Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Ukraine Strikes Pure Gold
So that’s the Olympics done with for another four stretch. What we saw was par for the course, really - entertaining in the main, with the usual mixture of quality action and enough dodgy scoring to keep everybody, in turn, happy or infuriated.
Most astounding stats from the tournament, and possibly the most significant, concern the failings of the American and Cuban teams.
Deontay Wilder won the U.S.A’s only medal, taking bronze at heavyweight, but even that came as a result of being outclassed by Italy’s Clemente Russo in a truly dreadful semi final. American amateur boxing has never been so empty of talent.
Cuba fared better in the medal count, capturing eight in total. That’s a heavy haul which would have most other nations ecstatic, but there’ll be no celebrating amongst Cubans at their failure to produce a single champion. They got four men through to the finals. All were beaten. Four silver and four bronze indicates collective strength but gaining no gold is an absolute disaster for a Caribbean stronghold that’s so used to churning out winners and maybe it’s a sign that Cuba’s fortunes in this branch of the sport are going into a similar decline to those of its once mighty neighbour. I mean, you couldn’t say the Cubans were cheated out of gold by the scoring, could you. They just weren’t good enough.
Stand out prospects from Beijing? Super heavyweight champ Roberto Cammarelle took the eye. Always in control of what he was doing, the southpaw has quick hands for a big man and he hits hard, as amply demonstrated in his stopping two giants in the medal matches. The Italian had six foot eight inch Brit, David Price, out of there inside two rounds of the semi, and battered six foot seven inch Zhilei Zhang of China in the final, the ref calling it off after Zhang climbed up from a last round knockdown. With the state of the professional heavyweight circus these days, I’d fancy Cammarelle to do some damage once acclimatized to the change, should he decide to go pro. The guy’s got class.
Not so obvious, but a boxer I liked the look of, was French lightweight Daouda Sow. Although coming up just short for gold against Russia’s Alexey Tischenko I thought he surprised and startled Tischenko more than a bit in what was a tear up of a final.
Tischenko had won featherweight gold in Athens and came in a strong favourite to move up successfully but Sow, who licked a Cuban to make this final, gave him all he wanted. It was a close thing all through. Knowing that, maybe the Frenchman was a bit too wild in his anxiety to land telling shots and tilt it his way, but he was still effective against a boxer who is proven top notch. It was a terrific effort.
I reckon fighting for pay would suit Sow better than the amateur code. He’s a whiplash puncher with the warrior spirit, who likes to compete physically, and would surely excel given more rounds to impose himself on a fight. Sow needs to calm down a touch, though, and get a grip on his emotions because being over excitable isn’t a plus in professional boxing. But that shouldn’t be too big a problem. A shrewd mentor can get him more composed, and thinking right, and Daouda certainly has the tools to make an impact. I’ll be watching with interest what he does from here on.
No question about the real star of the show, though. Vasyl Lomachenko. Apart from featherweight gold the Ukranian also picked up the Val Barker award for best boxer in Beijing and there surely can’t have been any dissenting voices in the making of that choice.
It’s naïve to get too carried away by an Olympian’s deeds when pondering what he might achieve in the professional ring, but Lomachenko could switch codes seamlessly tomorrow. I have no doubts on that score. The kid’s an exceptional and versatile talent.
It’s rare to find someone of Lomachenko’s tender years show such mastery of both attacking and defensive skills. Most youngsters, even the outstanding ones, are stronger in one area than the other but this guy has it all covered.
Lomachenko showed boxing brilliance in the semi final where he outclassed an able Turkish fighter, scoring freely while making sure not to take much in return, but he saved his best for the gold medal scrap against Khedafi Djelkir of France.
Djelkir, a square on aggressor, came out bombing and notched the first score, which seemed to light a fire in Lomachenko who might otherwise have been content to move around and counter his way to the prize. As it was, the Ukranian decided to beat the Frenchman at his own game.
