Sunday, 24 February 2008
Chalk And Cheese
What a let down. The Klitschko v Ibragimov fight was never necessarily going to be a goodie but what we got was pisspoor in terms of action, wasn’t it. Hardly anything happened from start to finish.
Klitschko bossed the whole thing from distance and Ibragimov could do little about it. Sultan couldn’t land counters or fast leads like Chagaev and Quintana had done against Valuev and Williams respectively because he was always standing out of range, kept at bay by Wladimir’s extended left hand. It meant, of course, that when Ibragimov did attempt to throw punches they were being launched from so far away the Ukranian had no trouble seeing them coming. And unlike Valuev and Williams, who both fought aggressively and were always looking to unload their own punches, Wladimir Klitschko is not the sort of guy who wants to risk toe to toe exchanges. He dealt with Ibragimov’s rare attacks by taking half a step back and letting most of them drop short.
When the Russian did manage to get into the contact zone, big Wlad grabbed hold of him, with a headlock usually favoured. That was something I thought the ref might have had a word about. Not that it would have had any bearing on the fight’s outcome. Sultan Ibragimov got beaten because he didn’t have the tools to damage the guy in front of him. That simple.
I still salute Ibragimov, though. The first shot in any revolution is the most important one and it was his initiative that got this unification thing on the move, something I won’t forget even though it’s now Klitschko who will look to take it to its conclusion.
Wladimir could become the undisputed champ alright. He’s a fine specimen, strong, powerful and skilled, with a method that clearly works for him, but I won’t be cheering him on to glory. I somehow can’t warm to the guy. Real champions should have a fighter’s soul and, as accomplished as Wladimir Klitschko is in the ring, I just don’t see that in his make up.
It’s in John Duddy’s make up, though. Fighting, to Duddy, is not a mere job – it’s a passion. What a contrast with Klitschko. While Wladimir has the attributes to be a great fighter but an inate reluctance to use them fully, John Duddy always gives everything he’s got even though everything he’s got might be a good bit short of what’s needed in world class.
Before the heavyweights bored everybody rigid in the Garden last night, Duddy and his Canadian based Tunisian opponent Walid Smichet had the crowd wide awake through a ten rounds slugfest. Ireland’s John deserved the points decision in the end because Smichet’s work rate abated considerably in the second half of the fight, but it was a rough ride for Duddy nevertheless on account of the other guy just couldn’t seem to miss him with head shots all night.
The first four rounds were wild and Duddy got hit flush with so many punches I got to wondering what was holding him upright. His lack of defence was alarming. And a bad gash over the left eye added to his woes.
Smichet deserves credit for what he did in there. He knew this was a big chance to shine and he gave it a terrific try but we should remember that his record, and specific form lines, show Walid to be a long way below top international class. When a guy like Smichet can give Duddy the trouble he did, you have to fear for John if the title challenge to Kelly Pavlik – supposedly a done deal – goes ahead.
I’ve said often enough that John Duddy is not up to world championship boxing, and I’m not about to change that opinion. But I can’t help liking the guy. And admiring him. He’s not the best boxer in the world, but he is a real fighting man. One hundred percent.
Klitschko bossed the whole thing from distance and Ibragimov could do little about it. Sultan couldn’t land counters or fast leads like Chagaev and Quintana had done against Valuev and Williams respectively because he was always standing out of range, kept at bay by Wladimir’s extended left hand. It meant, of course, that when Ibragimov did attempt to throw punches they were being launched from so far away the Ukranian had no trouble seeing them coming. And unlike Valuev and Williams, who both fought aggressively and were always looking to unload their own punches, Wladimir Klitschko is not the sort of guy who wants to risk toe to toe exchanges. He dealt with Ibragimov’s rare attacks by taking half a step back and letting most of them drop short.
