By Lee Groves
Saturday night’s WBA junior welterweight title fight between champion Amir Khan and challenger Paul Malignaggi was only the latest chapter in a long and storied tradition among fighters based in the United Kingdom – earnest efforts to make a mark in America.
Although fighters from the UK (and Europe for that matter) have gained power and preeminence in recent years, creating a positive reputation in the U.S. remains a high priority because they believe that if they can make it in America they can make it anywhere.
It is a rite of passage that separates the stars from the star-struck and potential pound-for-pound entrants from those who were merely pounded.
“King” Khan’s first act on American soil was one befitting a monarch who aspires to gain greater crowns. He intelligently used his height and reach to keep Malignaggi at his preferred range, his fast hands to repeatedly stab his rival’s face and his discipline to maintain control and composure within a hostile environment.
Khan’s beat-him-at-his-own-game performance revived memories of Thomas Hearns’ masterful performance against Wilfred Benitez in December 1982 when “The Motor City Cobra” used his anatomical gifts to render the smaller Benitez’s defensive wizardry impotent.
Khan’s appearance at boxing’s Mecca prompted other memories, specifically pertaining to how past UK-based stars fared when they made their first championship appearances across the pond. As is the case in most life endeavors, some enjoyed the ultimate success while others fell flat on their faces – literally.
This look back through recent history will provide thumbnail sketches of the fight action as well as a final grade. So without further delay, sit back and take a trip through time:
April 19, 2008 – Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas – Joe Calzaghe W 12 Bernard Hopkins: “Super Joe’s” first U.S. fight was a long time in coming, for he was 44-0 and had already put together a historic 10-year reign as a 168-pound belt-holder. After beating Mikkel Kessler to become a three-belt champion, Calzaghe figured the time had finally come to not only come to America but also to make his debut in a new weight class.
His first target at light heavyweight couldn’t have been much more challenging, for at age 43 “The Executioner” was in the midst of a career revival. Most experts thought him to be finished going into his 175-pound debut against Antonio Tarver, who was fresh off back-to-back wins over Roy Jones and Glen Johnson. But Hopkins shocked the experts by decking Tarver in the fifth en route to a commanding decision win. He followed that up with a high-profile decision over the naturally smaller Ronald “Winky” Wright.
The threat Hopkins presented was magnified in the bout’s opening moments when a well-placed right decked Calzaghe for only the third time in his 15-year career. Though clearly shaken, his confidence never wavered and he eventually righted himself.
The Welshman found his high-volume groove despite Hopkins’ crafty efforts to slow him down. Calzaghe’s speed, southpaw style and persistence pushed Hopkins to show unusually overt frustration in the late stages and some suspected that his lengthy time-out in the 10th due to a Calzaghe low blow also served as a chance to revive his frayed nerves.
Although Calzaghe was held to 59 punches per round he piled up advantages of 232-127 in total connects and 187-116 in landed power punches. Despite those solid numerical edges, Calzaghe only came away with a split decision as Adelaide Byrd saw Hopkins a 114-113 winner. Ted Gimza had Calzaghe ahead by 115-113 while Chuck Giampa’s 116-111 card was identical to this scribe’s rendering.
Grade: A – Aside from the knockdown, Calzaghe dealt with the pressures of fighting overseas and with Hopkins’ wiles very well. He proved to Hopkins that he could “lose to a white boy” and seized the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title in the process. All in all, it was a very successful venture for “The Pride of Wales.”
May 13, 2006 – TD Banknorth Garden, Boston – Ricky Hatton W 12 Luis Collazo: At the time of signing, “The Hit Man” was riding high in the boxing world. He boasted a pristine 40-0 (30 KO) record and in his most recent outing he added Carlos Maussa’s WBA junior welterweight belt to the IBF strap he had seized from Kostya Tszyu in a career-best performance.
Hatton was making his way up the pound-for-pound lists and HBO was so enamored with him that they signed him to a multi-fight contract. The Collazo fight had two prime objectives: (1) win his second divisional belt and (2) introduce himself to an American market that promised to further fuel his star.