Vasyl beat the crap out of Djelkir. What impressed most, though, was the way he went about it. He didn’t lose his cool at his opponent’s feisty start, and throw caution to the wind as Amir Khan has been known to do, but put Djelkir in his place with a show of perfectly balanced box-fighting. Controlled violence.
To put things in perspective here, let’s compare Lomachenko with the guy who’s currently the hottest featherweight prospect in professional boxing. Yuriorkis Gamboa won flyweight gold in Athens and has moved to 11-0 as a pro. He has a fearsome arsenal and is strongly fancied by some people to take a world crown, against any of the champs, as soon as he gets the opportunity. While Gamboa boasts the power and smoothness to threaten the best, though, his low hand carriage leaves him reliant on reflexes to avoid anything that’s fired back at him. That reliance has already been found wanting twice, with Yuriorkis suffering flash knockdowns against Adailton De Jesus and Darling Jimenez, and it’s safe to say he’d benefit from better methods of protecting himself once he mixes in titled company. But can he make that kind of adjustment, even if he has the will to do it. Possibly yes but, at 27 and set in his ways, I’d say he’d find it tough to suddenly acquire a tighter defence, wouldn’t you.
Vasyl Lomachenko doesn’t have that problem. He’s defence minded even when attacking - plenty of head movement, upper body movement too, nothing staying still, and hands in the guard position ready to throw punches and just as ready to block or deflect any return fire. At 20, Vasyl has boxing’s defensive essentials already ingrained. It’s a terrific base to work from.
Going back to his Olympic final, Lomachenko really was sensational. Khedafi Djelkir is no mug but might as well have been for all the chance he had. Djelkir took two standing counts and both times his eyes had the look of bewilderment you’d normally see in a knockout victim who’s just come round and is wondering what the hell happened. Khedafi knew what was happening, but was clearly bewildered as to how one man could possibly be hitting him from so many angles at the same time.
For the first ten seconds or so it had looked like a contest. Thereafter it was a massacre. One minute and fifty one seconds into round one the referee rescued a helpless Djelkir and Ukraine had only its second ever Olympic champion. A special champ.
Most astounding stats from the tournament, and possibly the most significant, concern the failings of the American and Cuban teams.
Deontay Wilder won the U.S.A’s only medal, taking bronze at heavyweight, but even that came as a result of being outclassed by Italy’s Clemente Russo in a truly dreadful semi final. American amateur boxing has never been so empty of talent.
Cuba fared better in the medal count, capturing eight in total. That’s a heavy haul which would have most other nations ecstatic, but there’ll be no celebrating amongst Cubans at their failure to produce a single champion. They got four men through to the finals. All were beaten. Four silver and four bronze indicates collective strength but gaining no gold is an absolute disaster for a Caribbean stronghold that’s so used to churning out winners and maybe it’s a sign that Cuba’s fortunes in this branch of the sport are going into a similar decline to those of its once mighty neighbour. I mean, you couldn’t say the Cubans were cheated out of gold by the scoring, could you. They just weren’t good enough.
Stand out prospects from Beijing? Super heavyweight champ Roberto Cammarelle took the eye. Always in control of what he was doing, the southpaw has quick hands for a big man and he hits hard, as amply demonstrated in his stopping two giants in the medal matches. The Italian had six foot eight inch Brit, David Price, out of there inside two rounds of the semi, and battered six foot seven inch Zhilei Zhang of China in the final, the ref calling it off after Zhang climbed up from a last round knockdown. With the state of the professional heavyweight circus these days, I’d fancy Cammarelle to do some damage once acclimatized to the change, should he decide to go pro. The guy’s got class.
Not so obvious, but a boxer I liked the look of, was French lightweight Daouda Sow. Although coming up just short for gold against Russia’s Alexey Tischenko I thought he surprised and startled Tischenko more than a bit in what was a tear up of a final.