When the Russian did manage to get into the contact zone, big Wlad grabbed hold of him, with a headlock usually favoured. That was something I thought the ref might have had a word about. Not that it would have had any bearing on the fight’s outcome. Sultan Ibragimov got beaten because he didn’t have the tools to damage the guy in front of him. That simple.
I still salute Ibragimov, though. The first shot in any revolution is the most important one and it was his initiative that got this unification thing on the move, something I won’t forget even though it’s now Klitschko who will look to take it to its conclusion.
Wladimir could become the undisputed champ alright. He’s a fine specimen, strong, powerful and skilled, with a method that clearly works for him, but I won’t be cheering him on to glory. I somehow can’t warm to the guy. Real champions should have a fighter’s soul and, as accomplished as Wladimir Klitschko is in the ring, I just don’t see that in his make up.
It’s in John Duddy’s make up, though. Fighting, to Duddy, is not a mere job – it’s a passion. What a contrast with Klitschko. While Wladimir has the attributes to be a great fighter but an inate reluctance to use them fully, John Duddy always gives everything he’s got even though everything he’s got might be a good bit short of what’s needed in world class.
Before the heavyweights bored everybody rigid in the Garden last night, Duddy and his Canadian based Tunisian opponent Walid Smichet had the crowd wide awake through a ten rounds slugfest. Ireland’s John deserved the points decision in the end because Smichet’s work rate abated considerably in the second half of the fight, but it was a rough ride for Duddy nevertheless on account of the other guy just couldn’t seem to miss him with head shots all night.
The first four rounds were wild and Duddy got hit flush with so many punches I got to wondering what was holding him upright. His lack of defence was alarming. And a bad gash over the left eye added to his woes.
Smichet deserves credit for what he did in there. He knew this was a big chance to shine and he gave it a terrific try but we should remember that his record, and specific form lines, show Walid to be a long way below top international class. When a guy like Smichet can give Duddy the trouble he did, you have to fear for John if the title challenge to Kelly Pavlik – supposedly a done deal – goes ahead.
I’ve said often enough that John Duddy is not up to world championship boxing, and I’m not about to change that opinion. But I can’t help liking the guy. And admiring him. He’s not the best boxer in the world, but he is a real fighting man. One hundred percent.
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Take A Bow, Sultan - Win Or Lose.
Unification time again in the heavyweight division, for the first time this century. Well, partial unification anyway. And that’s good enough for now because even though tonight’s fight in the Garden won’t produce an undisputed champion it will be an important step in that direction.
The man most responsible for this progress is Sultan Ibragimov. After taking the WBO title from Shannon Briggs, Ibragimov immediately made noises about there being room for only one heavyweight champ and, rather than say his piece and leave it at that, he was as good as his words by seeking and getting a match with WBA king Ruslan Chagaev.
That plan was wrecked when Chagaev became ill and the Holyfield bout which took its place didn’t meet with everybody’s approval, nor bring Sultan any plaudits, because Evander wasn’t really entitled to a shot, was he, but Sultan needed to box somebody and with Holyfield given the job Muscovites at least got to see the venerable Hall of Famer in the flesh. And, that out of the way, Ibragimov has stayed true to his target by now hooking up with Klitschko in a WBO/IBF decider.
Will Ibragimov win tonight? I don’t think so. But he could win if he can start well and get Wladimir into a competitive fight, something the Ukranian has never experienced as a pro.
Yes, I know Wlad has lost three times, but none of those bouts constituted any sort of struggle. His first defeat saw him suddenly run out of gas and crumble in a fight where he’d been using Ross Puritty for target practice through round after round, and the fifth round knockout loss to Lamon Brewster came right out of the blue after he’d given Lamon a shellacking and had him on the floor in the fourth. As for the Corrie Sanders setback, Klitschko was jumped on and blown away before any sort of contest had even had time to develop.
The Sam Peter fight doesn’t count as competitive either, despite Wladimir being knocked down three times. He boxed nervous all night, like he was terrified of getting hit, and seemed to go over from punches that barely reached him, but Klitschko was always outboxing the guy and had plenty of points to spare.
