Showtime Saturday Night

There have been several great fights lately, but I had been especially looking forward seeing Zahir Raheem fight Acelino Freitas on Showtime tonight. Their fight was the main event, and while it ended with some controversy, it was an entertaining fight.

I became a big believer in Zahir Raheem when he punished and humiliated Erik "El Terrible" Morales last year. Never mind how Raheem was "naturally" much bigger than Morales, boxing school was in session, and Raheem was the teacher. The fast-fisted Philly fighter has great technique, and confounds his opponents with a mixture of speed and precision. He is no knockout artist, but he has the ability to frustrate skilled fighters, and dominate the less skilled. His one loss was a disputed decision, and many have predicted that he is the lightweight to watch.

Acelino Freitas made his name, and earned the WBO title, as a brawler. Nobody disputes his ferocity, though his heart and head have their critics. He tried to box against the more skilled Diego Corrales, and Corrales punished Freitas until he quit in the ring. Freitas had won his last two fights, but victories over lesser competition did little to redeem the tough reputation that he had sullied in surrender.

In the first round, it looked that this was indeed a good match-up. Despite a clash of heads that marked Freitas' forehead and opened a small cut over Raheem's eye, the first round was quite enjoyable, as both fighters were aggressive and throwing power punches early. In the second round Freitas' definitely got the best of Raheem, and there was one questionable knockdown that the referee ruled a slip. I don't dispute his call, though it could have went the other way. The second round also saw Raheem tackle Freitas. I scored both rounds 10-9 for Freitas, as he was landing more, and the punches he landed were more solid.

In the third round, Raheem started doubling up on his jab, and again tackled Freitas. Raheem began to take control of the fight, frustrating Freitas with his evasive moves, quick jabs, and tactical clenching. I scored the fourth round for Freitas, but gave the rest of three through six to Raheem, who was looking very slick, though he pulled a page from the cheap-shot manual when, after pounding Freitas into the ropes, he threw him to the mat. Raheem, immediately realizing that he could be disqualified, fell to his knees begging referee Steve Smoger to spare him. Smoger warned Raheem that the next such action would cost him a point, but let the men continue.

Round seven was a toss-up, but I thought that Freitas' blows were more significant than Raheem's. Frames eight through ten were all Raheem, as he went back to jabbing, moving, and out-boxing the slowing, confounded Freitas. Raheem continued to clench whenever Freitas attempted to mount an attack, perhaps in fear of the Brazillian's power. I think that, in two of the judges' eyes at least, this cost him the fight.

In the last two frames, Raheem was less aggressive, and while Freitas did not look particularly impressive, he did seem to dictate the action, earning him those rounds on my scorecard. I had scored the fight a draw at 114-114, but I thought that Raheem had put on the better showing overall, and I expected him to win the decision.

The Showtime commentators seemed to think as I did, and they were surprised when the announcer called out Freitas' name. I think that a rematch would not be out of order, but I seriously doubt that Freitas will agree to one. At this stage in his career, he's likely preparing to make a last charge at glory, and preferably with big paychecks along the way. I'm betting that he'll try to set up a bout with Diego Corrales, if Corrales defeats Jose Luis Castillo in their rubber match on June 3rd. If Castillo wins, he's slated to face Miguel Cotto in November, and that fight will likely take precedence.

Prior to the main event, Showtime showed a bout between two undefeated middleweights, Andre Ward and Andy "Kaos" Kolle. Ward won light-heavyweight gold in the 2004 Olympics, while Andy Kolle is an untested college student with a respectable, but not outstanding, amateur record. Ward had yet to be tested as a pro, but no one was expecting a test for him tonight. Ward thoroughly outclassed and outboxed the game Kolle, who was aggressive, but totally ineffective in his offense. Ward looked great, landing all manner of punches to the head and body of the relatively immobile Kolle, whose right eye looked to be Ward's favorite target. The fight was called after the sixth round, when an accidental clash of heads further injured Kolle's already tenderized right eye. When Kolle tell his corner that he couldn't see from that eye, referee John Callas wisely stopped the fight.

In heavyweight news that happened elsewhere, Luan Krasniqi won a 10-round unanimous decision over tough journeyman David Bostice.

Friday Night Fights Results

Friday Night Fights has been entertaing so far this Spring, and tonight was no exception.

In the first of the televised bouts, Brian "The Beast" Minto fought the always-game Billy "The Kid" Zumbrun in an eight-round bout.

I saw Zumbrun fight Riddick Bowe about a year ago, and despite suffering a fourth-round knockout, Zumbrun should have left with the victory. Zumbrun does not have the tools to be a top-tier heavyweight, but he is a solid fighter, and he was a good "style match" for Minto.

