better at the job. Nikolay Valuev really does seem to believe he’s the best heavyweight in the world. Not the most skilled, but the most effective fighter out there. Could be he’s right.

A pity the McCline fight didn’t last longer than it did. It had just got lively when Jameel fell and did his knee at the end of that exciting third round. Three times in the session McCline opened up with fast punches and found the target, and Valuev backed off. But Nikolay didn’t seem unduly ruffled, even though they were clean shots he got hit with, and he immediately pressed forward again. The champion says he would have got the knockout inside six rounds, had the fight carried on. I would lean towards agreement. McCline tried hard to make an impression with those bursts of punching, and they put Valuev to the test, but I thought the Russian coped comfortably. And I don’t believe Jameel McCline could have come up with anything better.

Yes, I quite like Nikolay Valuev. He’s not a braggart or a bully, but a nice guy. And a very big obstacle to anyone who wants to boss the heavyweights.

Heavy handed Carl Johanneson defends the British super feather title against Ricky Burns tomorrow night and the betting line sees Carl being much too powerful for the Scot.

Johanneson has eighteen kayos from twenty five wins and delivers a serious clump from either wing. He’s physically impressive too, strong and rugged. The defending champ also has nearly twice the experience of Burns who, unlike the Yorkshireman, is not a banger, Ricky boasting only three stoppages amongst his fifteen victories to date.

The bare stats give this a one sided look, and the bookies concur, and to load it even more in Johanneson’s favour the fight is on his own patch at Leeds Town Hall.

So, what makes me think that Ricky Burns can go there and win?

For a start, I believe Carl Johanneson was hugely flattered by the manner of his title winning effort against Billy Corcoran, and again in turning back the challenge of Femi Fehintola. Both those guys were physically overwhelmed. They were brave and gave it the maximum try but couldn’t hurt Carl at all and weren’t able to fend him off when he turned up the heat.

Burns is a light hitter like the the other two and might figure to go the same way as them, but this young Scot has durability as well as guts. When he has to, I expect him to take Johanneson’s blows without falling apart. And Carl won’t find him easy to nail in the first place, not with wide clubbing hooks anyway. Ricky Burns is too cute for that. He has the kind of ringcraft you wouldn’t expect to see in someone with so little experience, and he has a bomb proof temperament too which will leave him completely unfazed at fighting on the other man’s turf.

He’s already had a taste of that when coming down south at short notice, and jumping up a weight, to take on British lightweight champ Graham Earl in a Wembley eight rounder. Despite being a nine fight novice, Burns looked composed and confident beforehand and boxed the same way to take an easy nod. Ricky has never had proper credit for that performance. Maybe Earl was a tad complacent in what, for him, was a low key fight but it remains the only loss on his record, and he did get beaten out of sight.

Confirmation of Burns’ ability came when he went in with world class Alex Arthur a year ago. He went the full dozen with Arthur and though well behind at the end had made a real contest of it through the first half.

I don’t think Carl Johanneson can show Burns anything he hasn’t faced before. I don’t believe Johanneson can intimidate him, and I’m pretty damn sure he can’t outbox him. As long as the Jock doesn’t let his concentration slip I fancy he’ll upset the odds, and just about everybody in Leeds, with a points win.

The Chicago Bears will tomorrow try to win American football’s Superbowl for the first time since 1986. It was that same year that Mike Tyson won the heavyweight title from Trevor Berbick.

After stopping Berbick in the second round he was announced as, “The new, and youngest heavyweight champion, Michael Tyson.” Not a nickname in sight.

As part of their Superbowl celebrations the Bears had got musical, loosely speaking, and came up with a video record that featured a lot of happy players but focused on Head Coach Mike Ditka. The title of that release? Iron Mike.

Love him or otherwise, the name of Iron Mike Tyson is enshrined in boxing folklore. His deeds in the ring would have put him there anyway, of course, but without that Chicago triumph twenty one years ago, and that much publicized sing song, the Brownsville bomber would have stayed plain Mike Tyson. Or maybe acquired a different sobriquet. Whatever, there’d have been no such thing as the legend of Iron Mike.

The row over who will next challenge WBC heavyweight champ Oleg Maskaev has escalated, and the blame surely lies with the World Boxing Council itself.