Sultan Ibragimov has to do more than just threaten like Peter. He has to make Klitschko realize from the off that he’s in a proper fight for the first time in his career, and he needs to sustain that effort so that the judges have something to do at the end of each round other than routinely score the session to Wladimir. Ibragimov has to make Klitschko feel like he’s fighting for his life in there.
Carlos Quintana gave Sultan the blueprint a couple of weeks back when beating Paul Williams despite being at the same physical disadvantage that Sultan will face tonight. Speed and movement were vital, to state the obvious, but the key for Quintana was letting the leather fly when he got into position. He couldn’t afford to be gun shy and he wasn’t, consistently beating Williams to the punch and showing from the start that he could reach the taller man with head shots. Chagaev did the same against Valuev. If Ibragimov truly believes in himself he might be able to do something similar, especially as Wladimir’s chin is not exactly a shock absorber par excellence, but is the Russian a good enough fighter to make it happen.
When it comes down to it, I tend to think Klitschko’s power will be the difference. Sultan had a tough time with Ray Austin and came out with a draw after a fight which saw both men down and that wouldn’t appear to bode too well for tonight, given that Wladimir annihilated Austin in two rounds. Ray measured up to Klitschko physically but was totally out of his depth when the fighting began. If Sultan struggled against Austin, you’d have to figure he’s also likely to have problems with a man who’s the same size as Ray but much more formidable.
Whatever the outcome, should boxing have itself an undisputed heavyweight champ in the next year or so, which is what the sport badly needs, the guy taking the biggest bow should be Sultan Ibragimov. He’s the one who got the ball rolling, and has kept it rolling. For that, he’s deserving of all praise in my book.
The man most responsible for this progress is Sultan Ibragimov. After taking the WBO title from Shannon Briggs, Ibragimov immediately made noises about there being room for only one heavyweight champ and, rather than say his piece and leave it at that, he was as good as his words by seeking and getting a match with WBA king Ruslan Chagaev.
That plan was wrecked when Chagaev became ill and the Holyfield bout which took its place didn’t meet with everybody’s approval, nor bring Sultan any plaudits, because Evander wasn’t really entitled to a shot, was he, but Sultan needed to box somebody and with Holyfield given the job Muscovites at least got to see the venerable Hall of Famer in the flesh. And, that out of the way, Ibragimov has stayed true to his target by now hooking up with Klitschko in a WBO/IBF decider.
Will Ibragimov win tonight? I don’t think so. But he could win if he can start well and get Wladimir into a competitive fight, something the Ukranian has never experienced as a pro.
Yes, I know Wlad has lost three times, but none of those bouts constituted any sort of struggle. His first defeat saw him suddenly run out of gas and crumble in a fight where he’d been using Ross Puritty for target practice through round after round, and the fifth round knockout loss to Lamon Brewster came right out of the blue after he’d given Lamon a shellacking and had him on the floor in the fourth. As for the Corrie Sanders setback, Klitschko was jumped on and blown away before any sort of contest had even had time to develop.
The Sam Peter fight doesn’t count as competitive either, despite Wladimir being knocked down three times. He boxed nervous all night, like he was terrified of getting hit, and seemed to go over from punches that barely reached him, but Klitschko was always outboxing the guy and had plenty of points to spare.
Sultan Ibragimov has to do more than just threaten like Peter. He has to make Klitschko realize from the off that he’s in a proper fight for the first time in his career, and he needs to sustain that effort so that the judges have something to do at the end of each round other than routinely score the session to Wladimir. Ibragimov has to make Klitschko feel like he’s fighting for his life in there.
