By Lyle Fitzsimmons
It’s a funny thing about fight people.
When it comes to guys climbing to the elite rungs on the status ladder, the folks in the stands won’t sign off until matches have been made with foes capable of providing a push.
Problem is, when those pushes finally come – and even if they’re overcome – those same fans quickly exit the bandwagons, suggesting that anything less than full invincibility equates to fraud.
Such was the case, for at least some, on Saturday night in Tampa, Fla.
There, just a clogged highway drive from his hometown in Clearwater, would-be superstar Keith Thurman climbed in with a guy – 34-year-old Luis Collazo – who’d held a belt, been denied a decision or two and had generally been described as a “tough out” by any who’d encountered him.
The match with the New Yorker was Thurman’s third since a prolonged injury-related absence. And the eighth-round surrender he induced while far ahead on all scorecards provided a third straight victory over opponents who’d brought 99 wins, 48 knockouts and three world titles with them to the ring.
On the surface, it seemed all the versatile validation he needed.
But by the time the parking lots had cleared out, the whispers had begun.
A “less-than-stellar performance against a clearly declining Collazo” was the assessment of one post-fight observer, while a second declared it something less than “a special performance, and that’s what we’ve come to expect from Thurman.” The same sentiment was echoed, too, by a third pile-on participant, who suggested that the sport’s supposed next big star “did not quite live up to the hype.”
I was there amid the 4,136 or so at the Sun Dome.
But upon reading those reviews, I’m trying to recall exactly what I didn’t see.
Because from what I do remember, it seemed like an audition conclusively passed.
Though “One Time” didn’t do the quick number on Collazo that I and many others thought he might, he still threw and landed more shots than the tricky southpaw, and managed to soldier on through what was arguably the most peril he’s seen in a ring – courtesy of a wicked left hand to the liver – since hitting the deck against one Quandray Robertson five years earlier.
Thurman said it was the best body shot he’s ever taken, and it appeared on replay to be far more damaging than blows that have stopped others. But rather than going to a knee to escape the follow-up, he got on his bike, got back his breath, and – after a welcome 60-second interlude in the corner – went back to landing the stinging shots that ultimately turned a small nick into a quit-worthy carnage.
In the end, it was sufficient to get ringside kudos from Teddy Atlas, who lauded the winner’s “determination” and “championship mettle.” But because it lacked the post-holiday fireworks that others were clearly jonesing for, the Twitter-verse leaned far more toward meh than magnificent.
Those same people might want to bone up on what “competitive” actually means.
Had Thurman laid Collazo out with a single punch or beaten him from post to post for 36 minutes, the uproar would have concluded Luis was too soft to provide a real test.
And had the favorite never recovered from the liver shot and left his precious “0” in Collazo’s Queens-bound gym bag, the overrated stench would have taken years to outrun.
The fact that neither happened ought to really be what steers the critiques.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
SATURDAY
Vacant IBF junior welterweight title – Macao, China
Cesar Cuenca (No. 1 contender/Unranked IWBR) vs. Ik Yang (No. 2 contender/Unranked IWBR)
Cuenca (47-0, 2 KO): First title fight; First fight outside Argentina
Yang (19-0, 14 KO): First title fight; Five straight wins by stoppage (5-0, 23 total rounds)
Fitzbitz says: In spite of their lofty rankings, neither contender is on the short list of elites at 140 pounds. Nevertheless, the local fighter appears to have had more success in the lowlights. Yang in 9
Vacant IBF junior bantamweight title – El Paso, Texas
McJoe Arroyo (No. 1 contender/No. 7 IWBR) vs. Arthur Villanueva (No. 3 contender/No. 14 IWBR)
Arroyo (16-0, 8 KO): First title fight; Third fight outside Puerto Rico (2-0, 2 KO)
Villanueva (27-0, 14 KO): First title fight; Third fight outside Philippines (2-0, 0 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Arroyo has Olympic pedigree, while Villanueva routed former world champion Julio Cesar Miranda in his most recent fight five months ago. Gut says Arroyo by a smidge. Arroyo by decision
IBF junior featherweight title – El Paso, Texas
Carl Frampton (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (No. 13 contender/No. 66 IWBR)
Frampton (20-0, 14 KO): Second title fight; First fight outside the United Kingdom
Gonzalez (25-1-2, 15 KO): First title fight; Second fight outside Mexico (1-0, 1 KO)
Fitzbitz says: The challenger turned pro as a teen and has just one loss, but he’s never fought anything near the level of Frampton – and that’s likely to be a problem in the champ’s U.S. debut. Frampton in 8
WBA lightweight title – Manchester, United Kingdom
Darleys Perez (champion/No. 18 IWBR) vs. Anthony Crolla (No. 11 contender/No. 10 IWBR)
Perez (32-1, 20 KO): First title defense; Fifth bout scheduled for 12 rounds (3-1, 1 KO)
Crolla (29-4-2, 11 KO): First title fight; Unbeaten since 2012 (5-0-2, 2 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Based on records, it should be a successful defense. But the English challenger seems to have been in with a rougher brand of competition, and he’ll be tough to beat at home. Crolla by decision
WBO super middleweight title – Halle, Germany
Arthur Abraham (champion/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Robert Stieglitz (No. 1 contender/No. 3 IWBR)
Abraham (42-4, 28 KO): Fourth title defense; Previously held IBF title at 160 and WBO title at 168
Stieglitz (47-4-1, 27 KO): Fourteenth title fight (10-3); Two reigns as IBF champ at 168 (eight defenses)
Fitzbitz says: The least regarded four-fight championship series in history – at least in the U.S. Stieglitz has lost two close decisions and won by the lone stoppage. He’ll even it up here. Stieglitz by decision
Last week's picks: 1-1 (WIN: Nietes; LOSS: Zepeda)
2015 picks record: 46-11 (80.7 percent)
Overall picks record: 685-234 (74.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.