By Jake Donovan

The beauty about Saturday night’s boxing card at Nashville was that it went so much deeper than what was at stake in the main event.

Sure, there were plenty of story lines from the evening’s headliner alone. Jermain Taylor’s unanimous decision win over Jeff Lacy marked just the 7th ever meeting between former United States Olympic boxing teammates, and the first since 1994. The bout also marked the first time an HBO broadcast aired live from Music City, as well as the first boxing card ever hosted by Vanderbilt University.

Beyond the main event, the non-televised undercard featured plenty to talk about. Featured were three comebacks, including a title eliminator; a pro debut of this year’s lone decorated Olympic boxer; and hope for the future of the middleweight and super middleweight divisions.

There was even newfound respect for one of the evening’s losing fighters, who managed to watch his stock rise even as his game plan dramatically fell apart.

But as is the case in all other sports, in order for someone to succeed, someone else has to fail. The evening proved to be disastrous for two former champions who have most likely seen their last days as notable players, and what we can only hope to be the very end of the career for one other titlist.

If there was anything lacking from Saturday’s show, it was a dominant presence within the sport. Still, by night’s end, those who turned out of the show had the chance to watch:

Five legitimate top 10 contenders (Jermain Taylor, Jeff Lacy, Allan Green, Kermit Cintron, and Lovemore N’Dou)

Three promising undefeated prospects (Fernando Guerrero, Jonathan Nelson, Deontay Wilder)

A heavyweight slugfest between two fighters that figure to grace more than the club scene (Chazz Witherspoon and Adam “Swamp Donkey” Richards)

Of the five contenders, three still remain (Taylor, Cintron, Green), though none with much wiggle room. Taylor was by far the most impressive of the three, pitching a near-shutout against Lacy, advancing his own career while possibly ending his old roommate’s days as a viable threat at super middleweight or any other division he thinks about calling home.

Less emphatics in the statements they were trying to make were Cintron and Green. Cintron was never in danger of losing his 12-round welterweight eliminator with Lovemore N’Dou, nor did a fight ever threaten to break out amidst the awkward waltz that instead took place. What was supposed to be proven going in was whether or not Cintron still possesses what it takes to survive the ridiculously loaded welterweight division. All he wound up proving by night’s end is that 147 is exactly where N’Dou doesn’t belong.

In that vein, Allan Green proved little beyond the fact that badly faded former junior middleweight titlist Carl Daniels needs to call it a career. Nothing at all happened for more than six rounds before Daniels’ corner suddenly appeared on the ring apron, requesting an ending to a fight that never should’ve been put together in the first place.

In Green’s defense, it was his first fight in ten months after having spent most of the year in court, first riding out a suspension, then seeking a split with promoter Tony Holden before jumping ship to DiBella Entertainment. Like Cintron, Saturday’s fight was Green’s first under the DiBella banner. What he next hopes for is the type of fight that will lead to an opportunity, rather than “taking a fight, that will only lead to just another fight. I want to be in position where I win a fight and my next is for a title, instead of taking five fights in a row without moving anywhere.”

For very different reasons, Chazz Witherspoon can relate. His thrilling 8th round knockout of Adam Richards put him back to basically where he was when the year began. He’d be much further along, if not for the three round shellacking he took at the hands of Chris Arreola three hours west of Nashville earlier this year. To his credit, he’s still standing tall after the taking the type of crushing defeat that potentially ruins careers. Through five rounds of his fight with Richards, it appeared as if Witherspoon might’ve been in such trouble before righting the ship in a big way in the sixth, closing the show two rounds later.

In the end, two careers were revived, even with one winner. Witherspoon punched his way back into a TV date or more in 2009, while Richards gave hope for many mid-South fighters. Few around this area turn out to be much, mainly because they’re stuck fighting in this area. Richards, from nearby Murfresboro, wised up years ago, relocating to Texas where he’s since comes along under the watchful eye of Ronnie Shields.

Richards may never advance beyond fringe contender status, but he at least delivered the type of performance to demand at least one more notable assignment, which means one more chance at a lasting impression.

