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03/29/2004 Archived Entry: "Lesson for the Evening"
Lesson for the Evening
By Tom Donelson
One fight does not make a career nor should it destroy a career. Dominick Guinn was listed as the next great thing and with Larry Merchant and Emmanuel Steward gushing about the “Southern Disaster”, it appeared that we were sitting in on a coronation on Saturday night. My own impression of Guinn is that he throws punches sparingly but is accurate with what he throws. He is a boxer, who can take a punch and follow up on advantages when it presents itself. This past Saturday, Guinn found himself fighting his mirror image and he fought a fight that he could not win. He played the part of the pursuer and Monte Barrett took him to school.
In the first round, Guinn started out fast and using a quick jab that rocked Barrett head back- Guinn appeared on his way to an easy victory. Guinn moved constantly forward but he found himself looking at a reflection of himself as Barrett started to move and jab. As Guinn moved forward in a predictable fashion, Barrett picked Guinn apart. Barrett is one of those fighters with talent and potential but up to this point in his career, found a way to lose his defining fights. Against Mesi, he gave Baby Joe the first six rounds before deciding that it was time to fight back. It cost him the win. Against Guinn, he came in shape and started out fast. There were no giving rounds away and using a variety of punches thrown from all angles, Barrett dominated the action. Guinn, who never looked comfortable fighting straight ahead, seemed incapable of changing gears. When a boxer is forced to pursue, his rhythm is off and he is fighting someone else’s fight. When Muhammad Ali fought Jimmy Young, he found himself having to pursue Young and Young made the Greatest look silly. While Ali won the decision, it was not one of Ali’s great moments. Guinn was the same way. He moved forward but rarely cut off the ring. He could not take advantage of his strengths, which feature quick and compact punches and it was Barrett, who looked like the contender. So what now? For Guinn, it is back to the drawing board. If Guinn was to fight Barrett again or another boxer, he needs to learn to cut the ring off so he can shoot those beautiful compact punches. A better strategy is to simply box and forget about pleasing the crowd. One of Lennox Lewis’ strengths in my opinion was the fact that he didn’t care about what his critics’ would say - he would fight to win. When he fought Tua, he was satisfied with pot shooting Tua from long distance after feeling Tua’s power early in the fight. No need for bravery if you could hide behind a superior jab followed by an accurate right. Lewis took an easy decision from Tua that night. Guinn allowed the crowd and his own inclination to knock Barrett out to follow a foolish plan. On the other hand, Barrett showed that for one night that he could indeed be a serious contender. At this point, it is hard to really say what this fight means as the heavyweight division is still in flux as we sort out the pretenders from contenders. Lets face it, if John Ruiz can be a champion then why not Guinn or Barrett? On the other hand, if Barrett or Guinn, for that matter fight Ruiz then they must learn the lesson of this fight. Use your skills and don’t fight the other guy’s fight. (Why Ruiz? For one, he has the least skill of the paper titleholders available and if I were Barrett or Guinn’s people- he would be the guy I would covet.) Barrett fought his fight and used his skills. Only the future will show if Guinn learned the right lessons from last Saturday night. I am not ready to declare Jermain Taylor the next great thing. What I will say that in a division minus superstars or great fighters among the elites, Taylor’s path to the top is cleared. Right now, the best fighters are in the 154 pounds. With De La Hoya moving up and Trinidad ready to come back as a middleweight, some major money fights are shaping up for Taylor. Last night, Taylor looked liked a fighter who improved over past performances. He started to work on his weakness, for example keeping his hands up after shooting a left jab. (This he picked up after hearing Bernard Hopkins discussed this on Friday Night Fights on ESPN. One pundit observed, this will be last time that Hopkins gives advice.) Taylor has speed and a right hand that quickly assails his opponent after blinding that opponent with a stiff jab. Taylor has the skills to win a championship and may be a fighter who can challenge Hopkins’ reign on the top. The future is bright but as we have already seen- there are rough roads on the way to the top for prospects. Just ask Guinn.
