:===================================:
:AMERICA ONLINE BOXING NEWSLETTER :
:December 28, 1996 :
:http://cyberboxingzone.com :
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GUEST EDITORIAL
By GorDoom (gordoom@aol.com)
A PROPOSAL FOR BOXING:
TIGER WOODS & THE BLUEPRINT FOR
HOW A SPORT REINVENTS ITSELF-- OR
MAYBE BOXING REALLY IS TOO STUPID
TO NOTICE ...
Until Tiger Woods turned pro, the Ol' Spit Bucket, despite having
a golf pro for a father-in-law, had never watched a complete
round of golf in his life. I've followed the sport thru
newspapers but have never found it to be very compelling. Why
the sudden change? Well . . . Basically, the Bucket still feels
the same way about golf that he always has: A self indulgent
sport for really badly dressed, garish, white yuppies . . . But
there's magic in the way young Tiger plays the sport. He is such
a marvelously gifted & self-possessed young man that he's almost
impossible to ignore . . . Somehow he's overcome the mind
boggling hype, the ka-jillion dollar deal with Nike & surfaced as
the youngest (only twenty years old), & most talented
professional athlete in sports today. The best part, is that
he's managed to do this without the by now cliched trash talking,
breast beating belched that is almost mandatory for today's
modern sports star.
What Tiger Woods will probably most be remembered for is his
sociological impact on golf. Tiger's dad is Afro-American, his
mom is Filipino. Two races you don't normally see at say, the
Master's Tournament in Augusta Georgia; unless they're serving
drinks or washing dishes . . . Golf has been the ultimate racist
sport & Tiger Woods is in the process of crashing down all those
racial barriers as forcefully as the Wall came down in Berlin.
I'm sure that when sports historians look back on the links 50
years from now; Golf, which along with tennis & skiing are the
most elitist uninclusive sports going . . . Tiger is going to be
remembered as a combination of Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson &
Arthur Ashe. He is going to open up golf to a lot of people,
most importantly impoverished inner city youth thru programs
being put in place thru his relationship with Nike. He did the
impossible -- he actually has made golf cool !
So what the hell does any of this have to do with Boxing? Sadly,
nothing. But there is a lesson to be learned here . . . Golf's
infrastructure could have rejected Woods, but wisely it didn't.
Instead Golf (to it's eternal betterment), has embraced Tiger &
lovingly brought him into the fold. I'm sure there is jealousy &
resentment among his fellow pro's, but they have been smart
enough to realize that this kid was the future of the sport & his
success would only spread to include them. Of course, if Tiger
hadn't produced right out of the gate this would all be moot ...
So, dear reader, at this point you are probably wondering if the
Bucket has lost what's left of his addled mind & just what the
hell he is doing writing about golf in the middle of a boxing rag
. . . It's because boxing has two athletes as gifted as Woods in
their respective sport: Oscar De La Hoya & Roy Jones Jr. In any
other sport, two young, well spoken, good looking & vastly
talented champions like those two would be marketed & promoted to
the nth degree like Tiger has. I know Roy has some sort of deal
with Nike & Oscar with his fluency in both English & Spanish is
starting to be a spokesperson for a few products, but when you
contrast this with what is being done with Woods & other sports
stars it's laughable. Hell, when you compare them to Sugar Ray
Leonard when he came out, there is no comparison.
Oscar has a lot of the same advantages as Sugar Ray. The looks,
the gold medal, the instant success as a pro -- & he even has an
advantage over Ray -- he's bilingual & crosses over cultures.
Yet even with all that going for Oscar, his public recognition
factor pales (no pun intended), in comparison to Ray at the same
juncture of his career.
Boxing needs to reinvent itself in the same way that Golf is
doing today. Like B-Ball did with the arrival of Magic & Byrd;
or it's going to die a slow, miserable death. The main obstacle
for this happening is obvious . . . Boxing has no central
governing body like all other major sports do. Without this the
sport is doomed. There can be no marketing plan put in place
when there is nobody responsible for guiding the sport into the
21st century. How this is supposed to be accomplished? Well,
the Bucket has a not-so-modest proposal which we'll get to in a
moment, because something has to be done, & soon.
The always astute Charlie Steiner of ESPN has a very thought-
provoking article posted on ESPN's Sport Zone on the web. It's
entitled "Boxing Still In Critical Shape" I feel it's a "must
read", & that every major business player in Boxing should read
it. In the article Steiner makes three strong points. The
first is how traditionally, boxers have always come out of the
ghettos; whether they be Irish, Italian, Jewish, Black or
Hispanic. Boxing isn't picky, it's welcomes any downtrodden
person without regard to race, color or creed. The problem for
boxing, is that the downtrodden have more options these days.
It's a lot easier too shoot hoops or play football than it is to
get whacked in the face for a living . . . Hell, if you stop to
think about it, it's easier to sell crack or pimp than to be a
fighter & unless your really bad at it, it's probably more
lucrative -- although there does tend to be a pretty heavy
downside to a life of crime . . . Anyway, Steiner's point is that
the once teeming boxing gyms are now running on empty. Which
brings me back to Tiger Woods, as he's showing under privileged
urban youth yet another way out of squalor . . . Seiner's second
point is that boxing's fan base is steadily growing older without
any new, young fans coming in to support it. He points out that
he hardly ever see's fans at the fights that are under the age of
30. He's right, the only young people at fights are the fighters
(& their families), round card girls & the bimbo's that the high
rollers drag to the fights so that they'll look good.
The reason there are no young fans coming into the sport is that
they hardly ever get exposed to it on network TV. & the media,
except for when it has to cover major fights like
Tyson-Holyfield, treats boxing as the slavering, mentally
challenged relative of Sports -- consigned to being locked in the
media attic were it can be constrained until the next time . . .
The simple fact is, how can Boxing bring in younger fans when
they never get to see it or read about it? It's impossible to
get emotionally involved (I'm talking strictly as a fan), with a
sports figure if you never get to see him or even read about him.
It would be like getting crazy over a rock & roll band that you
had never heard. . . Outta the question.
Steiner's third point is the total lack of credibility of the
sport & the chaos that governs it. Too many Alphabets & nobody
believes a word that comes out of any of them. Charley's article
is hard-hitting & makes very valid, albeit negative, points about
boxing. He's right, less & less people are watching & even fewer
young men are embracing the sport as an athletic career.
So what the hell can be done with this twisted lash-up? Well . .
. Yeah, the Ol' Spit Bucket's got a damn good idea that would
work if all the greedy party's involved could step up to the
plate & do the right thang . . . Here it is, all major sports
have either commissioners or some form of governing body. What
the NFL, NBA & MLB are, is governing bodies put in place by the
owners of the franchises. All those owners realized if there
wasn't a powerful, centralized sanctioning organization, their
respective sports would be in anarchic chaos. Which is exactly
the situation we have in boxing today. Now Boxing doesn't have
franchise owners like other sports, but in the fight game the
promoters function as defacto owners. My idea is this: If
somehow a little altruism for the sport could be injected into
the cancer of rampant greed; Don King, Bob Arum, Dino Duva,
Cedric Kushner & the other major boxing promoters would get
together & appoint an impartial Commissioners Office for boxing.
It would be like the independent investigators that Congress is
so infatuated with. The only way this could work would be by
giving true power to the commissioner. He couldn't be in any of
these promoters pocket's or the whole thing would collapse like a
house of cards. There would also have to be an iron clad
contract that states that the promoters couldn't replace or end
the commission for a set amount of time, say, 7 years. With a
commission in place, boxing could go about truly transforming &
reorganizing into a viable sport. It can be done. Remember
B-Ball right before Magic & Byrd arrived on the scene? It was a
faltering sport. B-Ball Commissioner, David Stern has done an
incredible job of remaking the at the time, very tattered image
of the NBA. He implemented rational labor agreements & the
marketing effort of the NBA has been nothing short of astounding.
Who could be boxing's David Stern? I nominate two candidates:
Randy Gordon & Mills Lane. We'll start with Gordon. First let
me state that while the Cyber Boxing Zone is grateful that Randy
has been gracious enough to become a regular contributor for our
magazine that is pretty much the extent of the tie-in between us.
I've spoken on the phone with Randy quite a few times, but I've
never actually met him. The reason I propose him for the
commissioners gig is not due to friendship but because his
credentials for the gig are impeccable. He knows boxing inside &
out & his resume is outstanding & incredibly varied. He has
broadcast boxing for both the ESPN & USA networks. He is the
former editor of Ring Magazine. Gordon also has hands on
experience with the job as he is the former New York State
Athletic Commissioner. Currently he is the director of boxing
operations for the Foxwoods Casino; in essence he's a boxing
promoter. Along with his outstanding resume, Randy has a very
engaging personality & is very media savvy. He would be an
excellent spokesperson for the sport.
Mills Lane brings an altogether different dynamic to the table.
His credentials are equally impressive. A former marine, boxer,
attorney, district attorney & currently a hard nosed circuit
judge in Nevada. All this, plus he's flat out the best referee
in boxing!
For me it would be very hard to choose between them. Both are
men of unquestioned integrity & high principle. It would be a
matter of style. Gordon would be more the Pete Rozelle type,
facile with the media & very inventive at marketing. Lane would
probably be more the Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, or Harry
Truman type of commissioner. He would guide boxing with a firm,
very moral no belched approach. Maybe there would be a position
for both men, with Lane taking care of boxing's internal affairs
& Gordon handling the external media & marketing demands.
Unfortunately this idea is my own private pipe dream, but the
handwriting is on the wall pointing at the demise of boxing. The
signs are unmistakable: the aging & dwindling fan base; fewer
fighters coming into the sport; & the complete erosion of
credibility & interest from the general sporting public. Think
about it, if a commission could be formed all the alphabet soups
would immediately become obsolete. We could have one champion
per division & ratings that would reflect some badly needed
reality. But Selah . . . It most probably will never happen. It
would take vision by a group of people whose idea of cooperation
is sticking your hands in somebody else's pocket.
Of course, all this happening is about as likely as Newt Gingrich
trying to cooperate with Clinton. Slim to none . . . But Boxing
desperately needs a solution to seemingly insurmountable
problems. I will say my solution is more practical than the
sport's pipe dream of someday having a federally run commission.
It is my observation that the only thing the Federal Government
is good at is collecting income taxes . . . Yet they still don't
know how to spend it wisely. There is not & there never is going
to be boxing with a federally governed central commission . . .
Not gonna happen my friend. The solution I've proposed would
work & could be implemented very quickly. The news of boxing
finally cleaning itself would be an incredible public relations
coup & would be a giant step forward in repairing the sport's
yawning chasm of a credibility gap.
=================================================================
Bowe-Golota II
By Randy Gordon (RG1NYS@aol.com)
Just when we thought Polish jokes had gone away, along comes
Andrew Golota. He'll do anything not to win a fight.
All he had to do was go on vacation for three minutes in the 10th
round against Riddick Bowe and the fight was his. Three minutes.
One hundred eighty seconds. Jab, grab and move. Jab, grab and
move. Hands high. Step back. Throw a punch here and there,
just to keep Bowe honest. Then, the bell would have rung and
Golota would have had himself a one-sided decision victory over
the man he beat up but was disqualified against last July 11 in
Madison Square Garden. But no, Golota couldn't do that. He had
to, just had to, take out one final assault against Bowe's family
jewels. At that point, referee Eddie Cotton, much like New York
referee Wayne Kelly some five months before, had no choice but to
hang a DQ on the incredibly brainless street thug from Warsaw,
Poland.
Rather than your typical post-fight story, I decided to give
readers of the "Cyber Boxing Zone" a different look at one of the
most incredible heavyweight fights I have ever had the pleasure,
er, make that stomach, to cover. It made the co-feature, an
exciting heavyweight battle between Ray Mercer and "Terrible" Tim
Witherspoon, look like a game of pattycake.
The look you are about to get is from the tape recorded notes I
made during the fight. As I listened to them later, I decided
the notes themselves wrote their own story. So, from the first
row of the $500 ringside seats at the Atlantic City Convention
Center, here are my views and thoughts, as I recorded them, the
night of December 14, 1996. I've made no changes in the
following text. Where my words are all in capitals (BOWE IS
DOWN!), I'm yelling. What you are about to read is the exact way
I recorded my thoughts (and even those of my wife, Roni, who has
grown to respect, like, enjoy and yes, even love, the "Sweet
Science," which in this main event, was anything but sweet and
nothing resembling scientific).
* * *
Riddick Bowe is first into the ring, entering to the strains of
Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA"...He's wearing quite a
serious look on his face, unlike the smug, cocky look I saw in
Madison Square Garden...Andrew Golota is right behind him. His
look is just as serious...He looks like he wants to do some
serious damage tonight...Let's listen to ring announcer Michael
Buffer: "...this is the rematch we've all been waiting for
(pause). Lllllllllllllllllet's get ready to
rumblllllllle."...For the record, I like Golota's weight--239
pounds. Also for the record, I DON'T like Bowe's weight--235
pounds. I have a feeling he may have lost too much weight too
quickly. The longer this fight goes, so may go his chances.
ROUND ONE: Bowe is trying to work his jab...he's falling
short...Is it me or does Bowe look almost frail and
drawn?...Bang! Golota connects with a stiff jab, snapping Bowe's
head...Bowe tries a right to the head and misses...He wasn't even
close with that shot...It was painfully slow...Bang! Another
hard Golota jab to the face...Golota putting on pressure, but is
cautious as he does...Golota looks faster than I remember him to
be. Bowe finally lands his jab, but not hard. It looked to just
touch Golota's face...Bell! Interesting round. I'll give this
one to Golota.
ROUND TWO: The two are trading jabs...Both moving, circling the
other...Both firing hard jabs...Golota's punches look to be
harder...Big right to the ear by Golota. Bowe staggers!