Carlos Quintana gave Sultan the blueprint a couple of weeks back when beating Paul Williams despite being at the same physical disadvantage that Sultan will face tonight. Speed and movement were vital, to state the obvious, but the key for Quintana was letting the leather fly when he got into position. He couldn’t afford to be gun shy and he wasn’t, consistently beating Williams to the punch and showing from the start that he could reach the taller man with head shots. Chagaev did the same against Valuev. If Ibragimov truly believes in himself he might be able to do something similar, especially as Wladimir’s chin is not exactly a shock absorber par excellence, but is the Russian a good enough fighter to make it happen.
When it comes down to it, I tend to think Klitschko’s power will be the difference. Sultan had a tough time with Ray Austin and came out with a draw after a fight which saw both men down and that wouldn’t appear to bode too well for tonight, given that Wladimir annihilated Austin in two rounds. Ray measured up to Klitschko physically but was totally out of his depth when the fighting began. If Sultan struggled against Austin, you’d have to figure he’s also likely to have problems with a man who’s the same size as Ray but much more formidable.
Whatever the outcome, should boxing have itself an undisputed heavyweight champ in the next year or so, which is what the sport badly needs, the guy taking the biggest bow should be Sultan Ibragimov. He’s the one who got the ball rolling, and has kept it rolling. For that, he’s deserving of all praise in my book.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Witter Still Calling Out The Hit Man
Ricky Hatton says the reason he doesn’t want to fight WBC light welterweight champ Junior Witter is in not wanting to hand a big pay cheque to a fighter who has ‘made a career out of slagging me off.’
I can understand Ricky being pissed off by Witter’s persistent sniping and there’s no doubt that big money for any match between the two would be generated by Hatton’s name, not Witter’s. So maybe Hatton genuinely doesn’t want himself to be the means by which Junior gets access to riches, maybe he really does dislike him that much, but you’d still expect a fighter’s reaction to perceived disrespect would be a desire to silence the guy’s mouth by shoving a fist into it.
Witter is on solid ground right now. He won the vacant WBC belt in a dull affair with DeMarcus Corley then had an easy time stopping Arturo Morua in nine rounds of his first defence, and nobody was taking too much notice, but Witter got everyone’s attention last time out when annihilating Vivian Harris. It really was a top performance.
Ricky Hatton might not like it, or care to admit as much, and maybe he thinks being still recognized by Ring Magazine as the true light welter champ gives him the right to shun Witter altogether, but there’s no way Hatton can belittle Junior Witter’s own title claim without fighting and beating him. I reckon that’s fair enough, don’t you.
We all know Ricky is a terrific fighter who has lost only to Mayweather, but Witter is no slouch either in the stats department, with Zab Judah his only conqueror in a match Junior took at short notice a few years back. Now the Bradford bomber has tightened his grip on the WBC crown with that spectacular blast out of Harris, you'd have to say he's Hatton's standout rival at 140 pounds.
Junior has now upped the verbal pressure even further. As WBC king he’s entitled to 70% of the purse when putting his status on the line but says he’s prepared to box on Ricky’s home turf and settle for the 30% end. “He can have the lion’s share,” says Witter.
That sounds like a man who wants it bad. His words are not so much a challenge, more a provocation, and it’ll be mighty interesting to see what response, if any, comes out of Manchester.
I can understand Ricky being pissed off by Witter’s persistent sniping and there’s no doubt that big money for any match between the two would be generated by Hatton’s name, not Witter’s. So maybe Hatton genuinely doesn’t want himself to be the means by which Junior gets access to riches, maybe he really does dislike him that much, but you’d still expect a fighter’s reaction to perceived disrespect would be a desire to silence the guy’s mouth by shoving a fist into it.
Witter is on solid ground right now. He won the vacant WBC belt in a dull affair with DeMarcus Corley then had an easy time stopping Arturo Morua in nine rounds of his first defence, and nobody was taking too much notice, but Witter got everyone’s attention last time out when annihilating Vivian Harris. It really was a top performance.