Although he was the defending champion, the Brooklyn-born Collazo was forced into a supporting role. He, too, was on a roll as he annexed the WBA belt from Jose Antonio Rivera in a classic war 13 months earlier and impressively stopped Miguel Angel Gonzalez in eight to defend it. Collazo was a slick southpaw with lightning-quick hands and razor-like sharpness.
Hatton couldn’t have dreamed of a better start as a left hook decked Collazo in the opening seconds. The champion weathered Hatton’s robust follow-up assault before slowly finding his rhythm. Meanwhile, Hatton’s frantic pace slowed, which allowed Collazo to hit the target with more regularity. The momentum shifted throughout the middle and late rounds but more often than not Hatton still appeared a half step ahead.
That all changed in the 12th when Collazo broke through with hammering combinations that had the Mancurian all but out on his feet. “The Hit Man” found the resolve to keep his feet until the final bell, but just barely.
The scorecards reflected just how demanding the fight had been as two judges had it 115-112 while the third saw it 114-113 for the new champion.
Grade: B-plus – While Hatton remained on track for potential showdowns with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Arturo Gatti and Carlos Baldomir, his near-swoon in the 12th sparked more questions than answers. Could his frame fight effectively at 147? If he had trouble handling Collazo’s skill set, how well could he possibly do against speed merchants like “Money,” “Sugar Shane” and the “Golden Boy?” Mayweather provided the answer when he stopped Hatton in 2007, but the Brit remained unbeaten at 140 until Manny Pacquiao starched him in May 2009.
Unlike Calzaghe, Hatton had fought in the U.S. three times before but the Collazo bout was his first as a championship attraction. Hatton’s initial appearance, in fact, was an anonymous four-rounder on the undercard involving the next fight on this list.
December 19, 1997 – Madison Square Garden, New York – Naseem Hamed KO 4 Kevin Kelley: A few hours after Hatton decisioned Robert Alvarez, Hamed crafted a U.S. debut worthy of his explosive persona.
In building a 28-0 (26 KO) record, the 23-year-old “Prince” was already a veteran monarch. Since winning the WBO featherweight title from Steve Robinson in September ‘95, he strung together eight successful defenses as well as 16 consecutive knockouts overall. His wildly unorthodox body movement, thickly muscled thighs and scorching hand speed produced ungodly displays of power, especially for a 5-3 featherweight.
His one-punch pyrotechnics were exceeded only by a vivid personality that was embodied by bragging pre-fight banter and showy ring entrances capped by a forward somersault over the top rope.
His rival this night was no shrinking violet either, for “The Flushing Flash” was a quick-fisted southpaw with plenty of New York attitude.
Like Hamed, Kelley was a masterful self-marketer who backed up his machine-gun mouth in the ring to the tune of a 47-1-2 (33 KO) record and a brief reign as WBC featherweight champion. Although Kelley was the hometown favorite it was clear that Hamed was the star and as such he was given the star treatment.
The pre-fight mind games were as entertaining as the fight promised to be and “The Prince” extended that game into fight night. Hamed’s ring walk was so interminable that at one point Kelley leaped on the ropes and screamed at him to get going. Once Hamed did (although he still took his sweet time in doing so) it didn’t take long before Kelly exacted a measure of revenge.
A counter right put the cocky Hamed on his back in round one and a strong left spun Hamed into a glove-touching knockdown early in the second. Just when it appeared that Kelley would score an upset KO, Hamed’s power rescued him as he dropped Kelley with an out-of-nowhere lead right. Their mutual displays of power prompted a more respectful third round – the bout's only knockdown-free round.
Trailing on most scorecards and looking as vulnerable as he ever had, Hamed needed a dose of magic, especially after Kelley landed a pair of head-snapping lefts in the fourth. Shortly before the round’s midway point that magic arrived in the form of two hard lefts that evened the knockdown count at two.
This time Kelley was clearly stunned and appeared ripe for the taking. Somehow, the hometown hero lashed out through his fog with a right hook that forced Hamed into his second glove-touching knockdown.
