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CALM BEFORE ...
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CALM BEFORE ...
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Scanned the HBO - Showtime menus for its up comings ... and there was Showtime getting the early jump on the HBO gang with a Jan. 3 twin-bill topped by WBO lightweight champ Artur "King" Grigorian defending against WBA/WBO jr. lightweight ruler Acelino "Popo" Freitas.
And what makes this pairing of undefeated champions a worthy peek you ask?
The unknown I suppose ... sure, we know the Brazilian banger Freitas brings major league punching power to the dance ... but the book on Grigorian from Tashkent, Uzbekistan is he hits no harder than my sister Maureen did in her young Brooklyn days ... and her forte was scratchin', bitin' and hair pulling.
Artur also brings a clean resumé sparkling with 36 wins without a loss and 22 arriving via the KO route - debit side of the ledger hints of weak artillery coupled with a DOB shoutin' age 36, inactivity, and is prone to foul on occasion.
I'll list the advertised strengths and hope we don't lose any viewers come fight nite - and I ask who's responsible for this category anyway - try (chuckle, chuckle) amateur experience, confidence, aura of invincibility - whew ... skills & movement, defense, reflexes and the inevitable "ring generalship" ... when right no less.
Maybe it's just me, but once upon a time a fighter described as having good skills and movement , etc, the cliché "ring generalship" would be not only superfluous but redundant as well.
Come fite nite, hopefully for King Artur them negative intangibles of inactivity (can be good for an elder fighter) and that occasional foul may help the cause a bit ... if not, we'll have to lean on the trusted styles makes fights shout ... even if the boxer of the two is a non-hitting southpaw.
Finally, the guess is Freitas goes to 35-0 and Grigorian drops to 36-1.
While the rest of the sports scene has always been active come the holiday seasons our great game of pro boxing seems always on some kind of brief hiatus ... and once again us neglected ones are sitting out the calm before the return of pugilistic turbulence.
Underneath card features IBF #1 rated jr. middleweight Kassim "The Dream" Ouma facing #2 rated Juan Carlos Candelo ... and no surprise here if this one steals the show.
Ouma younger at age 25 ... a portsider with speed ... toss in good movement and quick hands and we have a promising title threat in the makings - and Candelo ... a roadblock to the Kassim dream to be sure ... proven veteran that among other assets has learned to the letter the art of relaxing while doing combat.
And so, the word here to "The Dream" is to keep it in third gear and not dare pause even once for a sleep walk ... and for JC the advice is to go to the body with bad intentions over them early candles.
I see it a coin-flip ... also see the winner opening a door to some better pay days among its peers ... some carrying surnames (Verno) Phillips, Santos, Castillejo, Toygonbayev and others in a rich 154 lb. action weight class.
Semper fi,
GEL
Visit Geo El's "Nostalgic Corner"
12-26-2003
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