By Jake Donovan
It only took a minute (61 seconds, to be exact) of action last weekend to stir up heated debates that are still going strong. Kendall Holt avenged a controversial stoppage loss to Ricardo Torres last September with a controversial knockout of his own last Saturday in Las Vegas on Showtime.
The two fighters combined for three total knockdowns, Holt twice rising from the canvas to knock Torres out cold, though not before what has now become the headbutt heard (and seen and felt) 'round the world.
Despite the debates surrounding the sudden ending of the fight, what's universally agreed upon is that it's already the leading contender for Round of the Year.
The rest is covered in your thoughts, which are posted below:
TORRES REPEATS IF NOT FOR THE HEADBUTT
If you watch the replay, Torres got hit with a nasty headbutt right before that KO blow. Torres can take a bigger punch than what Holt hit him with and would not be knocked out cold from 1 punch. Torres would've knocked Holt out in the first round if he didn't get hit with that nasty head butt from a very hard-headed guy! - Ed Mendez
Jake's Take: I don't dispute that the headbutt played part in changing the course of the fight.
But I disagree with you on Torres' ability to absorb. By my count, he's now been officially dropped seven times, all within the past three years, and no strange coincidence all coming in fights when he stepped up the level of competition.
Personally, I think Torres' chance of a 1st round KO passed the moment Holt landed the body shot. It's certainly plausible to suggest that Torres at least makes it out of the 1st round and possibly even knocks him out in the 2nd - Holt's chin is shit and he didn't have the legs to run at that point. But I can't agree with the notion that the headbutt had everything to do with the fight turning out the way it did. To not give Holt any credit for recovering from 2 knockdowns - 20 seconds apart - in about 30 seconds time is a disservice to the fighter.
HOLT WAS LUCKY…
I was really disappointed with how the fight ended. Sure it looked like a good body shot (though it didn't appear good enough to really hurt Torres), but that punch is what caused him to lean forward and then get really stunned by the headbutt. After that, he was wide open for that punch to the side of the head. He had no shot. I think Holt should be thankful...he got a little lucky in there. I thought it was weird that it ended up that way. Well, this muddies the waters a bit. Holt's chin is pretty shaky, so I wonder how long it will be before he loses this belt. Then again, the 140 pounders are pretty weak. - Mauro Hermida
Jake's Take: A little luck might be involved, but Holt deserves some credit for regaining his faculties to where he could be in a position to even punch back. I put it like this: the crowd and inept refereeing played a part in the first Torres-Holt fight, but I never swayed from the notion that Torres made a hell of a rally and was eventually going to stop Kendall in that fight. The headbutt was a factor in the rematch, but Kendall still landed a hell of a right hand and Torres was KTFO upon impact.
It is strange, as deep as 140 runs, it's still a revolving door as far as the alphabet titlists go. Hatton's been the one constant, but is on the slide and is there for the taking. But I agree with the spirit of your letter; it wouldn't surprise me if by this time next year we were already discussing Holt as an ex-champion.
HOLT'S LUCK WILL SOON RUN OUT
Great job my friend, I read a lot of boxing news, articles etc. On a daily basis, and you're right there with the best.
Just a couple of thoughts, after the hard ride Joe Cortez received of late, I'm surprised Jay Nady has went unscathed after Torres/Holt, hardest punch Holt took was getting up from 2nd knockdown. What's the call if Kendall pulls a Lorenzo? Nady couldn't have missed that punch could he? Showtime said it right there "Nady needs to get control of this". Not to mention he was a mile away from the action the whole fight. Kudos to Holt for the stunning turnaround and even more for Torres showing class in defeat. Great 61 second street fight, they must do it again.
I was very excited when Golden Boy broke away from Arum, promising big things, after taking in a few of their Vegas shows and all their cable shows, I am no longer excited. 20 min before De la Hoya/Mayweather there were about 2000 people in the seats at MGM for Juarez/(the artist formerly known as the guy who starched Litzau). Nuff said.
Good day - El Hubbo in Canada
Jake's Take: Positive feedback? Surely you jest!
