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06/30/2008 Archived Entry: "Duddy Shuts Out Howe Over 10"
Duddy Shuts Out Game Howe Over 10
By Pavel Yakovlev at ringside
Photos courteous of Peter Mark Heintzelman of Eastsideboxing.com
BOSTON, MA - "Ireland's" John Duddy won a one-sided decision over Charles Howe tonight, topping all three scorecards by margins of 100-90. Duddy’s left hooks to the body and head had Howe in deep trouble repeatedly throughout the bout. Howe, however, showed considerable resiliency and defensive acumen, and as a result he was able to survive until the final bell.
Duddy, 158 ˝ lbs., was on the attack throughout the fight, constantly forcing the action with his aggressive left jab. Howe fought the entire match in a defensive posture, always keeping his guard high, rapidly retreating whenever under pressure, and clinching anytime Duddy came close.
As in his past fights, Duddy used his flashy left hook effectively, doubling and tripling the punch while throwing it to the head and body. In the second, fifth, sixth, eighth and tenth rounds Duddy had Howe reeling, and on each occasion it appeared the match might be only seconds away from ending by knockout.
Duddy did not absorb any serious punishment tonight. In fact, he was barely hit at all. This match was Duddy’s first outing under the tutelage of his new trainer, the Miami based Pat Burns. Burns, a long-term top-tier coach who has also trained world champions Jermaine Taylor and Glen Johnson, replaced Don Turner last month.
An accidental clash of heads in round nine caused a small cut over Duddy’s right eye, and he finished the round with blood streaming down his face. But between rounds his cornermen closed the gash, and the cut did not reopen thereafter.
As a result of tonight’s victory, Duddy is now 25-0 with 17 knockouts. A native of Northern Ireland and now residing in New York City, Duddy is ranked in the worldwide top ten by the WBC (#2), WBA, IBF and WBO(#2). Howe, a native of Grelton, Ohio, is now 17-5-2, with nine knockouts.
Although he took a beating, Howe’s stock definitely rose as a result of his lasting the distance against Duddy. He was upbeat in the locker room following the fight, knowing that tonight’s gutsy performance amounted to something of a career high for him. 
When asked, Howe denied that he was in the best shape of his career for Duddy. He pointed out that he has been largely inactive over the last year, and that the lack of ring time had negatively impacted his timing. Tonight, however, Howe surpassed all expectations by surviving until the final bell against his world rated foe. Somehow, he must have found the inspiration to fight better than he ever has previously.
In the locker room following the fight, Duddy was relaxed. He did not seem frustrated or disappointed that he did not knock Howe out. On the contrary, he valued the outcome because it was one of the few times since his amateur days that he was able to use his boxing skills to win.
Duddy summarized his performance as follows: “I made a point that I don’t have to be brave all of the time. Just because I can take a punch doesn’t mean I have to. I had trouble convincing myself. I proved that I can move my head a lot more. I caught him with some beautiful shots and I thought that he was ready to go, but Charlie has a great chin. I have big plans and I’m still undefeated. I used my jab a lot tonight. I’m hoping to get a shot at a world title.”
Howe’s durability impressed Duddy. When asked what specific tactic Howe used most in order to survive, Duddy laughed and exclaimed, “He has a cast iron chin! That’s how he survived.”
Burns was also satisfied with Duddy’s performance, pointing out that Duddy boxed well against a cagey, elusive opponent who was determined to go the distance.
Burns stated that Duddy was one of the “quickest learners I’ve ever worked with” and remarked that their recent gym work in Miami was highly productive. Burns also said he has Duddy training with weights in order to increase his upper body strength.
Duddy and Burns are definitely thinking about middleweight champ, Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik.
Duddy was forthright in stating that he preferred to fight Pavlik rather than the other middleweight beltholders, because “Pavlik is the best of the world middleweight champions”.
When asked what weaknesses he saw in Pavlik, and how Duddy would use his own strengths to exploit them, Burns chuckled heartily. “You don’t let your enemy know what road you’re using to attack him,” he replied.
The CBZ agreed with judges Bob Kaprilian, Don O'Neill and Leo Gerstel, all of whom scored the bout 100-90 in favor of Duddy. The highlights of each round are summarized below.
ROUND ONE: Duddy aggressively attacks Howe; the fighters trade body blows at close quarters. Howe clinches. Duddy is using his left hook aggressively. Howe continues to clinch. Duddy scores with several body shots. Duddy is dominating the action by attacking with his left jab; Howe is constantly retreating and clinching. Duddy connects with a strong left hook to the body. Duddy continues to stalk Howe for the rest of the round.
ROUND TWO: Duddy forces his way inside with multiple left jabs, and Howe clinches. Duddy connects with a strong right to the body, and again Howe clinches. Duddy scores with several more body punches; Howe continues to clinch. Duddy scores with a strong left hook to the body that hurts Howe; a follow-up right hand by Duddy staggers Howe. Howe’s legs are unsteady. Howe misses with a wild right to the head. Duddy connects with a left jab, and Howe clinches. The bell sounds before Duddy can finish Howe off.
ROUND THREE: Duddy opens the round aggressively and connects with a sharp right that snaps Howe’s head back. Duddy seems to sense the possibility of scoring a knockout, and he is opening fire with fast, fluid punches from both hands to the head and body. Howe is constantly retreating before Duddy’s attack. Duddy connects with several strong body punches. Duddy lands a left hook that staggers Howe. Duddy’s combination punching is fast and smooth. Duddy drives Howe into the ropes with a barrage of punches from both hands. Howe is focused only survival, running and clinching as much as possible.