Ricky Hatton might not like it, or care to admit as much, and maybe he thinks being still recognized by Ring Magazine as the true light welter champ gives him the right to shun Witter altogether, but there’s no way Hatton can belittle Junior Witter’s own title claim without fighting and beating him. I reckon that’s fair enough, don’t you.
We all know Ricky is a terrific fighter who has lost only to Mayweather, but Witter is no slouch either in the stats department, with Zab Judah his only conqueror in a match Junior took at short notice a few years back. Now the Bradford bomber has tightened his grip on the WBC crown with that spectacular blast out of Harris, you'd have to say he's Hatton's standout rival at 140 pounds.
Junior has now upped the verbal pressure even further. As WBC king he’s entitled to 70% of the purse when putting his status on the line but says he’s prepared to box on Ricky’s home turf and settle for the 30% end. “He can have the lion’s share,” says Witter.
That sounds like a man who wants it bad. His words are not so much a challenge, more a provocation, and it’ll be mighty interesting to see what response, if any, comes out of Manchester.
Little Big Men
When any fight goes the full distance all we want is for the judges to come up with the right verdict. Isn’t that so. This game is hard enough without a boxer proving himself the better man only to end up getting robbed on the cards.
Having said that, and meant it, there are occasions when I’m happy enough with a 2-1 score even though the dissenting judge definitely seems to have got it wrong. It takes two to make a great fight and sometimes, when people look back at the bare result of a fight they didn’t attend and haven’t seen a film of, a split decision is perhaps the only thing that can properly credit the loser’s contribution. That way we still get the right and deserving winner but at least there’s something to show that he had to battle for it.
We had a fight like that last weekend. Cristian Mijares against Jose Navarro for the WBC super flyweight title.
It was a terrific boxing match, with Navarro turning in a career best performance but not having quite enough to upset the little master of a champion. Mijares was too smooth, too slick, and plain too good, but Jose stuck with him all the way and gave the Mexican what was not just a courageous challenge but a classy one too. There was no reason why any of the judges should have scored in favour of Navarro because Mijares was clearly that bit superior in most of the rounds, but had one of them split the vote by awarding a tight edge to Jose it wouldn’t have given an altogether wrong impression of the action itself. Mijares had to be on his mettle throughout to retain his title. Anything less would have seen him beaten by a man whose effort really was that worthy.
As it was, the fight did go to a split decision, but not the kind to reflect honour on Jose Navarro. Jose finished the bout with his left eye shut but the judge who saw things his way, a certain Doug Tucker, must have had both eyes shut or been sitting with his back to the ring throughout.
Tucker somehow called all twelve rounds for Navarro. Absolutely bizarre. In the wake of that inexplicable scoring, ridicule for Tucker is obviously going to supersede any appreciation of Jose’s fine try, and that’s a shame. It means Jose Navarro comes out a loser every which way. Now 0-4 in ‘world’ championship attempts, you have to feel for him.
Having said that, and meant it, there are occasions when I’m happy enough with a 2-1 score even though the dissenting judge definitely seems to have got it wrong. It takes two to make a great fight and sometimes, when people look back at the bare result of a fight they didn’t attend and haven’t seen a film of, a split decision is perhaps the only thing that can properly credit the loser’s contribution. That way we still get the right and deserving winner but at least there’s something to show that he had to battle for it.
We had a fight like that last weekend. Cristian Mijares against Jose Navarro for the WBC super flyweight title.
It was a terrific boxing match, with Navarro turning in a career best performance but not having quite enough to upset the little master of a champion. Mijares was too smooth, too slick, and plain too good, but Jose stuck with him all the way and gave the Mexican what was not just a courageous challenge but a classy one too. There was no reason why any of the judges should have scored in favour of Navarro because Mijares was clearly that bit superior in most of the rounds, but had one of them split the vote by awarding a tight edge to Jose it wouldn’t have given an altogether wrong impression of the action itself. Mijares had to be on his mettle throughout to retain his title. Anything less would have seen him beaten by a man whose effort really was that worthy.
