By Cliff Rold
Contrary to what a U.S. television guide might say, there is more to boxing this weekend than habla espanol. Not to downplay two fun Friday cards on Telemundo and Telefutura respectively, but the best fights in the world this weekend, the two fights that have the most impact on the game, are going to take some computer savvy for the sons of Uncle Sam to track down.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave boxing fan, you know that we are but two weeks from my choice for ‘best fight of the year on paper,’ the World Super Middleweight title clash between champion Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KO) of Wales and #1 contender Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29 KO) of Denmark. That’s live at 9 PM EST/6PM PST, November 3rd, on HBO. For those keeping count, we’re just shy of two weeks away. Not to repeat myself.
We’re still only weeks removed from the coronation of an exciting new World Middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KO).
That means anything having to do with the immediate futures for Pavlik and the Calzaghe-Kessler winner matters. A lot.
Enter one Felix Sturm, German Middleweight, WBA titlist, 28-2 with 12 KOs.
Enter one Lucien Bute, Montreal-based Romanian Super Middleweight, 20-0 with 16 KOs.
Each man has a critical fight on tap this weekend, a fight that may or may not play into the bigger picture and biggest purses of their divisions. The first job they have, the most important in any fight, is to win. Do so, and the job of finding their place in a deep and fan-friendly field from 160 to 168 lbs. comes to the forefront.
For Sturm, it is the more pressing question. Many U.S. fans are quite familiar with Sturm already. They remember him as the guy who might have been robbed in a June 2004 bout with Oscar De La Hoya. He’s had some fights since then too.
You probably didn’t see them.
Sturm’s management had a choice to make after the De La Hoya loss: play off the sympathy and see if Sturm could carve a spot in the U.S. market or take Sturm home to Germany and play him up as a conquering hero to adoring fans. The latter option was chosen with mixed results as Strum continued on against competition that rarely ventured far above average.
Since the Oscar bout, Sturm has gone 8-1, stopping three, being stopped once himself, and winning two WBA belts. That the loss, to then-38 year old former lineal World Jr. Middleweight champion Javier Castillejo, would come in one of the better middleweight fights of 2006 was of little matter. Castillejo was a prohibitive underdog coming in, a decisive loser to De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas in recent years. The fans in Germany were treated to a hell of a fight; the rest of the world heard he got stopped by Castillejo and wondered if they should care to ask about Sturm again.
Whether Sturm had fully recovered from the first war with Castillejo was hard to gauge in their rematch in April of this year. Sturm’s jab and exceptional hand speed were on display and he certainly fought a safer, smarter fight. There was though, throughout the fight, an air of danger, of wondering if the Sturm seen against De la Hoya was an aberration that Castillejo would expose again.
When that didn’t turn out to be the case, Sturm’s competitive but unanimous decision victory remained questionable in light of Castillejo’s increased age, Castillejo’s own stoppage loss between the two fights to Mariano Carrera (a stoppage loss that was overturned and ruled a no-contest after Carrera tested positive for narcotics; the no-contest did not erase the punches Castillejo took) and the fact that he still seemed stronger at the end.
Sturm’s only other fight this year was against a light-punching novice pro named Noe Gonzalez. That brings us to his bout this Saturday against Louisville, Kentucky’s Randy Griffin (24-1, 12 KO), a tenacious blue collar fighter who, while a fringe contender, can point to some solid performances to bolster his chances this weekend.
Griffin hasn’t lost since May 2002, picking up wins over the game Julio Garcia and veteran Maselino Masoe along with draws against the rugged James Obede Toney and Yusuf Mack (Mack of course was one half of the epic war with Librado Andrade on the undercard of Pacquiao-Barrera II). That he succeeds without great power, and swimming upstream against obscurity, speaks well of Griffin’s mental toughness.
Following his victory against Jermain Taylor, Pavlik made it clear that while history may leave little doubt as to his claim to the throne, the other belt holders are still on his radar. That could mean the winner of Sturm-Griffin gets a call sometime in 2008. If Sturm is that man, he and his team will have to decide if Sturm, 28, will make a move to be more than a favorite son of his native land before time runs out.
Various reports had noted Team Sturm turning down a shot at then-champion Jermain Taylor and currently note reported refusals to face fellow German-based contender/titlist Arthur Abraham (24-0, 19 KO, IBF). Being a regional star still puts a fighter in the path of lethal punches so there is no question of courage, and it isn’t bad business, but one wonders if Sturm and his team will ever again dare to be more than that.
Lucien Bute, so far at least, appears to be a fighter destined to step beyond regional attraction, all while shoring up the economic security of a local ticket base in the process. His bouts at the Bell Centre in Montreal have proven progressively larger draws, topped off with a rabid crowd for his one-sided win on ESPN2 in June over veteran, and current Contender semi-finalist, Sakio Bika. That he defeated Bika more decisively than Calzaghe did not go unnoticed.
That win set him up for this Friday, again at the Bell Centre. Bute, 27, gets a shot at the only titlist not involved with the November 3rd epic, Alejandro Berrio (26-4, 25 KO, IBF titlist) of Colombia. Berrio is supposed to lose and probably will, but he’s a fighter who whacks and gets whacked with equal aplomb. All of his losses have been by knockout and his record exhibits the power in his fists when winning. It’s really a shame that more fans won’t have the access to this one; it could be a barn-burner while it lasts.
Bute has shown a solid beard thus far, operates from odd angles in his southpaw stance, and he is able to both overwhelm with volume and crack with single shots. Put another way, he’s a serious threat to anyone in the ring with him. If Calzaghe beats Kessler, it is unlikely that Calzaghe will be sticking around at 168. That would leave Bute as a leading candidate to fill the vacuum as king of the class. His progression of fights leads one to assume that his people think they have a thoroughbred, and that sort of fighter rarely stays home forever. That’s good for fans and the sport in general.