In the first round Minto established his jab, dictating the pace and dramatically outlanding Zumbrun.

The third round saw Zumbrun moving inside, pounding Minto with left hooks and straight right counters. Zumbrun suddenly started to use his greater strength to force his will on the shorter, lighter Minto. Minto fought back better in the fourth, but rounds three and four went to Zumbrun on my card.

Minto won the fifth round, though Zumbrun still threw good punches. As the round came to a close, Zumbrun landed a three-punch combo that started me thinking knockout thoughts, though Minto's chin looked to be strong.

The sixth round went to Minto as his jab took control over the fatigued Zumbrun. Minto was showing pretty good hand speed, good footwork, but his defense would not have held up against a more-skilled fighter.

In the seventh round Zumbrun started doubling up his own jab, and used it to set up some good right hand punches. Zumbrun looked good, but "The Beast" was far from finished. Minto finally started to throw rights of his own, added some left hooks off the jab, and nearly scored a knockout in the frames' closing seconds. Zumbrun looked to be in bad shape, and I was surprised that he answered the bell for round eight.

Zumbrun wasn't able to recover fully between rounds, and Minto charged out to capitalize. He punished Zumbrun with rights and lefts that went all but unanswered. In this writer's opinion the referee should have stopped the fight, but it turned out that Minto ran out of gas before he could score a knockdown. Zumbrun was able to survive out the final round, but he took a lot of punishment. I felt more than a little anxiety as the stunned, confused Zumbrun walked back to the wrong corner after the bell. I hope that he wasn't permanently injured.

I scored the bout 78-74 for Minto, who ended up with a unanimous decision victory. I don't know where he'll go from here, but I definitely do not think that he belongs in the ring with a top-tier heavyweight at this time.

In the main event, Samuel Peter dished out the whuppin' that everybody expected. Julius Long was terrified coming in, and it never even looked close. At about halfway through the first round Peter's wild punches caused Long to fall to a knee as he was fleeing. It was correctly ruled a knockdown, even though it was caused by fear, not a punch. About a minute later, as Long was leaning back across the ropes in a vain attempt to avoid Peter's mighty fists, Peter partially landed a big club of a right hand which appeared to knock Long out. All of this without Peter landing a single punch cleanly. It was pathetic.

Long did not use his height at all, and didn't look as if he should even be in a ring with a fighter of Peter's caliber. If Long has any skill, it was not evident tonight. I haven't seen somebody fade from fear like that since the heyday of "Iron Mike" Tyson.

Peter was 13lbs heavier than he was when he lost to Wladmir Klitschko, when poor conditioning played a huge role. He looked slow, but it was hard to tell anything much in such a short fight. Peter is probably the hardest hitter in the division, but he will need to come in with better conditioning if he wants to beat Wladmir Klitschko

Samuel Peter now holds the NABF championship belt, for whatever that is worth.

In the third of the broadcast's fights, an "undefeated but untested" Mike Marrone unloaded like a hurricane against tomato can Dan Whetzel. The first-round knockout happened in a fast and furious fashion, and I couldn't tell you much about what I saw, except that Marrone threw a lot of punches from a lot of angles. If he's fighting again, I'll be watching, though it will most likely be on another ESPN2 undercard.

In the fourth fight a couple of middleweights tusseled in the most exciting fight of the night. Another "undefeated but untested" fighter, Lajuan Simon, fought Darnell Boone in a six-round bout. Boone took the fight on less than a week's notice, so it wasn't expected that he'd offer much in the way of a challenge. Simon did well in the first three rounds with his jab, but abandoned it in the final three, which allowed the slick, quick Boone to look impressive. The bout was scored a draw, but it was an exciting draw. I would like to see these guys scheduled for ten or twelve rounds sometime soon.

ESPN2's Friday Night Fights

Tonight's card on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights will be fun to watch, though it won't likely be of great importance. The main event will feature Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter against 7-foot journeyman Julius "The Towering Inferno" Long. Some would call long a tomato can, but he did win impressively over the previously unbeaten Nicolay Popov, which warrants giving him a modicum of respect. At least for now, the stone-fisted Samuel Peter will draw a crowd because you can always expect heavy punches, and a knockout is never far away. This fight is of no significance in the heavyweight standings, but it should be entertaining. Peter needs more rounds and better conditioning before he again tries to move up to the heavyweight division's top-tier. He won, but failed to impress in his decision win over Robert Hawkins, and he needs to look impressive here. I anticipate that he will.