As it was, the fight did go to a split decision, but not the kind to reflect honour on Jose Navarro. Jose finished the bout with his left eye shut but the judge who saw things his way, a certain Doug Tucker, must have had both eyes shut or been sitting with his back to the ring throughout.
Tucker somehow called all twelve rounds for Navarro. Absolutely bizarre. In the wake of that inexplicable scoring, ridicule for Tucker is obviously going to supersede any appreciation of Jose’s fine try, and that’s a shame. It means Jose Navarro comes out a loser every which way. Now 0-4 in ‘world’ championship attempts, you have to feel for him.
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Kelly Still The Hero
Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor gave us another good fight last night, didn’t they, every bit as good as the original for quality even if it lacked the knockdown drama of that first clash. Fought in good spirit too, and the mutual embrace at the finish showed a genuine respect for each other. Two top men.
Because this was a catchweight match at 166 pounds, Kelly’s title wasn’t at stake and he would still have been middleweight champ today no matter what the result, but that didn’t stop those lovely chappies at the WBC from sticking a finger in the pie. Despite being a non title affair, and therefore not in need of any such approval, it seems the WBC decided to sanction it anyway and justified that ridiculous move – plus its sanctioning fee no doubt – by saying the winner would get a medal of honour. How generous.
So, what we saw last night was not a non title fight after all, then, but a medal of honour fight. A wonderful new concept designed to further line the WBC coffers, well into the future, from any pairing it deigns to give the nod to. I can hear those medals being mass produced right now, even as we contemplate the wrongs and wrongs of it.
It looks pretty certain that Pavlik will next defend his championship against John Duddy, and you know what I think about that. I could see Irish John earning a medal that night, for bravery, because he’s sure to fight his heart out, but that’s all he’s likely to get apart from a beating. Six rounds max.
As for Jermain Taylor, he can go on to be a big factor at super middleweight. He’d give anyone in that division a tough time and the guy I’d really like to see him box is motor mouth Colombian, Edison Miranda. It would be an exciting spectacle and a natural match, given that Miranda has had plenty of derogatory things to say about Taylor in the past.
The trouble with giving it large in the verbal department, of course, is that you stand to look a fool if you can’t back it up. Boxing like he did last night, I reckon Jermain would shut Miranda’s mouth good and truly, well and proper. He may no longer be the middleweight king but Jermain Taylor is still one classy pug.
Because this was a catchweight match at 166 pounds, Kelly’s title wasn’t at stake and he would still have been middleweight champ today no matter what the result, but that didn’t stop those lovely chappies at the WBC from sticking a finger in the pie. Despite being a non title affair, and therefore not in need of any such approval, it seems the WBC decided to sanction it anyway and justified that ridiculous move – plus its sanctioning fee no doubt – by saying the winner would get a medal of honour. How generous.
So, what we saw last night was not a non title fight after all, then, but a medal of honour fight. A wonderful new concept designed to further line the WBC coffers, well into the future, from any pairing it deigns to give the nod to. I can hear those medals being mass produced right now, even as we contemplate the wrongs and wrongs of it.
It looks pretty certain that Pavlik will next defend his championship against John Duddy, and you know what I think about that. I could see Irish John earning a medal that night, for bravery, because he’s sure to fight his heart out, but that’s all he’s likely to get apart from a beating. Six rounds max.
As for Jermain Taylor, he can go on to be a big factor at super middleweight. He’d give anyone in that division a tough time and the guy I’d really like to see him box is motor mouth Colombian, Edison Miranda. It would be an exciting spectacle and a natural match, given that Miranda has had plenty of derogatory things to say about Taylor in the past.
