By Ryan Songalia
Photo (c) Jane Renzi
For all intents and purposes, Jameel McCline's career should have ended in a Swiss boxing ring last January. In the third round of his fight with then-WBA Heavyweight titlist Nicolay Valuev, McCline crashed to the canvas with a devastating knee injury, forcing the doctor to stop the fight.
Essentially no one, aside from McCline himself, could've forseen what occurred nine-months later in Madison Square Garden. Samuel Peter had scarcely been phased previously, yet found himself on the canvas thrice in the early rounds. The cards read a Peter victory, a defeat that McCline humbly conceded. Nonetheless, the performance breathed some vital life into a once moribund career.
At the age of 37, McCline is in a must-win situation with two-time WBA Heavyweight titlist John Ruiz. McCline understands that to get the fights he desires, he must turn heads and catch people's attention. "Every fight I feel I should put forward my best aesthetic showing," says McCline, 38-8-3 (23 KO). "This fight is more important than other fights because I'm a title fight fighter. I only fight big fights. What makes this more special is that this is so much more obtainable because of the opponent I'm fighting."
Analyzing his opponent, McCline reveals some disdain for "The Quiet Man". "I thought a whole lot more of him before I started watching his tapes. John is a very aggressive fighter, very busy fighter. Limited, but very successful."
McCline will be working with trainer John David Jackson for the first time on March 8 in Cancun, Mexico. McCline says Jackson has been a God-send. "Absolutely, 100%. I have more confidence in my conditioning and aggression." Jackson says he intends on making McCline a "meaner" fighter and bring out the aggressor in his charge. Jackson believes, as do many other observers, that a 270 pound man does not need to be a counter-puncher.
The candid giant acknowledges his shortcomings in the ring, while remaing positive about correcting them. "I've always felt I was one of the best fighters in the world. Truth be told, I've just had problems finishing guys. I said this to you the other day, I have the ability to knock everybody down. I have knocked most of my opponents down that I've beaten and even lost to, I just haven't been able to finish them. I definitely believe I'm one of the best fighters in the world, it's just a matter of learning how to finish these guys."
The main event of the Don King-promoted card will be the long-awaited WBC Title fight between champion Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter. "That's a tough one, they're both very good fighters. Maskaev can really punch. I think he's a harder puncher than a lot of people think Peter is. Peter is a good fighter because he's young and strong."
Helping prepare McCline for his upcoming bout is primary sparring partner Domonic Jenkins, a 220 pound heavyweight from Dallas, TX with a 13-7-1 (6 KO) record.
When asked how he'd handle Ruiz's infamous holding tactics, McCline vowed to fight water with fire. "How is John going to deal with my aggressiveness, my speed, and my power?"
Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com
