When management teams of talented prospects with
promotional clout sit down to chart the course of a young
commodity, there is a discourse of malevolence that takes
place. In “moving” the young fighter there is an oppressed
population of pugilists, with no pedigree, unskilled, and
unprotected who are targeted as lambs of slaughter to
build confidence. It is a time honored tradition that as
pointed out by Teddy Atlas in the case of young Demetrius
Andrade is often unnecessary. Once a fighter is “built up”
enough he is then served to network executives at HBO as a
future star worthy of the huge paydays the company can
provide by way of licensing fees. As with all widespread
atrocity, somewhere between the cracks there are fighters
who survive, and through this survival become the worst
nightmares of the favored class. Some of them fight their
way into the rankings and whether by holding a belt or a
style that befuddles, they become roadblocks to their more
“known” counterparts’ never achieving true consensus in a
division.
History is filled with star fighters making pit stops in
divisions to keep from the inevitability of such men. They
are waited out, avoided, accused of having a “style”
nobody will watch, and even cheated by unscrupulous
judging. When these non-commodities beat their more
popular peers handily, we still rebuke them with clichés
like “just because you beat the man, it doesn’t make you
the man.” They are reduced to being the ones who make a
challenge, when as accomplished champions it should be the
other way around. That is why from time to time they turn
to one another in the hopes that cannibalizing the other
will create a mandate for reform with the powers that be.
On April 11th one man will exit the ring a
player in boxing’s lucrative midriff, capable of receiving
return calls from men who shamelessly ignored him only
months before. The other will return to isolation,
carrying one more reason for bigger named fighters to
avoid him.
Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright
Boxing lore has it that in a chance meeting with a then
“big time” Joe Frazier, Marvin Hagler was told he had
three strikes against him. You’re black, you’re a southpaw
and you’re good, “Smokin’ Joe” told the then struggling
Hagler. As if by prophecy, the Heavyweight champion’s
words rang true, as it took until late in his middleweight
reign for Hagler to become a “star.” Winky Wright (despite
victories over Mosley and Trinidad) and Paul Williams may
have inherited the treacherous path that the “Marvelous”
one had to pave. From the southpaw stance
oth
men
give you something daunting to configure in the square
ring, something that leaves many foes mentally and
(physically) broken down. Consider this, the truly
significant welterweight clash back in January pitted two
men (Margarito and Mosley) that Williams and Wright
reduced to frustration in the ring. Margarito's downhill
style could never build up enough steam to stop an 82 inch
reach that wouldn’t stop throwing punches. Mosley walked
into the ring with Margarito knowing his two fights
experience with a physically strong, primed (154 lb.)
version of Wright was the toughest opposition he would
ever see. Both men, despite the wizardry of Goossen-Tutor
(on Williams’s behalf), are African American southpaws who
have heard an awful lot of excuses in their careers, so
it’s only natural they share a mutual respect. Paul
Williams made it clear that he appreciates Winky Wright
stepping up to the plate because the clear alternative for
both men would have been inactivity. Both men know what it
is like to broaden their nets, even conceding physical
comfort and familiarity to make good money against the
best available opposition. Winky Wright “looked” out of
place at 170 lbs. in July 2007; to worsen matters he was
in the ring with an elite Bernard Hopkins; and boxing’s
savvy genius mugged him for his trouble. As Floyd
Mayweather’s return to boxing is all the talk, nobody
bothers to ask Paul Williams what he thinks because we all
know he ain’t invited. Floyd’s “return” will exist in an
alternative universe filled with 140 pounders (Marquez,
Hatton, Pacquiao) masquerading as welterweights that the
6’1” Williams need not ponder inhabiting.
Paul Williams is actively campaigning in three divisions,
and this alone, by definition, is pound for pound conduct;
yet, there are men ranked ahead of Williams that won’t
even mention him. How unmentionable is the name of Paul
Williams? In an era where everyone seems to be jumping up
and down the scale nobody seems to land in the ring with
him. With Paul willing to go as far up as 168 lbs, I’m not
sure that even a champion in waiting like Andre Ward would
take on the risk. Wright, who is gaining more of a
reputation for “pricing himself out” of fights, will
literally be fighting to save a career that only a guy
like Williams can appreciate. Based on Winky’s late career
walk-down approach and Williams sitting down on his
punches at 160 lbs. I think this fight is a Cinderella
pick for Fight of the Year. For those of us who allow
ourselves to be marketed to, don’t let perceptions harden
you into making limited assessments based on dated
criticisms. I love Larry Merchant but I won’t let past
knocks against Wright and Williams cloud what I see
shaping up as a great fight in 2009.