Other fights on the card will also be entertaining, as they'll have the always-entertaining Billy "The Kid" Zumbrun going up against Brian "The Beast" Minto. I've seen Zumbrun fight a few times, and while he's too small/untalented to be a heavyweight contender, he fights with a lot of heart, and always puts on a good show. Minto is looking to work his way up into legitimacy. His lone loss was a split-decision to former WBA strap-holder Tony Tubbs.

I'm not sure yet what ESPN2 will air, but I will be watching, and I bet that I'll be enjoying it. The other fights this weekend look good, too, but that's another article.

Almost An Ooops For Allan Green

All things considered, ESPN2 put together a pretty entertaining card for the most recent installment of its "Wednesday Night Fights" franchise.

In the main event, super-middle superstar Allan Green was matched up with last-minute replacement Donnie McCrary. McCrary accepted the fight on nine days notice, so the expectation was that he would be no serious challenge. I found some clips of his fights on the internet, and I predicted that the much-smaller McCrary would "be a smudge on Green's gloves by the end of this match". I was right, but it turned out to be quite a ride.

In the first two rounds, Green slowly established his dominance, using his greater speed, reach, and skill to chase McCrary around the ring with jabs and punishment, but McCrary showed a lot of spunk, throwing a few big punches, and fulfilling the role of the "scrappy little guy".

In round three, a left hook to the body dropped McCrary. Green had softened him up with a series of jabs and straight rights, and was looking like a million bucks. After the knockdown, Green opened up, and started to let his hands fly. Teddy Atlas had predicted that, at some point, Green might try to jump in with a lead left hook, and that McCrary could capitalize on this. As is so often the case, Teddy was dead on right, and McCrary's left hook to the chin almost put Green out on his feet. McCrary followed up and dropped Green with a series of big punches. McCrary didn't have the gas to follow up with a knock-out, but he had Green fighting for his career in the round's last minute.

In the fourth, Green came out with his defense picture-perfect. The tongue-lashing that he received in his corner appeared to have been effective, as Green kept his hands up until the final moments of the fight. The fifth frame was more of the same, and Green gradually began to re-establish his dominance with the jab.

The bout's end came in the sixth round, much later than I had expected. Green, showing his one-punch power, dropped McCrary with a powerful left hook, catching the smaller man stepping away.

I like Green. From several accounts, he is a good guy, and he seems to have a good combination of style and ability. The rumour is that he is to be an upcoming opponent for Joe Calzaghe, who is still basking in the glow of his demolition of Jeff Lacey. I would love to see such a fight, but I am inclined to think that it might still be too early in Green's career to make such a step up. Green has a great future, but his mistakes in this fight, against bottom-of-the barrel competition, seem to indicate that he still has some growing to do.

On the undercard, Jameel McCline had a thoroughly unimpressive unanimous decision win over game journeyman Rob Calloway. McCline looked to have dramatically improved his conditioning, though he still threw relatively weak arm-punches, and did so in a sloppy matter. If anything, McCline's stock went down with this uninspiring win.

Rankings, Smankings

About.com recently published their top 50 active heavyweights. I disagree with a lot of their guy's picks, but hey, that's a big part of the fun of being a boxing fan. Boxrec has their own system for objectively ranking fighters, but their rankings often ends up with varying amounts of craziness (John Ruiz at number five?), making college football's BCS foolishness pale by comparison.

Until I see otherwise, I'll consider Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Vitali K retired, and my rankings will take into account where the fighters are now.

Off the cuff, I'll say that the top 3 heavyweights (in no particular order) are:

Serguei Lyakhovich, Lamon Brewster, Wladmir Klitschko.

Serguei beat Lamon who ko'ed a Wlad who was thrashing him 'til he ran out of gas. Lamon has the most power, and he and Serguei each have a better chin that Klitschko, who is probably the most skilled boxer.

There are other good heavyweights, and I have no idea how everything will shake out, but as soon as I have my rankings set, I'll post them.

Who do you, noble readers, choose as your top 3, 5, or 10 heavyweights?

Tomorrow on ESPN2's Wednesday Night Fights

Tomorrow night on ESPN2, the exciting Allan Green will be fighting. Lest you've forgotten, he's the super-hot super-middleweight who delivered unto Jaidon Codrington the most brutal first-round knockout of 2005. He gave Codrington eighteen seconds of Hell, and I'm expecting that he'll give something similar to the light-hitting Donnie McCrary. I saw a few clips of McCrary on the internet, and, from what I saw, he will most likely be a smudge on Green's gloves by the end of this match. Green could be coming in overconfident, but barring a total breakdown in his training, he should roll over McCrary.