Stumbles! HE'S DOWN. RIDDICK BOWE IS DOWN ON ALL FOURS! He's
up at four...Golota pursuing Bowe. Chasing. Throwing...Bowe
attempts a hook...He's fighting to survive...Two big body punches
by Golota...About one minute to go...BIG OVERHAND RIGHT by Bowe
nails Golota...Bowe with his back on the ropes...GOLOTA JUST
BUTTED BOWE. HE JUST BUTTED BOWE ON PURPOSE...AN INTENTIONAL
HEAD BUTT!...Referee Eddie Cotton separates the two. He calls
time. He's taking a point from Golota. Cotton is taking one
point for the intentional butt. He would not be wrong if he
deducted two points...There looks to be a cut on Golota's left
eye...I think he cut himself with the intentional butt!...The
action resumes...The two hammer each other...Bowe has his back on
the ropes...BELL! Cotton jumps between the fighters.
ROUND THREE: Bowe comes out fighting, firing hard punches...Most
of them miss...Now they are back to trading jabs...Bowe with a
long, grazing right off the left side of Golota's face...Two hard
jabs by Golota land...Golota rips a hard hook to the body...One
minute gone in the round...Golota goes low with a left...Golota
jabs...Bowe is being beaten to the punch...Blood is again showing
around Golota's left eye...Bowe lands some stiff jabs...The two
are trading bombs at the bell...This one is really heating up!
ROUND FOUR: Bowe out jabbing. He seems to be into his
rhythm...Bowe trying to mix up his punches, using both hands to
the head and body...A hard right by Bowe to the ear. Golota is
hurt. GOLOTA IS HURT! GOLOTA IS STUMBLING. HE'S READY TO GO!
BOWE WITH A LEFT TO THE HEAD. A RIGHT. MISSES A LEFT. A HARD
RIGHT UPPERCUT NAILS GOLOTA, WHO'S STUMBLING, CLUTCHING. THEY
ARE AGAINST THE ROPES. A LEFT-RIGHT BY BOWE AND DOWN GOES
GOLOTA...GOLOTA IS DOWN, NOT FROM ONE PUNCH, BUT FROM PERHAPS 15
BLOWS. He's up at four and blood is streaming from the cut on
his left eyelid...Under two minutes to go...TREMENDOUS RIGHT
UPPERCUT BY BOWE, who is throwing and throwing...Golota goes low
with a right-left combination...Both are taking deep
breaths...Golota goes low again...Both look very worn...Bowe with
his back to the ropes...Golota goes low with a right-left and
Cotton steps in. He walks over to admonish Golota, who puts his
head down and on Cotton's chest. Cotton puts both hands on
Golota's head and tells him to look up. He is warning him about
the low blows. The corner of Golota is motioning for him to keep
his punches up...The action resumes...They are leaning on each
other and pushing each other...Golota is bleeding from under his
lower lip...It looks like it's a severe cut...Bowe is backed to
the ropes...A right-left-right by Golota again goes low, AND BOWE
GOES DOWN. BOWE IS DOWN FROM THE LOW SHOTS! SHADES OF JULY 11.
IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN! EDDIE COTTON IS IN THERE. BOWE IS
GRIMACING. HE GETS UP SLOWLY. COTTON IS DEDUCTING A POINT.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS ANDREW GOLOTA? I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY
LOW BLOWS, SO MANY FOULS, COMMITTED BY ONE FIGHTER. COMMISSIONER
LARRY HAZZARD IS ON HIS FEET...Bowe walks it off...Cotton asks
him how he is. Bowe nods. The action resumes. Bowe throws two
light jabs. Golota lands a hard right to the face just before
the bell.
ROUND FIVE: Both have been cautious in the first minute...Now
they begin opening it up...Blood is showing around Golota's left
eye...A HARD right to the cheek by Golota. Bowe stumbles. He
looks hurt. Bowe falls against ropes...Golota moves in...Another
right hurts Bowe. Bowe is in trouble. OH! Two tremendous shots
to the body by Golota. Bowe staggers forward off the
ropes...HE'S GOING DOWN! HE'S DOWN ON HIS FACE! THIS MIGHT BE
IT! BOWE IS FACE DOWN. THE COUNT IS FOUR...FIVE...SIX..HE'S
PUSHING HIMSELP UP! HE'S UP AT SEVEN...Bowe staggers back to the
ropes with under one minute remaining...Golota looks spent,
though...He switches to southpaw, but not doing anything. Watch
the clock! Watch the clock...40 seconds! Golota pawing with the
jab...misses a right...33 seconds...A hook by Golota
misses...Bowe still on ropes...Bowe holding his left out...A left
hook wobbles Bowe...Another hook lands...two rights to the
face...A hard right by Golota...Under 10 seconds...Another right
by Golota...OH! Golota threw a right then tried to lace Bowe...
Bowe doing nothing...OH! A big hook followed by a right to the
head both land by Golota...BELL! Bowe is in serious trouble!
How he got through this round is the question of the year, next
to perhaps only the question, "Why is Andrew Golota so persistent
in employing dirty tactics?" Give this round to Golota 10-7.
ROUND SIX: Bowe moves to the ropes almost right away as Golota
comes out hard with jabs...They swap jabs and measure each
other...Out of a clinch Bowe bends and gets clipped with a rabbit
punch from Golota...Referee Cotton steps in and has a long
admonition for Golota...They move back head to head with most of
the punches blocked...So far, this is a tame round compared to
the other ones...1:10 to go...Golota lands a right to the ear,
followed by a hook to the jaw. Bowe is taking some very heavy
blows...they trade from short distance...the crowd is going
nuts...one minute to go...Golota lands a hook to the ear as Bowe
misses his follow-up hook...Golota now is moving back. Why is he
doing this?...:43 seconds to go...They are boxing from long
range...Golota is coming out of every exchange on top, putting
shots together...A hard Left-right by Bowe with :25 to go...two
rights by Golota...They are tied up with :20 to go...Both guys
are boxing, jabbing, circling...Golota lands a long right to the
head just before the bell.
ROUND SEVEN: Bowe lands a solid jab. Golota returns the
jab...Bowe misses a left hand but lands his follow-up right to
the face...Golota bulls Bowe into Bowe's corner...2:22 to go...A
hook by Golota lands to the head, now a right...2:15 to go...Bowe
hangs on...A left-right and another left-right by Golota (
"Randy, how much can Bowe take of this? I'm getting scared for
him!" says Roni). Bowe goes back to the ropes. His legs look
gone...A hard right to the body by Golota. He misses a left, now
lands a hard right to the face...Midway in the round...It's all
Golota as he lands a right to the body and a right to the
head...Bowe not moving off the ropes...Bowe is being worked over
with two hands...1:10 to go...They fall into a clinch...Bowe now
moves to mid-ring...Two lefts and a right by Bowe miss...Bowe is
short again with two lefts...Golota lands a jab...51 seconds
remain...Bowe moves back to the ropes...both look spent...Now
Bowe slides off the ropes and moves back to mid-ring...Bowe lands
a jab with 13 seconds to go...A long right to the jaw by Golota
lands. Now a hook...BOWE IS HURT! HE STAGGERS! FALLS INTO THE
ROPES! GOLOTA DRIVES BOTH HANDS TO THE MIDSECTION AT THE BELL!
HOW MUCH MORE CAN BOWE TAKE?
ROUND EIGHT: Bowe out jabbing...Golota snaps Bowe's head with a
hard jab...I'm watching the clock every time they step back.
Every second is now crucial...Golota lands a lead right...2:24 to
go...Golota with a right-left to Bowe's head...They get back to
boxing...Golota misses a left but the right lands...Another right
by Golota...Both land lefts...Bowe lands a terrific righ to the
head...1:47 to go...Golota comes back with his own right...They
trade inside...Bowe with a right to the jaw...Golota lands three
rights to the chin. None were too hard, but they all
scored...Bowe jabs and lands. A Bowe right lands...Bowe misses
another right...Bowe holds on against the ropes. He now pushes
Golota back. Golota falls against the ropes...His cut left eye
is bleeding again...Bowe leans on Golota with 52 seconds
remaining...Eddie Cotton separates them...Golota with a right to
the body...46 seconds...They are in close with Golota getting the
best with combinations...Bowe falls into a clinch...Cotton breaks
them up...25 seconds remain...Golota misses a right...Golota
comes back with a jab to the face...They are in mid-ring...A
right to the body by Bowe...Bowe blocks a hook at the bell.
ROUND NINE: Golota lands a jab...Bowe's jab falls short...the
two are in mid-ring...A left-right by Bowe scores to the
face...Golota lands a right, then has a hook blocked...A right by
Golota connects to the face...2:33...They are in mid-ring, but
now Bowe is moving back to the ropes...Golota is working the
body, now goes to the head with a right...Golota is throwing lots
of punches...Most are missing, but a few hard lefts landed...Bowe
moves off the ropes to mid-ring...Bowe lands a right to the
face...They clinch...Golota bangs a left-right-left-right to the
body...Now a hook to the head...1:38...Golota switches to
southpaw and lands to lead lefts to the head...Bowe backs into a
neutral corner...Bowe picking off shots...Golota throwing,
looking to end it...Both are drained...Bowe lands a right, A
BOOMING RIGHT TO THE FACE! GOLOTA STAGGERS
BACK...1:21...Incredibly, he comes right back...the y work toward
mid-ring...Both are throwing and landing inside shots...Golota
goes low with a right...1:05...Bowe moves forward in an
arms-crossed defense...Golota takes a hard right uppercut to the
face...:52...Bowe misses a left...Golota misses two lefts and a
right...Golota misses a wild hook...41 seconds remain...Bowe
lands a looping right to the head...Two low blows by
Golota...They grab and fall into a clinch in Golota's
corner..Cotton breaks them...They move back to the
middle...Golota lands a left-right-left. All are low. BOWE GOES
DOWN ! HE'S DOWN FROM THE LOW SHOTS! RIDDICK IS DOWN AND IN
PAIN! REFEREE COTTON TURNS TO GOLOTA. COTTON IS WAVING HIS
HANDS! I THINK HE'S DISQUALIFYING GOLOTA. I THINK HE'S
DISQUALIFYING GOLOTA! HE IS! IT'S OVER! I CAN'T BELIEVE ANDREW
GOLOTA HAS DONE IT AGAIN! RIDDICK BOWE IS STILL DOWN AND VERY
MUCH IN PAIN. THERE ARE POLICE EVERYWHERE I LOOK. THERE WILL BE
NO POST-FIGHT SCENE TONIGHT. WHAT A TERRIBLE ENDING, THOUGH, TO
A GREAT HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT!
* * *
Where the heavyweight scene goes from here is anyone's guess.
Will Evander Holyfield fight on? If he does, who will be next?
Will Mike Tyson ever be his formerly awesome self? And who's
next for him? Michael Moorer? Will Riddick Bowe ever have the
same intensity after this beating? Who will he return against?
And when? What contender will ever have the courage to step into
the ring against the strong, hard-hitting and ultra-dirty Golota?
Riddick Bowe has now had three brutally-hard fights in a row
(Evander Holyfield and two against Golota). Those three were a
career-and-a-half worth of punishment. I've known him since his
early New York Golden Gloves days, and he is starting to verbally
show us the effects of those fights (and the other two Holyfield
fights, as well as three dozen other pro fights). It seems
lately all I'm doing is calling for fighters to retire. Well,
that's how I feel. Evander Holyfield should pack it in. So
should Riddick Bowe. So should George Foreman (who will be 48 in
a few weeks). Sugar Ray Leonard should stay retired. Sorry.
I'm looking at the future, not at the millions of dollars those
fighters will count if they keep fighting. Let Bowe and
Holyfield keep fighting and they'll have no idea in 10 years how
much money they have--or even what money is. They are
multi-millionaires many times over.
As for Andrew Golota, I, as a former President of the Association
of Boxing Commissions, intend to ask the next jurisdiction he
fights in to withhold 100 percent of his purse if he continues to
fight with total disregard to the Marquis of Queensbury rules and
to the rules of that jurisdiction. When he starts fighting for
free is when he'll start to clean up his act.
As for Holyfield and Bowe--coming off the greatest performances
of their sensational careers--I pray they can hang their gloves
on the wall and let people remember them as the outstanding
champions and performers they always have been.
It's time the heavyweight division--and all of boxing--stopped
moving backwards and started looking towards the future.
=================================================================
KOSTYA TSZYU PROFILE
By Darren Galea darren@aic.net.au
The Kostya Tszyu Web Site
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6990
Kostya Tszyu was born on September 19, 1969 in Serov, Russia.
Once part of the former Soviet Union, the city of Serov is
located east of Moscow, within the Ural Mountains. It is an icy
and desolate place a centre for Russian industry. Within this
impoverished setting, Kostya Tszyu learned his trade.
The first child of a factory worker Boris and home-maker
Valentina, young Kostya started sparring at the local gym at age
9; by his teens, he was already a seasoned competitor.
Kostya amassed an amateur record of 270 wins, 12 losses. Many of
his defeats came early in his career and he has reversed most of
them. Kostya has not lost a bout since 1989. He was six times
Russian amateur champion, three times European amateur champion
and twice voted the most outstanding boxer at the European
tournaments.
Kostya's first major international boxing appearance was in 1990
at the Goodwill Games in Seattle, Washington as part of the
Russian National Team. Tszyu easily made it through to the
finals and defeated Russian team mate Aleksander Banin to claim
the gold medal in the 139 lbs division.
When Tszyu arrived in Sydney in 1991 to compete in the World
Amateur Championships big things were expected of him. Tszyu
didn't fail to deliver by defeating crafty American Vernon
Forrest in the gold medal match. His astonishing victory in
Sydney was also the turning point in his career.
On witnessing Tszyu's victory over Forrest, three times world
champion Jeff Fenech commented, "As a fighter I have not seen any
better." Equally impressed with Kostya's performance were master
trainer Johnny Lewis (whom guided Australians Jeff Fenech and
Jeff Harding to world titles) and boxing promoter Bill Mordey.