Winky hasn’t been “stinky” (ask Jermain Taylor) in years,
and Paul Williams is really trying to punish opponents at
Middleweight, so, don’t believe the hype, boxing fans. I
like Paul Williams to keep a pace that Winky can’t
counterpunch his way out of. I think he’s sneaky strong
and will fend off a late run by Winky to take him out.
Williams by Split Decision.
Fast Eddie too fast for Sam Peter
Sometimes an athlete can be so undisciplined, so erratic
that it takes away from the honest effort of those he
competes against. All credit to Eddie Chambers for beating
Sam Peter; he landed the cleaner shots and imposed his
(limited) will on an inferior fighter. Let’s
divorce ourselves from the “if he would only” theories
regarding Sam Peter, because the bottom line is it's all
conjecture. We don’t know who he would be if he bothered
to run and control his weight; hell, for that matter we
don’t know who Chris Arreola would be either. The most
mature thing I ever heard Charles Barkley say is “you are
your record.” In other words, Michael Jordan ain’t no
accident and neither was Mike Tyson. Boxing needs to let
go of this archaic concept and paradigm that sanctions the
rampant sloth of young heavyweights. If networks stopped
paying by the pound (lb.) and started paying by the
poundings, bigger guys would take fighting as seriously as
junior bantamweights! As long as they know the money is
there simply because they are big, they will continue to
be more Will Perdue than Michael Jordan.
With all the money flowing through Peter’s camp, there’s
no sense of hierarchy that will give anyone the authority
to say “excuse me, but you’re fat!” And these guys should
stop using Lennox Lewis and the Klitschkos as
rationalizations for being as out of shape as they are.
They all use the same, “I came in heavy to absorb shots.”
B.S. Eddie Futch in heaven knows the shorter man has to
expend more energy to get close. Mark my words, David
Haye’s level of conditioning alone will pose a real threat
to either Klitschko when the time comes. Neither brother
has faced a man athletic enough and conditioned enough to
utilize head and upper body movement while jabbing his way
in. I don’t blame them for slapping around the fat guys
put in front of them, I just feel that today’s climate of
entitlement is failing to produce an endangered species,
the In shape pressure fighter.
Andre Dirrell on Showtime
Was it me or did anyone catch a look of relief on the face
of Tommy Hearns after watching his son get KO’d by Joe
Yorgey? Put yourself in his shoes; you make all this money
in the hardest possible way to protect and educate your
children and one of them stubbornly follows your path.
Hopefully the younger Hearns will do his father proud and
get on with his life; maybe the two can have a double
retirement party. Was Andre Dirrell in there with “Mugsy
Bogus” on Saturday night? Showtime better keep an eye on
this kid’s “development.” I understand Dirrell is still
young, but don’t you think that with his pedigree he
should be in there with someone who can give him a little
resistance? Some believe that there’s a Roy Jones syndrome
brewing with the training and selection of opposition for
Dirrell. At 6’2” the Flint, Michigan, native should
possess a better jab and shouldn’t be prone to falling in
after lunging hooks. Ahh, lunging hooks, the stylistic
demon spawn of Roy Jones Jr. will ruin more young fighters
than Leonard’s fluff flurries and the Ali slap jab.
If Showtime allows Dirrell to feast on shorter stationary
targets, he will lose a realistic perspective (and
consequence) on how to handle himself in a division
crawling with big guys that can BOX.
Holt vs. Bradley is a real fight!
Don’t blink... Saturday night’s 140 lbs. unification bout
between Tim Bradley and Kendall Holt is probably the
fastest reflexes we’ve seen in the ring since Floyd and
Zab Judah did “the damn thing” back in ‘06. The
difference? Skill level, and mentality; both Kendall Holt
and Tim Bradley like to mix it up and neither will
ever have the defensive “mojo” (like Floyd) to take the
air out of a fight. Holt is the kind of fighter “Joe
Six-pack” should love, explosive and vulnerable with
plenty of heart. Bradley, by way of Mother Nature,
(compact at 5’ 6”) is the kind of fighter who has to get
close to do his business and this is a recipe for
fireworks. Take into account that the smack talk has
turned personal and you have high drama in Montreal,
Canada. Good for Showtime bringing Librado Andrade back
against a talented Ukrainian Vitali Tsypko to help make up
for the puzzling Shobox card from last week. I like
Bradley’s tighter technique to drop Holt twice in route to
a UD and Andrade to “hold chalk” (that’s March Madness
Talk) over Tsypko. Andrade by SD.
