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10/08/2006 Archived Entry: "In the ‘Land of the Giants,’ Valuev Squashes Barrett & Adamek Edges Briggs!"
In the ‘Land of the Giants,’ Valuev Squashes Barrett & Adamek Edges Briggs!
Photos and report by Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Valuev stands tall at the moment with his successful win over Barrett
ROSEMONT, Ill. – This was David versus Goliath at the Allstate Arena, except in this case David was African-American and he boxed a little. Oh, and this time, David got squashed by the giant.
Make that “The Russian Giant” Nikolai Valuev, who stopped Monte “Two Guns” Barrett in the 11th round to successfully defend his World Boxing Association Heavyweight Title.
Nearly a foot shorter and 100 lbs. lighter than his opponent, Monte “Two Guns” Barrett employed superior speed in setting up single, larruping overhand rights and occasional two fisted flurries, followed with clinches to break down and frustrate his taller opponent.
This tactic had some success, as Barrett jarred Valuev several times, most notably in the first round, where he buckled Valuev’s legs with an overhand right, followed by a whistling left hook to the head. It appeared that an upset was eminent.
With Lamon Brewster’s stoppage of massive Andrew Golota at the United Center last year and Mike Mollo’s earlier destruction of “Clones Colossus” Kevin McBride, was Chicago quickly becoming a graveyard for the elephants in the heavyweight division?
With several swipes of his massive paws, Valuev dashed those thoughts as he wobbled and dropped Barrett to the mat, the knockdown resulting from a sneaky left hook. Barrett rose, landed another sneaky right, then a left over the top, and held on for dear life.
When the bell clanged ending the first round, the pattern was set. Using a little lateral movement and bobbling his head side to side in exaggerated fashion, Barrett looked to jump in with quick shots and hold. Meanwhile, Valuev sought to spear his fleeter foe with quick jabs and combinations and rid himself and the audience of this menace.
This was easier said than done. Barrett’s punch and grab tactics, while somewhat effective, really bored the audience, which began whistling with frustration by the third round.
Memo to Don King: Please, no more Monte Barrett in Chicago!
Like his bout against Hassim Rahman for the WBC Interim Heavyweight Title last year at the United Center, Barrett both exposed his opponent’s limitations and underutilized his skills. With Rahman, he did just enough to survive and make it somewhat entertaining for several minutes out of 12 long rounds. In this match, instead of boxing and moving more with the slower man, he elected to stand and slug intermittently, leaving himself open for Valuev’s counters. Also, by holding as he did, he allowed Valuev to bear down on him with his considerable bulk, which no doubt weakened him over the long haul.
In the fourth round, Valuev snapped Barrett’s head back with a glancing left and again with a ponderous right. Barrett fired back with a hard left and right off Valuev’s bucket sized head. Surging, Barrett rocked him with a hard right over the top. Another quick right clipped Valuev again. He nailed Valuev straight up the middle with a smashing right, as Valuev caught mostly air, arms and shoulders with ponderous lefts and rights.
In the sixth, Barrett battered Valuev’s head with a succession of rights. A left uppercut appeared to stun Valuev. Barrett bounced another smashing left off his head. Swinging back hard with both fists, Valuev clubbed him with several rights. Barrett bounced another booming right off his head as Valuev sought to mount an effective offense at rounds end.
By the seventh, Valuev began finding his range more often. He rocked Barrett with a right hook and, later, in close with a flurry of lefts and rights. However, he was warned for throwing an elbow at one point.
In the eighth, Valuev again rocked Barrett, knocking him into the ropes with a huge right. Barrett fired back hard with both fists. They slugged savagely at close quarters.
Suddenly Barrett dropped hard from a walloping left hook to the head!
Rising, he held on tightly. Clearing his head, he landed another sucker right punch over Valuev’s right shoulder at the end of the round.
Barrett was not here just to survive. He fought with pride, guts and a little guile. His punches landed with the impact of a baseball bat on a bucket of wet cement. Whack! Whack! Valuev wasn’t going anywhere just yet. Nevertheless, out-speeding the giant, he continued chopping away, a little here, a little there.
Unfortunately for him, the return fire was landing with increasing frequency.
In the 10th, a hard right snapped Barrett’s head back. Seeking to catch Valuev with a wild right, Barrett missed and fell down. Rising, he out-hustled inside, then was rocked again by another booming right, forcing him to hold. Barrett flailed away with a pair of wild, looping rights one partially landing at the bell.
Then came the destruction.
In the 11th, Valuev pivoted all 328 lbs. of his bulk behind a smashing right hook to Barrett’s head. Barrett slammed to the canvas hard. Rising, Barrett took a standing eight count. Not to be denied, Valuev dropped him again with a right uppercut. A left hook buckled Barrett’s legs and, moments later, someone from Barrett’s corner jumped through the ropes to halt the bout. Valuev won by technical knockout at 2:14 into the 11th round.