A re-energized Kelly drove Hamed across the ring with two big lefts and a solid right hook, but the momentum turned one last time seconds later when an enormous left to the head put Kelly down for the count.
“What we just saw is the Hagler-Hearns of featherweight fighting,” HBO’s Larry Merchant exclaimed, a declaration that had few dissenters.
Grade: B – Fans saw the best and worst of Hamed. His incredible offensive firepower fueled an extraordinary comeback that confirmed his fighting mettle but at the same time Kelley exposed Hamed’s horrible balance, porous defense and vulnerable chin. Marco Antonio Barrera exploited these flaws to the utmost in registering an ego-shattering 12-round decision more than three years later.
June 23, 1986 – Caesars Palace, Las Vegas – Barry McGuigan L 15 Steve Cruz: “The Clones Cyclone” was a TV producer’s dream – a handsome Irishman who terrorized opponents with deadly hooks to the liver during combat but whose charisma was such that it actually quieted wars for a few hours. “Let McGuigan do the fighting,” Catholics and Protestants alike said, and he responded by fighting very, very well.
His overwhelming dethroning of longtime WBA featherweight champion Eusebio Pedroza in June 1985 remains a landmark night in British boxing history and he continued to build his star with defenses over Bernard Taylor and Danilo Cabrera.
With a 29-1 (25 KO) record and an overflowing storehouse of star power, McGuigan was poised to make his first big run in America. While he scored a one-round KO over Lavon McGowan in Chicago in July 1983, this was to be his first live exposure to the U.S. media at large.
He was to have fought mandatory challenger Fernando Sosa of Argentina in Las Vegas as part of “The Triple Hitter,” sharing the spotlight with Thomas Hearns-Michael Olajide and Robbie Sims-Roberto Duran. A detached retina forced Sosa to withdraw, then retire from boxing, so unheralded Texan Steve Cruz was pressed into service.
The 22-year-old plumber’s apprentice had good skills and a decent punch but nothing that would indicate he was a mortal threat to McGuigan’s belt or a potential superfight against WBC champ Azumah Nelson. Cruz’s lone loss in 26 fights was a one-round KO to fringe contender Lenny Valdez and his best wins were against Nicky Perez (twice), Dana Roston, Tommy Cordova and Jorge Garcia – a good lot but nowhere near McGuigan’s pedigree.
McGuigan’s infectious personality and light-hearted humor charmed the American press and his skills had much the same effect on the bettors that made him an obvious favorite. Fight day, however, had a surprise in store as inferno-like 110-degree heat beat down on the ring erected in Caesars’ parking lot. McGuigan, who kept the title against Taylor mostly due to the withering heat inside the King’s Hall in Belfast, nevertheless was gravely concerned about his ability to withstand the scorching Las Vegas sun.
Still, McGuigan started the fight strongly with his customary aggression and superior infighting but Cruz proved his skill as he caught the champ with jabs and stinging counter rights from time to time. The heat eventually began to tell on the Irishman starting in the fifth as he slowed his pace while Cruz remained cool under fire, both figuratively and literally.
McGuigan surged in the ninth and held the upper hand in the 10th when a hook suddenly sent the champion to the floor. The combination of the heat and Cruz’s stirring rally combined to raise doubts about his ability to survive. At one point he asked his corner to “pray for me.”
A desperate McGuigan lost a point for a low blow in the 12th but launched a furious charge in the 13th and 14th to claim a commanding lead entering the final round.
Unfortunately for the champion his efforts in the previous six minutes left him completely spent while Cruz was improbably fresh. Cruz clubbed the flaccid Irishman to the canvas twice and McGuigan was lucky to be on his feet at the final bell. Cruz’s last-ditch effort allowed him to cruise past McGuigan on the scorecards by one, one and four points to become the new champion.
Grade: D – Despite the result, there were two reasons why this wasn’t a complete failure. One, he made a phenomenal impression with the U.S. media beforehand, a must if one wants to succeed in this market. Second, McGuigan was in a position to win entering the final round and only a miraculous series of events kept him from completing his mission.
