Thoughts of the Day

By Jeff Day

07.05 - With a comfortable defence of the World Light-Middleweight Championship behind him, Oscar De La Hoya now looks ahead to avenging one of only two defeats on his ledger, when he takes on Shane Mosley on 13 September.

It was, therefore, with some amusement that I see Britain's WBU Champion, Takaloo has issued a challenge to the Golden Boy. As Takaloo sees it, De La Hoya could make his professional overseas debut against Iranian born man.

Well, Tak, I got some news for you: you have as much chance of meeting Oscar in the boxing ring as Mike Tyson has of being invited to the Women's Institute. There is nothing to gain for De La Hoya meeting the WBU king, other than another tacky belt with which to hold his pants up.

I don't want to appear disrespectful to Takaloo, who by European standards is a fine fighter, but he is yet to prove he is the best in Britain. New Commonwealth king, Jamie Moore would give Takaloo a good argument. After all, Moore has just dethroned Michael Jones, a man who has himself defeated Takaloo (albeit in October 1998).

What about the smooth boxing Richard Williams, who would surely start favourite against the WBU Champ?

As stated, I don't want to appear to be down on Takaloo, but you have to be realistic. His world class aspirations were exposed by Daniel Santos over twelve rounds in August 2002, when Santos won comprehensively in Wales.

It is also doubtful that a television deal could be thrashed out, as De La Hoya's demands would be way in excess of any we could afford in the UK. Dream on Tak.

So, it's signed and sealed. Lennox Lewis will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against WBC number one contender, Vitali Klitschko by the end of the year. Lewis is risking his legacy big time. He should have retired undefeated. He has nothing more to prove.

First though, he must take on Kirk Johnson on 21 July. Johnson, of course, distinguished himself in his challenge to then WBA king John Ruiz. Johnson under achieved in style and was disqualified for hitting Ruiz so low, some of the punches looked as though they landed under the ring!

When you consider how woefully Ruiz himself was outclassed by the masterful Roy Jones, it does not bode well for the Canadian against Lewis. Having said that, of his 34 wins, 25 have come by the short route and Lewis' chin will never be confused with that of Muhammad Ali or Larry Holmes. More like Floyd Patterson's perhaps!

By the time he enters the ring against Vitali, Lennox will be 38 and had had one fight in nearly a year and a half. Klitstchko will be 32, but will have the desire and punch to take Lewis out. Remember, McCall and Rahman: one good shot on the chin could see Lennox looking up at the pretty ring lights
once again.

Welcome back James Toney. What kept ya? After nearly a decade since his defining fight with Roy Jones, Toney at long last fights with some of the old panache that we remember him for in his middleweight and super-middleweight days in his victory over Vasiliy Jirov.

Some his defensive moves bring back the days of scientific masters from the 1940s and 1950s. He is such a waste of talent, probably only second to Riddick Bowe in modern times. Still, the old game would be worse for him not being around.