If Kessler beats Calzaghe, the division immediately can begin counting down to its next great fight. Kessler has proven his strength as a draw in Denmark and he’s proven to have the courage to travel, entering Australia to dominate Anthony Mundine and now going to Wales for Calzaghe. It’s not inconceivable that he could be willing to stamp his passport with a Maple Leaf in 2008 or vice versa, nor is it out of the realm of possibility that a neutral site could see both men traveling ample fans for a showdown.
It might be too soon to speculate, but a Kessler-Bute showdown could be a mouth watering taste of violence in 2008. Boxing can never get enough prime, world class guys under the age of 30 mixing it up. There’s no discussion though if Bute doesn’t win Friday night.
No discussion of Sturm-Pavlik if Sturm falters Saturday.
And no need to get too excited until contracts are signed and we know for sure that either or both of these regional attractions are ready to operate on the global stage.
Juan Title: As the obnoxious guy who can’t go more than a paragraph without typing the word lineal in some permutation, allow me to reiterate what I was getting at last week: the split between Juan Diaz’s many belts, and Joel Casamayor’s lineal claim to the World lightweight title, isn’t worth any contention; all due respect of course to my Biblically named and similarly honorable Boxing Scene comrades Jake Donovan and David Greisman of course.
If you believe, as I do almost religiously, that titles should be won and lost in the ring, feel safe that that will work out here. If you think Juan is already the champ and hope to see him smash Casamayor to prove it, feel free to rejoice. For once, boxing’s politics weigh in favor of the fans and history.
Diaz (33-0, 17 KO) is so obviously the best Lightweight in the world right now that discussion otherwise is almost comical. At only 24, the Houston, Texas native is on his way not only to the undisputed crown of his division but also a run at the top of the pound-for-pound ratings sooner than later. The only belts he doesn’t have (the WBC’s and Ring’s) are tied together by proxy right now and when the mess is sorted out, Juan will be there.
The WBC has mandated that it’s regular champion, currently David Diaz (33-1-1, 17 KO), and interim champion and actual lineal World champion Casamayor (34-3-1, 21 KO), must face off following interim fights. David’s could come against Juan. If so, Juan faces the winner of November’s Casamayor-Jose Armando Santa Cruz fight sometime next year and, voila, history and all the belts go home together.
If Juan takes another direction, he’ll still likely go after the winner of whoever v. whoever for the WBC belt down the line. Any way one slices it, a little patience goes a long way here.
And damn, it can’t be said enough, Juan Diaz looked like the goods last weekend tattooing Julio Diaz all over the ring. I repeat from one week ago: Diaz-Michael Katsidis is so good a fight that it curls toes just thinking about it.
One fun footnote…if Juan beat David and then faced Casamayor, it would be the first time since Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks that one fighter entered the ring with every sanctioning body belt and another entered as the historical World champion. I would expect a similar, if longer, one-sided result at this point. As a history nut, I would still want to see it to be sure.
Kameda: If you’ve read this week about the one-year suspension that Daiki Kameda (10-1, 7 KO) received following his unsuccessful attempt to unseat lineal (there I go again) World Flyweight champion Daisuke Naito (32-2-2, 20 KO), know this: Kameda got off easy.
Know this as well: the dirtiest fight I’ve seen since the Bowe-Golota wars, and probably dirtier, was damn fine entertainment. Naito and Kameda, two Japanese natives, weren’t just fouling even if it seemed as such. They were also loading up throwing bombs from bell to bell. I mean “I want to hurt this dude so bad” shots to the head and body all night. The additional elbows, tackles and trips made for a solid street fight if not a professional boxing match. That the mature veteran Naito, 33, was able to so unsettle his 18-year old challenger wasn’t altogether surprising.
What I saw in the final round was. Kameda tackled Naito in the corner and referee Vic Drakulich deducted a point. Kameda immediately walked across the ring, put his arm under Naito and body slammed/hip tossed/suplexed the champion. That was another two points off and a new series of fouls to ponder. Look around on YouTube to find the clip or the whole fight; it’s worth it.
So, yes, Kameda earned every day of his suspension as did his father/cornerman who translators insist encouraged it. Naito may have earned something better: a monster, grudge match payday with Kameda’s older brother and huge draw Koki. The elder Kameda is already the most watched fighter in Japan; Naito-Koki Kameda could become Japan’s biggest fight since the heyday of Fighting Harada if promoted right.
Cliff’s Notes…
Holyfield: There is no reason at this point to believe that Evander Holyfield will quit fighting until he is killed or crippled in the ring. The only way I can figure he stops is if someone is able to trick him into thinking he’s talking to God and ‘God’ says “Dude, it’s over. Knock it off already.”…
No Mora This: Watching Contender Season One winner Sergio Mora (19-0-1, 4 KO) storm out of the ring after his fight against Elvin Ayala (18-2-1, 8 KO) was announced a draw Tuesday night, all I could think is how bad it looked for a fighter who increasingly comes across to some as a prima donna without any serious resume to back it up. For the record, I thought he won the fight by a single point, and thought he and Ayala put on a fine show, but Mora needs to remember that the cameras that made him, the ones he’s been off of, can also hurt him…
Go Go Gomez: Contrast that with the public class and dignity of Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2, 8 KO), a semi-finalist in Mora’s winning year. The fans who were in attendance clearly love Gomez, a fighter who fought two other times this year while Mora sat home showing off his negotiating power. Gomez’s battle with veteran Ben Tackie (29-8-1, 17 KO) was good theatre and the overall boxing show, in the ring, was one of ESPN’s best of 2007.
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