Jameel "Big Time" McCline will be fighting Rob Calloway on the same card. I'm hoping that ESPN2 will be showing this fight as well, though it's not mentioned on their website. Jameel McCline seems like a great guy, but this may well be his last chance to turn around a once-promising, now-stalled, career. If he wins, he might move closer to re-establishing himself as someone to be taken seriously. If he loses, it may mean the end of a shot at the big money.

After a shaky start in the pro ranks, McCline put together a 31-fight unbeaten streak that included wins over contenders Michael Grant, Lance Whittaker, and Shannon Briggs. This ended with a TKO loss to Wladmir Klitschko in December of 2002, where McCline's corner called a halt to the beating that McCline was taking. McCline's attempted comeback was stalled with a disputed split-decision loss to Chris Byrd, a loss to the ascendent Calvin Brock, and then a disastrous loss to unheralded punching bag Zuri Lawrence. He is now riding a three-fight winning streak, though he's been fighting third-tier competition. McCline is big and strong, and while he has some boxing skill, he tends to get lazy, and the few punches he does throw tend to be ineffective"arm punches" that lack speed, accuracy, and power.

Calloway's career had a solid start, though much of his competition has been quite poor. He's lost three fights to solid fighters, most recently to undefeated prospect Ruslan "The White Tyson" Chagaev by unanimous decision in January. He has also been knocked out twice. Having been KO'ed by Hasim Rahman is nothing of which to be ashamed, but having been KO'ed by the ever-underachieving Audley Harrison is an indicator that Calloway will not likely be much of a test of McCline's ability, should McCline decide to throw hard, sharp punches. That said, Calloway has kept up an active fight schedule, and he could well win a decision over McCline by simply outworking him. I'll be watching.

Alexander "The Pretty-good-so-far"

On the Klitschko/Byrd undercard, Alexander Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic Super-heavyweight gold medalist, faced off against Friday "the 13th" Ahunanya. The six-round bout ended in a Povetkin win by unanimous decision, and was quite the exciting match-up. Both fighters went straight at one another and slugged it out. The fight ended with no knockdowns, but it looked as if some were coming, had a longer fight been scheduled.

Ahunanya is a skilled fighter who looked to be a real contender until Serguei Lyakhovich beat him in 2001. Ahunanya won a few subsequent fights against less talented competition, before losing to Lance Whitaker in 2004. Since then, Ahnunanya has been fighting, and losing to, tough competition, including Dominick Guinn, Taurus Sykes, and Sultan Ibragimov. I place him in a special category of journeyman fighters, those who make their living as a proving ground, as opposed to just being a punching bag. He's only been knocked out once, and, while I don't think that this Nigerian toughman will ever be seen as a contender, he could still hammer out a respectable career. Povetkin has reason to feel proud of this win.

Povetkin, with only 3 amateur losses, went on to defeat every fighter than he has faced, avenging those amateur losses in the professional ranks. He has been compared to Joe Frazier, in that he has an aggressive, straight-forward style, and unlike most European fighters, he is very mobile. He doesn't stand upright, but comes in bobbing, weaving, and somewhat crouched. His arsenal is left hook-heavy, and he throws powerful uppercuts on the inside. Povetkin has good hand speed, though I doubt that he's as fast as Chris Byrd. He has power, but he hasn't shown the power of Samuel Peter or Lamon Brewster. He has shown a durable chin, but it has yet to be tested against a real contender. I am very curious to see what becomes of this guy, though I'm not quite ready to start singing his praises as the "next big thing".

This blog entry also appears as my first guest-article on Touchgloves.com, a new, very cool boxing news website. Check those guys out.

Klitschko Over Byrd, Again.

Going into this fight, I'd predicted a round seven knockout (yes, I do have witnesses). While I was not surprised to see it happen, I was surprised at how easily Wladmir Klitschko beat Chris Byrd. It was not just a victory, it was a potentially career-ending whupping. Thankfully, Byrd didn't seem to be hurt, though his prospects for being taken seriously as a heavyweight were pronounced dead, dead, dead.

The fight started with the two men scouting one another. Wladmir, having been knocked out three times when favored, was very cautious. Byrd, the IBF belt-holder, didn't fight his usual slick, head-bobbing style, but he also didn't rush in aggressively, as he'd told us to expect in the pre-fight chatter. The first round saw Klitschko throw a few crisp jabs, and Byrd land a handful of relatively strong body shots. I scored the first round even, though I could see how some could have given the round to Byrd.

