Both fighters had something to prove when they walked into the ring tonight in Houston Texas. For Clifford Etienne it was about proving that his first round knockout loss to Mike Tyson was a thing of the past and not the fight that would define his career, after which he was labeled by some as having a suspect chin. For Irwin Brock this was a step up fight that if victorious would give him some recognition and prove that his (23-0) record actually means something.

The first round began with both fighters trying to establish their dominance, with neither one willing to be the first to back up. This made for an interesting first round as both boxers stood in close, fighting toe-to-toe, while occasionally loading up on punches trying to test each others chin. Clifford Etienne fought like the more experienced fighter he is by mixing up his attack to both the head and the body, while also being the busier of the two fighters. Calvin Brock stood his ground and was clearly trying his best to test Clifford’s “suspect” chin as he went head hunting for the larger part of the first round.

Round two began where the first one ended, with both fighters fighting in close, trying to impose their will on their opponent. Just as Etienne began to pick up his pace Brock came out of nowhere with a launching right hand followed by a left hook which floored the “the Black Rhino.” Brock seemingly overanxious was unable to take full advantage of the knockdown as he simply forgot to go to the body and continued the headhunting. In the last minute of the round Etienne showed tremendous heart and resolve as he mounted an impressive comeback by unleashing a fury of punches on the now largely defensive Brock.   

In round three Etienne came out firing, but a left right combination hurt him early on and shortly after another one-two combination that landed on the top of his head sent Clifford tumbling to the canvas. Brock was able to land these punches with great accuracy largely because Clifford Etienne was leaning with his head while dropping his left hand and this left him wide open to Brock’s right hands. Etienne got off the canvas after the second knockdown only to be knocked down again seconds later for the third time. While Etienne got up from the canvas rather quickly and showed that he wanted to continue the fight, referee Lawrence Cole thought it wise to call an end to the fight and spare “the Black Rhino” from further punishment. The end result was Calvin Brock winner by a knockout victory, official time 1:25 in round 3.

I don’t know if this fight proved that Clifford Etienne has a weak chin, but it certainly proved that his weakness is getting hit on top of his head which seems to completely throw off his balance. In any case this was a devastating loss at this stage of his career and I honestly don’t know if he can come back from this loss to climb back on top of the heavyweight ladder. For Calvin Brock while the win was definitely the most impressive of his career there is still much work left to be done before he can be considered a serious threat to the top heavyweights in the division. On the other hand with the exception of Vitali Klitschko it is not inconceivable that Calvin Brock may soon pose a real threat to the “other heavyweight champions.” For now he remains an interesting prospect to watch and I am sure we’ll be seeing more of him in the future.