Learning a Valuable Lesson…The Hard Way

By Fred De La Riva

04.06 - I already had this story written in my head. The ending was a foregone conclusion. It was supposed to be a story about a top prospect learning his trade. Yes, I knew he was taking this fight on short notice. There was a chance he might come in out of shape. There was a chance that he would run out of steam, but I had enough confidence in his relentless offense. Come the 4th of 5th round, Muhammad Abdullaev would end it.

I should have known better…

Boxing is full of surprises and lately, it has surprised many of the sport's top prospects. Tonight Emmanuel Clottey taught the former Olympic gold medallist a valuable lesson. I'm not talking about the knockout either. You see when a fighter is blessed with the offensive skills of an Abdullaev; he tends to forget that there are men out there with iron in their chins. Clottey is one such fighter. Hell, I was ready to nickname him the "Anvil", because no matter how hard Abdullaev hit him, Clottey didn't dent. He stood his ground. He fought like a champion. Abdullaev on the other hand, was pitching a shut out. He displayed all the tools in his offensive arsenal. He went to the body. He landed his jab. He landed his hooks and as is his usual style he came forward. He also continually forgot to duck.

As the fight progressed, I was a bit perplexed, that a fighter with Abdullaev's amateur background, was lacking any sort of defense. He was not rolling with the punches or bending at the waist. Clottey's offense, though not as impressive as Abdullaev's, was effective and kept the budding star from totally overwhelming him. By the time the 10th round came around, I was impressed with Clottey's determination, and was certain he would lose a unanimous decision.

And then the left hook landed…………..

I didn't even cheer I was stunned far worse than Abdullaev had been. Staring blankly at the screen, I watched the "knockout" unravel. His corner, his lack of English, or the accumulation of punches Clottey had just landed confused Abdullaev. Whatever the reason, the man did not get up and the lesson had been taught. He had been knocked out.

I am sure the excuses will come. It's part of human nature. Clottey was supposed to be a "sacrificial lamb", a "stepping stone", or just another hurdle. That was not the case. I had compared Abdullaev's offensive skills to the great Julio Cesar Chavez. In his prime, Chavez would dominate his opponents with a superb array of punches, much like Abdullaev, but a couple of things were missing. Chavez for one had a jaw much like Clottey's. No. It was even better. A man with Clottey's power would have never knocked him out. He also had deceptive defensive skills, which Abdullaev has yet to learn. I hope Abdullaev took notes, because at this stage of his career, the fights will not get easier. At 29, he is arguably in his prime and it is all down hill from there. His next fight will tell us his study habits.