Early in the second round, Wladmir landed the first of what was to be a large number of powerful straight right hands. He also began to throw the left hook off of the jab, which has been his trademark, and started to take control of the fight. The second round also marked the entrance of Tracy Byrd's shrill voice. Many say that Byrd's wife has been instrumental in the failure of Chris' career to thrive, but I'll just say that I was wishing that she would shut up.

In the third Byrd came out with a flurry of body shots, but, as the round progressed, Klitschko dictated the pace, hammering Byrd with the straight right. More and more, these punches were landing on the right side of the face, as Byrd was unsuccessfully trying to turn away. Byrd looked bewildered, as Klitschko was out-muscling, out-jabbing, and out-punching him.

In the fourth, Byrd tried to establish the pawing jab for which he is known. Unfortunately for Byrd, the great defense for which he has also been known was picked apart by the big Ukrainian. There was a lot of talk by the HBO commentators about Klitschko's tactics, and it was becoming clear that Emmanuel Steward had prepared his client well. "The Steelhammer" looked to be perfectly prepared for Byrd, who had no answer for Klitschko's tactics.

In the first minute of the fifth, Klitschko dropped Byrd with a hard straight right, again to the right side of the face. Byrd, known for a strong chin, easily made the count, though he was badly wobbled, and bleeding from the nose. Byrd, copying a page from his cousin Lamon Breswter's playbook, tried to taunt Klitschko into "punching himself out", as the big Ukrainian had done against Brewster in 2004. Byrd was very mobile as he weathered the storm of Klitschko's fists, even taunting the aggressor, but Wlad resisted temptation, and stood back, not over-exerting himself.

After the bell, in the corner, Byrd had to ask "What'd he hit me with".

In round six, Klitschko charged out, and after initially pouncing on Byrd, he sat back and picked his punches, landing almost at will against the slowed, fearful-appearing Byrd. With Byrd being pummeled, you could clearly hear his shrew of a wife shrieking at him. Byrd walked to his corner looking like he'd already been the full twelve rounds, while the challenger was unmarked, and looked quite rested.

In the seventh, Klitschko again ran out, slamming Byrd's head with rights and lefts, again dropping Byrd thirty-five seconds into the round. As had been the story of the fight, the punch that dropped Byrd was a straight right to face, slightly off-center to the right. Byrd gamely regained his feet, but the referee had seen enough. Bleeding from both nares, the bridge of his nose, his left brow, and sporting a swollen right eye, Byrd did not put up much of a protest when referee Wayne Kelly called an end to the bout.

Klitschko handled Byrd with even greater ease, this second time around. While I've always thought highly of the former champ, Chris Byrd, particularly as he has aged and slowed, is simply not able to deal with the style of Klitschko, the only man to beat him, other than Ike Ibeabuchi (probably the greatest "coulda, shoulda, woulda" of this era). Byrd's style is not much fun to watch, he doesn't draw the crowds, and unless something changes, he'll likely never get another big-name fight as a heavyweight. I doubt that he'll try to get down to cruiserweight at his age, though he might draw a crowd for a fight with Jean Marc Mormeck or O'Neill Bell, as they prepare to move up in weight.

What's next for Klitschko? Hasim Rahman won't be available for a while, he's to next fight Oleg Maskaev, with the winner to fight James Toney. Likewise, Serguei Lyakhovich, will be giving a rematch to Lamon Brewster. Nikolay Valuev, assuming that he beats the under-achieving Owen "What the Heck" Beck, would be a huge money-maker in a European-staged fight with Wlad. Like a great many folks, I'd love to see Wlad fight the winner of the Lyakhovich v Brewster rematch. Other than one of these two, I don't think that any of the current belt-holders can give him a good fight.

Unless the always-suspicious buisness machinations of the of boxing world weave a tangled web, the only other big-dollar challenge out there for Klitschko would be the undefeated, and relatively untested Calvin Brock (who is to fight Timor Ibragimov in two months). Of course, putting Klitschko in the ring with any heavy-hitter will draw fans, given Wlad's past history of unexpectedly falling to an underdog's big punch.

With the recent title fights being so exciting, it appears that the heavyweight division is experiencing something of a comeback. I hope that this is so, though I'll keep watching the smaller guys if it does not.

Sloopy Sykes Sags

The Taurus "The Bull" Sykes v Derek "The One-Man Riot" Bryant fight looked to be a potential stinker. The flabby, under-achieving Sykes against the unheralded Bryant.

