By Tom Donelson

 

Ben Tackie is struggling to regain the form that made him a serious contender for the junior welterweight championship. Kendall Holt is a rising star in the division, angling for a shot at one of the various junior welterweight championship belts. 

Two years ago, Ben Tackie would have been the headliner and Holt the under card fighter but last Friday, it was the opposite. Tackie opposed Edwin Algarin, who came into the 8 round bout with a 9-2-1 record. An eight round bout?  Think about it, the last time Tackie fought, he went toe-to-toe with Ricky Hatton in a 12 round slugfest and now he is back to fighting eight rounders against lower level prospects.

Holt headlined the evening as he was taking on the rugged Colombian brawler Jaime Rangel, who lost his last three fights in the states.  For Holt, this was one of those tests that prospects take to see if they are true contenders and not pretenders.

Tackie, now trained by John David Jackson, has changed his style of fighting as he added plenty of movement to his straight ahead charging style.  Jackson’s goal is to prolong Tackie's career, who has been involved in many wars against the division's best including junior welterweight king Kostya Tszyu. 

With just one tune-up fight in his comeback, Tackie seemed too tentative in his battle with Algarin. Announcer Teddy Atlas said that for this fight, the old Tackie needed to show up.  While it was apparent that Tackie was the better fighter, Tackie allowed Algarin to survive the early rounds. Algarin did not commit to his punches and his jab consistently came up short against the veteran Tackie. At times, Tackie looked like the old Tackie with a series of body shots but for the most part, Algarin escaped danger.

In the fourth round, Algarin nailed Tackie with a sharp combination that momentarily stunned Tackie. Tackie took control of the next two rounds but in the seventh and the eighth; Algarin boxed more effectively and nailed Tackie with nice combinations. Algarin’s punches lacked power so Tackie had little to fear from the light punching Algarin.

In the main event, Holt’s evening nearly ended in the first round. The youngster showed impatience as he moved forward in the last seconds of the round. Holt wanted to steal the round but Rangel nearly stole the fight. Holt ran right into a straight left and with one second left in the round and went down.

Rangel took the second round but in the third round, Holt adjusted to Rangel's style. He took a step back and peppered Rangel with sharp jabs. From this point, Holt controlled the fight as he kept the fight in the center of the ring and on two different occasions had Rangel in trouble.  For the record, Holt won a split decision but judging did not truly reflect Holt's ring generalship.  Holt won most of rounds as Rangel became more frustrated as the fight wore on. The veteran fighter extended his punches and got countered. Holt adapted during this fight as he abandoned his impatient rushes of the first round that nearly cost him to the fight and used his longer wingspan to control the fight.

For Tackie, his hesitancy could be attributed to adjusting to a new trainer and strategy but it could also be age.  Old fighters hesitate, as the body cannot react to what the mind asks of it.  Tackie beat a fighter that he should have stopped.

Holt showed that he could get off the canvas and win a fight. More importantly, he showed that he could go from Plan A to Plan B.  Tackie did not correct his tactics in a fight that called for Tackie to be the old Tackie and more aggressive.

Holt showed maturity in his bout as he took what was in front of him and used his natural skills to win a fight that he could have lost.  He is now ready for those next steps that separate the pretender from contenders.  Holt is now ready to take on a top ten fighter in boxing's deepest division.  Tackie still struggles to regain the form that made him a tough contender that has yet to be stopped. Both fighters have the same goal- a shot at the junior welterweight title but this evening may have shown that Holt may just be closer to the top than the veteran Tackie. Maybe, Holt's next fight may be the man who fought in the under card, Ben Tackie.  Tackie was Ricky Hatton's ticket to the elite club and he could be Holt’s ticket as well.