By Cliff Rold
For some it is the most anticipated fight of the year, a Welterweight crossroads battle between a potentially great fighter on the verge of mega-stardom and a near-great fighter who never quite got to that plateau. Both have shown the willingness to brawl, to suffer, to bleed and, most importantly, to entertain. The question that will be answered this Saturday is whether or not both will do so together in a fashion that allows the fight to meet the hype.
No matter who wins, the fact that it will be Miguel Cotto (30-0, 25 KO, Ring Magazine #1 contender, WBA titlist) of Puerto Rico and former World Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight champion Shane Mosley (44-4, 37 KO, #3) of Pomona, California, at Madison Square Garden no less, makes the question rhetorical. The names on the marquee have both come to represent one word: fight. That’s what we’re all going to get one way or another.
The only concern I have heading into this one is that the names might get the hype just a little higher than the level that at least one of the combatants can bring to the ring. Make no mistake; I expect to see some solid scrapping. I’m just not sure that the ‘instant classic’ feel the names generate can be met in the squared circle.
Cotto can deliver on his end. He already has one near-classic this year, against Zab Judah in a Madison Square Garden that was as electric as any fight crowd one could ever witness. Cotto has become one of the better North American gate draws and a win here makes him a lock for some monster money in 2008 to go with opportunities and opponents that could lead him near the top of the mythical pound-for-pound debate. Molsey…well, that’s the question mark.
When was the last time Mosley was in a great fight? For that matter, when was the last time Shane Mosley looked great? He’s certainly looked good in his two most recent outings, against Fernando Vargas in their rematch and against contender Luis Collazo. He beat Collazo much worse, and easier, than current World Jr. Welterweight king Ricky Hatton. Still, if the marquee read differently for the Collazo fight, if it wasn’t someone as familiar, as storied among boxing fans, as Mosley is would the impression have been that strong?
Name value is often as, if not more, important than fistic value. Fighters who once scaled the highest peaks can inspire belief in the hearts of fans that the eyes and mind betray. It’s the sort of belief that had many pundits and fans predicting that Evander Holyfield would give Sultan Ibragimov hell a couple of weeks ago; the sort of belief that made the 34-year old Sugar Ray Leonard a betting favorite over a 23-year old Terry Norris some sixteen years ago.
The age difference between Cotto and Mosley is not quite as wide. Cotto is likely in the heart of his prime at age 27, a nine year advantage over the 36-year old Sugar Shane. It is though wide enough to make one stop and think. The best Mosley anyone ever saw probably was the Shane that moved to 147 lbs. in 1999 after eight defense of an IBF alphabelt at lightweight (135 lbs.). His wins over Wilfredo Rivera, Oscar De La Hoya for the Welterweight title and Antonio Diaz drew whispers that the Sugar in the ring was closer to Robinson than Leonard.
That all came crashing down, along with Shane, in a heap at the feet of Vernon Forrest. Two consecutive losses to Forrest ended the whispers and, according to the eyes, ended the prime of Mosley. A contentious decision win over De La Hoya in 2003 to capture the title at 154 lbs. was followed by two decisive losses to Winky Wright and the beginnings of his part in the Balco steroid scandal.
The opposition post-Wright, while solid, hasn’t been the sort of elite stuff that makes picking Mosley over a young tiger like Cotto a comfortable choice. Yes, there was Vargas, but, again, that was more about the marquee than the fights.
Mosley has been a credit to the game. He’s going to get voted into the Hall of Fame and will go down as one of the better, and more thrilling, fighters of his time. That he never became an A-side attraction, that his biggest moments and paydays always seemed to come as someone else’s opponent is no fault of his. Mosley was, on his best days, a fighter of great substance and, in the ring this Saturday, I expect we will see that he is still a man of similar stuff.
If it seems I am writing off his chances, I’m not. Cotto has been hurt before and Shane is schooled enough to land something and make it stick. The window to do it though is narrow. If Cotto is still coming full speed ahead after four rounds, if that left hook starts roaring to Shane’s 36-year old body, this thing could easily turn into the same sort of second-half, methodical beating we’ve seen recently in Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao II and historically in bouts like Henry Armstrong-Barney Ross.
Age is never the only factor in a fight; last weekends Joe Calzaghe masterpiece evoked the classic Ronald Reagan barb from the 1984 Presidential debate about not holding Walter Mondale’s youth and inexperience against him. But all things being equal it can often be the great equalizer. Everyone, some way or another, gets to a point where there body isn’t suited for the tasks of younger men.
Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera found that out earlier this year. Boxing fans likely watched them ply their trades at the highest levels for the last time in 2007. Now we must ask if this is the beginning of a goodbye to this generation’s Sugar. It’s what I expect, even as I hope for something better.
I want to believe that we will get Sugar Shane Mosley at his daring best for a full twelve rounds this weekend, win or lose. My eyes just won’t let me. Cotto on a corner stoppage sometime after the eighth round.
