Minnesota fighters didn’t exactly have a stellar year in
2008. Sure there were a few achievements with small fringe and regional titles
being won, but the lows far out- weighed the highs. And whenever a Minnesota fighter made it on TV, it seemed to
get that much worse. Jason Litzau fought for Robert Guerrero's IBF
featherweight title on Showtime only to get stopped In the 8th
round, Middleweight Andy Kolle didn’t last more then a round against Paul
Williams on the Versus network. Anthony Bonsante of Contender fame lost in
bizarre fashion to Adonis Stevenson on ESPN2. Are you starting to get the
picture? The year 2008 just wasn't pretty for Minnesota fighters.
The best TV performance by a Minnesota fighter was Matt
Vanda’s first fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Vanda kept the fight close,
with many feeling he should have at least gotten a draw or the win. However,
Vanda didn’t look nearly as impressive in his second bout with Chavez later in
the year. Light heavyweight Zach Walters was quickly climbing up the WBC
rankings, making it into the top 15, picking up the WBC-ABU and NABA US Light
heavyweight titles along the way. It looked like Walters was en route to a
ranking in the WBC's top ten until he met Shawn Hammack late in the summer.
Walters dominated the first 7 rounds before being stopped in the 8th
and final round.
I could go on and keep writing about all the downfalls of
2008 in Minnesota boxing, but instead I’ll switch my attention to 2009, a year
that
has already gotten off to a good start. Joey Abell, Caleb Truax, and Wilshaun
Boxley have already racked up two wins a piece. And this weekend a lot of
attention will be focused in New York, where two Minnesota fighters hope to
shine some light on us. Zach Walters travels to Buffalo, New York, to meet
former super middleweight champion Byron Mitchell. It’s not certain how much
gas Mitchell has left in the tank. He’s 36-years old and this will only be his
third fight since 2003. It really is a must win fight for both fighters. Also
fighting in New York this weekend is Matt Vanda, who will clash against
“Irish” John Duddy at the famous Madison Square Garden. Duddy is the obvious
favorite, but that means nothing to the "Predator" who always comes to fight.
It would be great if both Walters and Vanda got wins this weekend but I won’t
be holding my breath, more like crossing my fingers.
The upcoming months look promising for Minnesota fight
fans, as two big fights are scheduled. The first takes place on March 28th
between Anthony Bonsante and Andy Kolle for the Minnesota State middleweight
title. This match up should answer a few questions about each fighter. How
will Kolle look after coming off a first round loss to Paul Williams and how
will he handle the experience of Bonsante? As for Bonsante, this fight will be
a good gauge of how much boxing he has left in him. Then on April 18th
Wilton Hilario faces Allen Litzau in a much anticipated bout. These two have
had their share of verbal sparring and now we will finally see which man will
back it up. Those are two big fights less then a month apart from each other,
and the best part is all four fighters are from Minnesota, so no matter how
you look at it one of our guys will win!
Whether 2009 proves to be better than the previous year,
I’m sure it will provide the fight fans with plenty of entertainment that will
leave them talking and wanting for more....