The trouble with giving it large in the verbal department, of course, is that you stand to look a fool if you can’t back it up. Boxing like he did last night, I reckon Jermain would shut Miranda’s mouth good and truly, well and proper. He may no longer be the middleweight king but Jermain Taylor is still one classy pug.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Carried Away
Tiny terror, Gavin Rees, has been touting for a future payday even in advance of his WBA light welterweight defence against Andreas Kotelnik. After hearing that Amir Khan is looking forward to the possibility of boxing Ricky Hatton, perhaps in the summer of next year, the Welshman says that he himself wants to share a ring with Khan and will “smash him to pieces.”
Good to hear a fighter speak with confidence, but I reckon Gavin is getting a bit carried away with where he’s at in world boxing. Despite a current 27-0 record, Rees was really just a prelim fighter before somehow being given the chance to challenge for the WBA title and, although he decisioned Souleymane M’Baye on merit to gain that crown, it will always be a mystery to me as to how M’Baye could have performed so miserably on the night. To what must have been his great amazement, Gavin Rees had nothing to beat.
I don’t expect that to be the case, though, when Rees faces Kotelnik in Cardiff on March 22nd. The Ukranian isn’t likely to let himself down like M’Baye. Rees may now be a stronger fighter mentally for having become champ right out of the blue in the way that he did, and the Welsh fans will have him going at full throttle, but if Kotelnik boxes as he can it will be a much tougher test than any Gavin has yet experienced. Expectation has to be a win for the visitor.
Gavin Rees against Amir Khan? Well, for starters, Khan is a lightweight who is strong and full of stamina at that poundage and has ambitions still to fulfil in the lightweight division. Amir’s mention of Hatton refers to what would be a massive attraction down the road should Ricky get back on track and Khan go on to capture a world lightweight belt later this year or early next. You don’t have to be clairvoyant to see that that’s a fight the public would want.
For Rees to get in the frame for a bout with Khan he would have to beat Andreas Kotelnik and then, presumably, lay low in the hope that Amir does go on to capture a world belt and, having done that, looks to box the Welshman as a prelude to any meeting with Ricky. Not a likely sequence of events, is it.
For what it’s worth, I reckon if Khan and Rees were to meet right now, at the light welter limit, Gavin would be hard pressed to win a round. Gairy St Clair, barely an inch taller than the five foot three Rees, went all twelve with Amir recently but didn’t have a single session scored his way on any of the cards, and I couldn’t see Gavin doing any better even though his approach would be different. While St Clair inched forward with gloves held high in survival mode, except for an odd swipe here and there, Rees would want to rumble and so leave himself open to abuse from Khan’s impressively accurate blows.
I have little doubt that Amir Khan would, for want of a better phrase, smash Gavin Rees to pieces.
Good to hear a fighter speak with confidence, but I reckon Gavin is getting a bit carried away with where he’s at in world boxing. Despite a current 27-0 record, Rees was really just a prelim fighter before somehow being given the chance to challenge for the WBA title and, although he decisioned Souleymane M’Baye on merit to gain that crown, it will always be a mystery to me as to how M’Baye could have performed so miserably on the night. To what must have been his great amazement, Gavin Rees had nothing to beat.
I don’t expect that to be the case, though, when Rees faces Kotelnik in Cardiff on March 22nd. The Ukranian isn’t likely to let himself down like M’Baye. Rees may now be a stronger fighter mentally for having become champ right out of the blue in the way that he did, and the Welsh fans will have him going at full throttle, but if Kotelnik boxes as he can it will be a much tougher test than any Gavin has yet experienced. Expectation has to be a win for the visitor.
Gavin Rees against Amir Khan? Well, for starters, Khan is a lightweight who is strong and full of stamina at that poundage and has ambitions still to fulfil in the lightweight division. Amir’s mention of Hatton refers to what would be a massive attraction down the road should Ricky get back on track and Khan go on to capture a world lightweight belt later this year or early next. You don’t have to be clairvoyant to see that that’s a fight the public would want.
For Rees to get in the frame for a bout with Khan he would have to beat Andreas Kotelnik and then, presumably, lay low in the hope that Amir does go on to capture a world belt and, having done that, looks to box the Welshman as a prelude to any meeting with Ricky. Not a likely sequence of events, is it.