Sykes fights a sloppy style, but against weak competition, he's been able to mug, grab, and win ugly decisions. His only win of any sort of note was against Friday Ahunanya, prior to Friday had been totally discredited as a potential contender. Sykes' only other "main event" fights were lopsided losses. Owen Beck rolled over Sykes in six rounds, and Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter beat Sykes senseless in two frames. No fight fan would pick Sykes to win over a legitimate contender. Of course, tonight he was fighting an unregarded Bryant, who'd only won two of his last seven fights. I'd never seen Bryant fight, but I wasn't impressed by what I'd read about him.

In the first two rounds, Bryant, said to be a slow starter, looked much better than the aggressive, but sloppy, Sykes. Some power punches were landed, and despite the sloppiness of both fighters, the fight was entertaining. In round three, Bryant began to reign in his wild punches, took control, and twice dropped Sykes with uppercuts. Had the round been ten seconds longer, Bryant would have finished Sykes.

Halfway through the fourth, Bryant knocked Sykes down again. The ref offered to stop the fight, but Sykes refused, and charged back into Bryant, only to fall again within moments. As the referee called the fight off, Sykes rolled out from under the ropes and began staggering through the crowd. I wasn't impressed by the way the Georgia boxing officials handled this truly bizarre aftermath. I hope Sykes was seen by a doctor, as he looked more than a little punch-drunk.

What a Week!

I'm getting settled in to watch Taurus Sykes fight Derek Bryant (after an entertaining undercard), and looking forward to the Klitschko v Byrd fight tomorrow night, and then Samuel Peter v Julius Long on next week's ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.

Spring is definitely the best time of the year to be a fight fan, and I'm enjoying it immensely. All of you a'reading this are welcome to come join in the boxing/pig flesh fest that'll start tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 pm CDT.

There's the bell.....gotta go watch the fight.

Old Boxers Never Die.....

Henry Akinwande beat Cisse Salif last month, Shannon Briggs is still on his tear of knocking down tomato cans, and Riddick Bowe, in all of his "dain-brammaged" glory, is still trying to get on fight cards at Indian Reservations.

If Oleg Maskaev is getting a title shot against Hasim Rahman, why not? It looks like a lot of heavyweights, having missed their shots during their primes, are still hanging around, looking for another shot at glory......or at least another paycheck. This is nothing new in the boxing world, but in the heavyweight division some of these "has-beens" and "never-weres" can still win a fight with the fabled "one big punch", and this does bring in the cash. One has to wonder if Mike Tyson will re-enter the fight game.

I suppose that the icing on the cake will be Ike Ibeabuchi coming out of prison at age 60 to re-enter the heavyweight mix (Hell, why not, he beat David Tua, and beat Chris Byrd into submission).

Guinn Wins!

Audley "A-Force" Harrison has to be one of the biggest disappointments in the heavyweight division. For the second fight in a row, the former Olympic Gold-Medalist lost an embarassing decision to a less-talented, but more active fighter. Dominick Guinn came out strong, and showed the closest thing to aggression in their Friday night bout. Guinn has also been an under-achiever, but it looks as he may have finally gotten his stuff together, or, at least, together enough to beat the uncertainty-plagued Harrison.

Guinn deserves credit for his win, though it was all but handed to him by his opponent. Harrison had a huge reach advantage, as well as greater power and skill. Instead of using his reach, establishing his jab, and picking Guinn apart, Harrison let Guinn close and punch at will. As I wrote last week, Harrison has attempted to model himself on Lennox Lewis, but he just doesn't have it, and it doesn't look like he's gonna get it. Guinn may have preserved his status as a "fringe contender" for now, but I don't expect that he'll ever again be taken seriously. His once-rising star has been dimmed with recent losses, but I wish him all the best.

In another fight on ESPN2's Friday Night Fight undercard, Andre Berto outclassed and stopped Horatio Garcia, a grizzled veteran who took the fight on very short notice. Berto's defense is suspect, but in his battery of Garcia his offense looked spectacular. Berto looks to have speed, power, and technique, all combined with a million-dollar smile. He throws a lot of different punches from a lot of different angles. He could be making a huge splash in the near future light middleweight division, and has the frame to move up to the talent-heavy middleweights at some point. This was my third time to see Berto fight, and each time he's looked impressive, though this time his competition too weak to be challenging.

Mayweather v Judah Tonight!--and Update

Tonight is the night. Or at least, "a" night, as "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mayweather is slated to unleash a devastating "whupping" on "Super" Zab Judah, brought to the screen by HBO PPV.

Mayweather is the complete package of power, speed, skill, and "ring generalship". He has never lost a professional bout, and is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game today. His style is smart, combining an excellent defense with a multiple-shot combination-laden offense, that makes him incredibly dangerous.