Three fighters who will be getting plenty of looks in and well beyond 2009 are the only ones who came in and left with the loss column still reading “0.”

Three weeks after teammate Demetrius Andrade enjoyed a second round knockout in his pro debut, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder matched the feat with a three-knockdown performance against hapless Ethan Cox.

Wilder, the lone member of the US Olympic squad to leave Beijing with a medal around his neck, took the same approach in the pro ranks as he has in his 35 or so amateur fights – start slow, then dramatically pick up steam. A measured first round paved the way for three knockdowns in the second, all taking place in the span of just over a minute.

As entertaining as was his performance, what already makes Wilder a joy to follow is that he remains his own worst critic. “I won’t settle for less” was his exact assessment of his performance before insisting to ringside reporters, “There’s a long way to go from here to great.”

The gap isn’t quite as wide for Fernando Guerrero, an undefeated middleweight who’s already turning heads in and out of the ring. Having turned pro just last December, the Salisbury (MD) slugger has already racked up 11 wins, all but one coming inside the distance, in fact in four rounds or less.

The latest was Gevonte Davis, who was dropped in the first, then put down for good midway through the second round of their curtain raiser. The performance helped alleviate any fears his promotional team (Prize Fight Boxing) might’ve had going in.

The bout came on the heels of his first televised appearance, an eight-round decision win over Tyrone Watson that aired live on Showtime’s Shobox series. Even though Guerrero dominated throughout, it was still the first time in his pro career he was taken the distance. Everyone reacts different the moment knockouts stop coming. Some settle, and lose their explosiveness.

Guerrero opted to revert to form, refusing to settle for anything other than a quick exit.

By comparison, Jonathan Nelson’s performance was far more measured, if not a bit deliberate. There was a point in which the bout appeared to be destined for the scorecards when a series of right hands proved to be too much for Cory Jones to handle, succumbing in the fourth round of their scheduled six round super middleweight tilt.

The evening marked the second time Guerrero and Nelson appeared on the same show, even though they boast different promoter (Nelson, like stablemate Jermain Taylor, is with DiBella). Should DiBella keep electing to stage shows in the mid-South, a potential rivalry could build up on the undercards before, as both have the talent to run the tables at whatever division(s) they eventually grow into once they begin to hit their stride.

 
Who might not be along for the ride – actually more of a what – would be the state of Tennessee. The state boxing commission has been a joke the moment they began playing musical commissioners (where have you gone, Dan Kelly?). The latest turnover has been the worst, with the athletic commission reassemble to greater reflect an MMA-heavy panel.

As they continue to avoid returning phone calls while they still attempt to figure out the exact role they want to play, the Louisiana State Athletic Commission was forced to step in for the second straight major show in Nashville. Such events alone have all but killed the club scene in Tennessee.

Further piling dirt on the box is the new commission’s whimsical rules in accepting or rejecting proposed fights. Two fights were scrapped from the show, with the sole reason given was that both B-side fighters (Donnell Wiggins and Tyrone Wiggins) have been knocked out a bit too frequently, as well as too recent. If such rule holds up, the Tennessee will find itself without a B-Side. Add to that the premium increases in mandated insurance, and more and more promoters are finding outlets beyond the Volunteer State borders to take their business.

 Perhaps it doesn’t matter, though. Promoter Artie Pellulo (Banner Promotions) found out in August, when he was forced to paper the Sommet Center in order to create the illusion that boxing spirit exists in Nashville, really anywhere in the state. Lou DiBella realized as such on Saturday, as fans barely trickled in, to the tune of 4,800 who braved the unseasonably frigid weather and resisted the temptation to instead stay home to watch UFC 91 on pay-per-view.

The crowd, however, should not serve as a reflection of the card that took place on Saturday night.

The promoters did what they were supposed to do, from drumming up interest to putting together a quality show from beginning to end, an end where the A-side fighters all did what they had to do to advance their careers, or at least keep them afloat.

Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.