Tischenko had won featherweight gold in Athens and came in a strong favourite to move up successfully but Sow, who licked a Cuban to make this final, gave him all he wanted. It was a close thing all through. Knowing that, maybe the Frenchman was a bit too wild in his anxiety to land telling shots and tilt it his way, but he was still effective against a boxer who is proven top notch. It was a terrific effort.
I reckon fighting for pay would suit Sow better than the amateur code. He’s a whiplash puncher with the warrior spirit, who likes to compete physically, and would surely excel given more rounds to impose himself on a fight. Sow needs to calm down a touch, though, and get a grip on his emotions because being over excitable isn’t a plus in professional boxing. But that shouldn’t be too big a problem. A shrewd mentor can get him more composed, and thinking right, and Daouda certainly has the tools to make an impact. I’ll be watching with interest what he does from here on.
No question about the real star of the show, though. Vasyl Lomachenko. Apart from featherweight gold the Ukranian also picked up the Val Barker award for best boxer in Beijing and there surely can’t have been any dissenting voices in the making of that choice.
It’s naïve to get too carried away by an Olympian’s deeds when pondering what he might achieve in the professional ring, but Lomachenko could switch codes seamlessly tomorrow. I have no doubts on that score. The kid’s an exceptional and versatile talent.
It’s rare to find someone of Lomachenko’s tender years show such mastery of both attacking and defensive skills. Most youngsters, even the outstanding ones, are stronger in one area than the other but this guy has it all covered.
Lomachenko showed boxing brilliance in the semi final where he outclassed an able Turkish fighter, scoring freely while making sure not to take much in return, but he saved his best for the gold medal scrap against Khedafi Djelkir of France.
Djelkir, a square on aggressor, came out bombing and notched the first score, which seemed to light a fire in Lomachenko who might otherwise have been content to move around and counter his way to the prize. As it was, the Ukranian decided to beat the Frenchman at his own game.
Vasyl beat the crap out of Djelkir. What impressed most, though, was the way he went about it. He didn’t lose his cool at his opponent’s feisty start, and throw caution to the wind as Amir Khan has been known to do, but put Djelkir in his place with a show of perfectly balanced box-fighting. Controlled violence.
To put things in perspective here, let’s compare Lomachenko with the guy who’s currently the hottest featherweight prospect in professional boxing. Yuriorkis Gamboa won flyweight gold in Athens and has moved to 11-0 as a pro. He has a fearsome arsenal and is strongly fancied by some people to take a world crown, against any of the champs, as soon as he gets the opportunity. While Gamboa boasts the power and smoothness to threaten the best, though, his low hand carriage leaves him reliant on reflexes to avoid anything that’s fired back at him. That reliance has already been found wanting twice, with Yuriorkis suffering flash knockdowns against Adailton De Jesus and Darling Jimenez, and it’s safe to say he’d benefit from better methods of protecting himself once he mixes in titled company. But can he make that kind of adjustment, even if he has the will to do it. Possibly yes but, at 27 and set in his ways, I’d say he’d find it tough to suddenly acquire a tighter defence, wouldn’t you.
Vasyl Lomachenko doesn’t have that problem. He’s defence minded even when attacking - plenty of head movement, upper body movement too, nothing staying still, and hands in the guard position ready to throw punches and just as ready to block or deflect any return fire. At 20, Vasyl has boxing’s defensive essentials already ingrained. It’s a terrific base to work from.
Going back to his Olympic final, Lomachenko really was sensational. Khedafi Djelkir is no mug but might as well have been for all the chance he had. Djelkir took two standing counts and both times his eyes had the look of bewilderment you’d normally see in a knockout victim who’s just come round and is wondering what the hell happened. Khedafi knew what was happening, but was clearly bewildered as to how one man could possibly be hitting him from so many angles at the same time.
For the first ten seconds or so it had looked like a contest. Thereafter it was a massacre. One minute and fifty one seconds into round one the referee rescued a helpless Djelkir and Ukraine had only its second ever Olympic champion. A special champ.