Judah has shown flashes of greatness, but these have been interrupted by instances of mediocrity, most recently his loss to Carlos Baldomir. He probably has more power than Mayweather, but can't match his boxing skills. Plus, he's a rude, ungentlemanly punk. No way I can root for this guy.

UPDATE!!!

Mayweather beat Judah, winning by unanimous decision. In the first half of the fight, Judah did well, fighting Mayweather close, even landing pretty effectively at times. Mayweather began to accelerate, and Judah fade, starting in rounds five and six, though Judah would fight back in the closing seconds of each round. From round seven onward, Mayweather controlled the bout without question.

At the close of the tenth round, Zab Judah showed his true colors, throwing an obviously intentional low blow, then following with a hard punch to the exposed back of the defenseless Mayweather's head. This prompted a big brawl in the ring, as Mayweather's trainer (and uncle) charged into the ring, followed by members of each fighter's entourage.

After the ring was cleared, and Mayweather's trainer/uncle ejected, the fight continued. Mayweather played it safe, not appearing to go for the knockout.

I don't know if anybody else in welterweight class can give the "Pretty Boy" a serious threat, but I imagine that a fight with Ricky Hatton may well be in the works. That might well be an entertaining fight, and I'd probably spring for it, despite the certainty that Mayweather would win. I don't want to see Mayweather continue to go up in weight class until he is no longer effective, but I don't think that I'd like to watch him demolish fighters who simply cannot compete with him.

I enjoyed the fight, but it wasn't a great one. I don't resent the PPV fee, as I had some folks over, and we had a blast. I doubt that Mayweather will want to give Judah a re-match, and I don't think that many people would pay to see it.

Mesi, Still Alive

"Baby Joe" Mesi lived through another fight without his head exploding. He won an 8-round unanimous decision over a journeyman named Ronald Bellamy. The consensus seems to be that Mesi looked very rusty, but not beyond repair. The fight is to be webcast on April 11th, but I don't plan to watch it (see his site for details).

Will the "A-Force" Get Shot Down?

Audley "A-Force" Harrison is one of my least favorite heavyweights. He has attempted to model himself on Lennox Lewis, but he just doesn't have it....at least not yet. His style and flash are undeniable, but his boxing style has huge holes, particularly on defense, and his loss to Danny Williams took the twinkle out of his star. In an attempt to get his career back on track, he'll be fighting former contender Dominick Guinn. Also known as "The Southern Disaster", Guinn's career got off to a relatively impressive start, only to win only 2 of his last 6 fights (losing to Serguei Lyakhovich, James Toney, and Monte Barrett, and "drawing" with Friday Ahunanya). The guy who once KO'd Michael Grant needs a win to get his career out of the toilet.

I don't think that either of these guys are great, but they both have something to prove, so that might make for a good fight. It'll be shown on ESPN2 next Friday, April 14. It'll be free, and for that reason, probably worth watching.

Suprisingly, A Great Fight, and a New WBO Heavyweight Champ

"Relentless" Lamon Brewster and Serguei "The White Wolf" Lyakhovich fought one helluva fight tonight. This was the best heavyweight fight of the last two years.

In the first four rounds, the fighters sought to establish dominance. Brewster's attempt to "Golata-cize" the bout (jump on him early and often) fizzled, as Lyakhovich's handspeed squelched Brewster's counter-punching, particularly limiting the use of Brewster's famed left hook. Lyakhovich was landing combinations that did not seem to damage Brewster, but they kept Lamon out of his game plan. Lyakhovich also landed a great many straight right hands to the body, which slowed Lamon as the fight wore on.

In the fifth, Brewster landed a flurry of punches, finishing with a body shot that set Lyakhovich's knees to wobbling. It must not have hurt Lyakhovich too badly, as he righted himslef and fought back after Brewster began to tire. In the final seconds Ernest Sharif, the referee, disgraced himself, probably ruining his career, when he stepped in between the two fighters at the 10-second alert (which is in itself controversial), which prematurely ended the round. Presumably, he mistook the alert for the round-ending bell. This was significant because, while Brewster had been punishing Lyakhovich, the White Wolf had fought back, and the punched-out Brewster was sagging near-defenseless against the ropes. The final seconds were not fought, and the break was highlighted with an amusing bit of abuse for the ref by Lyakhovich's corner.


For most of the sixth round, Lyakhovich dominated Brewster, but as the sixth drew to a close, Brewster landed a flurry of punches, finishing with a body shot that sent Lyakhovich down. It wasn't much of a knockdown, more like Lyakhovich taking a knee, and he quickly rose after taking a much-needed breather.