Fenech was there when, over dinner in Sydney with an interpreter
present, Mordey and Lewis convinced Tszyu to return to Australia
and turn professional after his 1991 World Amateur victory. "His
decision to come back to Australia and turn pro was the best
thing he has ever done," says Fenech.
Tszyu's professional debut took place on the Azumah Nelson-Jeff
Fenech II under-card in Melbourne in March of 1992. His opponent
that day was Darrell Hiles who was the former Australian
featherweight champ. Tszyu demolished him inside of two minutes
with a barrage of punches. Ring-siders and millions viewing the
bout all over the world were amazed at the strength and speed of
this 140 pounder from Russia.
There is an interesting anecdote to Kostya's professional debut
which shall be described briefly: Kostya arrived in Sydney,
Australia with fiancee Natasha in January of 1992, at that stage
he had very little grasp of the English language. In his corner
prior to his pro debut against Hiles his trainer Johnny Lewis was
wary of his opponent and stressed to Kostya to make a good start
and "win the first round". At that instance Tszyu leaped from
his stool and proceeded to destroy Hiles. After knocking his
opponent out cold after two minutes, Lewis asked Tszyu "Why the
hurry?" Tszyu replied bluntly "Because you told me to win in the
first round!" Talk about a communication breakdown.
In the main event that day the Professor proved too strong a
warrior and stopped a courageous Fenech in the 8th. But it was
not the man from Accra that everyone was talking about during the
post fight festivities -- it was the pig-tailed bomber from
Siberia.
With the exception of former champions: Juan LaPorte (W-10) and
Livingstone Bramble (W-10), Tszyu only needed a total of 15
rounds to demolish his next seven opponents. Stopping perennial
contender Sammy Fuentes (KO-1), and making his professional debut
in the USA by also halting Steven Larrimore (KO-2).
It was now time for the US television to take notice and in 1994
Kostya ventured to Tampa, Florida to be show-cased on USA's
Tuesday Night Fights. His opponent was tough Mexican Hector
Lopez. In only his eleventh professional outing many would ask
why Tszyu would want to face such a renowned tough guy, Tszyu's
cold reply was "Because I'm a fighter, I fight". It was
certainly a tough test for Tszyu who won by a unanimous decision.
Lopez had nothing but admiration for his conqueror, both are now
close friends and since then Lopez has visited Sydney on several
occasions to work with Tszyu.
Tszyu made light work of rangy Angel Hernadez (KO-7) and southpaw
Pedro Sanchez (KO-4) in his next two fights to ensure a title
shot against IBF Junior Welterweight Champ Jake Rodriguez, who
had recently won the title from Charles Murray.
Rodriguez crashed to the canvas from a Tszyu right chop during
the opening seconds of the bout, but got up to fight on. It took
a further four knock-downs in round six before referee Richard
Steele would stop the bout, declaring Kostya Tszyu the winner and
new IBF Junior Welterweight Champion.
In his only other appearance in 1995 Kostya defeated former
champion Roger Mayweather in what was a boring bout. Mayweather,
in survival mode clinched Tszyu throughout the entire fight,
Kostya winning every round and thus claiming a unanimous
decision. Kostya's next defense was against unbeaten Columbian
Hugo Pineda, the IBF is number one contender.
Late in 1995 controversy struck the Tszyu camp as promoter Bill
Mordey was ousted and replaced by Vlad Warton. The new
management team lost the purse bid to Pineda's manager William
Chams for the defense. So the IBF scheduled the bout to take
place on Pineda's home turf: Cartagena, Columbia. The city of
Cartagena was in a state of emergency and Kostya felt it unsafe
to travel to Columbia. The IBF disagreed and declared that Tszyu
would not come to any harm in Columbia and threatened to strip
him of his title. IBF President Bobby Lee declared that Pineda
and South African Jan Bergman would fight for the vacant title in
Columbia on November of 1995.
Luckily Tszyu's management filed a court injunction to prevent
the strip and Tszyu was reinstated as champion, with his defense
against Pineda rescheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia.
The bout was certainly a tough one for Tszyu who suffered a
flash knockdown in the opening round. Kostya said this "woke him
up" and he went on to knock out the rangy Columbian in round
eleven. Kostya's gritty performance against his Columbian foe
lead trainer Johnny Lewis to believe that "This was Kostya's best
performance of his career."
Kostyais next outing in 1996 was a four-round demolition job of
flashy American Corey Johnson, but his next bout, a mandatory
defense against South African Jan Bergman, was seen as a much
tougher test.
Bergman (32-0) recently annexed the South African junior
welterweight title and was touted by the press to be the best
fighter out of South Africa. He displayed excellent power and
speed and had amassed 24 victories by KO. Certainly a tough foe
for the Russian born Australian.
The challenger began well as he employed a hit-and-run style to
eclipse Tszyu and win the first two rounds. Tszyu stalked his
opponent and began to catch up to him and land some telling
blows. By the fourth round Kostya was well on top and began to
rattle his opponent with a series of solid rights and lefts.
Tszyu's eye was gashed early in the sixth round by an accidental
head-butt. It seemed the bout would go to the cards, but
ringside doctor Lou Lewis examined the wound and ordered Tszyu to
continue.
This was the catalyst for Tszyu who unleashed several unanswered
punches which nailed Bergman to the canvas in devastating
fashion. After the bout Tszyu praised his beaten opponent and
expressed an interest to challenge the divisions top fighters:
Oscar de la Hoya, Frankie Randall and Julio Cesar Chavez.
Bergman's trainer Kenny Adams and promoter Cedric Kushner
responded by stating that Tszyu would knock out de la Hoya if the
two ever meet. It was seen by many as Kostya's last fight in
Australia and he went out in devastating form.
Late in 1996 Tszyu signed to fight with Bob Arum and the Top-Rank
organization. At this point in his career Tszyu needs exposure
in the lucrative US market and his scheduled bout against the
IBF's number nine contender Leonardo Mas on the de la
Hoya/Gonzalez under-card hopes to ensure this.
Tszyu is already a household name within his adopted country of
Australia and it only seems a matter of time that the name Kostya
Tszyu will be on the lips of fight fans all over the world.
=================================================================
FIGHTING WORDS
by Jim Trunzo
Did you ever feel as if you were suddenly thrust into the scene
of a movie? On December 14th at the Atlantic City Convention
Hall as I sat ringside at the Riddick Bowe-Andrew Golota fight, I
suddenly found my head rapidly swiveling side to side, trying
to lose a sense of disorientation. Bowe had just entered the
ring to the throbbing beat of the Bruce Springsteen's "Born in
the USA", pandering shamelessly but effectively to the New Jersey
crowd. No sooner had the house stopped rocking when the soft,
melodious but no less stirring notes of the Polish National
Anthem began to permeate the building. Thousands of voices lent
strength to the beautiful music as Golota's brethren rose to
their feet, swelling with pride. I was in the middle of a
"Rocky" movie! And while Bowe was an improbable Rocky, Golota's
"Ivan Drago" look added to the illusion.
Larry Merchant made a statement about the entrance of the
fighters into the ring being a throwback to medieval pageantry.
Never was he more accurate than on this night. As guests of
HBO/CompuBox, Inc., my brother and I had been sitting in front of
the $500.00 seats all evening, no more than twenty-five feet from
the ring itself. However, as the tension filled the air, I began
to wonder whether or not I was where I really wanted to be. As
excited as I was for the fight to unfold, I couldn't rid myself
of the memories of the ghastly spectacle that had erupted after
the first Bowe-Golota fight. As if reading my mind, Bob Cannobio
(CompuBox/Punch Stats) leaned over and said only half-jokingly,
"I know that you're our guests but if the shit hits the fan, it's
every man for himself!"
To give a blow-by-blow of the fight would be a waste of
cyberspace as well as your time. If you're reading this, you
undoubtedly know what transpired. However, now that I've been
attending live bouts on a semi-regular basis, I've come to fully
understand both the advantages and, believe it or not, drawbacks
of being ringside.
One of the interesting paradoxes of watching the bouts from a
worm's eye view involves what one sees and what one overlooks.
Understand this. Attending a major boxing event easily surpasses
from an emotional standpoint not only watching the fight at home
but also viewing other sporting events live. I've been to
Pittsburgh Steeler play-off games as they traveled the road to
the Super Bowl and the electricity in the air was nothing to the
near hysteria that took place during the Bowe-Golota fight.
Whether it's because of the very primal vein that is tapped when
one watches two fighters pummel each other or whether it's the
fact that the action and violence take place in such a confined
area, I can't really say. But the 12,000 screaming voices in the
Convention Hall sent chills through me that 50,000 black and gold
clad fans at Three Rivers Stadium couldn't match.
While anyone who views the fight live, on pay-per-view, on HBO
reply or on a borrowed tape will have certain images indelibly
burned into his mind -- Bowe lurching sideways before crumbling
to the floor, Golota grabbing for Bowe's legs as fell to the
canvas in the fourth, Bowe writhing in pain from more low blows
-- the camera missed any number of subtle but dramatic moments.
First of all -- and I realize that this is a bit of a digression
-- you have to comprehend the difference in sound, being there
live versus watching on television. The noise made by the impact
of the punches literally makes you wince and gives a much truer
sense of how much punishment is being dealt and received. No
matter how bad it looked on television, the shots that both
fighters -- but particularly Riddick Bowe -- took were worse than
you can imagine. The distorting effect of the punches,
emphasized by the spray flying off the fighter's head, and
accented by the thudding sound of punch crushing bone and flesh
is both exciting and frightening in an instant.
The little things: Riddick Bowe audibly gasping for air after
his magnificent fourth round performance and then having to be
directed to his corner by Eddie Cotton; Lou Duva punching Golota
in the chest and screaming "No lower than this, do you
understand?"; Rock Newman (hard to believe) semi-restrained and
comforting Bowe's wife; an elderly Polish man inconspicuously
slipping by security, unfolding a crumpled sign written in Polish
and making it halfway around the ring apron before being taken
away; and most poignantly, Golota, bleeding and exhausted,
punching himself in the face and moaning "I stupid, I stupid.
Dumb, dumb!" All of these and myriad others make being ringside
the indisputably best way to view a fight. But keep in mind, I'm
in the best of all possible worlds in my situation. I have the
fight right in front of me, unlike those fans whose heads touched
the ceiling of the Atlantic City Convention Hall; and I have a
row of television monitors in front of me to pick up instant
replays. Those without all of the aforementioned advantages miss
things that technology makes sure you at home don't.
This fact was driven home after I'd juxtaposed a number of
conversations. I was discussing the Witherspoon-Mercer fight
with The Ring editor, Steve Farhood and he asked me who I thought
had won the fight. Without hesitation, I said that everyone
around me, including Harold Lederman, had Witherspoon ahead by
several points. "Funny," Farhood replied. "I had the fight even
and five people on my side all had Mercer winning by a couple of
points." He went on to explain that he'd ". . . seen that happen
more than once. Depending upon the side of the ring you sat at,
you often received emphatic variation on the outcome." Yet seven
out of ten people to whom I spoke who watched the fight on
television had it for Mercer. I can only assume that the
omniscient view provided by television made Mercer's performance
standout more than it did watching it live. Another important
moment that I missed in spite of my viewing advantage was Thel
Torrance telling Bowe after the seventh round that Torrance would
stop the fight if Bowe didn't show something. Whether or not he
would have isn't the point. The drama of hearing him say it and
then watching the next round unfold is what matters. A small
minus marked on my side of the ledger. The Bowe-Golota fight
itself? Well, trying to avoid redundancy, a number of points can
made: First, Bowe came in over-trained. His courage not
withstanding, Bowe left his fight in the gym. At 235 pounds, Big
Daddy looked gaunt. His cheeks were sunken and as the old Bucket
stated so eloquently in a recent conversation, "Bowe's whole damn
head looked two sizes too small!" The last five pounds that Bowe
dropped, according to a source that wished to remain unnamed,
occurred only 24 hours before the weigh-in. Bowe's lack of
stamina and strength is an even greater testimony to his heart,
something that's been called into question from time to time;
however, it doesn't diminish the fact that Bowe's training was
suspect. Would Eddie Futch have let Bowe come into the ring at
235? Next, there's a glaring misconception about many of the
low-blows that Golota throws. Now before you start screaming,
let me explain. There's no question that the blows are
flagrantly low; there's no question that Golota deserved what he
received; there's not even a question that he resorts to dirty
tactics when he loses control. However, the idea that many have
about how Golota launches his patented groin shot is a bit
ludicrous. People who either haven't seen him fight or haven't
paid attention to anything but where the punch lands have a
distorted image of Golota. They seem to think that he holds his
gloves chin high, then bends at the knees and waist and fires
some kind of uppercut-bolo punch hybrid into his opponent's
testicles. Not quite. Take the three punch sequence that led to
Golota's disqualification again Bowe, for example. Both fighters
had just received the ten second warning. Bowe launched a flurry
of punches, trying to close strong. Golota, whose sweat-soaked
gloves must have weighed about two pounds apiece, was exhausted.
This is a huge man and his arms are proportionately large.
Holding his hands no more than waist-high to begin with, Golota
responds to Bowe's attack in an almost flailing manner. Golota's
punches were delivered either sideways or laces up! And, no
question, low. Yes, Bowe was even more exhausted. Bowe was even
more desperate. And he didn't foul Golota (at least not in that
round!). I'm not trying to excuse Golota's actions. However,
there are certain mitigating factors when analyzing Golota's
penchant for nut busting.