Sunday, 24 August 2008
What Next For Calzaghe?
After more than a decade of what had seemed a perfect marriage, business wise, the only things Frank Warren and Joe Calzaghe have in common right now are irreconcilable differences.
Papers have been filed by both parties. Warren says Joe is in breach of a verbal agreement he made to continue their professional relationship. The undefeated fighter says Warren owes him money.
With so many years of harmony behind them, and so much success, it’s sad it’s come to this, but I can’t say I’m all that interested in their contractual wrangling and I don’t suppose you are either. What does interest me, though, is the confusion about Joe Calzaghe’s boxing future.
Prior to jumping up a division to challenge Bernard Hopkins for the light heavyweight title, Calzaghe said making super middle had become too much of a strain and necessitated his move to the higher poundage. When he’d finished prep for Hopkins, Joe repeated that claim, crowing about how much stronger he felt in the 175 category.
Strange then, was it not, for Calzaghe to tell the WBO in the wake of beating Hopkins that he still wanted to hang on to the super middleweight belt he’d taken from Chris Eubank back in 1997, especially bearing in mind that Joe has also said he’ll retire from boxing, as a fighter at least, if he beats Roy Jones and beats him well come November. Right now, Joe Calzaghe doesn’t seem to know what he wants.
Maybe self doubt is creeping in. Maybe Calzaghe has come to realize, even if he doesn’t really want to accept it, that he only squeezed past the venerable Bernard, with little if anything to spare. He certainly didn’t do a job on the old timer. And maybe Joe is coming to suspect that Jones, who is younger than Hopkins, might be even more troublesome.
Topically, it’s now twenty years since Roy Jones was robbed of a gold medal in the Seoul Olympics. He’s getting old and the clock’s not for turning back. The speed Jones once had isn’t going to be seen again but he’s a savvy ringman who can conjure good stuff from memory, and he’s had plenty of time to ready himself for that date in the Garden. The betting line says Calzaghe all the way but, even though I might pick Joe to win, it’s not the kind of fight where I’d back that view to the extent of risking big money to win little.
If Calzaghe does beat Jones, he won’t hang up his gloves. I’m pretty sure of that, no matter what Joe himself has said. With Hopkins and Jones both conquered, Calzaghe’s earning power would be top bracket, something he’d find hard if not impossible to turn his back on. I think a winning Calzaghe will keep right on going, which is another way of saying that when his time comes to bow out of the game he won’t be bowing out as an undefeated fighter.
Papers have been filed by both parties. Warren says Joe is in breach of a verbal agreement he made to continue their professional relationship. The undefeated fighter says Warren owes him money.
With so many years of harmony behind them, and so much success, it’s sad it’s come to this, but I can’t say I’m all that interested in their contractual wrangling and I don’t suppose you are either. What does interest me, though, is the confusion about Joe Calzaghe’s boxing future.
Prior to jumping up a division to challenge Bernard Hopkins for the light heavyweight title, Calzaghe said making super middle had become too much of a strain and necessitated his move to the higher poundage. When he’d finished prep for Hopkins, Joe repeated that claim, crowing about how much stronger he felt in the 175 category.
Strange then, was it not, for Calzaghe to tell the WBO in the wake of beating Hopkins that he still wanted to hang on to the super middleweight belt he’d taken from Chris Eubank back in 1997, especially bearing in mind that Joe has also said he’ll retire from boxing, as a fighter at least, if he beats Roy Jones and beats him well come November. Right now, Joe Calzaghe doesn’t seem to know what he wants.
Maybe self doubt is creeping in. Maybe Calzaghe has come to realize, even if he doesn’t really want to accept it, that he only squeezed past the venerable Bernard, with little if anything to spare. He certainly didn’t do a job on the old timer. And maybe Joe is coming to suspect that Jones, who is younger than Hopkins, might be even more troublesome.
