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By Thomas Gerbasi - New York. Frank Sinatra sang that if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere. It’s a city made for the dreamer, but while many dreams come true in the Big Apple, just as many, if not more, are crushed.
On December 16th, a Californian makes his way east in search of keeping his boxing dream alive. It won’t be easy for Mike Anchondo as he steps into the ring at the Roseland Ballroom to take on a hometown favorite in Dmitriy Salita. In fact, it’s a recipe for disaster, a cruel joke waiting to be played on one of the sport’s remaining good guys.
Because frankly, Anchondo isn’t being brought across the country to test Salita in their bout for the vacant IBA welterweight title; he’s expected to be the sacrificial lamb, fed to Salita to get the Brooklyn product back on the road to prominence and a big fight in his second bout since his 76 second loss to Amir Khan nearly a year ago.
A few years back, this wouldn’t have been the case. Back in 2004, Anchondo was a world champion – undefeated, charismatic, exciting, and on track to becoming the next big thing in boxing. Six years later, he’s still exciting in the ring, still charismatic, but the “0” is gone, the title belt is gone, the big time promoter (Golden Boy Promotions) is gone, and following a fourth round TKO loss to Freddy Hernandez in September, the buzz has all but faded.
Yet there’s still a sparkle in Anchondo’s eye, a lift in his voice when he talks about what he still has to offer in the ring, and the beating of a fighter’s heart. And though he may not have wanted to admit it at times when the sport didn’t give him back what he put into it, he’s still a fighter, and – despite what the critics might believe – far from done. [Click Here To Read More]
On December 16th, a Californian makes his way east in search of keeping his boxing dream alive. It won’t be easy for Mike Anchondo as he steps into the ring at the Roseland Ballroom to take on a hometown favorite in Dmitriy Salita. In fact, it’s a recipe for disaster, a cruel joke waiting to be played on one of the sport’s remaining good guys.
Because frankly, Anchondo isn’t being brought across the country to test Salita in their bout for the vacant IBA welterweight title; he’s expected to be the sacrificial lamb, fed to Salita to get the Brooklyn product back on the road to prominence and a big fight in his second bout since his 76 second loss to Amir Khan nearly a year ago.
A few years back, this wouldn’t have been the case. Back in 2004, Anchondo was a world champion – undefeated, charismatic, exciting, and on track to becoming the next big thing in boxing. Six years later, he’s still exciting in the ring, still charismatic, but the “0” is gone, the title belt is gone, the big time promoter (Golden Boy Promotions) is gone, and following a fourth round TKO loss to Freddy Hernandez in September, the buzz has all but faded.
Yet there’s still a sparkle in Anchondo’s eye, a lift in his voice when he talks about what he still has to offer in the ring, and the beating of a fighter’s heart. And though he may not have wanted to admit it at times when the sport didn’t give him back what he put into it, he’s still a fighter, and – despite what the critics might believe – far from done. [Click Here To Read More]
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