Finally, I firmly believe that under different circumstances the
fight never gets to the ninth round. To begin with, I believe
that Golota would have stopped Bowe in the second round had the
referee not given Bowe an inordinate amount of time to recover
from the Golota head-butt. I think that the stoppage, point
deduction and short lecture given to Golota was a knee-jerk
reaction to the events that transpired in and after Bowe-Golota
I. There's no doubt in my mind that Bowe was allowed to recover
thanks to Cotton's actions. An argument can be made that it
might not have made a difference because Golota displayed an
astonishing lack of ability to finish off Bowe after he knocked
Bowe down later in the fight. Still, Bowe was hurt worse in the
second and Golota was much fresher. In addition, there were
several points during the bout where Bowe appeared helpless and
Golota was teeing off with thundering head shots. Ringsiders
were screaming at Cotton to stop the fight -- even Bowe
supporters. Cotton's willingness to give Bowe the benefit of the
doubt was very brave on Cotton's part and usually Bowe responded
with a spurt of action or Golota simply grew arm-weary from
clubbing Bowe. Nevertheless, that doesn't dull the point that
I'm trying to make. Another referee, another fight -- game over
and Golota becomes the hottest property around instead of adding
to his reputation as a loose cannon at best and a dirty fighter
at worst.
Did Eddie Cotton do a poor job, refereeing his first major bout?
Tough call. I definitely thought so when I was at the fight.
However, watching the replay on HBO, Cotton comes off better.
The delay in the second round didn't seem as long as it did
originally, Bowe gave evidence of life even as he stoically took
a beating, and it was a pressure situation for any referee let
alone one without big fight experience. Under the circumstances,
give Cotton a B-/C+.
Parting Shots: Here's some unabashed self-promotion. Look for
the newest version of our computer boxing simulation in your
local Electronic Boutique or order it directly from APBA Game
Company at 800-334-2722. This is virtually the same program that
will be used to "unify the titles" in an upcoming The Ring
Magazine article which will, of course, be written by yours
truly. Honestly, its a nice product if you own an
IBM/compatible, have a Pentium system with at least 8 MB of RAM.
If you don't like the way we've rated the fighters, go in and
edit them. If you don't see a fighter you like, add him
yourself. The product is very versatile if not graphically
oriented. You can autoschedule fights: fight 100 different bouts
in ten minutes or fight the same fight 100 times. The game
contains a 16-man tournament scheduler that is interactive (let
the computer fight some of the bouts or all of the bouts). Full
print routines, 700+ all-time fighters and 800 yearly updated new
fighters make any match a reality.
Here's hoping that your holiday either is (are -- depending upon
when you read this -- a happy one and that your upcoming year is
a knockout -- with you throwing the punch, of course!
====================================================
=============== Gloves Off! =====================
=====================================================
By David Farrell
farrell@tellabs.com
Beating on the Boardwalk, or a Low Down Dirty Shame...
======================================================
I choose not to comment much about the Bowe-Golota rematch. Only
that I never care to see either fighter again, and that I hope
everyone realizes all this crap about an in shape, focused Bowe
(Big Daddy? Big Fatty?) being the best fighter in the world makes
about as much sense as claiming Mike Tyson would've destroyed
Muhammed Ali.
I have no idea what the future could possibly hold for Golota.
Bowe will probably take 12 to 18 months off and return for one
last giant payday against whoever is the Man at that point. The
Holy-Tyson II winner will probably attempt to partially unify
against Michael Moorer, perceived to be a relatively easy task.
The winner should take on the Lewis-McCall winner, but may opt
for more $$$ and less risk by fighting Bowe. This would be a
shame, as Lewis has toiled at the top for 4 years without a
legitimate title shot, while both Tyson and Bowe have discarded
belts rather than fight him.
Speaking of Lewis, here's one possibility I could actually see:
Lewis-Golota. The reasoning is as follows: Lewis is still
seething about Bowe ducking him for four years, and that most
people feel Bowe would've beaten him. He now realizes he will
NEVER get a shot at his archrival. Lennox has never feared any
man, and his solution to the Bowe problem is to take on the man
who destroyed Riddick twice. If he wins, presumably some of the
accolades Bowe has held all these years will come his way. HBO
would gladly sign up, as these are their last two top
heavyweights. And Don King will want them to fight an eliminator
before risking his titleholder against them. This was the whole
point of the unification tournament King proposed months ago;
Tyson had a (judged at the time) easy draw with Holyfield and
Moorer while in the other bracket Bowe, Lewis, and Golota would
reduce to only one opponent Tyson would have to face at the end.
Of course, if Tyson loses along the way, the rules change. . .
For the record, I believe Lewis would have beaten Bowe in '96 or
'92. But Lewis, like Bowe, matches up poorly versus Golota.
Requiem for a Heavyweight: Courage Tshabalala
=============================================
Many people around the world were glad to see Courage lose, as
they felt he was an untalented pretender. To paraphrase my buddy
Mark when the knockout occurred, "YAAAAAAAA!!! LOOOSER!! YOU
SUCK!!! I KNEW YOU WERE A DISGRACE!!! GET OUTTA THE DAMN
SPORT!!!!!! WWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
My take on the situation was somewhat different; I felt a deep
and unmistakable sorrow at the loss. Not for the fighter, about
whom I didn't care one way or the other, but for the sport. We
need some young prospects to be as good as Larry Merchant first
described Tshbalala to be a couple of years ago. Who do we have
left? Courage and Briggs KO'd, Golota may have KO'd himself. . .
is Mike freagin' Grant going to be promoted as a young lion
now?!? David Tua has certainly impressed, but by himself can
hardly make up the future of boxing's marquee division. And I
find it pretty depressing.
Maske: No Marciano
==================
Thanks to Virgil Hill we won't be deluged with the debate about
Henry Maske retiring undefeated, as he suggested he would, and
comparisons with Rocky Marciano, the only other man to retire
undefeated as champion.
Still, it got me thinking. . . we're bound to see another one
someday, or more likely several more. It could be Roy Jones,
Ricardo Lopez, or perhaps one of D.L. Hoya/Quartey/Trinidad. A
fighter who, like Carlos Monzon, retires while still on top (but
without the early career losses). Of course, it could be a
marginal fighter who wins a title, makes a few mill in defenses
while ducking top competition, and leaves the sport a rich man
before being exposed. Which brings me to my conclusion: Whoever
next retires undefeated will have an extremely tough time earning
close to the Rock's status in this day of watered-down boxing
records.
Consider the number of 3, 4, and 5 time champions in recent
years. It's hard to believe that 3 years ago, Patterson, Ali,
and 'Spoon were the only repeat heavyweight champs in boxing
history. Since then the number has more than doubled (Holyfield,
Foreman, Moorer, Tyson, Lewis or McCall next month). Though it's
tough for fighters to call it quits while still on top, expect a
few Maske types to do it in the next ten years or so. And expect
them to be crucified for it much the same way Witherspoon caught
so much flak for becoming a two-time paper champ.
Junior Jones: Like Jones Junior was supposed to be
==================================================
Now this was a top notch fight, unlike the sorry spectacle that
followed it (see below). Jones had been written off as either a
washed up has-been or a never was, and M.A. Barrera was the new
Mexican star of the sport, ranked as high as #3 on some lb. 4 lb.
lists.
Well, guess what? Jones still knows how to fight. Good skills,
stiff punch, fast, long reach. . . maybe his girlfriend had just
dumped him back in '94 when he lost those two fights. As for
Barrera, he never really got going, but I attribute this to
difficulties attacking inside of Jones' jab and quick crosses.
A major player in this fight that also needs to be mentioned is
the third man in the ring, Max Parker. Absolutely THE WORST job
of refereeing I've ever seen. Starting in the 2nd round when the
rabbit punches multiplied like, well, rabbits, things spiraled
farther and farther out of control.
By the shocking and confusing finish I had Jones up 3-1, and
winning the fifth, when all hell broke loose. Barrera was cut by
what may have been a punch or a clash of heads. When fighting
resumed, they traded off missing haymakers when Barrera stepped
right into the best one Jones could throw. He managed to beat
the count and, badly messed up, walked away from the ref rather
than step back in to resume. Parker inexplicably allowed Barrera
21 seconds between the KD and when Jones was allowed back on him.
No wonder Jones felt the need to continue flurrying when the bell
rang a few seconds later. As the referee attempted to separate
them, Barrera went down, clutched Jones' leg like a bear trap,
the Mexican's corner entered the ring and threw water at Jones,
whose corner entered and began celebrating a stoppage that had
never been called. . . what a mess, and all of it the referee's
fault.
Although it was certainly a controversial ending, Junior Jones
was the fighter that was robbed if anyone was. . . robbed of the
chance to score a clean stoppage. At any rate, it was a great
fight, and we now have one more top notch fighter in a region of
the weight spectrum already brimming with talent.
Jones - McCallum: This fight sucked
====================================
Sorry for the blunt, unimaginative title to this section but I
can't think of another way to sum it up. This fight was like
watching ballroom dancing -- way, WAY too much respect and
admiration in there.
This is going to sound strange, but I question if this was really
a serious, competitive fight at all. Did anyone notice the
shocked look on McCallum's face when Jones rocked him shortly
before the final bell? It was like, "Heyyy, Mon!! I tot we
wuzn't trying to do dot to each udder!" Or in other words,
McCallum knew he couldn't beat Jones, and Jones liked McCallum
too much to try to hurt him, so there was an unspoken agreement
that McCallum wouldn't seriously try for an upset, while Jones
wouldn't go for an embarrassing blowout. Sure as hell looked
like that, anyway.
I wonder how many times Roy Jones will go 12 lackluster rounds
with fighters like 39 year old McCallum or Eric Lucas before
observers demote him from the #1 lb. 4 lb. spot. While Jones
searches in vain for a halfway decent opponent, Oscar D.L.H. has
scheduled a #2 vs. #3 match up with Pernell Whittaker next year.
Don't get too comfy on that throne, Roy.
As a final note, anyone hear McCallum's corner say to their
fighter, "Give 'em an excuse to give it to you", referring to the
WBC judges. Another sterling example of our favorite governing
bodies' impartiality.
===============================================================
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
by GorDoom@aol.com
. . . But as usual, they weren't. In a fight with more twists &
turns than a Quentin Tarantino script, Riddick Bowe & Andrew
Golota defied all odds & converted what should have been one of
the all-time great heavyweight fights into surreal theater. How
do you explain Golota's twice over nihilistic self-destruction?
How do you justify Bowe's trashing of one of the potentially
greatest heavyweight careers???
Impossible . . . The Ol' Spit Bucket won't go into detail about
the actual fight; especially considering the two fine articles by
Randy Gordon & Jim Trunzo who were ringside -- not to mention the
hilariously accurate verse supplied by the razor wit of
DscribeDC. Instead, I want to discuss the detritus fallout from
this dadaistic lash-up.
This fight had everything drama, pageantry & sub-plots galore.
But boiled down to it's essence, ultimately it was Shakespearian
tragedy. On one hand you have Bowe, the young avatar as
heavyweight champion, a man who reigned supreme but squandered
his talents to the Gods of No-discipline, Home Cooking, Crappy
Advice & Hubris. Then you have Golota the primordial Eastern
European Hun/Warrior seeking redemption in the Brave New World.
Only his atavistic instincts ultimately bring him to grief &
doom. High drama, spectacle & tragedy. Hell, it's the stuff of a
treacly TV movie of the week . . . But this wasn't a script, this
was a real life catastrophe. Worse, it was a freakin' king hell
screw-up for my beloved sport. In a post-fight conversation, Jim
Trunzo hipped me to a different point of view. He feels that an
event that draws main-stream attention to the sport is ultimately
a good thang, especially for a sport so bereft of media presence
as boxing. I respectfully beg to differ with Trunz, a well
versed chronicler of the sweet science for Ring Magazine. Yeah,
hardcore fans are juiced (the Bucket quite & very included), but
the general sporting public is turned off. The Tyson-Holyfield
fight was a triumph of the spirit. A moment in time right up
there with Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive game
streak. In other words, an example of the Human Condition at
it's best. Bowe-Golota I & II, while equally dramatic, is an
example of the Human Condition at it's worst. There was nothing
uplifting about this experience . . . Yeah, it was high drama --
but did anybody come away from this event feeling good about it?
With the exception of the promoter, TVKO, the fighters & their
coteries bank accounts; tell me, who benefited by this
experience? Certainly not the sport's public image . . .
"May Your Hands Always Be Busy
May Your Feet Always Be Swift
May You Have A Strong Foundation
When The Winds Of Change They Shift ..."
-- "Forever Young," Bob Dylan, 1974.
I've always liked Riddick Bowe . . . & those sentiments expressed
by Dylan, I sincerely wish for Big Daddy. But he's never had a
strong foundation (except for his mother & Eddie Futch). & the
insidious mean spiritedness provided by his mentor the black hole
of boxing, Rock Newman, is what eventually brought his house
crashing down.
On one level, Newman was a true Svengali. He created Riddick
Bowe & if for nothing else he must be given credit for believing
in a fighter that had disgraced himself during the '88 Olympics.
At that point, nobody in boxing wanted to deal with Bowe, much
less believe in him. Rock Newman had a vision & carried it thru
. . . First he convinced the sage of boxing, Eddie Futch, to give
the kid a chance & take him on & then bucking the powers that be,
he positioned the young man for a shot at the heavyweight
championship of the world. No mean feat . . . & an
accomplishment that should be commended. But that's where the
worm turned. Newman, suddenly bloated with self importance, a
fat bank account & press clippings galore, decided he was above
the rules (scant as they may be) & traditions of boxing. The Ol'
Spit Bucket will never be able to forgive (much less forget),
that Rock Newman, the self proclaimed "genius of boxing", who
managed the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, could
so cavalierly have Bowe discard into a trash can one third of the
crown jewel of sports. Even today, no championship in sports
carries more significance than the title of undisputed
heavyweight champion of the world. Not even a Super Bowl ring,
or the green jacket of the Masters carries as much import. The
heavyweight champion is the Main Man. Ask Ken Norton Jr. if he
would rather have his Super Bowl rings or the heavyweight
championship of the world. We all know the answer to that one .
. .
"While Sittin' Here A Thousand
Miles From Home/There's A
Hole In Your Wisdom ...Two Holes
In Your Head/Where The Light's
Supposed To Get By ...
