By Cliff Rold
He owns a piece, an asterisk’s worth anyways, of history. He has defended his WBO title and that asterisk ten times. Hungarian born Zsolt Erdei (29-0, 17 KO) celebrates his 35th birthday in May, is the rightful lineal Light Heavyweight champion of the world traced back to the first Virgil Hill-Henry Maske fight in 1996, and this Saturday faces his toughest opponent since 2006.
The problem?
The opponent is 29-year old Yuri Barashian (25-4, 17 KO). Barashian is not a bad fighter. He split his fights in 2008, stopping Erdei’s last real challenger, Thomas Ulrich, in six before being decisioned for the vacant WBA belt by the underrated Hugo Garay.
The loss in the Garay fight was lopsided and a major factor in why Barashian doesn’t make any serious list of the current ten best in the world at 175 lbs. Danny Santiago, George Blades, Tito Mendoza, and DeAndrey Abron? Those were Erdei’s last four opponents before Barashian and they would have been tough cases to make for a top twenty roster. They are the sort of names that make Erdei, outside of his home turf in Germany, all but irrelevant to the Boxing world at large.
Put another way, when major league Light Heavyweight action is discussed, Zsolt Erdei doesn’t matter. The question asked here is whether or not he can.
It’s a somewhat sad case viewed from a distance. Erdei certainly carves out an honest living and can be proud of his career. Regardless of what esteem they are held in, the various alphablets aren’t easy to come by and even tougher to hold on to for years at a time no matter how wise the matchmaking.
There really isn’t any question about whether Erdei is a good fighter. He is. How good though is something neither he, his German audience, nor the world at large can fairly measure.
Erdei’s reign didn’t start out this way. After defeating a Julio Gonzalez in 2004 who had ended the record-setting reign of Dariusz Michalczewski, Erdei played the part of champion better than most realize. Title defenses against former and future titlists Mehdi Sahnoune and Garay (twice) saw Erdei tested but victorious. Ulrich was a regular in many top ten lists into 2007 and Erdei dominated him.
Then it just stopped.
Now, closer to middle age than athletic prime, Erdei is inching towards the end of his career and one has to wonder whether he’ll end with regrets. With his efficient left jab, straight shots and steady work rate, could he trouble the likes of young IBF titlist Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KO), living legend Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO), or the popular choice for champion, Ring Magazine titlist Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KO)?
The fighter in him appears to want to know. In interviews after recent fights, they’re the sort of names he’s mentioned. That’s what makes it sad. Despite criticism he took late in his career over opponent choices, the now-retired Michalczewski didn’t end his career wondering how good he was. Sure, he never fought Roy Jones, but he mauled the reigning king, Virgil Hill, in 1997 and added quality scalps like Graciano Rochigianni and Montell Griffin after that. Michalczewski could walk away knowing that for a time he truly was one of if not the very best Light Heavyweight in the world.
Erdei has sweated and sacrificed in the gym to get as far as he has. For at least one night, he must want to find out just how much farther his sacrifices can take him. Should they lead down a path of defeat so be it.
At least he’d be able to say he tried to walk it.
If the Barashian fight is entertaining, there is a good chance it will be seen in the United States via Fox Sports Best Damn Sports Show Period a couple of weeks later. If it airs (and it’s unclear whether it or Saturday’s WBO Super Middleweight title co-feature between Denis Inkin and Karoly Balzsay will be the choice), the opportunity for new audience will be there for the first time. In a global sense, this Saturday is Erdei’s best chance in a long time to matter and, by proxy, to make the lineal Light Heavyweight championship more than an asterisk again.
It’s a steep climb. Recent opponents have done him harm in the hardcore fan circles. The asterisk has been an earned bit of humor as the rest of the best Light Heavyweights fought each other.
He’ll need a performance worth re-airing to make fans outside Germany want to see him again later in 2009. Beneath him in the WBO ratings, Hopkins hovers at number one and the always worthy former titlist Glen Johnson (48-12-2, 33 KO) sits at number three. The latter could be a realistic challenger and the sort of gut wrenching test Erdei’s ledger is in need of.
Should he defeat Barashian, unification and a twelfth lineal title defense against Dawson would be even better. Despite the feeling of many in the press that Johnson was wronged via decision in his April 2007 challenge of Dawson, Dawson is the man of the moment. He has a major HBO appearance coming up and a growing groundswell of support for a challenge of Calzaghe (should the Welshman choose not to retire). If Dawson defeats former titlist Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KO) again, as expected, in March and find himself still lacking the pull to get the biggest names, an Erdei-Dawson fight could be an ingenious choice for both.
For Erdei, it would provide not only a chance to matter but an opponent who matters in a major way. For Dawson, it would be a chance to trumpet the historical claim to the top of his class in the face of old men seeking safer fare, a chance to ascend without them and show the emperors’ lack of clothes.
It’s probably too much to ask for. Realistic views of the fistic world say Erdei probably stays put, continuing against the Barashian’s of the world until his time is up.
The ideal world is more interesting.
The Weekly Ledger and Cliff’s Notes…return next week. For now, check out the newest installment of the BoxingScene Divisional Ratings at: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=17762
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
