How Not To Be a Heavyweight Contender

Ron DiMichele

06.01 - How about those two great heavyweights slugging it out Friday night! That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Give no quarter and ask none! Just in case you missed it, let me catch you up. Final score: Ohio State 31 Miami 24.

The evening’s other heavyweight action paled in comparison. In a nationally televised bout, Lawrence Clay-Bey (18-1, 13 KO’s) defeated Charles Shufford (19-3, 9 KO’s) by unanimous decision in a 10-round cure for insomnia.

Coming into the bout, Charles Shufford’s fight plan was clear. Aware that Clay-Bey had tipped the scales at an all-time fighting high of 254 lbs., Shufford looked to take the early rounds off and then take it to the former-Olympian in the late going. The plan didn’t work. Inspired by his film success portraying George Foreman in the movie, ‘Ali,’ Shufford appeared to be auditioning for another remake of ‘The Mummy’ for most of the fight. Content to cower behind upheld gloves, he gave away round after round in the early going, and by the later rounds when he did fight back, the hole was too deep and the effort too feeble to make up the difference.

Lawrence Clay-Bey came out of the blocks with more fire, but his spirit was soon doused by the passionless effort of Charles Shufford. Clay-Bey flashed some fast combinations, a serviceable jab and was the aggressor for the bulk of the match, but the sense remained until the end that this fight was up for grabs.

Lawrence Clay-Bey deserves credit for mounting a more aggressive approach and acknowledging a lack of sustained effort after the fight. He vowed to return to the gym and shore up his weaknesses. Charles Shufford could not possibly have inspired even his most ardent fan with this tepid outing. His lackluster performance may have bought him a one-way ticket to obscurity.

"Touch of Sleep" Returns

This Friday night’s heavyweight action on ESPN2 promises to provide more thrills when fast-rising contender, DaVarryl ‘Touch of Sleep’ Williamson, faces off with heavyweight hopeful, Robert Wiggins.

Darryl Williamson (17-1, 16 KO’s) has rung up 12 straight kayos and has knocked out all but one of his opponents. He is coming off big knockout wins over Dale Crowe and Corey ‘T-Rex’ Sanders. At 6’4," 215 lbs, the knock on Williamson has been that he is perhaps too light to compete with some of the big bodies in the top 10 of the division, but his victory over the 313 lb Sanders has silenced some of his critics. Darryl Williamson brings a passion and drive to his bouts that makes up for whatever he lacks in size. This man enters the ring with bad intentions, and he has a heavy-metal cruncher of a right hand to back it up.

Robert Wiggins (17-1, 10 KO’s) of East Providence, RI could easily be coming into this bout an undefeated fighter. He had an edge over Derek Bryant when the ringside physician called a halt to the proceedings in the fourth round due to severe swelling around Wiggins’ right eye. Wiggins is a southpaw brawler with a decent left hook who comes to fight.

Like Lawrence Clay-Bey and Charles Shufford, Darryl Williamson and Robert Wiggins are looking to take a leap in the ratings with a victory. Darryl Williamson should be the favorite, but he does have a knockout loss on his record and was floored in his bout with Corey Sanders. There are a few holes in Williamson’s defense which ‘Winging Wiggins’ will try to exploit. Look for these fighters to burn a much higher octane fuel in their tanks compared to last Friday’s heavies.

Hawaiian Punch Needs Seasoning

The only thing missing from former Olympian Brian Viloria’s November majority decision victory over Alberto Rossel was holiday wrap and a big red bow. Viloria had his hands full with the slick-moving Peruvian and he can thank his lucky stars (and a couple of judges) he emerged with a win.

Brian Viloria (10-0, 6 KO’s) will face Alejandro Moreno (19-10-1, 10 KO’s) as a co-feature to the Williamson-Wiggins bout. Viloria, known as ‘The Hawaiian Punch’ for his hard-hitting style, is quickly driving towards the top of the flyweight division, but he should shift it down a gear and pick up more experience or he could soon end up in the breakdown lane.

In July of 2002, Viloria was dominating Peru’s Alberto Rossel when the bout was stopped in the 3rd round due to a hairline cut to Rossel caused by an accidental head butt. The bout was declared a no-contest. In the return match, Viloria expected an easy time and spent the entire fight looking for the one-punch knockout that didn’t come. It should have cost him the bout. Rossel repeatedly moved in and out of Viloria’s punching range delivering stinging blows of his own to the outmanuevered Viloria. Viloria made no attempt to corner Rossel or drive him into the ropes to better facilitate his knockout power. He seemed content to fight in the center of the ring giving added advantage to Rossel’s fast moving style. Leaving his jab behind, Veloria was unable to shake himself from the mindset of a one-punch, knockout victory.

Brian Viloria is a talented fighter, but at this stage of his development he is somewhat one-dimensional. He needs to utilize a variety of weaponry and not just wait to land the big one. He also needs to develop the ability to shift strategy and technique during a fight. He has the skills and charisma to be a marquee fighter in a lesser-known division, but he needs seasoning before moving up to the next level. If Viloria gets caught in another close scrape like the last one, he may discover Christmas comes only once a year.