Boxing Rostrum

When they met on the recent Agbeko vs. Darchinyan undercard Antonio DeMarco and Anges Adjaho were ambitious lightweight boxers with decent ability and numerically impressive pro records, DeMarco going in at 21-1-1 while Adjaho was registering 25-1. After a hard tussle it was the victorious DeMarco whose immediate ambitions remained intact, but the fascination lies in how come that fight had got itself tagged as an eliminator for the WBC number one slot.

The position had become vacant because the WBC’s acknowledged top contender Urbano Antillon, rather than claim his mandatory crack at the green belt, opted instead to box Miguel Acosta tonight for something called the WBA interim world lightweight title. Unbeaten Antillon thereby dodges Edwin Valero and looks to collect a laughably meaningless third tier prize in a division where the WBA already recognises not one but two world champions - Juan Manuel Marquez and Paulus Moses.

We won’t bother asking the WBA why someone who was not even in its own ratings has suddenly been sanctioned to box for this so called ‘title’ because the WBA is, of course, way beyond reason in its everyday actions.

We could try asking the WBC why, in the wake of Antillon’s defection, it didn’t respond by promoting to its top spot the next guy in line, as would be the obvious and logical step. Either that or nominate the highest ranked duo from its own list to contest an eliminator for the mandatory berth. We could also ask why it chose, instead, to put together said eliminator between DeMarco (WBO number 2) and Adjaho (IBF number 4), which would seem to indicate the WBC accords more credence to other people’s rankings than it does its own, given that neither of those boxers was anywhere to be found in the WBC top fifteen prior to this match being announced and approved.

Yes, we could ask, but what’s the use. The whole thing’s crazy, and it’s not going to uncrazy itself any time soon, is it

Where does Amir Khan go from here? Well, if he wants to retain the title he just won, Khan has to face his mandatory, Dimitri Salita. Is it going to happen. Doubtful, I’d say.

What about a laughable abdication of the full WBA crown in favour of challenging for Marcos Maidana’s ‘interim’ version, which would be the situation were those two to meet. Shouldn’t think so. Freddie Roach had already hinted before Amir beat Kotelnik that it would be better to let Khan vs. Maidana build into a big money fight down the road rather than have them do it any time soon, the obvious inference being that Roach prefers safer options for his prospective superstar. Sensible, no doubt, but hardly a vote of confidence in someone Freddie claims can follow Manny Pacquiao’s path to glory.

The Tim Bradley vs. Nate Campbell winner comes into the picture, as will Junior Witter if he regains his old WBC title next month. Ricky Hatton is also being talked about, and it’s easy to see why because money talks loudest and Hatton against Khan would be huge financially, a stadium fight for Manchester. Hope it doesn’t happen, though.

Most of all, I hope they’re not about to shove Erik Morales in Amir Khan’s direction. Morales is a modern great. He always sought out and fought the best and was involved in more great fights than just about anybody in the last twenty years. I have nothing but the highest regard for the man and the mark he made on boxing history. But Erik is a shot fighter. On top of that, he hasn’t fought for two years and has never boxed at light welter.

If Khan refuses to box Dimitri Salita he’ll lose his new title straight away but be free to pick and choose his next opponent. The horrible feeling is that Morales is in the frame. For him to come out of retirement and be fed straight away to a young Amir Khan would be bordering on criminal as far as I’m concerned.

Things have gone quiet, momentarily, on the David Haye front but there’s reason to hope he may yet be in the ring with Vitali Klitschko come September.

Haye has insulted both brothers and stirred their hatred in return. Targeting the Klitschkos verbally was a calculated ploy on Haye’s part and the depth of feeling it aroused is what got him the fight with Wladimir which, unfortunately, fell through. That same depth of feeling could now see Vitali step in and issue the family’s fistic reprisal to David Haye’s taunts.

When David pulled out of that signed and sealed fight with Wlad on account of a back injury it didn’t go down at all well with the younger Klitschko who, interviewed in the ring straight after his easy win over replacement foe Ruslan Chagaev, aimed plenty of vitriol in the Brit’s direction. I never knew the embodiment of placid had it in him to get so riled up.

