What A Night, What A Fight!
For all of those who derided last night's HBO PPV ticket, know ye that you were wrong! With the second great heavyweight fight of 2006 (the other being Lyakhovich v Brewster) as the main event, we who were watching were greatly entertained. After an exciting and entertaining undercard, the main event was worth every penny.
For those of you who haven't heard, Oleg Maskaev battered Hasim Rahman into a twelfth-round stoppage in a fight that should cause everyone to wonder if Jay Nady should ever again be allowed to referee a professional fight.
Maskaev has been criticized for being a one-dimensional fighter, and rightly so. His slow, plodding, nearly defenseless power-punching style has consistently left him vulnerable to fighters with a long reach, quick hands, and crisp jabs. "The Big O" was facing just such a fighter last night when he stepped through the ropes to meet Hasim "The Rock" Rahman. Rahman is younger, faster, has more reach, and a very strong jab. Maskaev's advantages were an extensive amateur background, a greater ability to weather punches, and he has shown himself to be capable of keeping his head in stressful situations (unlike Rahman, whose lapses in focus often make him his own worst enemy in the ring).
Both fighters started cautiously, each showing respect for the punching power of the opponent. Rahman gradually established his jab, and while Maskaev landed some well-placed punches, he seemed to have no answer for Rahman's jab in the early rounds. In round two, an accidental headbutt opened a small, vertical cut on the medial aspect of Maskaev's left eyebrow, and while it bled periodically, it didn't seem to have much effect on Maskaev's fighting. I scored rounds one through four for Rahman, though round one was very close to a 10-10 round.
As the fight progressed, Rahman's jab became less of an issue. Whether this was because of fatigue, Maskaev starting to circle, or because of Rahman foolishly abandoning his successful strategy, I cannot say, but once this happened, Maskaev was back in the fight, using his reprieve from Rahman's powerful jab to work his own power shots, consistently catching Hasim with left hooks and short right hands as the fighters closed. Jay Nady seemed to be watching a totally different fight with over-criticism of Maskaev for holding, giving him the "second warning" in round six. Maskaev responded to the threatened point deduction by being a bit more active, and shunning the clenches, but as he wasn't doing any significant holding prior to the warning, this didn't seem to have much impact on the fight. I scored rounds five and six for Maskaev.
In round seven, Rahman seemed to rediscover his jab, and round eight saw him pound Maskaev at will. Both fighters were tired, but with both fighters throwing bombs, there was plenty of excitement. The thrill of a potential knockout was in the air. Maskaev would land solid punches and occasional combinations, though Rahman looked to be getting the better of the exchanges. I scored round seven even and round eight for Rahman, giving him a 78-75 lead.
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh rounds were punctuated with big punches from both fighters, as Rahman gradually slowed down his jabbing, and Maskaev began landing more and more punches. Despite his corner's urging, Rahman foolishly seemed to want to fight in close, as opposed to maintaining his distance and jabbing, which was an offense for which Maskaev seemed to have no answer. Once Rahman moved in close, Maskaev landed several left hooks, and also began to work Rahman's body. While Rahman was still landing and still in the fight, it was obvious that the momentum of the fight had shifted to Maskaev. I scored rounds nine, ten, and eleven for Maskaev, though round nine was close. Going into the twelfth, the belt was up for grabs. I had it scored 105-105.
Rahman looked slowed and dazed coming into the twelfth round, while Maskaev seemed to have regained a bit of energy. During the first minute, Jay Nady stopped the fight to have loose tape cut from Rahman's glove (I believe that Rahman's corner had intentionally loosened the tape to give Rock a little extra rest), and once the action resumed, Maskaev was relentless in stalking Rahman about the ring. Rahman did his best to hang on (including a ridiculous amount of holding and clutching) while Maskaev delivered the heat. The big former Soviet landed a series of left hooks and straight rights, sending Hasim to the canvas, into, and almost through, the ropes, which was eerily reminiscent of Rahman's tumble in 1999. Rahman beat the ten count, but his legs were gone, and he looked to have no fire remaining. He made a valiant effort to hold on, but Maskaev would not be denied (even though Jay Nady was forced to pry Rahman's arms from around Maskaev's leg, after Rahman made a pathetic attempt to tackle Maskaev, and refused to let go). Despite Rahman's best (illegal) efforts, Maskaev pounded Hasim with a series of power punches until Jay Nady was forced to stop the fight. Only forty-three seconds remained, but that would have been an eternity for the defenseless Rahman to suffer the barrage that Maskaev was delivering. In post-fight interviews, Rahman still seemed stunned, and while I hesitate to use the word "punchy", Rahman's speech does seem markedly different from recent interviews.
