Old Man Robbed By Giant in Europe
December 21, 2008
A 46-year old man was robbed in Switzerland Saturday, falling victim to a 7-foot tall beast.
The victim, identified as Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield, was robbed of a win against Russian Nicolai Valuev in one of the worst “title” fights in the history of boxing.
Let me make on thing clear — Holyfield won the fight, but it wasn’t the shutout that you are bound to read about around the rest of the Interwebs. Holyfield was the busier and more effective fighter, and should have been awarded the victory by default, but alas, another American fighter will fly back over the pond empty handed.
It’s not that Holyfield was good — far from it. It’s that for most of the fight, he was the only one trying. Valuev was content to throw three jabs a round, and occasionally mix in a power punch during a clinch. Holyfield danced around, occasionally pressing the action and mixing it up a bit on the inside when he could get there. Neither one did anything to win the fight, but Valuev certainly did more to lose it.
The fight was reminiscent of the Westley, the man in black, fighting Fezzik (Andre the Giant) in the Princess Bride. I’m pretty sure at one point Holyfield crawled through Valuev’s legs and attacked him from behind upon surprising him.
For as much as Holyfield deserved to win the fight, it should be pointed out that it was a terrible fight, and to subject anyone to watching a rematch between these two could only be considered torture and/or sleep therapy. Holyfield has a chance right now to go out with a little bit of pride, and he should take it.
It’s truly time for Holyfield to hang them up. His only options to win a belt, which is all he really wants, are a rematch with Valuev (he’d have to knock him out to win a decision next time), Ruslan Chagaev, another decision he won’t win in Europe, or one of the Klitschkos. Fighting either one of them is a very bad idea for Evander.
Right now, Holyfield has a chance to go out with some pride, a situation he hasn’t seen in nearly a many years. Get out now while you still have a chance, Evander. You’re not getting any less punch drunk by getting in the ring with guys that outweigh you by 100 pounds. The heavyweight division has passed Holyfield by, and the time to leave is now.
It was a hell of a career, but I can’t imagine Holyfield going out on a higher note than this controversial loss. And that, in and of itself, is a sad, sad thing.
Early 2009 Shaping Up To Be Big for Boxing
December 18, 2008
The first half of 2009 may be shaping up to be as good as the last half of 2007. Sure 2008 had some good fights, but it didn’t compare to the blockbusters of 2007.
The future, however, is bright.
Some major fights are already on the horizon, including Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton likely in May, and Vitali Klitschko vs. David Haye in June. Those are great fights and are both great fights for the sport.
It also seems that everybody and (in the case of the Marquezes) their brother are ready to fight in the first half of the year.
How’s this sound for a potential lineup of fights:
January
- Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley
- Andre Berto vs. Luis Collazo
February
- Rafael Marquez vs. Celestino Caballero
- Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz
- Vic Darchinyan vs. Jorge Arce
- Alfredo Angulo vs. Ricardo Mayorga
March
- Tomasz Adamek vs. BJ Flores
- Chad Dawson vs. Antonio Tarver
Not every one of those fights is set in stone, but they are all either signed or rumored to be close to signing. They’re not all the best fights (Dawson-Tarver II?), but some are fantastic (Diaz-Marquez, Darchinyan-Arce).
What made the end of 2007 so special was that guys made fights happen that we didn’t think would happen — Mayweather-Hatton, Calzaghe-Kessler, Taylor-Pavlik, etc.
Until we see the top fighters in the ring with each other (Pacquiao-Hatton, Klitschko-Haye – good job; Kessler-Hopkins, Calzaghe-Dawson, Wladimir-Valuev, etc. – need to get going), boxing will be stagnant.
There are many combinations of great fights that can be made, but not if fighters are only looking after the interests of their wallets. For the good of the sport, fighters need to make great fights. If they do that, the will get paid eventually.
In addition to the quality fights mentioned above, you can also expect to see Michael Katsidis, Kelly Pavlik, Miguel Cotto, Clinton Woods, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Nate Campbell, and more than likely Mikkel Kessler fighting in America.
For me, that’s a good start to 2009. Hopefully it will end even better than it begins.
Vitali Klitschko and David Haye Wrestle in Restaurant, Sign Fight
December 17, 2008
The Vitali Klitschko – David Haye fight may not happen in the ring until June, but the fireworks have already begun.
After an 18 hour marathon negotiating session to reach terms for the fight, Haye and Klitschko arrived to shake hands over the deal, only to have Haye come armed with a magazine photo of himself holding a photoshopped image of his brother Wladimir’s decapitated head.
Apparently Dr. Ironfist doesn’t take kindly to folks insulting Dr. Steelhammer.
At the sight of the photo, Vitali went after Haye, wrestling with him briefly before shoving him, sending Haye to the ground. Haye played it off and tempers calmed, but the fight has begun.