Cliff’s Notes
Super Middleweight Superfight: Not that I’m Karmov when it comes to picking fights. Last weekend’s mega-fight between World Super Middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KO, WBC/WBA/WBO/Ring titlist) of Wales and #1 contender Mikkel Kessler (39-1, 29 KO) of Denmark turned out about the opposite, result-wise, of what I expected, with the older champion timing the challenger and taking over the second half of the fight. I had a final tally of seven rounds to five in favor of Calzaghe with the difference being a sweep of rounds 8-11 for the champion.
That said, it was a splendid battle; not quite the fight of the year but one of the better title fights in the history of their division. Both fighters, I felt, came away elevated with Calzaghe coming out his deserved hair ahead. Kessler will certainly be back and did nothing to dispute his place as one of the world’s best. Calzaghe just showed that he was one of a more transcendent class. No shame in being Joe Calzaghe’s Rodrigo Valdez.
My wife loved it too, which is great because getting her to a fight on our honeymoon wouldn’t have been as cool if the fight didn’t meet the hype. Of course, I’m still on that honeymoon and she’s off taking a nap so that allows me to add in some notes on the post-fight press conference:
Davis: Prior to the start of the post-fight presser, I had a chance to chat with HBO Boxing head Kery Davis, a man very impressed with both combatants Saturday night. “One guy (Calzaghe) emerged tonight with an exceptional performance but I thought (Kessler) fought a very good fight. He just came up against a (Calzaghe) who fought a great fight. Kessler’s a very good fighter and I still think that I’d be interested as a television executive, and our company would be interested, in buying fights with him and the best middleweights in the world…if you told me I’d have an opportunity to put the winner of Pavlik-Taylor (II) against Kessler, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Having paid respects to the loser of the bout, Davis, and by proxy HBO, obviously will have room for bigger things from the long reigning king at 168 lbs. The primary ‘bigger thing’ as most of the post-fight buzz attests to is a bout between Joe and Ring Magazine 175 lb. belt holder Bernard Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KO). All belts aside, the intrigue of a bout between the dominant middleweight and super middleweight champions of their time, even in this better-late-than-never time frame of their careers, is can’t miss stuff.
“Hopkins has said himself that he would be interested in a Calzaghe fight. I gotta’ believe that, knowing the type of competitor he is and seeing this performance on television, that we’re going to hear from Bernard Hopkins saying that he’d like to get a piece of Joe Calzaghe.”
Considering the quality of Calzaghe-Kessler, I also asked Davis if a Calzaghe victory over Hopkins could lead in late 2008 to a Calzaghe-Kessler rematch. “I think that, for those kinds of things, you have to talk to the promoters first. Frank (Warren, Calzaghe’s promoter) and Joe will make the decision who they want to fight next, whether that’s Hopkins or whether they want to fight Kessler again. I don’t know that they will. Can you see a scenario where Kessler would have a giant win again and move back into the forefront of everyone’s attention? Sure. But, again, that would be up to Joe.”
Of note, Calzaghe would later state at the press conference that he’s never been big on rematches, that Kessler would only get better off this loss, and that he expects Kessler to rule the division when Joe is gone. In other words, for Kessler, his chance to defeat Calzaghe has likely come and gone.
With HBO closing the last third of 2007 as strong as they have, with Pavlik-Taylor I and Calzaghe-Kessler in the books, and Mosley-Cotto and Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton in the wings, I asked Davis if he feels the table is set for a 2008 that stays strong for twelve full months. “I hope so. The one thing to always consider is that we can only buy the fights the promoters make.”
I had to jump in on that one, pointing out that HBO certainly has more stroke in matchmaking than that. Davis agreed, noting that “Our push and pull is our money, our pocketbook. But the reality is that we can’t make Shane Mosley fight Miguel Cotto. They have to be willing. What I believe has happened and what happened this year, with the criticism the sport, not just HBO, had taken, (and the competition from the UFC), the promoters and the fighters realized the best had to fight the best. (HBO) will always be in that business, we will always look to encourage that…to put the biggest and best fights on our air.”
Davis pointed out that HBO Boxing’s immediate future already has some big fights like Pavlik-Taylor II signed, while a potential Heavyweight unification bout between Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KO, Ring Magazine #1, IBF titlist) and Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KO, #6, WBO titlist) is close to being signed as well.
Part of the broader future is in new stars and I had to ask Davis about one fighter looming very big for Boxing right now: Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin (14-0, 11 KO). We all know now that his next fight will be an IBF final eliminator with American Eddie Chambers (30-0, 16 KO), Chambers having defeated fellow American Calvin Brock last Friday night on ShoBox.
“He looks like a terrific young fighter. He has a very good opportunity if he wins against Chambers to be the mandatory for Wladimir.” I asked if there was a chance to see Povetkin-Chambers on Boxing After Dark in the interim and Davis responded that it was possible and that he had already spoken to Povetkin’s people but that a date conflict could keep that bout from being an HBO show. He did add though that “we’re interested in the fight” and showed a genuine interest in Povetkin as well.