Wladimir, of course, has now to turn his attention to Alexander Povetkin. That’s an IBF mandatory, and it’s fairly certain he’ll honour the obligation, so there’s no chance of a fight with Haye happening any time soon. Vitali, however, does not have prior commitments. He had been ordered to box Oleg Maskaev next but is now free to do his own thing, that WBC edict having been lifted since the matter went to arbitration.

In terms of motivation and finance a Vitali Klitschko vs. David Haye fight is surely a mutual priority, loose ends permitting. The biggest fight by far in heavyweight boxing would be Klitschko vs. Klitschko. It’s not going to happen. Either one of them against Haye is the next best thing, and Vitali is the one who’s available.

Vitali Klitschko clearly detests David Haye, maybe even more than Wlad does, and would probably get more satisfaction from beating the brash Londoner than he has from any previous victory. On the face of it Haye isn’t the slightest bit intimidated and he keeps spouting a contemptuous belief that he can flatten Vitali, just as he says he would have done to Klitschko Junior. All that stuff only heightens the appeal of such a fight, doesn’t it, and we already know for sure that it would sell out a football stadium in Germany or Ukraine. From a strictly boxing perspective we also know from the way these two guys approach their work that Vitali Klitschko vs. David Haye would bring back to life something that’s been dead for quite a while - the matchless excitement of world heavyweight championship boxing. Even if the reincarnation is only brief.

Paul Thomas is a graduate of the Stevie Wonder school of boxing adjudication. How else to explain his scoring last night, 113-113, after a fight in which Alexander Dimitrenko - who earned plaudits for perseverance if for little else - was outclassed by a well prepared and very slick Eddie Chambers.

Anybody can have a dodgy night, and the judging of a boxing match is a subjective exercise, but there was no way Dimitrenko merited parity with Chambers in this fight. Worse still, as the actual arithmetic indicates that Thomas scored the seventh and tenth rounds 10-8 to Chambers - correctly in my view, given Dimitrenko took counts in both those sessions - his card must have had the Ukranian winning seven rounds to only five for Chambers. Altogether bizarre.

Just as well for the visiting fighter that the other two guys on duty had a proper handle on what was taking place in Hamburg last night, ensuring Eddie walked away as Wlad Klitschko’s next WBO mandatory.

Paul Thomas is a star class referee in Britain, and good at that job. I’m always content to see him as the third man in the ring. After this fiasco, though, I’m not sure he should ever again be given a scoring role.

Eddie Chambers doesn’t get much consideration as a world level heavyweight boxer but he’s as technically sound as just about anybody out there and you have to give him credit for his willingness to take on high ranked contenders.

Tomorrow he meets undefeated behemoth Alexander Dimitrenko in Hamburg in the hope of dislodging Dimitrenko from his WBO number one slot and thereby putting himself in line for a shot at Wlad Klitschko. Don’t discount his chances of doing it.

Dimitrenko stands six seven, and weighs two fifty plus, dimensions which in themselves might mean problems for the much smaller Chambers, but I really don’t believe Dimitrenko is all that good and if Eddie isn’t intimidated by the sheer size he can land a lot of leather on this guy.

Accuracy is Chambers’ prime asset. On his other visit to Germany a year and a half ago he came up short in losing his own undefeated record by unanimous decision to the still unbeaten Alexander Povetkin, but the fight was sprinkled with enough quality contributions from Eddie to show that he does belong in that kind of company. Chambers threw far fewer punches than Povetkin yet managed to land almost as many as the persistent Russian. So, although it was a contest where overall impression might have seen Povetkin as a clear enough winner, there wasn’t all that much between them judged on the effective work the two men actually produced.

Eddie Chambers’ completion rate on punches thrown has always been high, and has risen further when in with aggressive guys like Povetkin and Sam Peter. He can spot the gaps and has the ability to home in on target but doesn’t do himself any favours by not being as busy as he might be, and that could certainly count against him tomorrow.