Haye insists that he’s already won the first stage of this battle by breaking the Klitschkos mentally. The other side of that is that Haye may be the first guy to ever get in the ring with an angry Klitschko. And considering they have combined to knockout 81 of the 88 fighters they have beaten, I don’t think it’s the best idea to make them angry. Especially when you have shown to be quite chinny against much smaller fighters.
David Haye may be an exciting, young heavyweight, but he has a grand total of one fight at the heavyweight limit, against an average-to-bad Monte Barrett. Prior to that, he was knocked out by a journeyman cruiserweight and dropped in two of his last three fights against Jean Marc Mormeck and Barrett. I have no doubt that Haye will provide entertainment at the heavyweight level and is a formidable opponent for most, but pissing off the Klitschkos is not a good idea.
Say what you will about the quality of today’s heavyweights, but the fact is that right now, Wladimir and Vitali are completely dominant in this weightclass. Haye was never even dominant at cruiserweight, really only fighting two quality opponents at that level. He’s the underdog, and he’s the one with something to prove.
Unless he lands a perfect punch, and by perfect I mean better than anything Lennox Lewis could land, Haye can’t beat Vitali. He can’t outbox him and the punch-to-chin ratio weighs heavily in Vitali’s favor. As does his massive size advantage. Four inches and 30-plus pounds is too much to overcome for an inferior fighter, but man will it be fun while it lasts.
Regardless of how this fight plays out in the ring, the fact that it is being signed in December and fought in June is ridiculous. These guys should be in the ring by March. There is no one making weight and they are both healthy and ready. Make the fight happen now.
Top Boxer to Take On UFC?
December 15, 2008
While the eternally asinine and mythical MMA vs. boxing argument rages on in dorm rooms around the nation, another top boxer is willing to try his hand in the Octagon, only to likely be turned down by the UFC powers.
Enzo Maccarinelli, one of the world’s top cruiserweights, has said he is interested in fighting British UFC star Michael Bisping and is confident he can knock him out.
Enzo met with UFC head-asshole Dana White last week to discuss the move, but it appears as if the UFC will pass on the move, saying that Enzo lacks the well-rounded skills that you need to survive in the Octagon.
According to UFC UK president Marshall Zelaznik, there was some talk about casting Enzo on The Ultimate Fighter.
Using typically flawed logic that often comes from UFC suits BBC Sport reported the following:
However, Zelaznik said Maccarinelli did not possess the “well-rounded skills to be successful in MMA”, let alone the tools to beat seasoned mixed martial artist Bisping.
Zelaznik said: “Enzo’s boxing career speaks for itself – he is very impressive. We were all surprised to learn that Enzo also trained between boxing bouts in both kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are two of the many skills vital for any well-rounded MMA fighter.
“[But] with no wrestling experience and only keep-fit type training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing, he would not have the skills that would allow him to succeed in MMA.
“As boxing fans, we would love to one day see Enzo competing in our great sport. But Enzo would really need to focus a lot of energy on the nuances of the MMA ground and striking game before we would ever see that image realised.
“If you understand the sport of MMA, you understand that any boxer, no matter how good, would not be able to effectively compete in the Octagon. It would be like a world-class sprinter entering the decathlon.
I don’t doubt that a boxer would struggle in MMA, but it’s not likely to be as drastic as they are making it sound. How often do you watch MMA and see a fighter that is trained in one aspect of the sport, then rounds out his skills with minimal training in the other disciplines. That is why some fighters are better on their feet, and others better on the ground. To discount the ability of a true world-class boxer is as insulting to boxing as it is to all of the great MMA fighters that also lean heavily on one discipline.
If put in the ring right now, Enzo would instantly become the best striker in the UFC. He may struggle on the ground, but his immense striking skills should not be discounted.
This is not the first we’ve heard of a boxing/UFC crossover. Welterweight boxer Kermit Cintron, who was an All-American wrestler, challenged Sean Sherk after Sherk called out Mayweather, only to have Sherk and Dana White say no thanks. Then, Anderson Silva wanted to fight Roy Jones in a boxing match, only to once again have Dana White put the kibosh on it.
Fighters fight, and I have no doubt that many MMAers would love to fight Enzo, win or lose. But White is so overprotective of his brand that he is not willing to risk what he would consider humiliation if a boxer beat a world-class mixed martial artist.
Of course, he couldn’t be happier that a professional wrestler with one dominant discipline came in and won the heavyweight title. Go figure.
Fans want to see interesting fights, not the same old retreads. Ninety-nine percent of UFC fans would prefer to see Bisping vs. Maccarinelli over Liddell vs. anyone. Trust me on that.
I don’t know if Enzo could hold his own or not, but wouldn’t it be great if we could make this happen someday? I think it will eventually, but never on Dana White’s watch. Once he is gone, then the UFC can prosper once again. Until then, I guess we should just get used to paying to watch the same guys mix it up a couple of times a year.