I agree that Nady was off his game in that fight, and by more than a little bit. The one non-call I did agree with, though, was his not disciplining Torres on the infraction you mention. Nady was way out of position, and his letting Torres off without a warning was almost an acknowledgement that he should've moved between the two fighters sooner. It would've been ugly if Kendall pitched forward and sought a DQ win – twice in as many weekends (and in the same city, no less) would be more than the sport can handle.
Well said on the last part, though Golden Boy isn't to blame, nor are they the first to express their intention to reinvent the wheel. Most people start off with good intentions, observing flaws and insisting they'll make a difference for all of the right reasons. Then it comes time to pay the bills, at which point you discover that the easiest to way to get rich – or at the very least, paid - isn't always in line with what's best for the sport.
RUBBER MATCH, PLEASE
Did you see the fight? They clashed heads which put Torres on uneasy street and gave Holt the opportunity to land that clean right hand. I say rematch. I also think if Torres didn't rush it so much he would have knocked out Holt, he seems the stronger of the two. It was a good fight though. - Alfredo Anglero
Jake's Take: Many are calling for a third fight, and I can't imagine a network not being interested in it. Two fights, five official knockdowns, two hotly debated endings – not sure you could bring any more drama to the story if you tried.
It's possible you're correct on Torres giving himself a better chance if he eased off of the gas after the second knockdown, but I'm not sure that's who he is. I can say that after the fight, I admire him even more as a fighter than I did going in. I couldn't believe he insisted with a straight face that there was no controversy in the first fight. But to his credit, he had little to say in the way of excuses in the rematch. It's clear that he's a firm believer of the way a fight ends serving as the final answer, whether or not it winds up in his favor. You have to respect that – he's a no-nonsense fighter, through and through.
THE RIGHT HAND DID MORE DAMAGE THAN THE HEADBUTT
I just read the article on Holt knocking out Torres. I saw the fight, but haven't had a chance to read up on what you thought until today. It was explosive action wasn't it?
I think you got it right, it was a "corker of a right hand" that knocked Torres out. Holt seemed determined to prevail even with the onslaught he was facing early on. I have noticed many times over the years that these kinds of boxing matches can bring out the silliest statements from people.
For anyone to think that it was anything but Holt's big right hand shot that did Torres in, seems silly. Torres was still standing (which is significant to note in this situation) right before the right hand came. Then after the right hand, he was immediately down and out. ("Emphasis on out")
For those of us that thought it might be an aggressive match that went into the middle to later rounds, it certainly was stunning. Torres seemed so focused on throwing big powerful punches early, and Holt was standing in well and responding. But in these kinds of thrilling and explosive matches, folks sometimes overlook the things that make the real differences.
Kendall Holt sounded very clear and calm in the interview after the match. He most likely had that calm with him in the boxing match. Any experienced fighter can tell you that being calm and staying within your true capabilities is critical to surviving situations like this match.
For Torres' part, it seemed to me like he felt it was a matchup where he had to fight that way in order to come out the winner. I don't believe he was overly confident, it was just his game plan against a formidable fighter like Holt. In any case, the energy expended fighting like that was clearly going to make this a very different boxing match than what they had the first time, and it would be great to see these two step in and go again.
Who knows, maybe we would see the second round this time!
Considering the controversy with their first fight, the statements made afterward and leading into this one, and all of the emotions, I guess I may also be one of the few who noted the irony of Torres being knocked out from something flying in the ring and hitting him in the head, but this time it was just Kendall Holt's big right hand, not ridiculous fans throwing things at Holt's head. - Scott Reed
Jake's Take: Good points on all, and not just because you agree with me! No question that the headbutt had some effect, but people are making it as if Torres was out on his feet before getting clocked with the right hand. Everyone longs for objectivity, but when it's offered, back comes criticism that you're not taking one side or the other. Go figure.
I'll be the first to admit, the fight playing out the way it did couldn't have been more opposite than I envisioned. I thought Holt would play keep away and box his way to a decision. Whoops! But credit to him for adapting on the fly, and to Torres for not kicking and screaming all the way back to Colombia.
Nice touch on the last part, I never even thought of it that way. Though considering how the fight ended, I'd like to believe Torres would've much rather preferred the flying debris!
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com