ROUND FOUR: Duddy continues to attack, scoring often with hard left jabs. Howe continues to retreat and clinch. Duddy connects with a left hook to the body. Duddy is throwing his punches in rapid-fire combinations. Howe is focused only on surviving; he runs as much as possible. Duddy lands another good left jab, and Howe clinches.
ROUND FIVE: Duddy scores with multiple left jabs as he moves forward, driving Howe around the ring. Duddy connects with a left hook to the body. Howe clinches. Duddy lands a big right to the head, and Howe is hurt. Howe covers up on the ropes as Duddy unloads punches with both hands. Howe clinches. Duddy unleashes another strong attack, and scores with several good body blows. Duddy lands a big left hook to the head that snaps Howe’s head back; Howe is clearly hurt…he staggers backwards and is on rubbery legs. Duddy opens fire with both hands and he appears to be on the verge of winning by knockout. Howe however is very elusive, and he clinches enough to survive until the bell rings.
ROUND SIX: Duddy drives Howe into the ropes and hurts with a sharp right uppercut. Duddy connects with two solid body punches. Again, Howe is in trouble and it appears that the end is near. Howe is trying desperately to survive as he attempts to slip Duddy’s blows, dance away and find opportunities to clinch. Duddy connects with a strong left hook to the body. Howe clinches and spends most of the rest of the round boxing from long range, a tactic that enables him to clear his head and get out of trouble. In the final seconds of the round, however, Duddy connects with a strong right to the head and Howe is hurt again. Duddy opens fire with both hands, and Howe is on rubbery legs. The bell rings before Duddy can do any more damage.
ROUND SEVEN: The action slows down in this round, as Duddy continues to stalk and Howe continues to run and clinch. Duddy easily dominates the round with his left jab. Late in the round Duddy connects with two good left hooks. Howe is running; his focus seems to be to survive, and not to win.
ROUND EIGHT: Duddy continues to attack Howe with his aggressive left jab. Howe clinches. Howe is rocked by a Duddy hook, but he fires back two strong left hooks of his own, both of which Duddy blocks. Duddy connects with several left jabs. Duddy hurts Howe with a left hook to the head. Duddy connects with a right uppercut and left hook to the head, and Howe is in trouble again. Duddy unleashes a fast, aggressive two-fisted attack on Howe, who is covering up on the ropes. Howe manages to escape from the ropes, however, and he survives the round by boxing defensively from long range.
ROUND NINE: Duddy connects with a right to the head, followed by several left hooks. Duddy scores with another right to the head; Howe counters with a good body punch. Duddy lands a left hook to the body. Howe continues to run and clinch as much as possible. Duddy controls the action throughout the round, but at the bell he has blood streaming down his face from a cut above his left eye, apparently caused by an accidental clash of heads.
ROUND TEN: Duddy attacks Howe furiously at the beginning of the round; he seems intend on scoring a knockout. Duddy connects with a left hook to the head, followed by several fast combinations. Duddy is punching with both hands very aggressively, but Howe is elusive. Duddy connects with a flurry of punches to the head. Duddy rocks Howe with a right cross and left hook to the head, and Howe is hurt. Duddy hurts Howe again with a strong left hook. Howe is staggering backwards under Duddy’s attack at the close of the round.
UNDERCARD FIGHTS
In a middleweight bout, Donny "Boy" Orr (13-0, five knockouts) of South Boston won a decisive eight round decision over Mexico’s Robert "El Viejo" Valenzuela (44-38-2, 37 knockouts). Orr was simply too strong for Valenzuela, who was forced to fight defensively for the entire bout in order to avoid being knocked out. The fight was nearly over in the first round when Orr hurt and floored Valenzuela with a heavy left hook to the head. Valenzuela arose, but he was in full retreat thereafter. Orr, who used his left jab like a battering ram, weighed 162 lbs. Valenzuela’s weight was not announced. All three judges scored the match 80-71 in favor of Orr. The CBZ also scored the fight 80-71 for Orr.
Worcestor’s promising super-middleweight prospect Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (7-0, five knockouts) won a unanimous six round decision over Hector Hernandez (10-3-2, four knockouts). Hernandez, a tall, awkward fighter from Phoenix, Arizona, used his defensive acumen and long reach to give Rodriguez trouble at times. Rodriguez, however, used his superior punching power and variety of punching angles to dominate the action. In the fifth, Rodriguez seemed to be on the verge of winning by stoppage, as he hurt Hernandez with a barrage of blows to the head and body, but Hernandez survived the onslaught. Two judges scored the fight 60-54, and the third scored it 59-55. Cyberboxingzone.com scored the match for Rodriguez by a margin of 60-54. Rodriguez weighed 162 lbs., and Hernandez weighed 161 ˝ lbs.
Irish cruiserweight Mark Clancy (8-0-1, one knockout) dominated Salah Zabian (6-11, four knockouts) en route to scoring a unanimous six round decision. Clancy, 191 lbs., was simply too tall, fast and skilled for his opponent, whom he ripped with sharp jabs, right hands, and body punches in every round. Zabian, of Lynn, Massachusetts, did a lot of clowning throughout the fight. All three judges favored Clancy by scores of 60-54. Cyberboxingzone.com also scored the fight 60-54 for Clancy.
In a four round junior welterweight fight, Anthony Accardi (2-0, one knockout) won a split decision over Broderick Antoine (2-6-1, one knockout). Two judges favored Accardi by margins of 39-37, while the third judge scored the fight 39-37 for Antoine. The CBZ favored Antoine by a margin of 40-37, as he seemed to get the better of the action with his slippery defense, fast footwork, tricky right hook counters and effective long-range boxing. Accardi, 140 lbs. and from Howard Beach, New York, apparently impressed two of the judges because he was the more aggressive fighter. Antoine weighed 141 lbs. and he is from Troy, New York.
Promoter - Irish Ropes Promotions
