By Jake Donovan (photo by David Martin Warr)
According to the Asian Zodiac, we are presently in "The Year of the Wild Boar." In boxing it appears to be the Year of the Dog.
Promoters have spent far too much time and money screwing the pooch when it comes to making meaningful matches. Rather than just proceed with a fight that most fans truly clamor, we are instead subjected to showcase bouts. The idea, on the business side, is to allow the potential fight to marinate, building momentum in efforts to make it an event rather than "just a fight."
The problem with that, though, is when plan A doesn't quite follow the blueprint. One of the showcased fighters loses, or suffers a cut or injury. Perhaps the fighters' performances – win, lose or draw – leaves a lot to be desired in the entertainment department, drawing boos and negative press rather than anticipation of paying for the next one.
This would be where the pooch starts screwing back, this past weekend filled with plenty of doggy-style action.
Ruslan Chagaev's upset of Nikolai Valuev in Stuttgart, Germany last Saturday can be viewed as either good or bad. At stake was Valuev's run at history, only three wins away from joining Rocky Marciano as the only heavyweights to run their records to 49-0. That evaporated when at least two of the three judges got it right, as Chagaev won a majority decision.
Those who scoffed at Valuev's run, insisting the Russian Giant had feasted on (at best) second-tier competition in running up his record, had to have been pleased with the outcome. For starters, MSG Network came through in the clutch when, for the second time in as many months, they elected to pick up a live satellite feed for an overseas bout. Not only did stateside fight fans get to watch history be preserved, but we were also treated to an entertaining heavyweight bout.
But what the fight does ruin is any potential for a showdown between Valuev and consensus top heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko. Sure, the bout can still be made, as can a Klitschko-Chagaev fight. But the question is: would anybody care at this point?
A few hours later – and back on this side of the Atlantic – the same question could be asked of the once mouth-watering prospect of a power-punching showdown between the always charismatic Jorge Arce and undefeated flyweight Vic Darchinyan.
The two little big men have spent the past year jawing back and forth at one another through the media (though mostly Darchinyan calling out Arce). Arce was well on his way to developing a reputation as boxing's most entertaining fighter, thanks to showcase bouts on HBO PPV undercards and eventually headlining telecasts on their Boxing After Dark series. Darchinyan came into his own in 2006 thanks to a series of showcase bouts on rival network Showtime.
That knockouts occur at all in the flyweight division is something of anomaly. In their past ten fights each, the two diminutive brawlers boasted a combined mark of 17 KO's in 20 combined fights heading into 2007.
Charisma, knockout power, fan-friendly styles and a budding rivalry. What more did we need to make this one a reality?
The answer: cooperation of their respective promoters.
While Bob Arum was dictating to HBO who Arce would fight, Gary Shaw was doing the same with Showtime. Unfortunately, neither did a good job of convincing the network of the only fight that needed to happen.
The year started off with Arce in unfamiliar territory; a fight that both lasted the distance and failed to entertain. El Travieso placed the blame for both occurrences on the shoulders of his opponent, Julio Roque Ler, who clearly showed up with nothing more in mind than lasting the distance and collecting a paycheck in their January stinker.
Darchinyan made his 2007 debut just five weeks later, serving as the co-feature to what would become a Fight of the Year candidate in Rafael Marquez-Israel Vasquez. Darchinyan's bout was memorable as well, though for all of the wrong reasons. Viewed as a gross mismatch going in, Darchinyan's one-sided battle with badly faded Victor Burgos ended just 90 seconds shy of going the full twelve.
Those 90 seconds made all of the difference in the world; Burgos was unable to leave the ring under his own powers, as he suffered a blood clot that would later require his being forced into a medically induced coma and undergoing immediate brain surgery to save his life.
Darchinyan now awaits his next move. After Saturday, it will more than likely not include Arce, if they ever had a chance of fighting in the first place. Desperate to secure his fighter a meaningless trinket, Bob Arum matched up his border-town attraction with fellow Mexican Cristian Mijares, a slick and deceptively strong southpaw who, like Arce, was riding a 20-fight unbeaten streak.
This just in: Mijares is now unbeaten in his last 21 fights.
The worst part was that the fight wasn't even competitive. It was full of action, blood and guts, all to the delight of the crowd on hand at the Alamodome in San Antonio, as well as those at home watching on PPV.
To Arce and Arum, it meant potential millions going out of the window.
The upside is that perhaps a new star is born at 115 lb. Having flown under the radar for much of his career, Mijares is on quite a run as of late. A pair of wins over Katsushige Kawashima – both coming on the road in Japan – put the Mexican on the map. The win over Arce now makes him a forced to be reckoned with. Even with the sizeable lead heading down the stretch, Mijares still tried his damnest to close the show in a scenario where most others would simply coast. In true throwback style, this run (which also includes a tune-up last November) has been compacted over a mere seven-month stretch.
Will that be enough to entice the networks to make a Mijares-Darchinyan showdown a reality? Or will more cooks look to add to the sauce?
History suggests we needn't hold our breath.
History also suggested that if anything could go wrong with Zab Judah's shameless mismatch with Ruben Galvan last Friday, it would.
A win would officially kick off the promoting of a June 9 super fight at Madison Square Garden with undefeated Puerto Rican, Miguel Cotto. The bout is still on, though the jury is still out on whether or not Zab will be credited with a win heading into that bout.
You can argue the bad luck began with the weather, as treacherous thunderstorms throughout the Mid-South forced the bout to relocate from its original outdoor settings in Tunica, MS.
With Zab involved, perhaps staging the bout on Friday the 13th was simply asking too much.