After taking the title from Hasim Rahman, Maskaev was entitled to a voluntary defence against somebody less than daunting and they found just the guy in Japan based Ugandan, Peter Okhello. Oleg got himself a pay day and duly won in a canter but, that done, he has an obligation to meet the number one contender next. Straightforward enough? Apparently not.

Sam Peter occupies the number one spot. He wants the title match and expects to get it. Vitali Klitschko is the former undefeated champion who retired from the ring but now wants his crown back. He too is demanding a crack at Maskaev, and expecting to be accommodated.

WBC President Jose Sulaiman says he’s been in touch with both camps but regrets that his best efforts have been unsuccessful in resolving the matter. We’re told that WBC rule 5.3 deems compulsory mediation to be the next step, with the bringing in of a neutral mediator, and if the rivals can’t agree on who that should be one will be selected from the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Should the mediation itself prove unsuccessful the WBC will then accept the arbitrator’s decision as binding and final. At which point we will get ourselves a heavyweight championship fight.

Sounds fine and dandy, and fair to all, but it’s most certainly not. Vitali Klitschko is what the WBC call a “Champion Emeritus.” They say their rules allow him a title match even after so long out, without his having to take a proving fight beforehand. Not many would complain at that. Everybody knows Vitali’s merit as a boxer and puncher and it has to be said that in proper shape, as he obviously now is, he would probably start favourite against anyone out there. But how does he deserve to jump ahead of Samuel Peter.

When Klitschko retired from the ring, he didn’t say he was taking a sabbatical for his back and knee injuries to mend. The retirement was absolute. That’s what he said, and it looked to be the case when Vitali went home to Ukraine nursing political ambitions and duly ran for Mayor of Kiev. Turned out that the voters there didn’t want him, though. Must have been a real kick in the ego, and one can sympathise with his disappointment, but Klitschko’s failings in that arena shouldn’t mean he can return to the sport of boxing like he’s never been away. The big man deserves respect, but not preferential treatment.

Samuel Peter earned that number one ranking the proper way, in the ring. He hasn’t had it gifted to him. He had to fight for it. Twice. The Nigerian beat James Toney to take the mandatory challenger berth, and then did it all over again after some had queried the decision first time around. Both those fights were officially sanctioned by the WBC. Both times the long, greedy arm of the WBC reached out and helped itself to a sanctioning fee out of Sam Peter’s purse. But he still hasn’t got that title shot. They’ve taken his money and now they’ve dumped on him.

Natural justice would see Peter in the opposite corner when Oleg Maskaev fights next. Hopefully, but not presumably, natural justice will prevail in the mediation process. And not just for the sake of right over wrong. There are serious financial implications here too.

Samuel Peter is a decent fighter. Nothing fantastic, but he’s strong and tough, and hits hard, and at age 26 can probably improve a bit more yet. Nobody’s taking Maskaev for granted, and maybe he can beat Peter, but Sam would be in with a reasonable chance of winning the title from him. If he did that, and put it on the line against Vitali, his position as champion would stop Klitschko’s team taking too many liberties at the negotiation table. The Ukranians might claim their man as the attraction, and look for the lion’s share, but a world champion has rights and even the WBC couldn’t trample on those. Not entirely, anyway.

If Klitschko gets to Maskaev first and prevails, however, it’s a hugely different deal. Going in against Vitali as challenger rather than defending champion would leave the African on the peanuts end of the take. Not literally, of course. Sam would still be well paid. But nothing like he’d expect to earn if it were he who had the belt, and Klitschko had to come looking for it.

Quoted on fightnews.com is a WBC statement concerning this pathetic situation which reads in part, “While controversy is never pleasant, we understand that it is part of boxing, and can almost always be expected when the prize is what many believe to be the greatest title in all of sports, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world.”

Quite amazing. What could be more straightforward and less controversial than the heavyweight champion of the world making a mandatory defence against the number one contender.

The atmosphere of this “dispute” is obviously loaded in favour of Klitschko, otherwise there wouldn’t be a dispute. Due process would see Maskaev in the ring with Peter, Vitali then getting his straight shot at the winner. But that’s not good enough for Klitschko. He thinks that even after more than two years away he can just walk back in and take priority over everyone and everything. The WBC should have let him know different. That they have chosen not to speaks for itself.

Boxing may not be in turmoil as yet but it is struggling to attract new fans, and has been for some time. What’s going on here makes that struggle understandable. The whole thing stinks.