Joe Cal: Aside from network interests, the chance arose in the wee morning hours to speak with the still-champion following his grueling and perhaps finest victory. Joe clearly has Bernard on the brain as he and Warren were adamant throughout the press conference that they want Hopkins next and now. Calzaghe is willing to end his time at 168 to do it. “Realistically, I probably will relinquish the belts. I’m not going to fight mandatories. I’ve done what I said I would achieve. I’ve won all four major belts.” Now, he clearly is looking up the scale.
As I wrote last week, every division happens eventually on a man whose reign as champion comes to be the standard for what that word means in his class. With 21 defenses of his WBO belt over more than a decade and having collected every major belt, Calzaghe is now and likely always will be THE standard at 168 lbs. I asked the champion how it feels to be his division’s Joe Louis.
“Pretty good isn’t it?” He asked rhetorically with a grin. “I’ve got four major belts. I beat supposedly the best guy out there who was going to beat me. I’m really proud at the moment. 36 in March and I’m still kicking ass man. Awesome. Awesome.”
I followed up asking Joe if he saw the parallel that could be drawn between his wins, late in his reign, over young tigers Kessler and Jeff Lacy and Carlos Monzon’s two late-reign victories at middleweight over Valdez. “Yeah. Awesome. It’s all about legacy for me. I picked this fight; I really wanted to fight Mikkel Kessler, because he was the best of the fighters out there. I didn’t want to finish my career fighting easy fights like Manfredo. I wanted to prove a point.”
“I fought Lacy. I proved a point. Kessler came along, I wanted to prove a point and I did. I wanted to shut everybody up and I did. Nobody can deny me being the best Super Middleweight there’s been.”
Warren: Calzaghe certainly has a hell of a case for himself in that final regard and the potential fight with Hopkins may have bigger ramifications. While Bernard may not be what he was five years ago, it would be impossible to argue that Calzaghe is either. Both however have shown recently to be close enough to their best that any fight between the two could give us all a great idea as to who the better man is, was, and has been, all along.
In that light, a Calzaghe win over Hopkins could change the way this entire era is and will be viewed. With 21 defenses at 168, and wins over everyone not named Sven that mattered at the weight, Calzaghe’s only missing piece has been a major fight in the U.S. market against a bona fide Hall of Famer. Could a win over Hopkins, even at 175 lbs., force us all to rethink just whose era this has been in the range from 160 to 175?
Warren certainly thinks so, noting that it has been, in his opinion, the Joe Calzaghe era all along. “Roy Jones refused to fight him and so did Bernard Hopkins. We chased them. We were at Showtime and we had the fights. They talk about Joe Calzaghe like nobody has seen him. He had something like eight fights on Showtime. The other guys would not fight him and it takes two. What he’s now doing, he’s bringing it to the table. They ain’t the guys now. He’s the guy.”
Warren noted that Joe’s future was about securing both his legacy and his retirement funds. “Joe wants a couple of really good, quality fights against quality fighters and then call it a day…and I support him entirely.”
Kessler: Finishing up, we return now to the man who suffered first defeat Saturday night, Kessler of Denmark. While trying his best to smile and hold his head up throughout the press conference, one could see on his face the old ‘agony of defeat.’ It wasn’t an easy loss.
It was not though his end as a big time fighter either. HBO is interested in his future and the people around Kessler are as well. I asked Kessler, and his American representative Mike Marley, what the future holds and whether he would come back with a name opponent or maybe take a fight or two against softer foes to rebuild.
Kessler’s reply what was one might expect from a disappointed young fighter. “I haven’t thought about that yet. He just crushed my dreams. What can I say. I need to take some time and see what’s going to happen.”
Marley stepped in with more optimism about the future. “To answer your question, not to cut Mikkel off because he’s the one doing the fighting, we joked about fighting in his kitchen and the kitchen was too small so we came to his backyard. Someone who will come to Joe Calzaghe’s hometown to fight him will go anywhere in the world to fight all of the other guys. Bring ‘em on.”
Kessler suffered a tough defeat in the battle of unbeatens but he is not alone. He is, like Tommy Hearns after Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya after Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley after Vernon Forrest, a man with a single loss and something to prove. Whether he can rebound like those fighters did to emerge again as super fighters in Superfights remains to be seen but, given the effort he mustered in the final round against Calzaghe when he appeared out of the fight, the future looks to remain bright for Kessler.
Final Flurries:
The future remains brighter though, at least immediately, for fans of the sport. With the action this weekend, and last, this is a stellar time to be a fan and any combination that includes the names Mosley, Mayweather, Hatton or Cotto at welterweight, or Kessler, Taylor, Pavlik, Hopkins or Calzaghe a few pounds higher, is cause for celebration. The funeral calls of early 2007 have given way to a resurrection of this great sport that should last the rest of this decade and, just when you think it’s ready to fade away again, look for the next crop to rise. In short, this time, like all times, is great to be a boxing fan.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