Whatever the case, a bout that was billed "Take It Outside", was forced to make its way inside, where all involved scurried to make the main ballroom at Fitzgerald's Hotel and Casino. They pulled it off, but the action didn't quite suggest it being worth the effort.
Judah came to make a statement, letting his hands go early against the Midwestern journeyman Galvan. The bout could not have been more of a mismatch – Judah landed nearly every punch he threw, while Galvan registered a big fat goose egg in the connect department.
Unfortunately for Zab, he would land one blow too many.
In the midst of a five-punch combination, an inadvertent elbow clipped Galvan on top of his head, immediately drawing blood. After calling time to examine the cut, the ringside physician advised the referee to stop the contest. The ring announcers – and many in the media – insisted it was Zab's punches that drew blood, therefore should be ruled a 1 st round TKO. Instead, Zab was credited with a no-contest, the boxing equivalent of an annulled marriage.
Tuesday kicks off the official Cotto-Judah press tour. Cotto is heading into the contest undefeated, presently 29-0 (24KO). Judah was hoping to at least be announced as coming off of a knockout win. Instead, he sputters into the bout with his last win having come in May 2005, more than a two year stretch come June 9.
Pre-sale orders seem to suggest that last weekend's freak occurrence won't hurt the promotion. It remains to be seen what will be the final tally for this event, which wasn't even supposed to involve Judah in the first place. Promoter Bob Arum originally had the date, venue and TV slot (HBO PPV) reserved for a Cotto- Antonio Margarito showdown.
The promoter began building the fight last year, with the two appearing in separate bouts on a December Showtime doubleheader. Both did their job in competitive fights, Margarito outlasting Joshua Clottey en route to a unanimous decision, and Cotto forcing previously unbeaten Carlos Quintana into submission after five rounds.
Where my dogs at?
Rather than just cut to the chase, Arum instead decided to milk a payday from HBO. Cotto, who owns an alphabet title, was faced with the proposition of either making his mandatory or losing the worthless trinket. Margarito was already prepared to part with his hardware in order to preserve the bout, as Arum planned on having the Mexican appear in a ten-round co-feature bout against the softest opponent HBO would approve.
Instead, Cotto kept the strap, and proceeded with his meaningless mandatory bout against unworthy challenger Oktay Urkal. The bout was surprisingly competitive and entertaining, but in the end proved to be a waste of time (much like every other HBO broadcast in 2007 so far). Overzealous hometown referee Luis Pabon docked two points from Urkal's score for what he deemed excessive headbutting, eventually forcing his corner to throw in the towel.
Before all of that went down, Cotto would watch his date with Margarito disintegrate, as the Mexican instead opted for a bigger payday against undefeated southpaw Paul Williams. A bout that had previously appeared unlikely of ever occurring became a reality after Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen won a purse bid for the right to promote the fight. The bid was a price that pleased all parties – all except for Arum, who threatened legal action over what he believed to be torturous interference.
Lawsuits were eventually avoided as everyone got what they wanted in the end. However it all could've been avoided had Margarito faced Williams at any point last year. The Mexican fought a total of 75 from May 2005 to November 2006, all while holding out for a Floyd Mayweather fight that never even threatened to materialize.
Meanwhile, Williams had begun to make some noise in the welterweight division, thanks to his well-connected advisor Al Haymon and showcases on Showtime and HBO. He eventually worked his way up to a mandatory ranking atop the sanctioning body that claims Margarito as its champion.
When public demand began to surface, Arum instead came up with the idea that Margarito would instead face Cotto. Why take a chance on an undefeated fighter with another promoter when you can stage a fight where no matter what happens, you'll still leave with the winner.
Sound logic, but then you have to ask why Arum is taking such a risk with Jose Luis Castillo, who faces unbeaten Ricky Hatton on June 23. The answer is obvious: Castillo is fighting for Hatton's linear junior welterweight crown. The reward is clearly worth the risk, especially for Castillo, who spent the past eighteen months embroiled in weight-related controversy.
His intended rubber match last June with Diego "Chico" Corrales was scrapped after Castillo failed to make the 135 lb. limit, the second time in as many scheduled fights he failed to do so. The mishap resulted in a suspension that would be carried out for the remainder of 2006.
Upon his return, Arum, Banner Promotions (Hatton's stateside promoter) and HBO worked out a two-fight deal where Hatton and Castillo would eventually collide in what many considered to be a can't-miss Fight of the Year candidate.
The bout may still prove to be a home run, but their January doubleheader barely produced a bunt single. Having been ordered to never again fight at or below 135 lb., Castillo made his debut 5 lb. north at junior welterweight, where he faced undefeated but inexperienced Herman Ngoudjo. As the rounds went on, many began to ponder the thought of a Hatton-Ngoudjo showdown, as the Canadian surprised everyone by not only standing strong, but at times beating Castillo at his own game.
In the end, Castillo was able to will his way toward a majority decision in a fight that many believed could've easily gone the other way. No matter, as Hatton would save the day with a riveting performance in the main event, right?
Arf, arf.
Despite HBO's insistence that Hatton had replaced their own personal favorite, Arturo Gatti, the sport's most exciting fighter, his bout with Juan Urango was barely watchable, never mind entertaining. Punch, punch, clinch; rinse and repeat for twelve rounds. It was as if John Ruiz had lost 90 lb. and was kept out of the sun for a year.
Hatton got the W, snatching Urango's "0" in the process. What he didn't get was the attention of anyone who wasn't already anticipating a forthcoming Hatton-Castillo showdown. If anything, the doubleheader turned more viewers away. It was certainly enough to bump the fight's status down from potential PPV to HBO's World Championship Boxing.
It was also a fitting way to kick off a year where the pooch finally gets payback.