Still, a loss is a loss and this one proved devastating to McGuigan’s career path. The disappointment from that fight combined with his father’s death sapped his inspiration and was never the same again.
September 27, 1986 – Lloyd Honeyghan KO 6 Donald Curry – Caesars Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City: After blowing out Milton McCrory to unify the three major welterweight belts, “The Lone Star Cobra” was seen by many as Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s successor to the pound-for-pound throne. Some experts went as far as to symbolically snatch the crown from Hagler’s aging dome and award it to the cool, clinical Texan but others hoped that they would settle the issue head-to-head.
His picturesque destruction of McCrory was followed by a fifth round stoppage of mandatory challenger Eduardo Rodriguez, a result that on paper was solid but in the ring was sometimes shaky due to Curry’s suddenly loose defense combined with weight-making difficulties. Still, he was a heavy favorite to retain his belt against the undefeated British, Commonwealth and European champion.
The prideful Honeyghan, a Jamaican-born Brit, never was one to pay heed to others’ opinions, especially of those who predicted his demise against Curry. His critics say he was arrogant and brusque while his supporters say he was confident and honest. He fancied himself as the “Ragamuffin Man,” a tear-away fighter who would do anything to win and that approach netted him successes against the likes of Harold Brazier, Gianfranco Rosi, Roger Stafford, Sylvester Mittee and Horace Shufford, among others.
He, McGuigan and Frank Bruno fought on the same card in Chicago in July 1983, which saw Honeyghan score a 10th round TKO of Kevin Austin. He even had experience fighting in Atlantic City as 13 months earlier he had decisioned Danny Paul at the Trump Plaza Hotel. But the fight against Curry was a completely different animal in terms of opposition and media coverage and to many U.S. fight fans this fight was their first opportunity to see Honeyghan in action.
On fight night, Honeyghan and Curry’s physical presence and demeanor couldn’t have been more different. Think Clubber Lang vs. Rocky Balboa I; the pumped-up Honeyghan was the picture of menace as his eyes bore holes into his rival while an emaciated Curry projected doubt and apprehension.
Following a feeling-out first, Honeyghan exploded with a chopping right that buckled Curry’s legs and nearly had him on the canvas in round two. Honeyghan rushed in for the kill but his anxiety combined with Curry’s experience helped the champion survive until the bell.
Curry launched a marginal comeback in rounds three and four but Honeyghan exploded again in the fifth. His withering attack sapped the strength from Curry’s legs and ate at his resolve. Again, Curry found a way to survive but it was clear that the sand in his championship hourglass was down to its final grains.
Honeyghan continued to fight with unbridled fury in the sixth, breaking Curry’s nose and opening a slice on his lip. His head, however, caused the most damage as an unintentional butt caused Curry to pull away with a deep gash over his left eye.
Between rounds Curry and his corner decided that enough was enough. With that decision came the crowning of a new undisputed welterweight champion.
A joyous Honeyghan expended whatever fuel was left in his tank during a wild in-ring celebration that was largely greeted with silence from the stunned invitation-only crowd. He had every reason to rejoice, for he had just pulled off an upset of epic proportions in the home country of a three-belt champion who had a legitimate claim to the pound-for-pound throne.
If Curry was the Cobra, then Honeyghan was his Mongoose.
Grade: A-plus – In this fight Honeyghan had reached his positive peak both physically and emotionally while taking advantage of the depleted force that stood across from him. Honeyghan came in with a nuclear energy level fueled by a defiance whose force couldn’t be denied. Because of that, he ended up creating his own star in America, resulting in several big-money paydays.
Every visiting challenger should strive to emulate the venomous self-belief Honeyghan exhibited against Curry because only that will give him the tools he needs to overcome just about any obstacle.
These are just four of the numerous occasions when U.K. fighters showed grit by venturing far from home to make their reputation. Given Khan’s own A-plus performance he looks to have everything it takes to be a factor on the world stage for some time to come, whether it be at home or on another man’s shores.
E-mail Lee Groves at lgroves@hughes.net
To purchase Lee Groves’ new book “Tales from the Vault: A Celebration of 100 Boxing Closet Classics” visit www.amazon.com.