Dimitrenko is the house fighter, so to speak, and is being groomed for big things. For Chambers to upset that plot he’s going to have to demonstrate and emphasize his superiority more or less throughout, something that’s not likely to be achieved if he just chooses his moments here and there to pop Dimitrenko with clean shots, and settles for that, even if he’s deflecting or smothering everything that comes his way.

Whatever, this is not a fight that’s going to change the world. But it does have a certain fascination. A big, powerful, but vulnerable and, in my view, over hyped fighter against a smaller, much more skilled guy who’s lacking in devil and may be prone to fade in a long fight. Both have things going for them. Both have obvious flaws. The betting line says it’s easy for Dimitrenko but, outside of having home advantage here, is there anything he’s done in a boxing ring that would justify making him such an overwhelming favourite. No.

Dimitrenko’s size and strength might well be what swings it in the end but I’m not so sold on that outcome as the bookies clearly are and I’m quite expecting Fast Eddie’s ring smarts to expose the big guy and show up his failings, at least in the early rounds. Might be a case of whether or not he can keep it going.

In case you’re wondering, I don’t have a downer on Alexander Dimitrenko. I wish him the same good luck I wish every fighter. It’s just that I look at what he has to offer and, apart from bulk, don’t see anything there beyond the ordinary. Future heavyweight champion? Afraid not.

Hard to believe that Alexis Arguello is dead at 57, apparently by self inflicted gun shot. Tragic and so incredibly sad to think that Arguello, who was such a brave man in the ring and such a fine man outside of it, could end up, for whatever reason, feeling depressed and desperate enough to take his own life.

I’m very pained by this. When we say Alexis was a great fighter, the adjective is getting its proper use. He was champion of the world at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, not a collector of cheap trinkets but a real champion of his time in each of those three divisions. Someone for his own people, and others, to love and respect for good reason.

Arguello had classic style. His mastery combined murderous punching with an elegance that made him a joy to watch and Alexis also possessed the heart of a great one, something which never failed to show itself when needed.

Alexis Arguello was, and is, one of boxing’s all time luminaries. A fighter and a gentleman. He might be gone, but will live forever in my memory.

Tyson Fury’s persistent calling out of Britain’s top heavyweights has been ignored so far but he might be about to get such a fight with the Boxing Board of Control having nominated Fury to box John McDermott for McDermott’s English title.

Fury says the match was already offered to McDermott, and that McDermott declined. Whether it's actually true, or just Tyson’s way of goading his man, is hard to say but the claim will appear to be corroborated, won’t it, should Big Bad John now decide to drop the strap rather than defend it against Fury by November as ordered.

I suppose it comes down to how McDermott sees his future in boxing. If he still considers himself capable of success in the game and wants to seek yet another crack at British honours, this is his way back. In fact, after three failed attempts at the Lonsdale belt, beating Tyson Fury might be his only way back. Losing to Fury, on the other hand, would likely put McDermott out of the picture for good. John’s people will know that, but they’ll also know that, if John does pull out, the Board is likely to view things the same way as it would had he taken the fight and lost. McDermott’s career itself is up in the air on what choice he makes.

That jelly belly of his stops a lot of people from taking John McDermott too seriously as a fighter, but he’s a strong guy who trains hard and possesses decent technique. Mental fragility, not his wobbling gut, is John’s weakest point. Even after getting robbed in his first fight with Danny Williams (three points deducted from Williams by ref Dave Parris should have put it beyond dispute) McDermott spent the build up to the rematch looking for reassurance from those around him, asking everybody “Do you think I can win?”

That’s not the mindset of a top fighter, is it. To succeed big in boxing you have to really believe in yourself, and self doubt has certainly stopped McDermott becoming quite as good as he could have been, but he is fairly accomplished nevertheless. And he doesn’t lack courage.

If the fight goes ahead and McDermott sees it as the last chance saloon as far as his own ambitions are concerned, and performs accordingly, he’ll be a legitimate test for Fury at this stage of the skyscraper’s development.