MESI WIN LESS THAN STELLAR By George J. Elsasser

There he was ... the one from Buffalo town with the unblemished resumé... the heavyweight with the moniker "Baby Joe" ... and the media somehow saw this Mesi guy as the savior of a division top-heavy with aging stars ~ and then a date at the Garden.

First move by the connoisseurs of clout a midweek dinner at a downtown "Little Italy" restaurant ... and as in days of yore the media flock to the big freebie ... and the comparisons began - he looks like Marciano ... the technique, intelligence, blah, blah, blah.

And then fite nite under the big tent of Madison Square Garden ... and the other guy ... Monte Barrett ... surely better than the prior Mesi victims from the city near the fabled Falls of Niagara, NY ... still, a safe pick that carried neat credentials but seen more as yesterday news than a threat to the newly anointed one.

Then the opening gong ... all Mesi thru six candles ... rocks Barrett in stanza one with left hooks ... Barrett loads up with big right hands that miss the target.

Candle two belongs to Mesi ... receives couple Barrett uppercuts with no damage done and hurts Barrett late in round with right hand ... Monte left eye cut in number three and he turns defensive ... is dropped in fifth stanza and is all Mesi in number six.

Now it is Barrett time ... round seven with Mesi lunging and Monte countering with solid left-hook ... Baby Joe sitting ... rises unhurt ... also turns sloppy which then converts to total prevent defense in style.

And the scoring goes Mesi 95-93, 94-93, 94-94 for the majority win ... my peek went Mesi 6-4 in rounds ... also carries asterisk "So wot?"

Post Scripts:

Mesi not now and never will be legit heavyweight title threat ... the list of those more qualified much too numerous to number ... a good albeit club fight talent Barrett belatedly exposed the cracks in the Mesi foundation ... guess is were it a 12-round affair it would've been Barrett's hand being raised. Finally, the 30 year old bambino is too slow of hand and feet ... power more decent than lethal ... and legs constructed for short evenings rather than the 12 round soul bearers.

Semper fi,

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