Topically, it’s now twenty years since Roy Jones was robbed of a gold medal in the Seoul Olympics. He’s getting old and the clock’s not for turning back. The speed Jones once had isn’t going to be seen again but he’s a savvy ringman who can conjure good stuff from memory, and he’s had plenty of time to ready himself for that date in the Garden. The betting line says Calzaghe all the way but, even though I might pick Joe to win, it’s not the kind of fight where I’d back that view to the extent of risking big money to win little.
If Calzaghe does beat Jones, he won’t hang up his gloves. I’m pretty sure of that, no matter what Joe himself has said. With Hopkins and Jones both conquered, Calzaghe’s earning power would be top bracket, something he’d find hard if not impossible to turn his back on. I think a winning Calzaghe will keep right on going, which is another way of saying that when his time comes to bow out of the game he won’t be bowing out as an undefeated fighter.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Dane Gelt?
Danilo Haussler goes in with Mikkel Kessler for the WBA super middleweight title in October and you owe it to yourself to cash in any way you can, although it will have to be the sneaky way because the bookies surely know, as we do, that Haussler’s got no chance.
Kessler’s a good fighter. A rounded fighter. With power. The Dane is far superior to Haussler on every level. So is every other world class super middle.
Danilo is European champ and has held a couple of inter-continental baubles but he’s been protected on German turf and copped at least a couple of very dodgy verdicts in the course of his 33 fight career. Technically basic at best, and not a puncher, Haussler has been defeated three times but nevertheless kept plugging away, with determination his only major tool. Got to admire the man for that, and if a guy like Tocker Pudwill could get a shot at Sven Ottke, followed by another against Calzaghe, maybe we shouldn’t begrudge Danilo his little bit of super middleweight limelight. He’s not going to win, but at least he’ll go down scrapping.
No bookie is going to give us any sort of price about Kessler, and trying to grab some value by picking the right round is a mug’s game, so the only possibility of making money from this fight is to find a German acquaintance and rope him in for a personal bet. If you know any Germans, that is.
With the Olympics about to start, we can bank on patriotic fervour all round which, together with booze fuelled conviviality, might just create the right atmosphere for the sealing of a wager. Sneaky but cute.
Bottom line, Mikkel Kessler flays Danilo Haussler.
Kessler’s a good fighter. A rounded fighter. With power. The Dane is far superior to Haussler on every level. So is every other world class super middle.
Danilo is European champ and has held a couple of inter-continental baubles but he’s been protected on German turf and copped at least a couple of very dodgy verdicts in the course of his 33 fight career. Technically basic at best, and not a puncher, Haussler has been defeated three times but nevertheless kept plugging away, with determination his only major tool. Got to admire the man for that, and if a guy like Tocker Pudwill could get a shot at Sven Ottke, followed by another against Calzaghe, maybe we shouldn’t begrudge Danilo his little bit of super middleweight limelight. He’s not going to win, but at least he’ll go down scrapping.
No bookie is going to give us any sort of price about Kessler, and trying to grab some value by picking the right round is a mug’s game, so the only possibility of making money from this fight is to find a German acquaintance and rope him in for a personal bet. If you know any Germans, that is.
With the Olympics about to start, we can bank on patriotic fervour all round which, together with booze fuelled conviviality, might just create the right atmosphere for the sealing of a wager. Sneaky but cute.
Bottom line, Mikkel Kessler flays Danilo Haussler.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Clottey The Better Man And No Buts
Clottey and Margarito? Yes, that would be one to enjoy, wouldn’t it, especially with Josh having both hands fully operational next time, unlike their first go when the African was carrying an injured wing through the last eight rounds.
But I don’t think a rematch will happen any time soon and if that’s the case I won’t feel particularly deprived because, even though it would be a guaranteed action fight, Margarito always conquers Clottey for my money.
That’s not to demean Joshua Clottey. He’s in the big time now, on merit, after beating Zab Judah fair and square Saturday night. Judah and his camp tried to make the stoppage controversial by claiming it was a head butt that turned Zab’s right eye into a fight-ending gusher but it was, and remains, a pathetic protest, with which they’ve only managed to belittle themselves. The bleeding was caused by a punch, and worsened by more of the same.
