By Cliff Rold
It was a pay-per-view worth more than the price tag and yet it was far from the weekend’s sole highlight. In the end, Britain’s Amir Kahn (20-1, 15 KO) stood tall both literally and figuratively, perhaps adding an end to the long run of Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera while, back in Barrera’s homeland, one of the sport’s more questionable recent endings took place to cap off a strong weekend in the ring.
Let’s go to report card.
Khan-Barrera Post-Report Card
Pre-Fight - Speed: Khan A-; Barrera B/Post: A; B
Pre-Fight - Power: Khan B; Barrera B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight - Defense: Barrera B+; Khan C+/Post: Same
Pre-Fight - Intangibles: Barrera A; Khan C/Post: A; B-
There were factors in the fight which will foster controversy. The first round cut for Barrera (65-7, 43 KO), created by a headbutt, factored huge in the outcome. The fight could have been stopped at any time; it was, by sheer coincidence, stopped at a point when it would result in a Khan win. Also distinctive, it was stopped shortly after Barrera landed a left and right which caused a momentary rattle in Khan.
Don’t read too much into it though. For all but a couple seconds of five rounds, Khan beat the hell out of Barrera for the best win of his young career. His four inch height advantage on paper looked like even more than that and combined with his speed he proved two things. Barrera is not only an aged great, he’s one who is too small to be a factor at 135 lbs. Khan also proved he has the mindset to be a champion. Many fighters, after a frightening knockout loss like the first round nuking Khan took against Breidis Prescott last year, are gunshy. Khan retains his aggression and seems to have shaken the defeat off.
Khan didn’t get hit much Saturday but it doesn’t mean his defense was improved. We still don’t know how trainer Freddie Roach’s work is going there. Khan’s offense was so overwhelming as to make getting hit much a factor of minimal significance. His biggest hole so far has been susceptibility to the left hook and it was the one punch Barrera found any success with Saturday so the threat to the questionable chin of Khan remains.
However, given the athletic gifts he has, the chin need not completely impede Khan. Former Jr. Middleweight king Terry Norris took punches with, um, less than aplomb and had a great career. There is no reason to believe Khan cannot also have a magnificent run and one always rife with drama. Given his ticket selling ability, followers of Khan remain on a thrilling ride.
The undercard presented Saturday was a fine compliment to the main event. The Cruiserweight war featuring Ola Afolabi (14-1-3, 6 KO) scoring a ninth round knockout of former WBO Cruiserweight titlist Enzo Maccarinelli (29-3, 22 KO) will be remembered at year-end awards time. The Jr. Lightweight brawl between Nicky Cook (and Roman Martinez gave us a new titlist and another excellent knockout in the fourth and some solid back and forth action. Throw in two prelim bouts as part of what amounted to the pre-fight show and it was one heck of a bargain for $25 bones.
It was only the tip of the iceberg this weekend.
Uh, Doesn’t the Bell Mean Round Over?
From the sound of things, two controversies came from south of the U.S. border this weekend but loyal readers can turn to this scribe to address only one. I haven’t seen former Jr. Bantamweight titlist Cristian Mijares (36-5-2, 15 KO) drop his second straight on a split decision to Nehomar Cermeno (17-0, 10 KO) but a handful of BoxingScene readers who did see the fight are questioning the scoring; gotta’ wait to see the tape to form an opinion.
There can be no doubt about how outrageous the end of the WBA Jr. Flyweight title bout between Giovanni Segura (20-1-1, 16 KO) and Cesar Canchila (27-2, 21 KO) turned out to be and Canchila should be granted a rematch right away.
From the look of things, Segura may well have won anyways in what had developed into a fantastic war in Mexicali. His first round knockdown of Canchila set the tone and that Canchila got up was surprising. However, it was blows between rounds which made the difference.
For those who missed it, and the fight can be seen at YouTube, Segura and Canchila ended round four banging away on the ropes. The bell rang a couple seconds after the clock read zero. Segura stopped punching and Canchila took a step back. Referee Julio Alvarado didn’t step between and Segura started firing again as the bell rang once, and then twice, more. Segura kept winging for between eight and ten seconds, hurting Canchila and Alvarado stepped in to stop the fight, declaring Segura the winner.
Huh?
Last time checked, bells mean rounds are over. This wasn’t David Tua-Hasim Rahman I either where a hook a second after the bell ultimately told the tale. This was a fusillade of blows. If the referee didn’t hear the first bell so be it; if he didn’t hear its additional rings afterwards, then one must question whether his hearing ability is suitable to being in the ring. Without question, Segura reacted as if he heard the bell and so did Canchila. Can’t blame the fighter for taking advantage, but considering the outcome the first time (Canchila by decision) this one is worthy of a rubber match.
Up North and Across the Pond
Of course that wasn’t all of the action this weekend. Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KO) and Arthur Abraham (29-0, 23 KO), at Super Middleweight and Middleweight. Both kept their “0’s” and title belts. One looked better than the other.
Bute was devastating, walking through a Fulgencio Zuniga (22-4-1, 19 KO) who has never been an easy out. Conversely, Abraham looked occasionally sluggish even as posted a clear decision over the relatively unknown Lajuan Simon (21-1-2, 12 KO). To Simon’s credit, he took some tremendous right hands to keep his feet and would be worth another look sometime.
Both Abraham and Bute have intriguing futures as the consensus number two men in each of their classes. Bute trails Denmark’s WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler (41-1, 31 KO) but as Kessler’s career sits in limbo Bute may be catching on him and soon will be joined by the winner of April’s Jermain Taylor-Carl Froch battle. Fights between any and all of those four could be special.
There is a growing thought that Abraham may have to join them. From Abraham’s own mouth, 160 lbs. is getting tough to make and the only reason to stick is a shot at lineal World Middleweight king Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO). If the fight can’t happen soon, within 2009, it might not happen at all as pre-supposing a showdown at 168 ignores the minefields in place there.
Having reigned as IBF titlist since late 2005, with nine defenses; and having done what few recent European notables have in coming to America last year to post an impressive non-title knockout of Edison Miranda to make his case; it would be a shame if first one, Jermain Taylor, and now another American who held the historical claim to the top of class managed not to fight the man seen for each at some point as their number one threat. Abraham has earned the chance to win or lose at the summit of the Middleweight class.
If Pavlik was just another titlist, it would still matter but perhaps not as much.
He is not.
The Middleweight lineage he represents carries with it names like Monzon, Hopkins, Hagler, and Greb. He’s not asked to be those men. He can be asked to meet the champion’s burdens they did. It’s one thing to fight mandatories, quite another to face the challenge with the greatest mandate. Let’s hope the difference is realized in the ring before 2009 is out.
For the many who missed Abraham-Simon, it is posted at German network ARD’s website: http://sport.ard.de/sp/boxen/news200903/14/video_abraham_wm_simon_090314.jsp#mbContent
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