For what it’s worth, I reckon if Khan and Rees were to meet right now, at the light welter limit, Gavin would be hard pressed to win a round. Gairy St Clair, barely an inch taller than the five foot three Rees, went all twelve with Amir recently but didn’t have a single session scored his way on any of the cards, and I couldn’t see Gavin doing any better even though his approach would be different. While St Clair inched forward with gloves held high in survival mode, except for an odd swipe here and there, Rees would want to rumble and so leave himself open to abuse from Khan’s impressively accurate blows.
I have little doubt that Amir Khan would, for want of a better phrase, smash Gavin Rees to pieces.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Time To See If He Really Can Fight
The IBF have decreed that undefeated Giovanni Lorenzo and Fulgencio Zuniga fight an elimination bout, with the winner coming out as number one contender to middleweight champion Arthur Abraham. It’s one to look forward to because this, for almost certain, is the kind of match were boxing fans can hardly lose, a bombs away affair that will not only entertain but at the same time let us know whether the touted Lorenzo is top class or not.
30 year old Colombian, Zuniga, is a proven warrior and solid yardstick. He can box a bit and fight a bit, and is a dangerous man even in the best of company.
Fulgencio was out of his depth and widely outpointed when trying for the WBO light middleweight title four and a half years ago against Daniel Santos in Puerto Rico, but that challenge represented a huge step up for Zuniga who was boxing outside of Colombia for the first time after starting his pro campaign with fifteen straight kayos back home. And only one of those had gone beyond round three. Not surprising then that Santos proved far too slick.
Zuniga has only had seven fights since, so he’s still fresh enough in terms of total career rounds boxed, even though four of those seven bouts were seriously attritional. I don’t really see Fulgencio becoming a world champ but he’s a decent all round fighter now, much more able than the naïve banger who got pitched in with Santos in 2003, and he’s still ambitious.
Giovanni Lorenzo is the higher ranked fighter by the IBF and is still undefeated, having run his record to 26-0. For all that, though, it’s Lorenzo and not Zuniga who’ll be going into the unknown in this fight.
Giovanni may have 26 straight wins, with 18 stopped, but those numbers speak potential, not hard achievement. A string of wins gained without ever being highly tried. Well, Zuniga, who dropped Kelly Pavlik before being ground down in nine rounds for his only other defeat, is going to put him to the test alright. Lorenzo doesn't lack self belief but will have to be almost as good as he thinks he is to come out on top.
30 year old Colombian, Zuniga, is a proven warrior and solid yardstick. He can box a bit and fight a bit, and is a dangerous man even in the best of company.
Fulgencio was out of his depth and widely outpointed when trying for the WBO light middleweight title four and a half years ago against Daniel Santos in Puerto Rico, but that challenge represented a huge step up for Zuniga who was boxing outside of Colombia for the first time after starting his pro campaign with fifteen straight kayos back home. And only one of those had gone beyond round three. Not surprising then that Santos proved far too slick.
Zuniga has only had seven fights since, so he’s still fresh enough in terms of total career rounds boxed, even though four of those seven bouts were seriously attritional. I don’t really see Fulgencio becoming a world champ but he’s a decent all round fighter now, much more able than the naïve banger who got pitched in with Santos in 2003, and he’s still ambitious.
Giovanni Lorenzo is the higher ranked fighter by the IBF and is still undefeated, having run his record to 26-0. For all that, though, it’s Lorenzo and not Zuniga who’ll be going into the unknown in this fight.
Giovanni may have 26 straight wins, with 18 stopped, but those numbers speak potential, not hard achievement. A string of wins gained without ever being highly tried. Well, Zuniga, who dropped Kelly Pavlik before being ground down in nine rounds for his only other defeat, is going to put him to the test alright. Lorenzo doesn't lack self belief but will have to be almost as good as he thinks he is to come out on top.
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