Time To Lock & Load/Time To Get Control
Time To Search The Soul
& Start Again ..."
-- "Lock & Load," Bob Seger, 1994.
With Golota, there are no answers. Even Lou Duva, a man never at
a loss for words, didn't know what to say. The normally
hyper-pugnacious Duva was so deflated by the events that all he
could do was shake his head in bafflement & apologize to the
fans. Golota is arguably the best white heavyweight since
Marciano & he blew it . . . Again! Duva, none the less concerned
for Bowe & the beatings he's taken, suggested he be
neurologically checked out due to the inordinate amount of head
blows he's been taking. Duva's right. During the post fight
interview, Bowe's speech was so slurred it was alarming. I
checked out Bowe's post fight interviews after the Holyfield
fights, which were also hammer & tong wars & the difference is
shocking. Bowe has always been a well spoken, quick
with-the-quip kinda guy & the difference in him after this fight
is cause for great concern . . .
Bowe has no one to blame but himself for his present situation.
An athlete in a discipline as arduous as boxing can't let himself
go to seed between fights like he has. You don't suddenly shed
40-50 pounds & expect to compete on a championship level. Much
was made about Bowe weighing in at 235, the same as his first
fight with Holyfield, but it was a false indicator. Instead of
being fairly buff as he was for Holyfield he looked diminished &
weak. He appeared to these eyes to be in the same shape as the
first fight with Golota, only smaller. His skin was loose &
flaccid, striped with stretch marks from constant weight changes.
He looked just like he fought-slow, reflexes shot, no snap to his
punches, a shadow of his former self, ready for the big fall.
Which makes his comeback from the second round knockdown even
more amazing. When he roared back to down Golota in the fourth,
I was stunned. Never in my wildest imagination would I have
believed that Big Daddy could show such a fighting heart. I just
didn't think he still had it in him. Unfortunately, that was his
swan song, he had no gas left in the tank & from that point on he
absorbed one of the most brutal beatings I've ever seen,
comparable to the carnage are Willard v. Dempsey, Carnera v.
Baer, Foreman v. Lyle & The Thrilla In Manila. It was awesome in
it's brutality. The kind of beating a fighter never recovers
from.
After the fight Riddick was asked if he wanted to fight Golota a
third time. "Hey", he slurred, "I just look dumb, but I'm not
stupid".
Wrong Big Daddy, you are a dumb fuck & a lost cause, & if you
don't believe the Ol' Spit Bucket, just ask Eddie Futch ...
Toney-Griffin
12/7/96 Just watched James Toney grind out what I thought was
a very dull but stolidly convincing decision over Montell
Griffin. On my card James had won by four rounds, 8 to 4. But
then came the official decision, a runaway unanimous decision for
Griffin. What fight were these freakin' judges watching anyway?
Ahhrrg . . . But getting pissed is just a waste of time; nothings
ever going to change -- & that's what's slowly strangling boxing
to death. Boxing has no direction, no vision, no sportsmanship,
no nada . . . The single unifying force in the sport is greed.
& Gordon Gekko was wrong! Greed is not good . . . Look at
baseball & the pathetic display Jerry Reisen-dick & his fellow
brain dead owners have lavished us with. First he blocks the
ratification of the Baseball Labor agreement because of its
supposed inequities & then he hands 55 million big ones to Albert
Belle. At that point even his fellow oafish swine (Baseball's
ownership), started screaming like hogs being eviscerated in the
slaughter house & revolted by quickly ratifying the labor
agreement. Greed is not good! Baseball used to be the working
man's sport, but it has now been priced out of reach. As they
used to say about George Bush, "It's a vision thing". Yeah, well
. . . It's the major players in the sports world not being able
to see or feel anything but greed that is bringing sports down .
. . But I digress (this is news?), it's James Toney we're talkin'
& his mediocre effort tonight.
At one time James Toney was on a path to become an all time great
in the middle & super middle divisions. Instead his fall from
grace was incredibly swift & he has since become a suety shadow
of his former self. Toney looks terrible these days . . . Mrs.
Bucket came home in the middle of the broadcast stared at the
screen & asked "Is that James Toney? He looks like a completely
different guy . . . " She hadn't seen him since the Roy Jones
fight two years ago & was shocked by his appearance. Frankly,
James looks like he doesn't give a shit anymore. He looks out of
shape. His reflexes are shot. & he's lost the marvelous
defensive skills that were his trademark. Toney also used to be
able to adjust his style depending on his opponent. Those days
are long gone . . . All that aside, Toney did do just enough to
win the fight last night; but it was not to be-& the Nevada
judges stole the fight from him. Maybe in retrospect it will be
a good thing . . . If he had won, he might of really believed he
was prepared for a fight against Roy Jones Jr.. Don't laugh,
Toney still has a marketable name -- remember the fight was on
HBO -- & somebody would have put the fight together. In a
rematch, with the Toney I saw last night, Roy might be indicted
for manslaughter.
Granted, it is almost impossible too look good against a fighter
as awkward as Montell Griffin, but if Toney had used his jab more
to get inside, he could have administered a severe enough body
attack to slow down the peripatetic Griffin & TKO him in the
latter rounds . . . Sadly, Toney just doesn't seem to have it in
him anymore. & it's as big a waste of talent as Aaron Pryor's
drug abuse. Only with Toney it's not drugs, it's a combination
of gluttony, a complete lack of discipline & hubris. Here's
hoping he can somehow regain his focus. He was once a marvelous
fighter & he is still a young man & he has never taken a real
beating. The raw tools are probably still there, buried under a
ton of fast food containers & it's up to James Toney to dig
himself out of the real big empty he has created for himself ...
THE JJ'S BIG NIGHT
The Bucket is starting to wonder if he knows a freakin' thang
'bout boxing . . . First it was Evander blowing everything I knew
totally outta the water & now here's Jr. Jones to reinforce my
lack of self esteem as a prognosticator. . . Before both the
Holyfield & Jr. Jones fights I had bull sessions with fellow
scribe for this rag, Jim Trunzo, who is also Ring Magazine's
computer boxing maven & we both agreed Holyfield was heading for
disaster & Barrera was gonna dismantle "Poison" Jones. I called
McCallum-Jones Jr. as a tko for Roy in the 8th, Trunz called it
Roy ko4. Well . . . We all know how on the money we were on
those calls . . . So y'all don't think I'm a complete dummy, I
did pick Clinton to win the election!. . .
The Barrera-Jones bout was a revelation. There was no way
anybody in that weight class was going to dominate &
obliterate Marco Antonio like the aptly nicknamed "Poison" did.
Junior, like Holyfield before him, was viewed as a shot fighter
going into this bout. Like Holyfield, who he trained with under
the tutelage of Tommy Brooks (Brooks has to be acknowledged as
trainer of the year), he fought a smart fight against the
seemingly bewildered Barrera who responded as badly as Tyson did
to Holyfield.
Marco Antonio was never really in this fight. He seemed
bewildered & unprepared for the resistance Jones put up. After
the head butt it seemed as if he was going to pull a Chavez ala
Julio's second fight with Frankie Randall. From that point on it
appeared all Barrera wanted to do was get the hell outta there.
After Junior' blasted him to the canvass the end was inevitable.
There was confusion at the end of the fight as to whether the ref
stopped the fight or dq'd Barrera because of his cornerman's
entrance into the ring -- but the point was moot anyway & if the
fight had gone on Barrera looked to be in for a real beating.
Jr. & Tommy Parks have to be commended for a brilliantly executed
fight plan. His dismantling of Barrera was a real shocker;
especially when you consider the terrific effort Marco Antonio
displayed in his effort against Kennedy McKinney.
The Ol' Spit Bucket takes umbrage in the fact that a talent as
uniquely gifted as Roy Jones Jr., has had to resort to gimmicks
to help promote his last few fights. First it was playing B Ball
the day of his fight against Eric Lucas. Then he wanted to
defend his title against two opponents on the same day . . .
Thankfully, even the severely twisted IBF took a pass on that
misguided concept . . . Then for his defense against Brian Bannon
he came up with the really weak idea of holding a live (very
slanted & edited), press conference immediately before the fight.
One would think that with an opponent as viable as the venerable
Mike McCallum, Roy wouldn't need to resort to this belched. But
this is the 90's, the decade that finally proved America to be
totally shameless. Don't believe the Ol' Bucket? Just ask OJ, or
Newt, or Ollie, or the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. . . . But I
digress . . . For this promotion some genius in the sound booth
came up with the idea of miking Roy's trunks so the at-home
audience could really relish the sound of leather smacking flesh
during the fight. Yeah, well . . . Let's just say it didn't
change the direction of modern TV boxing broadcasting . . .
This was the fourth fight that I've seen Jones give an opponent
too much respect. For some reason, when Roy faces a fighter
whose abilities are above average he seemingly goes into a shell.
Before McCallum, the three fighters were: Jorge Castro, Bernard
Hopkins & James Toney. In all three of those fights instead of
throwing caution to the winds & really putting the big hurt on
these guys, he instead clutched caution to his breast like Linus
& his blanket. Granted, of the three, Toney was ostensibly a
very tough & dangerous opponent. But the Toney that showed up
that night was a fat ghost of his former self & that was apparent
after 4 rounds had elapsed. Roy should have stopped Toney that
night & he didn't because he was too cautious.
Mike McCallum was a different proposition. Here was a formerly
great 3 division titlist (notice I used titlist & not champion.
McCallum was never a linear champ), who will undoubtably be
inducted into the Hall Of Fame. But the "Body Snatcher's"
halcyon days as a great fighter are well behind him.
At first I thought it was McCallum's caginess that was nullifying
Roy's speed but after the fourth round it was apparent that the
Body Snatcher was running on empty. What Roy was faced with was
a fighter one day older than dirt who was rusty from 17 months of
inactivity & basically has nothing left. Instead of going after
him & running him right out of the ring, Roy instead felt
compelled out of "respect" to play patty cake with a warrior who
was obviously going to the well at least once to often. Can
anybody imagine Hagler, Hearns, Duran or Leonard doing that with
an opponent?
I admire Roy Jones Jr.'s talents. He is arguably the best fighter
in the world when he wants to be; but the efforts against Lucas &
McCallum & all the gimmicks before the fights make me wonder if
this guy really wants to fight. You don't get in the ring &
carry a fighter -- even one as respected as the aged McCallum.
You go in there prepared to take care of business, or you don't
belong in the ring. Compassion & concern are wonderful traits
outside the squared circle, but misplaced emotions inside the
ropes. Roy would be better served to concentrate on fighting up
to his abilities instead of relying on gimmicks & undue concern.
RINSING OFF THE MOUTH PIECE
It's that time of year again, so here is the Old Spit Bucket's
3rd annual year end review: Basically, except for Evander
Holyfield's stunning upset over Iron Mike; this would have to be
considered a down year for my beloved sport. With few exceptions
most fights & match ups were truly uninspired or never happened.
Let's start where it always begins; the heavyweights: Tyson
stormed thru Bruno & Seldon only to be nakedly exposed in front
of millions of peeps by Holyfield. Was the Bucket shocked by
these turn of events? Not quite, almost exactly a year ago I
wrote (& you can check it out in the Zone's archives)," . . . of
what the Ol' Spit Bucket has seen in Tyson's two fights so far,
the jury is still way out . . . The one big difference the Bucket
see's that is glaringly apparent in Iron Mike's two comeback
fights, is the way he's been out muscled & shoved around in the
ring. I can't remember any opponent ever mauling & backing up
Tyson . . . McNeely & Mathis, immediately jumped on Tyson
fearlessly . . . If they had been more skilled, either one of
them might have caused some serious damage. If the past, that
kind of foolhardy strategy was unthinkable . . . Iron Mike Tyson,
was simply the baddest mo' fo' presently residing on this smoggy
orb . . . you didn't fuck with him, you just tried to survive &
hope for the best . . . " Yeah, well . . . That was then & this
be now & as Bobby Z once sang "The Times They Are A Changing", &
in my own view, way for the better when a thug like Mean Mikey
has to eat some humble cow pie . . . It's almost as gratifying as
seeing the Rock Newman of Congress, the Gingky guy take it in the
pie hole from the media & the public like he's dished it out the
last couple three years . . . Oh yeah, this is my freakin' forum
& I'll use it shamelessly if I want to, but I'm digressing like
an Indy car blasting off the track & into the stands . . . It
takes a while, but I do remember it be boxing we're talkin' . . .
Currently, Holyfield must be considered the Main Man but how long
he'll be able to hold on to that mantle is a subject of
conjecture . . . Tyson, Lewis, Moorer, Mercer, Witherspoon &
Golota all can provide stern tests for anyone. Bowe, sadly must
be considered history at this point. In the lighter weights,
there were some awesome fights, Gatti v. Rodriguez, Kelly v.
Gainer, Vasquez v. Rojas & a few others . . . But in the high
profile welter division none of the fights we expected involving
Whitaker, Trinidad or Quartey ever happened. Another much
anticipated fight, Norris v. Trinidad also turned out to be
nothing but hot air.
At this time the most intriguing match-ups that are likely to
happen are between 122-130 lbs. where a plethora of exciting
fighters like Nelson, Vasquez, Hamed, Gatti, Kelly, Gainer,
McCullough, Barrera, McKinney, Patterson, Jones, Bungu, Espinosa
& a few others reside. Within these weight classes are the
matches that are most likely to be realized.
The biggest disappointments for the Bucket are Roy Jones Jr.'s
inability to find competitive opponents & the dismal fight
between De La Hoya (thru no fault of his own) & Chavez. When
Oscar moves up to welter there will be no shortage of quality
opponents, but Roy is stuck in limbo, Virgil Hill v. Roy Jones
Jr. does not get the Ol' Spit Bucket foaming over in excitement
. . .
My pick for fight of the year has to be Tyson v. Holyfield, but I
would be remiss if I didn't give honorable mention to Bowe v.