As the middle rounds progressed, Brewster continued to land a few big punches, but way too few for the number he was throwing. Had Brewster not been so fatigued, more of those punches would have landed. As Lyakhovich was dangerously leaving his guard down, that would have made the difference in the fight. As it was, Lyakhovich stupidly disregarded the advice of his trainer, Kenny Weldon, and Belorussian took a lot of punches that he did not need to take. Buddy McGirt was also giving Brewster good advice, though he seemed too tired to follow those instructions.

In the ninth round, Lyakhovich nearly KO'd Brewster, punishing him against the ropes. Brewster again showed a chin of stone, fighting back to wobble Lyakhovich. Had the round been 30 seconds longer, there is no telling what would have happened. As it was, it was a great round.

The fight ended with Lyakhovich firmly in control. He smartly stayed away from scrapping with Brewster, chosing instead to box, tatooing Brewster with his jab. Part of what made this fight so exciting is the knowledge that Brewster had the potential to end the fight at any time. Both fighters showed great heart, endurance, and skill. If they have a rematch, I'll certainly watch it.

Also, not that anyone cares, but Kevin McBride won a TKO victory over Byron Polley. Yay....I guess.

Heavyweight Happenings

After the Rahman/Toney debacle, I felt pretty disgusted with the heavyweight class.

However, I'll admit that I'm stoked about the fight tonight. "Relentless" Lamon Brewster will be fighting Serguei "The White Wolf" Lyakhovich on Showtime. Brewster, probably the best of the relatively poor heavyweight belt-wearers' club, will likely win, but you can never tell with the big boys. I've seen Brewster fight several times, and he seems to feed on taller, slower, European fighters. The catch will be whether or not Lyakhovich is truly slower. I've only seen clips of his fights, and didn't see enough upon which to base a decision. He seems to have a good jab, but that alone won't serve him well against Brewster, who has a strong chin and hits hard. Like a great many heavyweight fights, this one will come down to either conditioning, or the landing of early power shots, both of which have been strengths of Brewster's. Both fighters have lost to unheralded competition, but only Brewster has beaten big-name fighters (no, Dominick Guinn doesn't count).

As a bit of trivia, Kevin "I whupped an old, out-of-shape Mike Tyson" McBride is fighting on the undercard of the Brewster-Lyakhovich fight. He's fighting a journeyman named Byron Polley, who's most noted for being a 1st-round KO for a "then-up-and-coming" Owen Beck. I don't know if Showtime is showing this fight or not, but, given the 10CST starting time, I imagine that they won't. To bad, sometimes these low-rent heavyweights put on a good show.

Thankfully, there will not be a Rahman-Toney rematch, at least not for awhile. The WBC has decreed that Hasim "The Rock" Rahman will next defend his belt against Oleg "The Big O" Maskaev, who delivered a brutal knockout to Rahman in 1999. For those of you who don't remember, Maskaev, probably trailing on all cards, knocked Rahman out of the ring, across the announcers' table, and onto the floor in an unconscious heap. A rematch could be exciting, as Rahman has improved since their last meeting, and both men have a lot on the line. Maskaev is making his last stab at the big time, while Rahman has a belt but gets virtually no respect. Maskaev has good boxing skills, and skilled fighters seem to give Rahman a tough time, since he is a very poor boxer. In Rahman's favor, Maskaev has been shown to have a susceptible chin, losing by KO to Lance Whittaker, Kirk Johnson, Corey Sanders, David Tua and Oliver McCall. The thing that Rahman does not lack is punching power. If he shows up in the same condition that he did for his fight with Toney, he could last long enough to beat down the glass-jawed Kazakhstani.

The bout between Nikolay Valuev and Owen Beck has been postponed. I don't even know that I care.

The heavyweight bout that I'm most eagerly awaiting is the Chris Byrd-Wladmir Klitschko coming up on April 22 (HBO). I'll blather more about this fight as it gets closer, but I'm predicting that the IBF belt will change hands. Klitschko has too much reach for Byrd, who has too little power to take advantage of Wlad's glass jaw. Both are skilled boxers, but I imagine that this will be a repeat of their last bout, which ended in a Klitschko unanimous decision, with Byrd twice tasting canvas.

The heavyweight division has been boring, but I still hold out hope. Of course, while holding onto that thread of hope, I'm watching and enjoying the lower weight-classes more. The 10 last good fights I've seen have all been Cruiserweight or below. To me, a long-time boxing fan, that is a sad statement.