STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY BIG BOYS FIGHT FOR POSITION & KOSTYA TSZYU PUTS HIS STAMP ON GREATNESS!
By Johnny Ortiz
Don King has put together a PPV heavyweight fight night this Saturday, November 13th, at the fabled Madison Square Garden that just might prove to be an interesting, suspenseful evening of boxing. For a few losing participants, their careers as probable heavyweight contenders could very well be on the line.
In the opening fight of the night, former WBC champion Hasim 'The Rock' Rahman has been told that a world title shot is his if he wins his fight against Australian, Kali 'Checkmate' Meehan. With a win, the Rock will have his choice of either fighting for the WBO or the WBC Heavyweight title. Winning may be easier said than done, I was impressed with Meehan's losing title bid against WBO champion Lamon Brewster, I thought that Meehan clearly won the fight.
Although Hasim has won four straight since losing a unanimous decision to reigning WBA champion Johnny Ruiz, three of his KO wins were against no-name opponents. I truly believe that Meehan, an accurate punching heavyweight that has very good power, can match whatever Rahman brings. Meehan has a very good record of 29 wins, 2 losses with 23 KO's. He hurt Brewster on several occasions. The Rock's commendable resume reads: 39 wins, 5 losses w/32 KO's plus 1 draw. The only thing that concerns me about Hasim is how sturdy his chin is. He has been stopped four times in his career. The reason for my concern is the way Lennox Lewis knocked him out. It was a brutal KO, the kind that more than not has a lasting affect on a once strong chin.
If Kali, a good right hand puncher can zero in on Hasim's jaw, he has a good chance to win the fight over the favored Hasim Rahman. To Hasim's credit, he is a powerful, dangerous, heavy-handed right hand slugger. If Kali uses the boxing ability he showed against Brewster, it will help him avoiding Rahman's big right hand, thus adding to his chance of winning.
The second fight of the evening will bring together Evander 'The Real Deal' Holyfield and Larry 'The Legend' Donald. It seems odd seeing Evander on the undercard that features two title fights. The four-time heavyweight champion has indeed fallen on hard times; this would have been an easy fight to pick once upon a time. 'Larry the Legend' fits Larry Bird a lot better than it does Donald. A nickname like 'Legend' should be bestowed on an athlete for his grand accomplishments, Larry has yet to live up to early expectations. His new trainer Colin Morgan said: 'I'm teaching Larry that if he wants to go the next step, he must develop his natural killer instinct,' I have to stop his quote right there. Killer instinct??? I once saw Larry's killer instinct fly out the window when at a press conference before facing Riddick Bowe; he was slapped by Bowe at the podium. The old trick often used by street bullies to scare a potential victim, worked on Larry Donald. The undefeated heavyweight challenger ran and lost big time to Riddick Bowe. You either have a killer instinct or you do not. A trainer cannot instill it in a fighter, if a slap can conjure fear; you most certainly are void of any kind of a killer instinct.
Fighting an Evander Holyfield who is a mere shell of his once great legendary self, Donald may not need anything other than fighting a very smart fight to win. If he gives Evander too much respect, he will open the door to a once great fighting machine. Donald is the favorite, and well he should be, he is younger and has never been in the brutal wars Evander Holyfield has engaged in.
Evander Holyfield is one of my all-time favorite fighters. It hurts to see the once great, amazing gladiator attempting to put it together one more time. There always remains the chance that the Real Deal will reach way back and once again give us the thrill of a lifetime. Over the hill or not, Evander Holyfield is worth watching, he may not be the magnificent warrior he once was, but I'll be damned if I would ever miss watching him do his thing, his conditioning and determination are things of beauty, he believes his faith in God will carry him to his fifth heavyweight title. Who am I to deny Evander his dream? It's his choice. I respect it. If he wins, he will continue, as the underdog, losing may finally convince him that his time has come.
How can you not root for a fighter that says' 'I have a passion for the game. I go to sleep and wake up still wanting to fight. I've never been a person who cares what anyone else says. If that were the case, I'd still be in the ghetto. You're only old when they throw dirt on you.'
Win or lose, Evander Holyfield will be the fight I will be looking forward to watching. I have never stopped wanting to watch a real legend and a great champion in action, end of the trail or not.
The third bout of the evening is one of two championship fights. IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd will put his crown up for grabs against his old friend Jameel 'Big Time' McCline. Chris Byrd is a 2 ½-1 favorite over McCline. I think this is a good bet if you like Jameel. I scored both of Byrd's title defenses against Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota. I have no reservations in saying that I thought that Chris Byrd lost both encounters. In the Oquendo fight, Fres outjabbed the jabber 66-55. In total punches, Oquendo outlanded Byrd 156-132, but yet lost the unanimous decision. Go figure.
The Golota fight ended in a draw. Chris Byrd was on the end of a real gift in this one. Squeaking by in his last two defenses, it only seems natural that Byrd is ready to be taken. I think 2 ½ - 1 is a big disparity. Obviously the oddsmakers completely dismiss the physical advantages Jameel McCline brings to the fight. Chris, 6 ft 2 in. and weighing in usually around 215 pounds, will more than likely give away anywhere from 45 to 55 pounds to the 6 ft 7 in, 260/270 pound McCline who has won his last 29 out of 32 fights. I have never been a big proponent of the Byrd fighting style, he has always reminded me of a large Pernell Whitaker. I have to hand it to Byrd, like Pernell, he knows how to win.
