Double P's Power Punches: Toney-Jirov, Tarver-Griffin, De la Hoya

By Phillip Przybylo

02.05 - Less than a week has passed since James Toney's epic win over Vasilly Jirov, and emotions are still stirring within the boxing community. Unfortunately, joy and admiration have been silenced in favor of bitterness and anger.

One look at what happened on the night of April 26 makes it difficult to view what happened in a negative light.

Toney (66-4-2), at the ripe age of 34, was the master of "workman-like performances," a polite phrase for boring and dominating to casual observers, since his exile in the late 1990's. He was a star in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions years ago. But his body matured enough to capably fill out a cruiserweight body, even if his mind had not matured enough to tell him to keep his weight down.

The Ann Arbor native campaigned at the 190 pound mark successfully enough to earn him the #1 ranking by the IBF on two separate occasions. He also campaigned at the 200+ pound mark, delaying the most intriguing bout the cruiserweight division would see quite possibly since its inception. But the last year saw a refocused, reenergized James Toney reemerge onto the scene, a nod to Goosen-Tutor Promotions. With another world title in a third weight class on the horizon, he was on a path to stake his claim on boxing history, even if motives of proving doubters wrong and kicking hide suited him just fine.

Jirov (31-1) was everything a fan could ask for. Talented--he won Olympic Gold and outboxed several former champions throughout his career. Powerful--he could hurt you with the right or left, and he could choose to decapitate you with an assault on the head or make you urinate blood for a week if he went to the body. Star potential--he was the first legitimate cruiserweight to capture fans' attention on the HBO network; moreover, he was perhaps the most enthralling fighter in the division since Evander Holyfield.

Jirov and Toney traded leather on April 26. They each played to their strengths, but neither had to change their strategy because of it. Their styles fit perfectly. They engaged in a back and forth battle. By the championship rounds, their styles did not mean so much. Their strengths gave way to the strength of their wills.

And, as the bell rang after the 12th round, marking the end to a spectacular fight not seen since junior welterweights Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti dazzled the sports world a year ago, one thought came to mind: this is what boxing's all about. This is why we watch. This is why I write. This is why they fight.

There has been controversy surrounding the scorecards of the judges. Anyone approving of their scores should listen to Toney's post-fight comments of Jirov and his ability to put some hurt on the newly-crowned champion. Anyone on the other side of spectrum needs to be directed to another viewing of the 12th round. The judges were off by most standards, but the official decision that stands is the right one.

There are plenty of good facts and points to back up differing opinions, but they are dwarfed by the fact that the fight of the year has taken place.

Tarver the new man at light heavyweight

Lost in the aftermath of the main event, Antonio Tarver (21-1) won a richly deserved unanimous decision of his own over Montell Griffin (44-4) on the undercard. Tarver now holds the WBC and IBF titles.

While undefeated WBO champion Dariusz Michalczewski has taken on Roy Jones Jr.'s sloppy seconds in Derrick Harmon and Richard Hall, Tarver has been taking on opponents built up and rejuvenated after fighting Jones as well as other ranked contenders. The 1996 Olympian is not only doing what Jones has done, but he is doing it better. He was the only man to decisively put away Eric Harding, and he was the only fighter to totally control Montell Griffin.

A possible Tarver-Michalczewski showdown would be the next logical fight for the light heavyweight division. But until Michalczewski is ready to compromise at the negotiating table in order to give himself a chance to enter the ring with the best his weight class has to offer, do not count on it.

"The Magic Man" is a worthy champion who has paid his dues. The division is thin enough where his reign may be defined by whether or not he fights Jones. That would be a tragedy. The 175-pound weight class may be on a downswing as a whole, but that does nothing to take away from his ability or his accomplishments to this point.

Get 40 of your closest friends to chip in $1

It is one former champion on a quest to reclaim glory versus a living legend and one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. Or it is "Yori Boy" Campas versus Oscar De la Hoya. Or it is Oscar versus an appetizer that has been rotten for years. I will leave it up to you to decide.

De la Hoya has morphed into something that cannot be put into words. He is best possible public face for the sport, yet, he has pleased die-hard fans for the last four years with his choice of opponents. He is a chameleon, changing styles as he changes trainers, and making each different style work.

De la Hoya is above boxing itself via public perception, but he has gained a new love for the sport. After years of talk of an early retirement, he now runs through an A-list of opponents he wants in the ring anytime he speaks. He wants to redeem the two blemishes on his record, and he wants his place in boxing history. It begs the question: When did "The Golden Boy" become such a man's man?

So, even though most wish there was an alternative other than shelling out money to see a blow-out, it is nice to see people lay off of De la Hoya and this pay-per-view card as best as they can. The event does have star power in the form of Oscar and a possible competitive featherweight title fight. So, if you can gather 40 of your closest and most naive friends to pay a dollar to see a tune up fight, that would be my suggestion.

Personal note on an unexplained absence

Most of you may not remember me too much or may have never heard of me. For those of you not in the know, I have been writing for Eastside since August 2001. The audience has multiplied a dozen times or so since then, and the internet can be a little dizzying at times; so, I understand if some of you are thinking, "Who the hell...?"

My work here was good enough to merit offers from different websites, aid me in getting a chance to pen boxing articles for a Cincinnati publication (hardcopy stuff that the world respects, even if the internet tends to break all of the stories), and receive e-mail from readers months after I wrote certain articles.

I covered some fights, got some exclusives, tried to make a difference, and tried to throw some comic relief when I felt it was needed. But, for the last nine to 10 months, I have been nearly out of commission, suffering from an unexplained illness. Losing close to 30 pounds, feeling abdominal pain on a persistent basis, feeling weak on a consistent basis, and succumbing to recurring fevers has been my life in a nutshell the last year. And that's just the pretty stuff I feel comfortable mentioning in a public forum!

I have only written about four stories for Eastside since then. Although I am not cured, healed, or even a little better, I plan on writing more often in the future. My fourth and current specialist is one of the finest in the country, and I have little doubt that I will be fine by the summer. Hence the optimism.

I would like to thank my family and friends for helping me through these tough times. I'd like to thank my friend and part-time Eastside photographer Barbara Perenic, MaxBoxing's and MaxFighting's Tom Gerbasi (who was one of the very few industry insiders who knew about my situation, and whose advice kept my priorities in order), the fine boxers and trainers at different Ohio gyms that gave me something to do during my hiatus of sorts, and the readers who scoured the archives and bugged me about past articles from last year well into March and April of this year. Lastly, I would like to thank any reader who survived this self-indulgent paragraph. I hope to provide you with many stories in the future. Thank you.

Questions or comments? E-mail the author at: eastside_double_p@hotmail.com