I mentioned some displeasure with Jay Nady earlier, and everyone with whom I've spoken has agreed. He did a poor job in this fight, particularly by improperly warning Maskaev for holding, and then allowing Rahman to all but make love to Maskaev as Hasim tried to avoid that twelfth round TKO. Nady should have deducted points from Rahman, but more importantly, both fighters got away with punching behind the head, which is dangerous, and my number one harping point.
Maskaev, a naturalized American citizen, joins three other former Soviet fighters in holding the four major heavyweight belts. I anticipate that IBF strapholder Wladmir Klitschko will find his negotiations with Shannon Briggs falling apart in favor of a November match-up with Maskaev. WBO titleholder Serguei Lyakhovich has yet to be matched (as far as I know), and WBA titleholder Nicolay Valuev, the least significant of the heavyweight beltholders, is due to fight Monte Barrett in October.
The three most-discussed American-born heavyweights, in terms of regaining one of those straps, are Lamon Brewster, James Toney, and Calvin Brock. Lamon Brewster is still recovering from the detached retina he suffered against Lyakhovich, James Toney is meeting Samuel Peter on September 2nd, and Calvin Brock (who still hasn't beaten a top heavyweight) is still not matched, coming off of his lackluster win over Timur Ibragimov.
While I despise the pseudo-nationalist hype over the recent shift in boxing's balance of power, things are getting more interesting in the heavyweight division. Rest assured, I'll be watching.
For those of you who haven't heard, Oleg Maskaev battered Hasim Rahman into a twelfth-round stoppage in a fight that should cause everyone to wonder if Jay Nady should ever again be allowed to referee a professional fight.
Maskaev has been criticized for being a one-dimensional fighter, and rightly so. His slow, plodding, nearly defenseless power-punching style has consistently left him vulnerable to fighters with a long reach, quick hands, and crisp jabs. "The Big O" was facing just such a fighter last night when he stepped through the ropes to meet Hasim "The Rock" Rahman. Rahman is younger, faster, has more reach, and a very strong jab. Maskaev's advantages were an extensive amateur background, a greater ability to weather punches, and he has shown himself to be capable of keeping his head in stressful situations (unlike Rahman, whose lapses in focus often make him his own worst enemy in the ring).
Both fighters started cautiously, each showing respect for the punching power of the opponent. Rahman gradually established his jab, and while Maskaev landed some well-placed punches, he seemed to have no answer for Rahman's jab in the early rounds. In round two, an accidental headbutt opened a small, vertical cut on the medial aspect of Maskaev's left eyebrow, and while it bled periodically, it didn't seem to have much effect on Maskaev's fighting. I scored rounds one through four for Rahman, though round one was very close to a 10-10 round.
As the fight progressed, Rahman's jab became less of an issue. Whether this was because of fatigue, Maskaev starting to circle, or because of Rahman foolishly abandoning his successful strategy, I cannot say, but once this happened, Maskaev was back in the fight, using his reprieve from Rahman's powerful jab to work his own power shots, consistently catching Hasim with left hooks and short right hands as the fighters closed. Jay Nady seemed to be watching a totally different fight with over-criticism of Maskaev for holding, giving him the "second warning" in round six. Maskaev responded to the threatened point deduction by being a bit more active, and shunning the clenches, but as he wasn't doing any significant holding prior to the warning, this didn't seem to have much impact on the fight. I scored rounds five and six for Maskaev.