Golota I & II, Gatti v. Rodriguez & Vasquez v. Rojas.
Fighter of the year: Evander Holyfield (who else?).
KO of the year: Wilfredo Vasquez's brutal stoppage of Eloy
Rojas.
Comeback of the year: Evander Holyfield.
Most exciting newcomer on the scene: Naseem Hamed.
Most garish ring entrances: Naseem Hamed.
Poor sportsmanship award: Vinnie Paz v. Rosen-splat.
Fight I'd most like to see in '97: Terry Norris v. Felix
Trinidad
Fighters I'd most like to see retire: Foreman, Holyfield, Bowe,
Holmes, Duran, Maywhether, Bramble.
Fighter I'd most like to see stay retired: Sugar Ray Leonard.
Fondest hope for 97: That the great Luis Manuel Rodrigues
finally gets his due and is inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame.
Well . . . That's it for '96 & once again I'd like to remind
readers that anyone with any comments, disparaging remarks or
praise is invited to send them along via e-mail
(GorDoom@aol.com). I will respond to any reasonably intelligent
correspondence. Back at you February '97!
=================================================================
SITHBANGPRACHAN BROTHERS BECOME THE 13TH SET
OF BROTHERS TO WIN WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP
by: a9425912@cfi.waseda.ac.jp (Shun Matsuoka)
In his second try at a world title, Phichit C. Siriwat (a.k.a.
Phichitnoi Sithbangprachan) won the WBA jr. flyweight title by
knocking out Keiji Yamaguchi in the 2nd round with a single right
hook to the chin.
Phichit(noi) is a younger brother of Phichit Sithbangprachan who
is a former IBF flyweight champion. Phichit and Phichitnoi
Sithbangprachan are the 13th set of brothers to win world
championships. Other brothers who won world championships are:
(1) Ricardo & Rene Arredondo
(2) Abe & Monte Attell
(3) Gaby & Orlando Canizalez
(4) Ricardo & Prudencio Cardona
(5) Bruce & Donald Curry
(6) Joe & Johnny Dundee
(7) Ernesto & Crisanto Espana
(8) Khaosai & Kaokor Galaxy
(9) Orlin & Terry Norris
(10) Rafael & Gabe Ruelas
(11) Leon & Michael Spinks
(12) Christophe & Fabrice Tiozzo
If you recognize WBO in the early 90's as a world title, Jimmi
and Johnny Bredahl could be counted as well. They won the titles
on the same day.
Khaosai & Kaokor Galaxy are the only twin brothers who won world
championships, but reports have it that Songkram Porpaoin who is
a twin brother of a former WBA strawweight champ, Chana Porpaoin,
is scheduled to fight Rosendo Alvarez for his WBA strawweight
title. If he wins, they will become the second set of twin
brothers and the 15th set brothers to win world championships.
================================================================
IT'S A WONDERFUL FIGHT:
Some Christmas Sonnets Composed on
The Occasion of Ye Olde Bowe-Golota Rematch
by Dave G. (DscribeDC)
I.
The crowd applauded Riddick, former champ
That evening in July at MSG.
Yet, in the crowd, the Polish eyes went damp
At stout contender Andrew's ring entry.
A fearsome Pole, a giant block of stone
Brought up in Eastern Europe, raised in want,
Ill-graced with brains, rich in testosterone,
Bit fighters like the ring was restaurant.
Few pundits thought that Bowe would break a sweat
Dispatching this unheralded young buck.
Golota's skills were primitive; and yet,
Promoters drooled discussing this bohunk.
He had the urge to constantly attack,
Was heavyweight -- and, mainly -- wasn't black!
II.
The fight unfolded quite unlike the plan,
Golota double-jabbing tubby Bowe,
Yet thrice defying boxing's well-taught ban
On punches to the region down below.
The younger man was winning every round
When, in the seventh, one more salvo strayed
Below the border; Riddick hit the ground.
The referee was visibly dismayed.
With no course left but giving Bowe the bout,
The man in charge disqualified the Pole.
From Riddick's minions, angry cries went out.
They charged, like Foreman hits a casserole.
Ringside punters started rioting.
A cell phone made Golota's noggin ring.
III.
The questions raised were numerous and grave.
Was Riddick done as ruler of the roost?
Could Andy be so powerful and brave
That his career would earn a needed boost?
Or did King Bowe so haughtily ignore
The challenge of the young, untested pug
He gorged himself, so often screaming "More!"
The food had made him groggy, like a drug?
And who set off the riot? "No, not I,"
Professed Rock Newman, looking left and right,
"Bad energy was there, tensions were high,
Besides, the D.A. chose not to indict!"
The shameful scene left boxing black and blue;
The only answer: Bowe-Golota II!
IV.
Golota worked with Duva on technique,
Bowe lived on pills and water, growing thin.
When writers asked, Golota would not speak.
Bowe promised to hurt Andrew's next of kin.
Bowe's camp and wise old Eddie parted ways
Proclaiming youth the order of the day.
Futch shook his head: "I'm wasting my last days!"
And found himself new talent to display.
New York suggested Newman take a hike
And pay the state two hundred-fifty gee's.
The writers felt next time Andrew would strike
He'd fell the weathered Bowe with greater ease.
In Bowe's old fans such troubling thoughts were bred,
That even DC's mayor Barry'd his head.
V.
When fight night came around, the stage was set.
The rich and famous came and paid their dough
To see if Polish Andrew could pull yet
Another heartless thrashing of Old Bowe.
"I'm not Snow White," Golota disavowed.
"It's personal this time," his foe replied.
A hundred plainclothes policeman worked the crowd,
No fans with foreign objects got inside.
The undercard was worthy; fights were brisk
And anxious expectation filled the room.
Two amateurs won debuts without risk;
Ray Mercer nabbed a close one over Spoon.
The one thing every fan wondered about:
"If there's another riot, which way out?"
VI.
At last, the fateful reckoning had come.
The man from Brownsville sauntered down the aisle.
Bruce Springsteen sang an anthem loud and dumb
Designed Bowe's Polish nemesis to rile.
Golota entered to his native song,
The Polish flags were fervently unfurled
While tipsy fight fans tried to sing along
Throats tightened in Chicago and the world.
The ref was Eddie Cotton, new and large
Who hoped the roughhouse tactics to contain.
"Now, don't forget," he cautioned, "I'm in charge.
Below the belt is off-limits terrain."
And so, the fight world waited for the bell
To end the war adjourned when Riddick fell.
VII.
The fight began just as the first had stopped,
Golota's jab outdoing Riddick's left.
Into Bowe's face Golota's glove would pop.
Of speed and power Bowe seemed all bereft.
Frame two saw Riddick dumped right on his trunks
A right hand landing just above the ear.
Big Daddy swooned like one of K Street's drunks
And everyone could see the end was near.
Though Andrew milled and punched as if possessed,
He could not earn the treasured TKO.
He butted heads; the ref gave Bowe a rest.
From Andy's own eye blood began to flow.
Though caution Andy clearly had forsook
He still let Riddick wriggle off the hook.
VIII.
What sage could have predicted by round four
The tide would so decisively reverse?
Blood from Golota's eyelid still did pour
And his condition went from bad to worse.
A knockdown left him pinned along the ropes
The black lights swirling grimly into view.
Embattled Andrew pins his final hopes
On one low blow; ref Cotton splits the two.
The ruse succeeds! Golota grabs a breath
Though his offense costs him a precious point.
The crowd foresees a battle to the death;
The scribes confer, unsure who to anoint.
Who knew how this titanic fight would go?
Trump bet on simultaneous KO.
IX.
Golota grabbed the reins in stanza five
And Bowe bobbed up and down just like a buoy.
The stands were charged and buzzing like a hive.
Bowe's corner splashed his face and hollered "Phooey!
Connect with punches or we're going home!"
Golota seemed exhausted but intent.
With every punch to Riddick's furrowed dome
His tattooed family seemed to cry "Relent!"
The rounds were hard on poor Riddick Lamont
His blows diminished, legs grew weak and limp.
The Duva's man pressed on, he seemed to want
To make the former champ quit like a wimp.
His thought as Riddick hid behind his mitts:
"To fall on tattoos of my wife or kids?"
X.
Then, in the ninth, a wond'rous thing occurred.
A knockout seemed divinely preordained.
From Washington, fans gaped without a word
At Riddick Bowe's expression sorely pained.
The angels, sensing Christmas, lent a hand
And, feeling Bowe's supporters' silent plaints,
Pulled tricks that experts still don't understand
Out from their bags of heav'nly jabs and feints.
While fans in Brooklyn openly despaired
Golota backed Bowe up against the twine
And Riddick, his capacities impaired,
Seemed doomed to never make it through round nine.
Then, Andy, as if dumb, forgot to box
And launched three hooks right into Riddick's rocks.
XI.
Bowe tumbled once again, just like a tree.
The crowd condemned Golota's nasty dirt.
Ed Cotton said "deduction number three!
The fight is stopped! Poor Riddick is inert!"
Golota's corner stared in disbelief
That, in control, and leading on all cards,
Bad habits had crept in just like a thief
And left them whipping boys for boxing's bards.
No songs are sung in Krakow's quiet streets
No car horns sound beneath Chicago's El,
No polkas will propel the dancing feet
Of rev'lers at the Taj Mahal hotel.
Yet even as the final time bell rings
A Brownsville angel finally earns his wings!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO RIDDICK BOWE, THE RICHEST GUY IN TOWN!
=============================================================
Who's your favorite?
By Dave Iamele
Although my love for boxing borders on obsession, there is always
a discernible pause whenever someone asks me who my favorite
boxer is. Why? Perhaps it is the era of the sport in which I
became a fan. As a youngster, I was in awe of the greatest
Muhammad Ali. Seeing him in the twilight of his career losing to
Spinks, Holmes and Burbic, I can remember a great sadness coming
over me, almost like having a friend get some strange and
debilitating disease.
The next pugilist to catch my fancy was a
lean, mean, fighting machine out of the motor city of Detroit,
the Hit-Man Thomas Hearns. What young boxing fan wouldn't be
captivated by a fighter with a handle like that? Fighting out of
Mann Stewart's Kronk gym, this dark dreadnought of destruction
was truly a wonder to behold. Where did this stick-legged bomber
get such power? He collected title belts in different weight
classes like I collected baseball cards. Yet for all of Hearn's
great victories in the ring, two of his defeats have always stood
out more in my mind. The first was watching the fighter I loved
to hate, Ray Leonard, snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat by
KO'ing Tommy in the 14th round of their first encounter. The
second will always be etched in my brain. The classic
Hearns/Haggler war, perhaps the greatest three rounds of fighting
ever. I will never forget the sight of Tommy draped over first
haggler's shoulder, then referee Richard Steele's. But the most
graphic sight was that of Hearns, clearly removed from his
senses, being carried, like an infant, back to his corner. I
still get all misty whenever I see a replay.
As the years passed, many favorites came and went, some great,
some not so great and some were even flash-in-the-pans. With the
beginning to the 90's, most of my focus shifted to the
heavyweight division. This wasn't on purpose, it just seemed
like there wasn't all that many good match ups being put together
in the lower classes (with some clear exceptions, of course).
Also with less boxing on free tv, it seemed like the big guys
were all you saw on the tube or read about. I mean, it's not
like there was a zillion intriguing match ups in the heavyweight
class, but at least there was always the chance that someone
would turn a fight around with one well-placed clout, something
that titillates any true fan.
So, who was the boxer that I figured would rule the division in
the 90's? "Razor" Ruddock. I'll give you a minute or two to
stop laughing before I go on. Ready? When I first set eyes on
this Jamaican giant, he was knocking fighters out colder than an
Alaskan streaker. I thought, "man, this guy has it all -- size,
power, boxing skills, etc. . ." Unfortunately, somewhere along
the way, Razor forgot he had a right arm. What a jab was also
seemed to slip his mind. But hey, nobody's perfect, right? I
still figured he had the power to go all the way in that odd left
handed hook/upper cut he threw called, "the smash". So you can
imagine my chagrin when Ruddock was left sprawled on the canvas,
like some puppet with it's strings cut, by Lennox Lewis. Who
then proceeded to get whacked out by "the atomic screwball",
Oliver McCall. But as Tyson continued notching all the heavy's
available on his title belts, my attention returned to the lower
weight classes. Sure, it was fun watching Mike blast everyone
out, (seeing Trevor Burbick reeling all over the ring like some
kind of drunken sailor, was especially a hoot). But after a
while, it seemed like there would be no one who could begin to
test the limit of his skills.
So who next? a young middleweight bomber by the name of Gerald
McClellan. Could this guy hit? Does Don King like money? Benn
vs. McClellan promised to be one of the best fights of Gerald's
young career and perhaps it was. One thing's for sure, it was
his last. Roy Jones vs. Gerald would have been the
Haggler/Hearns of the 90's. Roy told me himself that he
considered McClellan to be the only opponent around who would
have tested his abilities. Now Gerald's fight is for survival
and he will never lead a normal life.
About this time, I deliberately decided it wasn't such a good
idea to have a favorite. I mean, what's the point? Just so you
could see them disappoint you by fighting on well past their
prime and being beaten silly by a fighter who wouldn't have been
their sparring partner when they were younger? or see them
beaten silly because they didn't train properly, or they just
don't have the fire anymore to beat a young, top caliber foe?
Who wants to see their hero being smacked around, clubbed to the
canvas, eyes blinking erratically, slipping down the ring ropes
and into a coma? I would venture, no one. It's also especially
great when a ring announcer -- supposedly, "the fight doctor",
questions their heart and wonders why they quit for no reason.
T"The hell with this. Who would want the curse of being my
favorite", I thought. Things slowly began to change when a
young cruiserweight champion decided to campaign in the
heavyweight division.
Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield wasn't the first fighter to decide
to abandon the abysses of the cruiserweights to make some real
cash in the heavyweight division, but he eventually turned out to
be the best. But I'm getting ahead of myself. From the
beginning of his division-jump, Holy showed promise -- he was an
accomplished champion, an awesome physical specimen, trained
religiously )no pun intended), and could really brawl (See Holy
vs. Dawl), he also seemed to have a warrior's heart. Now, right
here, I have to admit that while I liked Vander at this point
(who wouldn't), I didn't think he would fare too well in the land
of the giants. A blown up cruiserweight who didn't have the
power or the chin to compete with the big boys seemed to be the
consensus, and I was inclined to agree. Even after winning time
and time again, when he got his shot at the title against Buster
Douglas, I didn't think he could do it. "Who did he ever beat?"
I said. Then when he beat the Pillsbury Doughboy -- I mean
Douglas -- I felt it was more a matter of big Bus beating
himself. Still, I had to give the guy some credit, he beat the
man, who beat the man, who beat all the men. So then, who did I
root for when Holy took on Big George Foreman? Foreman.
I was wrong. Evander vs. Holmes? Bet on Larry. Wrong again.
When the Tyson fight was signed (the first time) I figured "Iron"
Mike was a sure thing to take back the belts that Evander was
holding from him. I mean "crack smokin" Burt Cooper almost laid
out Holy, for crying out loud! But then something strange began
to happen. Somewhere around the time they carted off Tyson in
cuffs and Evander was beating everyone they put in front of him,
my begrudging respect turned to a genuine admiration. This guy
was the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing. No one gave him credit for
anything. "Who did he beat? A couple of fossils and a drug
addict", was what the press said about him. Evander was the
ultimate underdog champion, everyone diss'ed him, and before I
even knew what was happening, he became -- gasp! -- my favorite.
Being a boxing fan, you know what happened next -- the curse of
the Iamele favorite struck in the form of one Riddick "Big Daddy"
Bowe. How they all shouted, "now we'll see what happens when
Holy fights a "real" heavyweight, someone who's bigger and
stronger and younger." I watched in horror as it all happened
again, just as it had so many times before, my man getting
battered. I moaned as "big Daddy" pummeled Evander down to his
knees, drool spewing from the diminutive champion's mouthpiece.
Then the inexplicable occurred, he took it and came back. He
took an ungodly beating and actually rallied back to pound a man
who couldn't believe his eyes.
But my brief moment of elation was quickly snuffed by the judges'
swift and unmerciful exchanging of champions. "How could they?!"
I screamed. "My guy was robbed!" I protested. "My God, if that
was Ali in there against Bowe, he'd have won a unanimous decision
-- ask Ken Norton!!!" I watched the tape again and again
thinking that they should have called it a draw just for the
courage Evander showed. Yes, I was clearly in denial.
When the cries of retire began from near and fa, friends and
enemies united to beg the former champ to call it a day. Oh he
got a modicum of respect, more than he received in all his other
heavyweight fights in which he triumphed. Still, they said it
again, "he's too small, not enough power, can't take a
heavyweight punch, Bowe exposed him." So what did I do when my
hero lost, when everyone was down on him, telling him to quit? I
abandoned him. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I gave up on
the Holy warrior. When the rematch was signed, I figured this
time, Bowe will probably knock him out. Even with Commander
"Vander" obtaining the services of Emmanuel Stewart and Big Daddy
ballooning up to an even Bigger Daddy. I thought the chances
were slim and none, as they say. "Duva's been with Evander from
the beginning, a change can't be good now, and a couple extra
pounds on Bowe isn't going to change anything " were my feelings.
But just like everyone else, I underestimated the incredible
heart and desire of Evander. Still, even in victory, the press
would not give him his just desserts or the credit and respect he
deserved. They blamed Bowe for being out of shape (which he
was), they blamed "fan-man", they blamed the cold. There was too
much blame and not enough credit. What if Bowe came in shape and
they fought indoors? The outcome would have been the same. He
was not to be denied.
So now what? Did I jump back on the band wagon? You bet!
Evander was the MAN! He kicked Bowe's ass! Now he would rule
the division until Tyson got out of jail, then he would proceed
to kick his ass!! This hysteria lasted until Evander's very next
fight. Now, if ever there was a sure thing, it was that Evander
was going to KO Michael Moorer. No doubt about it, this would be
his easiest fight since Burt Cooper.
Well, surprise, surprise! At the end of the fight, Moorer's the
new champion, and I felt like I just saw Evander having a
coronary in the ring for 8 or so rounds. Now I had to
reluctantly join the chorus of voices calling for Evander's
retirement. He looked clearly unhealthy, and I certainly didn't
want him to end up like Gerald McClellan or worse. When the
Bowe-Holyfield III fight was signed, I knew Bowe was not going to
make the same mistake twice and come in out of shape against
Evander again. I also knew, judging from his performance against
Moorer, Holy was in no shape to fight Bowe. Well, the knock down
of Bowe withstanding, Evander looked like a pale facade of his
former self, and the best I hoped for was a win and retirement.
After the loss, I thought surely this is it! Evander seems like
an intelligent man. He won't go on when he knows there's nothing
left in the tank. He's a rich man. . . enough's enough, right?
The less said about the Czyz "fight" the better.
When the Tyson/Holyfield bout was announced, I thought this is
what Ali fans felt when his fight with Big Bad George Foreman was
announced. Was I worried Evander would be hurt? That would be
an understatement. I didn't figure he'd last more than 1 or 2
rounds. Not only because of the Tyson Mystique, I knew Evander
would not be afraid, but because of what I felt was an obvious
"atrophy" of Holy's stamina. I even heard rumors of steroid
abuse causing his "stiff heart condition". This coming at the
Hall of Fame right from the mouth of the brother of a former
Holyfield opponent and former heavyweight champion. When people
asked me who I thought would win the bout, I said, "well, I'd
like Holyfield to win, but I think Tyson will knock him out in
one round." Reading the New York papers surely didn't set my
mind at ease. I half expected the articles to be in the obituary
sections listing Evander's new wife as next-of-kin.
Well, I was wrong, again. But I enjoy a great deal of happiness
in the fact that 99.9% of the world was wrong right along with
me. Besides, the best man won. My guy, my favorite. I give no
discredit to Evander by talking about Mike Tyson's many troubles
from business, to personal, to professional. He was not so much
less than people thought, Evander Holyfield was so much more.
So who's my favorite. Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield -- man,
haven't you been paying attention? He's the man! He kicked
Tyson's ass! He'll rule the division! Unify the titles! Beat
Moorer, gain revenge on Bowe, beat Akinwande to become the first
champion to unify the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF titles! At least
until he has that one fight too many, or gets bored with the
sport, or suddenly grows old before our eyes (as I thought I saw
in the Bowe III and Moorer bouts) or until someone new comes
along who wants it just a little bit more, maybe former sparring
mate David Tua or Bowe's pal, Andrew Golota. But for now, Holy
is my favorite. The guy's got it all, he's the world's biggest
over achiever. I hope they save a nice spot in Canastota for
Evander because 5 years after he retires, they'll need it.*
So who's your favorite?
=================================================================
WORLD INTERNET BOXING ALLIANCE
By: WIBA Prez EricVT (gvont@pacbell.net)
The WIBA (World Internet Boxing Alliance) is a fantasy boxing
league where you create fighters and manage their careers,
personalities, personnel life, money situation and etc.
The WIBA uses the APBA boxing simulator to get the outcomes of
all its bouts. And many things play a major role in your boxers
performance throughout his or HER career!
Well if this sounds interesting to you then sign up! Here's the
form and we're still accepting some fighters! Right now we only
have a Heavyweight and Female division and you can create a
fighter for both or just one of these if you want!
Name of boxer(with nickname included):
Is your fighter a:
1.Boxer
2.Slugger
3.Either
(If you pick either it gives you a slight advantage and you'll be
given 2 less points to give to your fighters categories below)
Now you have 25 points (or 23 points if you selected either
above) to put into the following categories:
Ring Generalship:
Punching Power:
Boxing Skills:
Chin Rating:
Endurance:
Overall Skills:
Is your fighter a:
1.Lefty
2.Righty
Is your boxer:
1.White
2.Black
3.Hispanic
4.Asian
(don't ask me it's in the program I'm using!)
Now there are 2 sections below where you have to dish out 15
points and at least 5 points in each section!
Section 1
Ability not to have cuts:
Absorbs Punishment:
Killer Instinct:
Aggressiveness:
Endurance:
Defense:
Fast Starter:
Corner fighting:
Section 2
Punching Accuracy (Important):
Counter Punching:
Fighters hometown:
That's it!!! Here's some rules and stuff! There is normally one
card a week -- Thursday Night Fights! I use APBA simulator to
get all outcomes! Role playing is a key in this league! If you
role play a lot (and do it well) you'll be able to improve your
boxers! You'll learn how to role play after a week of being
here! There will be a money system in place and we're thinking
of even a betting system!!! There will also be rankings and the
such! Well that's all I can think of so sign up and have fun!!!
WIBA Prez EricVT
Well thanks again everyone and sign up soon cause I don't have a
ton of space left! And happy holidays from everyone at WIBA!
================================================================
HENRY MASKE vs. VIRGIL HILL
By: Steffen.Kuhnt@RZ.TU-Ilmenau.de (Steffen.Kuhnt)
MUNICH, GERMANY. On the evening of Saturday, November 23th,
Germany`s Henry Maske and Virgil Hill from the USA were scheduled
to meet in the ring for the unification of their IBF & WBA Light
Heavyweight world titles. Maske had planned this to be his
farewell match (`My greatest dream is to retire as an undefeated
world champion.`). As usual, a whole bunch of stars and
wannabe-stars were showing up at ring-side, surrounded by
patriotic fans on the cheaper places. The rest of the nation was
at home watching TV, where the fight was not broadcasted but
celebrated. You had to go through a real pain of 2 hours(!) of
incredibly boring pre-fight-reports (including 4 minutes !!)
where Hill was introduced) and interviews with the stars
mentioned above. Some of them even knew the name of `Henry`s
opponent`, probably they`ve read it before entering the hall.
But a real boxing-fan has learned to ignore that kind of stuff,
especially if he is looking forward to watch an unification bout,
even if both fighters are not commonly associated with an
exciting style, to say the least. The whole event, the most
expensive boxing match ever to take place in Germany, was planned
perfectly: great show for the people; Maske wins; everybody goes
home after having an outstanding good time). There was
absolutely nothing that could have gone wrong, right?? Wrong!
***
After the usual embarrassing show-act and Michael Buffer trying
to speak German (He really shouldn`t do that . . .), everybody
was ready to rumble and the match `we`ve all been waiting for`
started.
In the first rounds, Maske hardly threw a punch, while Hill was
slightly more active, trying to work the body. Still, there was
absolutely no action to excite the audience. All those rounds
were very close, but Hill somehow managed to gain an advantage of
2 (well, maybe 3) rounds at the end of round 5. Just when
everybody wanted to ask what the hell Maske was waiting for, he
came out and took away round 6 with some clear hits. Sadly
enough, this was by far the best round of the whole match, and
the only one Maske won on my card.
From then on, the picture was always the same: Some single
actions, but more holding and pushing -- extremely boring. Hill
had his head low several times while Maske pushed it even lower.
There were only a few clear actions. Maske`s "If you don`t do
anything, you don`t make any mistakes" strategy obviously turned
out to be a mistake in itself, so from the beginning of round 10,
all Hill had to do was to save it. He did, but in a rather
unattractive fashion, by holding, turning away and things like
that, while Maske seemed to wait for Hill to get tired and
asleep, for this was his only chance to turn things around.
After the final bell, I had it for Hill with 2 rounds. First,
Michael Buffer obviously again had some trouble reading the
scores and announced an unanimous decision for Hill, which was
turned into a split decision later on. Somehow one judge had it
112:116 for Maske(!), while another one had it just the same for
Hill. But the worst part was still to come. After the decision
was announced, the crowd immediately started to hiss and boo,
and, after a short interview, a pack of bodyguards had to hurry
to get Hill out of the arena. Maske for his part dropped to his
knees and started crying like a little baby, while `Time to say
goodbye` was played in the background. Embarrassing as it was,
it seemed to have a strong effect on the people in the hall.
Even Michael Buffer spilled some tears, caught in a great camera
shot.
So, everybody celebrated the loser, while the new unified IBF/WBA
Light Heavyweight champion had to flee out of the arena. Talk
about sportsmanship!
After rinsing off the tears, the former champion held his usual
speech, making more than some hints that he thought he was
screwed. (Fortunately, some days after the fight it seems like
he has made up his mind as he announced that he agrees with the
decision now. And, despite the rumors, he doesn`t seem to plan a
comeback -- for now.
***
The next day, a friend asked me about the result of the match.
First, I wanted to say `Hill won`, but then I thought again and
replied "Maske lost." And that`s the point, because Maske
showed his worst performance in years. If they did it again, he
would probably win, but he had his chance and he completely blew
it. This is definitely no victory Hill should be very proud of.
Still, he joins Terry Norris, who was the sports only current
unified champion so far. (I`m really looking forward to Phrank`s
comment when he has to rank Hill as the division`s new champion.)
So what`s next for Hill? He plans to defend against David
Vedder. NOT! Just joking, really!!! Before the fight, he said
he wanted to fight Jones if he won. Yeah sure. Well, it would
be a big payday but I don`t believe this until the contracts are
signed. But let`s hope it happens. Somehow I suspect I would be
great fun . . .
===============================================================
THE DAY I FACED ALI
By Michael DeLisa (delisa1066@aol.com)
I fought Muhammad Ali in 1980 on national TV. Don't remember it?
Well, it happened just after the Dwight Davison vs. Curtis Parker
match at Caesar's Palace. I went to the fights with my father
and mother. We hail from Williamsburg, where my father owned a
luncheonette for over 35 years. On any given day, such fighters
as Danny Giovanelli, Carmine Fiore, Lulu Costantino, and others
would be in there hanging out, eating tripe, and drinking coffee.
