NORRIS "DOUBLE SHOT"
On a card that featured two former titleholders who were both KO'd in their last fights,
and on the same card, only Raul Marquez was able to turn things around. Former longtime
WBC 154 lb. kingpin Terry Norris wasn't as
fortunate.
ESPN 2 AKA THE DEUCE FROM FOXWOODS
The Friday night televised card opened with 1996 Olympian Eric Morel stopping Colombian
Rodolpho Blanco in a rout. Lucia Rijker also remained unbeaten with a single body shot
knockout of Marcela Acuna of Argentina.
COMMON FOE WITH MARTIN
Acuna entered with strange credentials. That being she was a once beaten kick boxing
champion who went 27-1. But she lost her only all hands fight, a ten round decision loss
to Christy Martin. So, in what was a gauge against a common opponent, Rijker smokes a girl
Christy took the ten round route.
MARQUEZ LOOKS GOOD IN RETURN
Raul Marquez is a fighter that is piloted by his father. This is the same parent/manager
who put the then undefeated IBF 154 lb. champ in a fight with Yory Boy Campas last
December, after the kid had taken a horrific beating at the hands of Keith Mullings less
than three months prior.
OPPONENT CAME TO WIN
Shibata Flores gave it a good go. The fringe contender from Los Angeles tried but Marquez
was a better grade of fighter and won going away in ten rounds.
AND NOW THE SAGA OF...
Terry Norris and how "Terrible" he's become. The former many time WBC junior
middleweight champion was at one point in the 90's, hovering near the top of the pound for
pound best list.
SPEECH IMPACTED
When he was with Don King a few years back, I used to listen to Terry slur a little bit in
post fight interviews. I took into consideration that some guys just aren't great
speakers, especially with a Corona in their hand. But when Norris appeared on Ring Talk
recently in an interview taped on August 28, it was clear that Terry was sounding punchy!
TERRY PULLED OUT...
Of fights with a little better than average Verno Phillips and ex-champion Julian Jackson
who starched Norris for the first time in his life in a WBA 154 lb. title fight in which
the Hawk nearly killed Terry with a single right hand.
WITH NORRIS SHOT, ARUM SEES SHOT FOR JEWISH PUG
Top Rank knew Terry Norris was way, way, way over the hill. That's why he was on deck to
fight Oscar De La Hoya before getting KO'd by Mullings last December.
And if they thought for a second that he wasn't, watching Norris get licked like a stamp
sparring against the aforementioned Raul Marquez in the Las Vegas Top Rank Gym, surely
convinced them the young man known for wearing the Star of David on his trunks, had a real
good shot at winning.
ODDS FAVORED TERRY...
But wise guys failed to note Rosenblatt's left handed style and his advantage in size (a
true middleweight) over the welterweight like Norris.From the outset, and for eight
rounds, it was all Rosenblatt. But in the ninth frame, Dana ran out of gas and began doing
a pretty good Henry Akinwande imitation of holding on TIGHT until the final bell.
A JOLTING...
Right jab from the once beaten southpaw set the tone for the evening. Every now and then,
Dana would add his left hand to the mix and stun Norris, who falls to 48-7. In fact, there
were a couple of times when Terry looked ready to go. But the determined San Diegan
refused to fold.
NORRIS WOULD...
Win the last four heats of the 12 rounder on my card, but it was no where near enough to
draw close on anyone's scorecard. Officially they read 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112, with
Dana moving to 33-1.
ESPN HAD TO...
Have problems with the pre fight interviews with Norris as they were all little sound
bites that sounded whispered.
A FIGHTER IS LIKE A CASH REGISTER...
While there is only a certain amount of money you can put in a cash register before it's
drawer is just too full to close. The same theory applies to fighters. After a certain
point, they no longer work either.
Terry Norris used to live in the First Fighters Squadron Gym outside of San Diego.
Sparring daily against guys as big as heavyweight brother Orlin, Terry did as many as 10
to 12 rounds of heated sparring daily, sometimes six days a week.
THE RESIDUAL AFFECTS ARE...
Now showing. Besides the slurred speech, Terry's legs are spread unusually far apart, and
he has to push his right hand. Add all three of these symptoms up and your total equates
to that of a shot fighter.
ROSENBLATT ARUM'S DREAM
There was a time in this country when Jewish fighters played a major role in the fight
game. Those days are gone. But every once in a while, a lad of Jewish persuasion comes
along and excites the game. The last one of note was light heavyweight Mike Rossman.
DANA'S JEWISH, LEFT HANDED, AND CAN PUNCH...
But he can't take the heat in the kitchen and again showed that he doesn't fare well past
the eighth round.
PILOT LIGHT ONLY
If there was anything on other than the pilot in the Norris stove, Terry would have
drilled the clutching, gasping, dead tired fighter from Massachusetts down the stretch.
RING TALK, KICKIN' ASS AND TAKING NO NAMES!
Catch Ring Talk on the Talk America Radio Network LIVE tonight at 11:06 PM ET as we will
discuss Lewis-Mavrovic post mortem, the heavyweights in general, as well as the upcoming
Genaro Hernandez-Floyd Mayweather fight for the WBC 130 lb. belt on HBO October 9, when
Time Warner replays the DeLa Hoya-Chavez fight from last week. Add a SHOWTIME card next
Saturday from France featuring unbeaten IBF 118 lb. guy Tim Austin and WBA 135 lb.
titleholder Jean Baptiste Mendy!
RING TALK LIVE ON THE INTERNET
Ring Talk Saturday is two hours in duration and is aired on the Talk America "1"
Network. On Sunday night at 11:06 PM ET, Ring Talk airs for an hour.
BOTH the Talk "1" and Talk "2" Networks have LIVE separate audio
channels at www.talkamerica.com
E MAIL OR TOLL FREE PHONE LINES "CONNECT YOU" TO THE RING TALK STUDIO
The electronic mail box will be open for both shows this week as will the toll free phone
lines for your calls from the United States and Canada.
Pedro Fernandez
The writer has his own site at www.fighters.com and
can be reached at
flash@inow.com