In round seven, Rahman seemed to rediscover his jab, and round eight saw him pound Maskaev at will. Both fighters were tired, but with both fighters throwing bombs, there was plenty of excitement. The thrill of a potential knockout was in the air. Maskaev would land solid punches and occasional combinations, though Rahman looked to be getting the better of the exchanges. I scored round seven even and round eight for Rahman, giving him a 78-75 lead.
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh rounds were punctuated with big punches from both fighters, as Rahman gradually slowed down his jabbing, and Maskaev began landing more and more punches. Despite his corner's urging, Rahman foolishly seemed to want to fight in close, as opposed to maintaining his distance and jabbing, which was an offense for which Maskaev seemed to have no answer. Once Rahman moved in close, Maskaev landed several left hooks, and also began to work Rahman's body. While Rahman was still landing and still in the fight, it was obvious that the momentum of the fight had shifted to Maskaev. I scored rounds nine, ten, and eleven for Maskaev, though round nine was close. Going into the twelfth, the belt was up for grabs. I had it scored 105-105.
Rahman looked slowed and dazed coming into the twelfth round, while Maskaev seemed to have regained a bit of energy. During the first minute, Jay Nady stopped the fight to have loose tape cut from Rahman's glove (I believe that Rahman's corner had intentionally loosened the tape to give Rock a little extra rest), and once the action resumed, Maskaev was relentless in stalking Rahman about the ring. Rahman did his best to hang on (including a ridiculous amount of holding and clutching) while Maskaev delivered the heat. The big former Soviet landed a series of left hooks and straight rights, sending Hasim to the canvas, into, and almost through, the ropes, which was eerily reminiscent of Rahman's tumble in 1999. Rahman beat the ten count, but his legs were gone, and he looked to have no fire remaining. He made a valiant effort to hold on, but Maskaev would not be denied (even though Jay Nady was forced to pry Rahman's arms from around Maskaev's leg, after Rahman made a pathetic attempt to tackle Maskaev, and refused to let go). Despite Rahman's best (illegal) efforts, Maskaev pounded Hasim with a series of power punches until Jay Nady was forced to stop the fight. Only forty-three seconds remained, but that would have been an eternity for the defenseless Rahman to suffer the barrage that Maskaev was delivering. In post-fight interviews, Rahman still seemed stunned, and while I hesitate to use the word "punchy", Rahman's speech does seem markedly different from recent interviews.
I mentioned some displeasure with Jay Nady earlier, and everyone with whom I've spoken has agreed. He did a poor job in this fight, particularly by improperly warning Maskaev for holding, and then allowing Rahman to all but make love to Maskaev as Hasim tried to avoid that twelfth round TKO. Nady should have deducted points from Rahman, but more importantly, both fighters got away with punching behind the head, which is dangerous, and my number one harping point.
Maskaev, a naturalized American citizen, joins three other former Soviet fighters in holding the four major heavyweight belts. I anticipate that IBF strapholder Wladmir Klitschko will find his negotiations with Shannon Briggs falling apart in favor of a November match-up with Maskaev. WBO titleholder Serguei Lyakhovich has yet to be matched (as far as I know), and WBA titleholder Nicolay Valuev, the least significant of the heavyweight beltholders, is due to fight Monte Barrett in October.
The three most-discussed American-born heavyweights, in terms of regaining one of those straps, are Lamon Brewster, James Toney, and Calvin Brock. Lamon Brewster is still recovering from the detached retina he suffered against Lyakhovich, James Toney is meeting Samuel Peter on September 2nd, and Calvin Brock (who still hasn't beaten a top heavyweight) is still not matched, coming off of his lackluster win over Timur Ibragimov.
While I despise the pseudo-nationalist hype over the recent shift in boxing's balance of power, things are getting more interesting in the heavyweight division. Rest assured, I'll be watching.
posted by Paul at 5:16 PM
3 Comments:
I'm actually glad I paid for that. Round twelve was amazing, and made the purchase worthwhile. That's the way all the classic bouts end.
Awesome article buddy.
Very good article i have to say. Great fights too!
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