In order for Jameel to win, he has to check out the Andrew Golota game plan he used against Bryd. He has to apply pressure from the opening bell utilizing his size, strength and weight to its full advantage. He has to cut the ring off on the smaller, lighter hitting Byrd. He must throw caution to the wind, knowing he is the bigger puncher; he must try to make a brawl out of it if he is to win. Chris Byrd on the other hand must employ all the tricks that made him a champion. He must constantly be on the move, jabbing and throwing combinations in order not to let Jameel get set. The jab is the key for Chris Byrd; he must use it often to keep out of harm's way and to set up his own punches. Jameel McCline has a very strong jab, Chris must anticipate it, if the jab is working for McCline, you can bet the big right hand will be following right behind it.
I keep thinking how Ike Ibeabuchi caught Byrd on the ropes in the fifth round of their fight, nailing him with a big right hand at the end of fight. This is going to be a matador vs. the bull kind of fight. Chris has to keep in mind the bull sometimes wins!
This brings us to the main event of the evening. John 'The Quiet Man' Ruiz will engage 'The Foul Pole' Andrew Golota in what figures to be a 'no holds barred' kind of fight. Johnny will defend his WBA Heavyweight Championship in this one. You may not like the way he fights, he may not conjure up thoughts of Muhammad Ali, but Johnny Ruiz knows how to win fights. In Golota, he will face an adversary who is hard to figure. Which Andrew Golota will show up? He did well enough in his last fight against IBF Champion Chris Byrd that the majority of people who witnessed the fight thought Andrew did enough to win the title. I was among them.
He fought an intelligent fight, perhaps he didn't respect Byrd's punching power, he walked right through most of his punches. John Ruiz is an entirely different story. Andrew doesn't fight well when he gets frustrated; Johnny is just the guy to set him off. If things aren't going his way, Andrew has a tendency to quit fighting.
I think Golota is going to surprise a lot of people. He has indicated that he will retire if he loses to Ruiz. This is his last stand. I think he will try to make the most of it. I normally do not condone a fighter with losing on his mind, but in this case, Andrew is laying it all on the line. Nevertheless, unless John Ruiz gets caught with an exceptionally powerful shot, I look for Johnny to retire Andrew Golota.
I may be in the minority, but I know and like this guy who defies all there is in boxing finesse. I like Johnny Ruiz, both as a man and as a different kind of Champion.
KOSTYA TSZYU PUTS HIS STAMP ON GREATNESS!
The Thunder from down Under didn't have to knock Sharmba Mitchell senseless for me to acknowledge his greatness. For those of you who read my last article on the fight read exactly how I said the fight would go. I just thought that Sharmba would last a little longer. Those of you who have heard or read the many times that I have stated how dangerous the first two rounds are, this was a perfect example just how hard it is to come back when you have had your bell rung early.
In my last two articles I hope I have put to rest the theory that a long layoff is detrimental to a fighter. Yes, it can be if a fighter leads a harmful life style. But in the case of both Felix Trinidad and Kostya Tszyu, I wrote and said they both would be victorious due to the fact that as a former trainer myself and knowing how long and hard they trained, I knew they would both be physically fit and mentally awake for their fights. Both outcomes came as no surprise to me.
Before their fights, so many were convinced the layoffs would result in defeat. The betting wagering was close. I wish I were a gambling man, the outcome of both fights were never in doubt. Another thing I got a kick out of was the amount of people who were reluctant to give Kostya his claim to greatness. Before the fight, some headlines read: 'Tszyu fights for place in history.' Another read: Kostya Tszyu fights for his legend.' There were more, but you get the picture. What did Kostya Tszyu do to make these people doubt his brilliance? He lost one fight in thirteen years. He lost to a great former champion in Vince Phillips. He was young and put it behind him, never looking back.
A poll of 77 media members picked Sharmba Mitchell to win 2 to 1. Las Vegas odds favored Kostya Tszyu 5-2. To quote George Foreman: 'A lot of the boxing media see boxing, they don’t know boxing.' This is in reference to the ones who have never laced on a glove, not knowing what it takes to go toe to toe in the center of the ring, they have no clue what it is to train a fighter, the things that trainers know when they send their guys into a fight, the things that went into getting them ready and knowing when they are ready. A fighter can undergo a great training camp, that doesn't mean he is assured a win, the better fighter usually wins regardless how well trained a fighter is. In this particular case, you have a tremendous champion who has done all that was expected of him in camp and more, that and the fact that besides being a Super Champion, he is an extremely hard puncher with an enormous will to win. Just as I said in the Trinidad-Mayorga fight, picking Kostya Tszyu to win was a no-brainer.
As I closed my last article, I shall do so again, THE THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER RULES!!!
UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND, PEACE AND GOD BLESS!
