Sharkie’s Machine: "Adding Insult to Injury"

21.01 - By Frank Gonzalez Jr.: As a longtime fan of the fight game, every now and then I have to ask myself why I bother being devoted to a sport that shows no devotion to its fans. Saturday’s main event of Boxing from the Telstra Dome in Australia, featuring Kostya Tszyu against Jesse James Leija, didn’t do anything for Boxing, Tszyu, Leija or the fans.

When fights are on Showtime, I don’t have high expectations. Showtime doesn’t exactly put on a premium quality Boxing programs, even if it is a “premium channel”. This is not another argument about who has better Boxing programs. We who tune into Boxing have our own opinions about that.

Boxing has been reduced to a “cult” form of entertainment. Unavailable to the mainstream public by way of network TV, you can only see big name fighters on cable TV, where you have to pay extra by subscribing to premium channels like HBO or Showtime. Or worse, you have to order Pay-Per-View and get ripped off paying anywhere from $29.99 to $59.99 to see a mismatched Main Event and often times a horrendous under card. That is if you can deal with waiting up to 3 hours after the scheduled time for the main event to even start--while the PPV people wait for the West Coast to tune in. Instead of packing the programs with competitive under card fights, they waste time with corny bios that remind me of the inert ingredients in a can of Lysol disinfectant spray.

The basic cable channel of ESPN 2 is more of a showcase for lesser fighters who are either up and coming or done and going. ESPN 2 rarely shows fights that would be considered compelling. It’s usually some young upstart against some guy who’s well past his prime and this viewer often finds the Miller High Life commercials more entertaining than the fights. Although these types of fights have their value, they don’t really invite the casual fan to keep tuning in to Boxing.

If the Moguls of Boxing are seriously interested in making the big money, they should do whatever they can to get big fights back on regular television. More exposure means more revenue.

When I was a kid, I recall Friday nights or Saturday afternoon fights on WABC’s Wide World of Sports with Howard Cossell calling the action. That’s where I saw Ali fight Frazier and discovered that Boxing was the sport I was interested in. I went to Boxing school back then and knew lots of other kids who were also big on Boxing. Public interest in Boxing is what makes the sport profitable.

Nowadays, it’s rare that kids know much about Boxing. How could they? They aren’t going to order PPV to see championship fights. And if they do catch a fight on a premium channel, like my nephew did this weekend while visiting my home, the response is rarely a positive one. “That looked like a ‘fix’ to me Uncle Frankie. The other boxer could have kept fighting, why did they stop it?” Then I have to try and explain that once a fighter becomes a star, he gets the big promoter/manager who protects them from dangerous opponents. They hire corrupt Judges to score the fights the way that reflect the wishes of the Promoters and not what actually happened. By the time I finish explaining the politics to my 16-year-old nephew, his interest has been exhausted. “Can I use your Play Station 2 now?” He asked. And another potential Boxing fan loses interest in what should be the greatest sport of all time.

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Kostya Tszyu is one of my all time favorite fighters. I have watched him evolve into one of the most complete fighters of this era. The masterful way he dispatched a well-respected Ben Tackie last May was impressive. Tszyu’s second round KO of the loud mouthed and classless Zab Judah in November of 2001 not only exposed Judah’s amateurish skills but also was a display of how a well-disciplined fighter could over come a hyped up showboat with focus and good fundamental Boxing skills. That dance that Judah did on the way up and back down to the canvas that night is a memory that always tickles me. Throughout his career, Tszyu has proven himself to be a top-notch fighter. His loss to Vince Phillips made him a better man. Some, myself included, considered Tszyu one of the best in the world.

Jesse James Leija is a gutsy, “working-class” fighter at the twilight of his career. His battles with Azuma Nelson in the mid 90s stand out as references to his better days. In an act of civil service, Leija exposed Hector Camacho Jr. in July of 2001 for being a protected fraud, which is worthy of some praise. His shortcoming is that he cuts easily. His fight with Mickey Ward ended in a stoppage due to Jesse’s blood littering the canvas in a fight he won by Technical Decision. A lot of folks were unhappy with that decision since it was a Ward punch that opened Leija’s cut eye that stopped that match and not an accidental head butt as the referee claimed. It’s the accumulation of these types of occurrences that wreaks Boxing’s credibility.

