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by Cliff Rold - Three or so years ago, it would still have been a main event. It might even have been at the very Chumash Casino it will be taking place in this Friday night. If not, then maybe the Home Depot Center, Pechanga, or Seminole Hard Rock. For sure, the venue could have been the same.
The broadcast outlet?
That might have been a little different.
In 2007, now 31-year old Julio Diaz was still in the midst of his second run as IBF Lightweight titlist. Still just 29 today, former WBO Jr. Welterweight titlist Kendall Holt (26-4, 14 KO) came up just short that same year in his first crack at that belt, controversially stopped by big punching Ricardo Torres on the road. Holt would seize the belt in a 2008 corker, coming off the floor twice to score a brutal knockout, all in just one minute plus a second.
In 2007 or 2008, it’s easy to imagine a Diaz-Holt showdown headlining, or at least chief supporting, on Showtime or HBO. Friday night, Holt and Diaz will lock horns in the main event on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
It’s no knock on ESPN2. They’ve managed a ream of good fights over the last couple years with less budget than HBO or Showtime have. However, those quality matches often signal one of two things: fighters potentially on the rise or fighters resisting the slide. In recent years, fans have seen the progress arc of the sensational Yuriorkis Gamboa on one hand, and a career saving win for former Jr. Middleweight titlist Roman Karmazin, just to cite a couple memorable moments.
This Friday, we have a couple Karmazin’s on our hands. It’s a fine matchmaking choice for the premium cable outlet and, better for the fans, an opportunity likely fused with a hint of desperation for both men.
Time has moved on since the best of days for Holt and Diaz. Neither ever quite achieved the level of superstardom their talents initially indicated possible. Neither has any reason to hang their head despite it. They have achieved much in their tenures, been honest pros at the elite level of the game, and clearly aren’t yet at the finish line.
This is the best kind of veteran non-title match-up, a chance to see two men just enough past it to ensure landing leather, and still good enough to show off the all the tricks, all the savvy, their combined 20-plus years as paid pugilists have imparted. [Click Here To Read More]
The broadcast outlet?
That might have been a little different.
In 2007, now 31-year old Julio Diaz was still in the midst of his second run as IBF Lightweight titlist. Still just 29 today, former WBO Jr. Welterweight titlist Kendall Holt (26-4, 14 KO) came up just short that same year in his first crack at that belt, controversially stopped by big punching Ricardo Torres on the road. Holt would seize the belt in a 2008 corker, coming off the floor twice to score a brutal knockout, all in just one minute plus a second.
In 2007 or 2008, it’s easy to imagine a Diaz-Holt showdown headlining, or at least chief supporting, on Showtime or HBO. Friday night, Holt and Diaz will lock horns in the main event on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
It’s no knock on ESPN2. They’ve managed a ream of good fights over the last couple years with less budget than HBO or Showtime have. However, those quality matches often signal one of two things: fighters potentially on the rise or fighters resisting the slide. In recent years, fans have seen the progress arc of the sensational Yuriorkis Gamboa on one hand, and a career saving win for former Jr. Middleweight titlist Roman Karmazin, just to cite a couple memorable moments.
This Friday, we have a couple Karmazin’s on our hands. It’s a fine matchmaking choice for the premium cable outlet and, better for the fans, an opportunity likely fused with a hint of desperation for both men.
Time has moved on since the best of days for Holt and Diaz. Neither ever quite achieved the level of superstardom their talents initially indicated possible. Neither has any reason to hang their head despite it. They have achieved much in their tenures, been honest pros at the elite level of the game, and clearly aren’t yet at the finish line.
This is the best kind of veteran non-title match-up, a chance to see two men just enough past it to ensure landing leather, and still good enough to show off the all the tricks, all the savvy, their combined 20-plus years as paid pugilists have imparted. [Click Here To Read More]
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