My Dad, by all accounts a terrific fighter in his own right,
taught me to box with a Brooklyn attitude. Basically that meant
approaching a fight with the belief that anyone would "go" if
hit right and your job was to do the hitting.
Well, we go to the fights. Outside, it is sweltering and
then-champ Larry Holmes walks up as we wait in line to be let in.
My father gives me an elbow and I know what he means. I walk up
to Holmes and say "Larry! We are sweltering out here! You are
the Champ, tell them to let us in." Holmes turns to a rent-a-cop
and says "let 'em in." And, sure enough, in we go. Once inside I
scurry to my seat at the edge of the bleachers, about 10 feet
off ground level. Excellent seats. They adjoin the walkway to
the dressing rooms so the fighters have to pass by. Holmes walks
by, and I lean down and hand him a program, which he signs. His
hands serve as a desk while he writes.
Soon after, a roar goes through the crowd. Ali is making his
entrance. He is there to promote the upcoming Holmes-Ali fight.
The crowd is on its feat screaming Ali! Ali! Ali! Muhammad stands
in the aisle, milking it in while the crowd chants. Everyone
loves him. I lean over above his head, cup my hands to my mouth,
and boo! I don't know how Ali heard me above the roar,
but he looks up at me, shakes a fist, bites his bottom lip, and
generally pretends to be angry. I laugh and Ali makes his way to
ringside. After that, Sugar Ray Leonard comes in. He has just
lost to Roberto Duran and walks in unnoticed. Except by me. I
boo.
Soon, the fights are on. I recall siting next to Daniel Munoz and
his family. Munoz is to face Lonnie Smith, who is making his
professional debut. Munoz is pleasant and very nervous. He
doesn't last a round.
After the main event, Ali stands and makes his way out from
ringside. As he walks by, the crowd is on its feet, screaming
Ali! Ali! and cheering. Love is in the air.
I lean over, and boo again. Ali stops. Looks up at me, with a
look as if to say, "are you still here?" I lean over the rail
and shout -- "Joe Frazier kicked your ass!"
Ali hears me. His eyes bulge. He tears off his jacket.
Screams, and CLIMBS UP THE BLEACHERS AFTER ME! He makes his way
to the landing below, and starts up the stairs. My father, who
has been watching in silence leans over to me and says very
softly but seriously "Here he comes. Get him."
Well, I don't know how many of you have a dad like mine, but when
he says get him, I get him. I jump from my seat and race to the
landing (clever guy I am I don't want to be accosted on the
steps.) As I rush Ali, I figure, hell, maybe I can get in one
good shot and he'll "go." Yeah, right. Ali and I square off.
The crowd is absolutely out of control. The network cameras
scurry to position themselves, while klieg lights suddenly
illuminate us. One problem, though. Ali seems pissed. We
square off. Wow! This dude is huge! I get low, Frazier style.
And then it happens. Ali starts to punch. At my head. No, that
is not quite correct. He punches . . . at my hair. It is like
standing in front of a force of nature. I stay low, but Ali
throws . . . and throws . . . and throws. Each punch clips my
hair. I feel a gale in front of me. I hear the whipwhip of
Ali's starched white shirt as he throws jab, hook (didn't know he
had one!) right left right uppercut (WHEW! that was close) left,
right . . . . . . . .
The crowd presses in on us. Someone grabs me from behind, and
Ali is grabbed by some of his entourage. Ali is virtually
apoplectic, trying to get at me. I, of course, am brave once
again. (I told you I was from Brooklyn). Finally Ali stops his
histrionics, starts to laugh, and we embrace. Man, this dude is
huge!
Ali leaves and everyone including me is in a great mood. Except
my dad. He is angrier than Ali feigned to be. "I told you to
get him." Before I have a chance to answer, Ray Leonard comes
by. Hey! A guy my own size. I start to boo. Leonard stops and
looks up at me. I shout "Duran kicked your ass!" Munoz's family
laughs for the first time in hours. Leonard whispers to one of
his bodyguards (black dude wearing a cowboy hat). The bodyguard
comes up while Leonard scurries away. "Sugar Ray says shut up."
The crowd pushes him down the stairs and, finally, I get to
laugh.
===============================================================
November Ratings (as of 15 Nov)
By: ryan@wizard.net (Phrank Da Slugger)
Editor/Publisher, Bob's Feints
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Champion: Evander Holyfield (WBA)
1. Riddick Bowe
2. Lennox Lewis
3. Michael Moorer (IBF)
4. Mike Tyson
5. Andrew Golota
6. Henry Akinwande (WBO)
7. Tim Witherspoon
8. Oliver McCall
9. Ray Mercer
10. David Tua
The most controversial move I've made in a long time (since
stripping Foreman) is to replace Bowe as the Champion w/
Holyfield. Bowe was on his way to a KO loss against Golota and
Holyfield beat the previous-#1 contender here, so here it is. . .
As for the fight, what is there to say? All the Tyson-ites who
thought he was as good as ever were wrong, and all the hysterics
calling for Holyfield to retire were wrong, too. 2 yrs ago we
went through a similar thing when Foreman beat Moorer, albeit to
a lesser degree. But this was even bigger, one for the ages.
Also nice to have a good man as Champion again . . . Akinwande
and Moorer also defended their titles, Akinwande the more
impressive though both scored stoppages. . . More good stuff
coming up: Bowe-Golota II (setting up Bowe-Holyfield IV?),
Mercer-Spoon and, in Jan, Lewis-McCall II.
CRUSIERWEIGHTS
Champion: Nate Miller (WBA)
1. Marcelo Dominguez (WBC)
2. Adolfo Washington (IBF)
3. Ralf Rocchigiani (WBO)
4. Chris Okoh
5. Alexander Gurov
6. Fabrice Tiozzo
7. Carl Thompson
8. Akim Tafer
9. Torsten May
10. Juan Carlos Gomez
After months of delay, I hear that Miller-Tiozzo will happen on
11 Jan. Keep your fingers crossed . . . Dominguez' Oct title
defense was canceled, but no big deal, as it was against an
unknown. Next up: Gurov . . . Gomez fought, as did
perennially-active Okoh, who moves ahead of idle Gurov . . .
Where's Thompson? He hasn't fought in mths and risks losing his
place in the Top 10 unless he becomes active.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Champion: Henry Maske (IBF)
1. James Toney (WBU)
2. Graciano Rocchigiani
3. Virgil Hill (WBA)
4. Dariusz Michalczewski (WBO)
5. Montell Griffin
6. Eddy Smulders
7. Lou Del Valle
8. Merqui Sosa
9. Mohammad Siluvangui
10. Rocky Gannon
Look for changes here next mth: we have Maske-Hill,
Toney-Griffin and Michalczewski-Smulders in Dec . . . Yep, I said
Michalczewski-Smulders -- Evidently Tiger wasn't so hot to face
Rocchigiani again in a match he's sure to lose . . . Del Valle
and Griffin scored wins in stay-busy fights . . . Chris Eubank is
back as a Lt. Heavy. I'd love to see him work his way up and
become a contender here.
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Champion: Roy Jones (IBF)
1. Steve Collins (WBO)
2. Frank Liles (WBA)
3. Henry Wharton
4. Robin Reid (WBC)
5. Thulane Malinga
6. Joseph Kiwanuka
7. Michael Nunn
8. Vincent Nardiello
9. Vinnie Pazienza
10. Charles Brewer
Well, I'd say Jones finally has a solid match-up at this weight:
Collins. What a tough guy . . . Benn quits and retires -- 3
losses in a row is an odd way to end his career . . . Kiwanuka
impressive in taking out Segundo Mercado, and moves up 2 notches
. . . Where's Nunn? Probably incarcerated, but he needs to get
active nevertheless . . . Wharton active, and Brewer returns w/a
win . . . Remember Luciano Torres? He was ranked here for
awhile, but dropped after mths of inactivity. Well, this mth he
lost to a guy who is 9-7-3. I would bet his idleness played no
small part in this embarrassing loss.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Bernard Hopkins (IBF)
2. Lonnie Bradley (WBO)
3. Keith Holmes (WBC)
4. John David Jackson
5. Simon Brown (IBC)
6. William Joppy (WBA)
7. Jorge Castro
8. Andrew Council
9. Anthony Stephens
10. Shinji Takehara
Holmes and Joppy underwhelmed me, especially the former. From
what they showed, Hopkins would handle both on the same night . .
. What's up w/JD Jackson? I keep hearing he's everyone's
mandatory challenger (he's #1 in the WBA and IBF and #5 in the
WBC -- and unranked by the WBO. Go figure). When's he gonna get
his deserved title shot? . . . Council in as the former
highly-rated Jr. Middle blasted out solid Alan Watts. Impressive
. . . Council displaces Aaron Davis . . . Takehara unheard from
since losing his title to Joppy. He'll exit next mth if he
doesn't fight.
JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Champion: Terry Norris (WBC & IBF)
1. Winky Wright (WBO)
2. Laurent Boudouani (WBA)
3. Carl Daniels
4. Bronco McKart
5. Paul Vaden
6. Julio Cesar Vasquez
7. Emmett Linton
8. Vincent Pettway
9. Gianfranco Rosi
10. Buddy McGirt
Looming Norris-Felix Trinidad mega-fight overshadows everything
else here . . . Andrew Council exits to 160 -- McGirt in to
replace him . . . Wright, Pettway and Vaden all were active . . .
McKart mysteriously idle since losing his title to Wright. He
drops starting next mth unless he fights . . . This division is
full of ex-titlists (Daniels, McKart, Pettway, Vasquez, McGirt
and Rosi), and needs new blood.
WELTERWEIGHTS
Champion: Pernell Whitaker (WBC)
1. Ike Quartey (WBA)
2. Felix Trinidad (IBF)
3. Jose Luis Lopez (WBO)
4. Pat Coleman
5. Oba Carr
6. Vince Phillips
7. Tony Martin
8. Luis Ramon Campas
9. Derrell Coley
10. Adrian Stone
After the great mth we had in Oct, this division deserved a
respite. Only Stone and Phillips fought in Oct . . . Word from
the WBO is that Lopez tested positive for something (they didn't
say what), and will be stripped of his title. Unfortunately, he
also may lose the impressive result when he Koed Campas as well .
. . The biggest thing on the horizon here (hell, the biggest
thing in the sport) is Trinidad-Norris in Feb. Can't wait.
JR. WELTERWEIGHTS
Champion: Oscar de la Hoya (WBC)
1. Frankie Randall (WBA)
2. Kostya Tszyu (IBF)
3. Julio Cesar Chavez
4. Charles Murray
5. Giovanni Parisi (WBO)
6. Juan Coggi
7. Dingaan Thobela
8. Miguel Angel Gonzalez
9. Khalid Rahilou
10. Rafael Ruelas
Nothing to report this mth, but much coming up: Chavez fights
again in Dec. against fringe contender Mickey Ward, the Champion
defends against Gonzalez and Rahilou challenges Randall in Jan.
and there's the rumored Tszyu-Murray bout after the new yr.
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. George Scott (WBU)
2. Phillip Holiday (IBF)
3. Orzubek Nazarov (WBA)
4. Stevie Johnston
5. Jean-Baptiste Mendy (WBC)
6. John-John Molina
7. Cesar Bazan
8. Ivan Robinson
9. Demetrio Ceballos
10. Billy Irwin
Nazarov, idle since an Apr. win over a WBA stooge contender and
w/no defenses scheduled, drops again, as Holiday overtakes him.
Holiday enjoyed a gimme defense over an unrated fighter, but has
a solid challenge coming from Robinson (on HBO) in Dec. Look for
Holiday to take over the #1 spot after he defeats the
Philadelphian . . . Anyone heard from Molina? Also idle for a
long time, he drops a notch . . . Mendy's defense against the
deserving Johnston was unfortunately delayed . . . Scott active
w/a win . . . Ceballos wins, too, and moves ahead of Irwin.
JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS
Champion: Azumah Nelson (WBC)
1. Regilio Tuur (WBO)
2. Arturo Gatti (IBF)
3. Tracy Harris Patterson
4. Jungsoo Choi (WBA)
5. Anatoly Alexandrov
6. Robert Garcia
7. Jacobin Yoma
8. Angel Manfredy (WBU)
9. Harold Warren
10. Julian Wheeler
What happened to Nelson-Hernandez? It disappeared, but I'm not
unhappy to see Genaro The Heart Hernandez not get his unearned
title shot. What I am is ready to see is another appearance by
The Professor (who woulda thrashed Hernandez) . . . Warren and
Wheeler move in to displace Jose Vida Ramos and Justin Juuko.
Wheeler upset Jorge Paez w/a good win, and Warren looked great
outworking up-and-comer Johnny Brown. Add to that his
controversial loss to Patterson earlier this yr, and Warren is a
solid new contender.
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Champion: Luisito Espinoza (WBC)
1. Tom Johnson (IBF)
2. Wilfredo Vasquez (WBA)
3. Naseem Hamed (WBO)
4. Kevin Kelley (WBU)
5. Angel Vasquez
6. Jose Badillo
7. Derrick Gainer
8. Orlando Canizales
9. Manuel Medina
10. Juan Marquez
Good month here . . . Angel Vasquez moves up a notch w/a very
impressive blast-out of former-contender Miguel Arrozal. There's
a new contender on the scene . . . Canizales in w/a good revenge
stoppage of Sergio Reyes (another wife/girlfriend-beater gets his
due) . . . Espinoza, Marquez and Hamed also scored stay-busy wins
. . . Canizales' ascendancy displaces Cesar Soto . . . Where's
Badillo? He drops starting next month if he doesn't fight.
======================================================
End Quote:
"Sanctioning bodies aren't helping boxing any longer. I think
it's got to the point where they're hurting the sport. I think
they should be eliminated."
-- by Randy Gordon, quoted in
"Tiberi The Uncrowned Champion" (1992).
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