155 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Tom Donelson byline.
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Can Samuel Peter become a great fighter or a championship fighter? Now that the smoke has cleared from his recent fight with Wladimir Klitschko, we can make a better assesment of Peter. Before the fight, we had theories about him but we werent certain if we were witnessing a flash in the pan or just wishful thinking that this guy could rescue the heavyweight division from its doldrums.
I am not a defender of the sanctioning bodies and their corrupt nature and there is much wrong with them. However, the IBF is not responsible for Leavander Johnson's death. It could easily be argued that Leavander Johnson should not have been a champion and others, including Ringtalk’s Cliff Rold, have described the political machinations that resulted in Johnson obtaining his title. That only makes the IBF guilty of manipulating the rating system, which every sanctioning body does. Johnson was a good fighter and even a top ten fighter by some ranking systems. Johnson was a legitimate contender for a title and had fought for world titles before. So it was not like this guy was a bum. His opponent, Jesus Chavez, was a top five super featherweight but certainly not in the league of Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera. This was his first attempt at a lightweight title and he was the smaller fighter moving up in weight. On paper, this was an intriguing match up and not one major pundit declared this a mismatch before the fight As one boxing historian observed to me, Ringtalk had this fight ranked a close battle during the pre-fight hype. And, there was not a single article written that was critical of Johnson facing Zoff for the vacant title, prior to his untimely death.
This fight is not about Roy Jones' legacy. That chapter has been written and to state, “Hey, we are going to judge Roy Jones' legacy badly if he loses and make him the greatest if he wins,” is nonsense.
Every champion has that one night that doesn’t define his career but shows him at his best. Joe Louis' 2 minute obliteration of Max Schmeling was Louis at his best. In those two minutes, Louis landed some fifty punches, left hooks to the body and straight right hands to the head. The German fighter suffered broken ribs as a result of the shellacking received at the hands of Louis. This fight did more than define Louis; it made him a legend.
Is boxing worse today, than in the past? This is one exhortation that is repeated quite often. The constant refrain, “boxers today could not compete against those greats of the past” is echoed over and over.
Zahir Raheem is one of those fighters with potential, but potential alone does not win titles. Emanuel Steward mentioned in the pre-fight discussion that Raheem has often fought at weights below his natural fighting weight. Raheem was one of those fighters whose careers resembled what could have been? Then he faced the great Erik Morales. Raheem's quick hands gave Erik Morales trouble in the early rounds and Raheem looked liked the bigger fighter in the ring. Morales was the overwhelming favorite fighter but this was his first fight at lightweight. Beginning his career as a junior featherweight, Morales was going up in uncharted waters against a bigger opponent.
Do you know what makes the cruiserweight division so interesting? The fact that there are six or seven good fighters at the top of the division who can beat each other. Last Saturday night, Guillermo Jones stopped Wayne Braithwaite in four rounds. Braithwaite came in as the favorite, but Jones was a wily veteran and he knew Braithwaite's weakness. Braithwaite loves to switch from southpaw to orthodox, but he is vulnerable to right hands.
The upcoming Wladimir Klitschko-Samuel Peter fight is what they call a biggie. And for good reason. First, you have two contenders in the heavyweight division actually fighting one another with a lot at stake. The winner will automatically be part of the heavyweight championship picture, the loser will take a step back. For Klitschko, a loss could end his shot as a title contender. In Peter' case, a loss will not be as devastating since at the age of 24, he can come back from the claws of defeat. Peter's knockout power and aggressive style makes him a very marketable fighter regardless of a loss. Still, a loss will slow down the Peter express and take him out of the championship hunt for the next year. This fight is intriguing because of the weakness of both fighters as much as their strengths. Klitschko, we know about. Peter is another question. We know that Peter is a one-punch demolition crew, but what we don’t know is whether of not Peter has heart. Peter has yet to be in with a fighter who can hurt him nor have we seen Peter with his back against the wall. Peter has yet to be tested by a top ten contender because he never went up against a top ten fighter. When Calvin Brock beat Jamel McCline, he showed that he belonged among the top ten heavyweights. Brock not only beat McCline, but he came off the canvas to do it. That showed heart and gumption. Does Peter have the same heart? Great fighters can stare defeat in the eye and not blink. They can rise to the big challenges and find a way to prevail. Peter has shown knockout power, but he has yet to show that he can find a way to prevail when the fight is not going his way.
Vinny Maddalone is one of those fighters that excites a live crowd. In his match against Shannon Miller, Maddalone showed his strength, his weakness and his appeal. Maddalone moves full speed ahead, throwing punches from every angle and hoping that one hits the target. As boxing broadcaster Ted Atlas noted about Maddalone, defense is a word not in Maddalone’s dictionary. Shannon Miller came into the fight as an undefeated prospect, but his record was deceiving. Miller had spent much of his life in boxing gyms, but it was a sport that he enjoyed more as a hobby. An accountant by day, Miller had taken many sabbaticals in his career and has no illusion of being a heavyweight champion. Miller understands his limitations. Maddalone still dreams of being a champ, but realistically it is a goal that is not obtainable. Both men have talent, but not "top ten" talent.
After the smoke cleared from the Saturday night’s Don King extravaganza, three themes came front and center. The first theme is the heavyweight division is still as muddle as ever and every major fight seems to muddle the situation even more. This was supposed to be Hasim Rahman’s chance to make his claim as a legitimate heavyweight contender, if not champion. The fight scores would indicate a one-sided fight but the scoring did not truly reflect what actually happened in the ring. One or two punches appeared to decide each round. In the eighth round, Monte Barrett spinned Rahman’s head with a solid right and one minute later, Rahman returned the favor by spinning Barrett with a nasty right of his own. It was a case of which right you loved since these were the only two noteworthy punches that landed throughout the eighth round. In the twelfth round, a Rahman’s left hook knocked Barrett’s mouthpiece out, but with one minute left in the fight, Barrett shook Rahman with a right and appeared to hurt the “Rock.” Rahman looked uncomfortable chasing Barrett and Barrett did not choose to engage Rahman as he came in. The fight proved to be a boring affair that did little to enhance Rahman’s case against Vitali Klitschko. There was one positive that did come out of the fight, Rahman used his left hook more effectively that he has in the past and this could beceome a significant weapon against the taller Klitschko.