By Tom Donselson
Samuel Peter made his appearance on Friday Night Fights, but after watching him beat up on Julius Long in less than one minute; there was nothing really to report. He threw a few punches, Long took the punches and then it was over. The fight never made it to the second round.
I write about Brian Minto and Mike Marrone for these are the fighters who make up the majority of boxers today or for that matter, for all of boxing history. There are very few elite boxers but boxing is made of guys who often work day jobs while they pursue their dreams in the ring. More often, those dreams are dashed and what memories exist are the memories of every blow received. Few boxers ever get to wear a championship belt, even in these days of multiple championship belts.
Minto and Marrone dream of championships but the real questions is whether they have the talent to match their heart to get to the top. Brian Minto biggest two fights before last Friday night were against former champion Tony Tubbs and his two wars against Vincent Maddalone. Against Tony Tubbs, he attacked and attacked while going for the early knock out. His goal was to wear the 46 year-old former Champion down but instead, he received nothing but a boxing lesson. In his first fight against Maddalone, he engaged in a life or death struggle that nearly saw him out on his feet. There were times that Maddalone had victory within his grasp but Minto's heart kept him in the fight before Minto stopped Maddalone in the tenth round
Minto is a TV friendly fighter who can box but loves to mix it up. He gives the audience their money worth. Billy Zumbrun, Minto's opponent, biggest fight was a split decision lost to Riddick Bowe. Many observers actually felt that Zumbrun actually won the fight but in defeat, he won a chance to fight a televised fight against Minto.
Going into the fight, Zumbrun biggest goal was to use his weight and natural heavyweight built to wear down the smaller Minto. Minto started the fight by jabbing Zumbrun head off but he rarely followed up with any combination off the jab. On occasion, Zumbrun bull rushes proved effective but for most of the first six rounds, Minto's left jab controlled the action.
Toward the seventh round, Minto unleashed a perfect left hook off his jab and Zumbrun's knees buckled and his eyes rolled back. The bell saved Zumbrun. At the beginning of the eighth and final round, Minto let loose a bombardment of combinations for over two minutes but Zumbrun stood standing after the barrage. The last minute saw two tired fighters giving it up all up as the fans roared.
The Mike Marrone and Dan Whetzel matched the Peter-Long fight in brevity. The fight ended when Marrone nailed Whetzel with a left hook to the body. From that point, Whetzel covered up as he took one punch after another. The referee stopped the fight after nearly 60 seconds of Marrone pounding Whetzel. In Marrone's previous fight, the young heavyweight barely survived against Zack Page but Whetzel did not match Page in heart or talent.
Both Minto and Marrone have shown courage in their careers as they were forced to eke out victories after hitting the canvas and being nearly out of their feet. I have seen both Marrone and Minto fight on three different occasions and I don't see a heavyweight champion. Minto has shown improvement over his career, but there are several flaws Minto is too small for the modern day heavyweight division and he does not have exceptional power needed to survive in the division.
Marrone is a raw talent but like Minto, he has neither quickness nor power to compete with the better heavyweights. Their flaws will be expose as they move up the Heavyweight ladder. What we will see are two tough fighters who will entertain boxing fans and have their own cadre of loyal fans. They will be essentially regional powers but there is nothing special to indicate that they represent boxing future.
What these guys do have are the heart of champions but heart can only carry so far. Both Minto and Marrone along with Billy Zumbrun represent the average boxer. They fight because they love to and while they may never have a championship belt around their waist, they will at least be part of boxing history and boxing lore.
Brian Minto participated in one of the best fights in 2004, when he went toe to toe with Vincent Maddalone in a fight that some boxing fans still talk about. It was that fight that allowed Minto further television exposure. Sometimes heart is not enough to win a championship belt but it is a quality that enhances a man's place in boxing history.