Had there been no cut, Clottey would surely have come out on top anyway, despite the official scores having things close at the time it was called off. Just couldn’t see a Judah victory. While he was the aggressor in this fight - which in itself shouldn’t really count for too much, but often does - Josh was also the more effective puncher, which should always count for plenty. I think a tiring Judah would have struggled to win rounds late on against the stronger man, and might not have made it through the full dozen.
What next? Well, a return bout isn’t out of the question, is it, with the Judah clan screaming injustice like they are, but that would depend on how quickly the eye heals. Much better, I’d say, a unifier between Clottey and Andre Berto.
Don’t know how you feel, but I still have reservations about Berto. He’s flash and exciting and a top notch attacking fighter, and he now has the WBC welterweight title to brag about. On the strength of that a lot of people in the game have him down as potential superstar material, and maybe they’re right, but Berto boxes too square on for my liking.
Joshua Clottey is just the guy to really test Andre’s credentials and, while it’s a pairing with obvious fan appeal, it would also make economic sense to have those two fight each other. To us, boxing is a sport. To the people who control it, boxing is strictly business.
As of now, Clottey and Berto have championship belts and are top notch welterweights, but neither guy is yet a big enough name to find himself in a mega money fight. You have to do something special to reach that league. Antonio Margarito has got there via the Cotto classic and the huge purse he’ll expect, and demand, for his next appearance will hardly come against Andre or Joshua.
If Clottey and Berto get it on for two belts, though, and it turns out to be the kind of thriller their styles and attitudes suggest, the winner could then hold his own hand out with big expectations. And deserve every cent that comes his way.
But I don’t think a rematch will happen any time soon and if that’s the case I won’t feel particularly deprived because, even though it would be a guaranteed action fight, Margarito always conquers Clottey for my money.
That’s not to demean Joshua Clottey. He’s in the big time now, on merit, after beating Zab Judah fair and square Saturday night. Judah and his camp tried to make the stoppage controversial by claiming it was a head butt that turned Zab’s right eye into a fight-ending gusher but it was, and remains, a pathetic protest, with which they’ve only managed to belittle themselves. The bleeding was caused by a punch, and worsened by more of the same.
Had there been no cut, Clottey would surely have come out on top anyway, despite the official scores having things close at the time it was called off. Just couldn’t see a Judah victory. While he was the aggressor in this fight - which in itself shouldn’t really count for too much, but often does - Josh was also the more effective puncher, which should always count for plenty. I think a tiring Judah would have struggled to win rounds late on against the stronger man, and might not have made it through the full dozen.
What next? Well, a return bout isn’t out of the question, is it, with the Judah clan screaming injustice like they are, but that would depend on how quickly the eye heals. Much better, I’d say, a unifier between Clottey and Andre Berto.
Don’t know how you feel, but I still have reservations about Berto. He’s flash and exciting and a top notch attacking fighter, and he now has the WBC welterweight title to brag about. On the strength of that a lot of people in the game have him down as potential superstar material, and maybe they’re right, but Berto boxes too square on for my liking.
Joshua Clottey is just the guy to really test Andre’s credentials and, while it’s a pairing with obvious fan appeal, it would also make economic sense to have those two fight each other. To us, boxing is a sport. To the people who control it, boxing is strictly business.
As of now, Clottey and Berto have championship belts and are top notch welterweights, but neither guy is yet a big enough name to find himself in a mega money fight. You have to do something special to reach that league. Antonio Margarito has got there via the Cotto classic and the huge purse he’ll expect, and demand, for his next appearance will hardly come against Andre or Joshua.
If Clottey and Berto get it on for two belts, though, and it turns out to be the kind of thriller their styles and attitudes suggest, the winner could then hold his own hand out with big expectations. And deserve every cent that comes his way.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]