I don’t understand why Leija, ranked # 4 by the WBC, would be the mandatory challenger for Tszyu but then I don’t know why the fans of Boxing allow themselves to be ripped off on a regular basis either. In a legitimate situation, the top contender of the weight class should be the mandatory. Otherwise, what is the point of working your way up the contention ladder only to be bypassed by the Champion, who has the luxury of deciding who he wants to fight and picks a safer opponent? More politics that make you wave your hand in disgust.

The lack of a centralized, legitimate organization in Boxing is killing professional boxing as greedy Promoters use the sport to advance their own cause (money) at the expense of the legitimacy of Boxing.

Kids prefer watching WWF Wrestling. Sure they know it’s fake, but at least there are no pretensions about it. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s consumers. Someone should tell that to the Boxing Promoters. The cigarette companies are well aware of that little tidbit of info. Remember the cartoon figure Joe Camel?

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The Fight

Round 1

Jesse James Leija looked very up to the task in the first round. He was more active and in my view, more effective than Tszyu. He hit Kostya several times and gave the Champion the appearance of being rusty. I gave that round to Leija.

Round 2

Leija low blows Tszyu three times and is warned by the referee Malcolm Bolner. Tszyu didn’t look to be the dominating fighter he was against Ben Tackie, instead he looked out of rhythm. Leija outworked Kostya and won another round in my view.

Round 3

Leija still outworks Tszyu, who starts to catch Leija with some telling shots, yet Jesse kept the pressure up. I gave this round to Tszyu, who was less active but more effective. This round could’ve been scored either way.

Round 4

Tszyu’s power starts to show as he gets a pinch more aggressive with the fired up Leija, who held his own but didn’t win the round. I gave that one to Tszyu also.

Round 5

Leija was still popping his jab and catching Kostya with little shots but Tszyu scores better and wins the fifth round.

Round 6

Tszyu starts to finally establish himself and take control of the fight. He begins to look more confident as he puts a whoopin’ on Leija for the entire sixth round. One of Tszyu’s shots opens a cut on Leija’s right eye.

During the break, Jessie complains about something. I guessed it was his cut eye. He quits before the start of the seventh round. It was over. Tszyu wins by TKO. The official word was that Leija suffered a damaged eardrum.

A damaged eardrum is amazingly painful. Too painful to stand there and smile casually during the post fight interviews. But, I’m not in Leija’s shoes and don’t know what his real problem was. It looked more like a case of honoring a dishonorable contract. But, that’s my opinion.

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Maybe if Tszyu kept a more active fight schedule, he’d have been more fluid and effective from the onset of the match. As good as Tszyu is, he looked unimpressive in his win over Leija. If Leija had some decent power he might have really hurt Tszyu, as much as he hit him. Fortunately for Tszyu, Leija is not a big puncher. Surely Vlad Wharton knew this when he set up the fight. Tszyu is good enough to not need soft fights. Then again, the way he looked against Leija, maybe the reverse is true? Maybe my expectations of Tszyu were too high? All I know is that when it was all over, I still had the NFL’s NFC and AFC Championship games to look forward to on Sunday.

I was surprised at Leija’s decision to quit the fight, considering how competitive he was from the start. Then, I thought about it all for a moment. Leija was really only there for Kostya’s convenience. Vlad Wharton, Tszyu’s Promoter was probably more responsible for the match up than Tszyu was. It seems the contract to the mandatory challenger was clear in its intent, at least the part that was written in invisible ink. One way or another, Leija was leaving Australia with another loss on his record. I expect he was paid well for his services.

The next question becomes; who should Tszyu fight next?

The answer is clear to hardcore Boxing fans. Arturo Gatti. Gatti has wowed the fans for years with his blood and guts approach to the fight game. He has refined his skills under the tutelage of new trainer, Buddy McGirt. His impressive win over Mickey Ward in their rematch makes Gatti a suitable choice for Tszyu’s next opponent. Hopefully Tszyu feels the same way. I’d hate to see Kostya take on Omar Weis next and have Bobby Czyz rave about what a “spoiler” Weis is. A crappy mandatory like Weis would only add insult to injury for this fan. Let’s hope that Kostya Tszyu don’t go the Roy Jones Jr. route of boring, questionable “mandatories” in place of competitive match-ups with top contenders that fans want to see.

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I am a Boxing fan. These are my opinions. If you agree or disagree, feel free to let me know at dshark87@hotmail.com