by David P. Greisman (photo by Will Hart/HBO)
It’s called prizefighting.
The title belts are gaudy and, considering the sanctioning fees, exorbitantly expensive. The highest-paid boxers sign contracts that include a minimum of seven digits. That money, in turn, pays for managers, trainers and luxurious lifestyles.
It’s the pride that should be worth the most.
As the champions of their respective divisions, Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe are superstars who carry a reputation of having faced high-profile opponents and having earned high paydays for their efforts. And with only eight pounds separating them, there has been much speculation concerning a megafight that would be worth megabucks.
But before Taylor and Calzaghe meet in a pay-per-view collision, there’s a little matter of some unfinished business – namely, cleaning out their divisions.
Calzaghe, since defeating Peter Manfredo last month via the epitome of an early stoppage, has seemed to steered clear of eighty-sixing his biggest threat at 168, Mikkel Kessler. With Kessler coming off of an impressive drubbing over Librado Andrade, Calzaghe’s team has reportedly resorted to the usual maddening negotiation tactics – arguments over when, where and for how much.
“People think I am avoiding fighters, but that’s not true,” Calzaghe said last month in a promotional press release. “I’ll fight Kessler anywhere. At the end of the day, a ring is a ring, and I’ll beat him anyplace.”
Calzaghe, though, has also set his sights on the current middleweight champion.
“I want to fight Jermain Taylor,” Calzaghe said during an interview segment on last week’s episode of ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. “Number one, at the end of the day, he’s the middleweight champion. He’s the number one. He’s beaten [Bernard] Hopkins. He’s beaten Winky Wright. He’s The Ring champion. He’s undefeated. I’m undefeated, super middleweight champion of the world, Ring champion also. So I think it’d be a tremendous fight. It’s a natural fight to put together.”
Never mind that Taylor took two disputed decisions over Hopkins and fought Wright to a draw. It’s more that, with one breath, Calzaghe said, “It’s not just about making money for me. It’s creating a legacy in boxing. All I’m interested in now is fighting elite fighters and proving myself and giving fans the fights they want.” With another, he will list Taylor, Hopkins and Wright before he mentions his most logical next opponent.
“That’s a fight, I think, that we need to build up a little bit more,” he said of a bout with Kessler. In other words, don’t bet on it.
As for Taylor, the spot held by his number one challenger was left open when Wright chose to rise to light heavyweight and challenge Hopkins this summer. As such, it was on the undercard of this past weekend’s bout between Taylor and Cory Spinks that two young guns met for the chance to become Taylor’s true mandatory.
That shootout between Kelly Pavlik and Edison Miranda ended with Pavlik winning impressively, a fight that Taylor watched from his dressing room. Taylor would follow by taking a dreadful split decision win over Spinks, and in his post-fight interview he sounded rather unwilling to face Pavlik.
“If Kelly Pavlik is the best fighter out there for the most money, we’re going for Kelly Pavlik,” he told HBO’s Larry Merchant. Merchant then pointed out that Taylor had given himself an out, and the champion confirmed that his next fight would come against whoever brought him more money. In other words, probably not Pavlik, not when Taylor’s recent middleweight run has been defined by a mixture of unimpressive performances and undersized opponents. Now, he looks to step up in weight without having truly stepped up in his ability.
It’s the pride that should be worth the most – the attention to one’s craft, the domination of one’s challengers, the compilation of one’s legacy. But Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe have instead steered themselves toward the lining of one’s wallets, big business that comes at the expense of unfinished business.
The 10 Count
1. As expected, the televised undercard to Taylor-Spinks set out with the intent of stealing the show, as Kelly Pavlik and Edison Miranda traded bombs for the chance to challenge the main event’s winner.
As noted above, Pavlik came out triumphant, stopping Miranda in the seventh round and cementing his rise from prospect to contender. If Taylor chooses to blatantly avoid Pavlik, then it’ll be up to the latter’s promoters to make sure that “The Ghost” doesn’t disappear from the public’s minds.
2. Larry Merchant, professor of hip-hop culture. First lesson: crunk. Next lesson: krumping.
3. So, Sergio Mora traded away a shot at Jermain Taylor for a July 20 appearance headlining ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights against opponent Raymond Joval, according to ESPN.com scribe Dan Rafael. No offense intended toward the guys at the Deuce, but this news means that I’m officially joining Eric Raskin of MaxBoxing.com in calling Mora by the creatively derisive nickname “The Latin Flake.”
4. Junior lightweight contender Manny Pacquiao couldn’t translate his superstardom into political success, with his bid for a seat in the Congress of the Philippines falling short against incumbent Darlene Custodio.
If anything, Pacquiao’s loss is the boxing world’s gain, as the Filipino Firebomber can now focus solely on the Sweet Science. With a lineup of potential foes that includes titlists Juan Manuel Marquez and Edwin Valero, a lack of distractions will only help Pacquiao’s preparations.
5. Between last year’s unwatchable bout with Acelino Freitas and last week’s snoozer against Cristobal Cruz on Friday Night Fights, I think that a certain lightweight contender should only be referred to as Zzzzzzzzzzahir Raheem.
6. At least Wednesday Night Fights provided an excellent main event, one that pitted former 175-pound titlists Glencoffe Johnson and Montell Griffin against each other.
Johnson came out on top, scoring an 11th-round victory when Griffin’s corner stopped the fight. With the win, Johnson becomes the mandatory challenger to International Boxing Federation beltholder Clinton Woods, against whom Johnson has won, lost and drawn. But it wouldn’t be surprising if Griffin, too, were rewarded for his efforts in what is essentially a wide-open light heavyweight landscape.
7. Boxers Behaving Badly Update, part one: Jeff Fenech, who captured titles in the bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight divisions, is set to go to trial later this year on charges that he allegedly stole three designer watches from a store, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Francis Grech, an associate of Fenech’s, had previously pleaded guilty to the December 2005 incident and was fined $750.
8. Boxers Behaving Badly Update, part two: Former three-division titlist Johnny Tapia pleaded guilty last week to a felony drug possession charge stemming from a March cocaine overdose that left Tapia hospitalized for several days, according to The Albuquerque Tribune.
Tapia was sentenced to no prison time and 18 months of probation, a ruling contingent upon his successful completion of a substance abuse program.
9. Dancing with the Stars Update: Laila Ali began this season of ABC’s celebrity dancing series as only the second boxer to ever appear on the show. Over the past couple months, though, Ali has not only surpassed season one’s Evander Holyfield, but she has also proven herself on the dance floor and earned herself a spot in the May 21 finals.
Ali and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy earned perfect scores on both of the dances they performed last week, the show’s three judges awarding 30 points each for the couple’s quickstep and cha-cha-cha.
Joining Ali in the finals are pop music singer Joey Fatone and short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno.
10. The next boxer to appear on the show? How about Cory Spinks?
David P. Greisman may be reached at fightingwords1@gmail.com