With the win, Valuev rose to 45-0 with 33 knockouts, while Barrett, 222 ½ lbs., dropped to 31-5 with 17 knockouts.
Adamek (left) and Briggs
In what must be seriously considered fight of the year, defending WBC Light Heavyweight Title holder Tomasz Adamek displayed a piston-like jab, busier hands and an ungodly ability to absorb abuse to the head in managing a very close majority decision over harder-punching Paul Briggs.
Briggs was seeking to avenge his previous majority decision loss to Adamek when they fought last May for the vacant title.
Starting off fast, Briggs drove Adamek back with a stiff jab. He landed a booming right. Moments later, Adamek roared back furiously with both fists.
Suddenly, Adamek went down from a left hook! It was of the flash knockdown variety. More perturbed than hurt, Adamek jarred with his own right and proceeded to force the action on Briggs through rounds end.
In the second, Briggs landed a pair of hard right to the head, but Adamek came back with his own left-right. So far, this looked to be very much like their first fight, with both fighters landing hard blows and the two trading turns taking the lead. Adamek had Briggs ducking now, retreating under a heavy peppering of lefts and rights. Briggs was cut over the left eye. Adamek was clearly very effective with the jab.
The third began with a booming chorus of Adamek’s singing countrymen. No matter. Briggs landed a hard uppercut in a surge. It was his turn to take the lead again. Now, it was Adamek’s, as he snapped Brigg’s head back with a stiff jab, and, as in the first fight, remained the busier of the two. Briggs stemmed the surge with a chopping right to the head that buckled Adameks legs. Adamek stormed back with both fists pumping. Briggs landed another concussive right over the jab. Then, Adamek surged back with a flourish in the closing moments.
Round four, Briggs jarred with a pair of rights, caught a hard counter in return, then landed more heavy rights again to the head.
This was the pattern: whenever Briggs jarred with a heavy right, Adamek came back with three or four hard counters. The physically stronger of the two, Briggs landed harder blows. However, Adamek threw a higher volume of blows, some of them landing with telling effect. Back and forth they went.
Briggs gave a heavy dose of leaden blows to perhaps edge a closely fought fourth.
In the fifth, Briggs attacked with a very hard right. The two traded hard blows. Briggs landed two heavy rights over a low guard to Adamek’s head, caught some return fire, and landed a hard left-right on the ropes. Briggs jarred with a pair of hard rights near round’s end.
In the sixth, Briggs appeared to stun with a pair of rights. However, Adamek came back again and again, snapping Briggs’s head back with a potent right counter. Briggs lanedda hellacious left hook that moved Adamek bodily, but Adamek hammered back hard with both fists as the round closed down.
Blood smeared over his mouth in the seventh, Adamek pumped both fists like rapidly firing pistons into Brigg’s head, working the body and head to good effect, while Briggs swarmed with heavier swipes in spots.
The the busier of the two in the eighth, Adamek staggered Briggs. The crowd’s roar was deafening. Brigss blasted him to the head with a stupefying right. How long can Adamek take this?
The two took turns battering one another. Briggs jarred with a heavy right, but Adamek slugged right back in the closing moments.
In the ninth round, Briggs went down from a left-right to the body, the latter apparently landing low.
After a brief respite, courtesy of the referee, the two resumed, where Adamek battered Briggs along the ropes. Briggs stunned again with another pair of rights. As usual, Adamek swarmed back with a flurry of his own.
Once again, Briggs took a low blow. This time, referee Tim Adams deducted a point.Briggs surged forward. Then he took a battering to head and body. It was back and forth constantly.
In the 11th, a left uppercut by Adamek snapped back Brigg’s head. Pitched punching back and forth by both fighters made it a hotly contested, but even round.
In the 12th and final round, Adamek rocked Briggs with a scathing right and left to the head. Briggs slugged back with retuned the favor with a heavy right and another. And another. Nonplussed, Adamek battered Brigg’s body and raked his head with both fists. Blood streaming down over his left eye, Adamek remained the busier with both fists mercilessly pounding Briggs. A right snapped his head back. He snapped Brigs head back again and was administering a battering at the final bell.
The roar of the crowd was simply deafening.
Judges scored the bout 130 even, 114-112, and 115-111 for a majority decision victory for Adamek. With this win, Adamek now stands at 31-0 with 21 knockouts, while Briggs' record is 25-3 with 18 knockouts.
Commenting on Adamek’s superior volume prevailing over Brigg’s superior power, Christopher Guzman of Bolo Punch Boxing Hour said, “Compu-box won tonight.”
Actually, the fans and boxing, as a sport won this evening. And, with talk of yet another rematch brewing, that’s a giant thing. Next time, it won’t be David fighting Goliath in the main event, but two 175 lb. Goliaths fighting one another for the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship of the world.
Editor's note: Photos and Ben Torres' undercard report will be forthcoming.
