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Champs Corner

Ron "Champ" Miller

16.08 - Hello fight fans!!!!!!!!I'm back and looking toward's this weekend's action. But first things first........

I have gotten alot of response to my criticism of Johnny Louise. I don't know why. Ruiz has got to be the worse champion ever. Even Bruce Seldon was better. I can't think of anything positive to say about him in the ring. He is a "nice guy" outside of it, but aren't we all? But the act will be over soon. And Stoney will be just another loud mouth, without a paycheck.

So the consensus is David Tua by knockout this weekend. I am not so sure about this. Moorer, while old and seemingly spent, still is a southpaw(something Tua has problem's with) and crafty. More experience, and better competition. Tua is fat and lazy. He is one dimensional as well. All he does is load up with his left hook. So if he connects, game over. If not, well.....This is not the same fighter who fought Ike Ibeabuchi, or Johnny Ruiz. This version doesn't move his hands and loads up with the left hook. Fres Oquendo, Danell Nicholson, Hasbeen Rahman were all outboxing him until he connected. He went eight rounds with Garing Lane. Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis made him look like a fool.

Sure Moorer is not the same fighter. Time and his abuse of his body, has taken his toll. But I think if the above fighters can log some rounds, so can Mike. Sure his feet are slow, and he really doesn't move his head, but I feel he has a chance and is being underestimated. His chin isn't granite, but it isn't as bad as Lennox Lewis either. He showed me alot in the second Holyfield fight, getting off of the deck. Again and again. He has heart. Plus the public is all over Tua. Bad sign. The line went from -175 to -220. I wouldn't be surprised to see Moorer being a 2-1 underdog by fightnight. So I'm going with Moorer. The fight is only scheduled for ten rounds. I think Moorer can survive. Which Tua will show up? David should win but... If you bet on Tua, you will be sweating it out, as you wait for a knockout punch, which may or may not come.

I cringe when I saw that Gatti-Ward II is being set up. Gatti should retire. Him along with Ward. Both are "human punching bags". Both are accidents waiting to happen. As I watch Gentleman Jerry Quarry fight tonight on ESPN classic, I can't help but think about Gatti. I think Quarry had better skills and was a better fighter. But more important, everyone loved Quarry. He was the next "great white hope". A ton of heart, and a good chin. But soft skin. He got cut alot, a "bleeder". Quarry, who earned $2.1 million in purses as a top contender in the 1960s and '70s, later was living on Social Security checks. He fought all the best. From Ali(2) to Joe Frazier to Lyle to Norton to Patterson(2) to Shavers. He made a ill fated comeback in 1992, thinking he could be the next, George Foreman. Big mistake. One other thing that bothers me when I watch these old fights. I see Joe Walcott. And why was the great Joe Louis the third man in the ring? He almost killed Jerry in 1974, as he fought Joe Frazier again. He should have stopped the fight. You don't see old fighters in there today.

But I remember seeing him before he died. No fans were around at the end as Quarry was really bad off. This made me hate boxing. This is what's wrong with boxing. The public used up Jerry Quarry, as they do other athletes. "Please me now, but I could care less about you later". The public is selfish. They could care less about Quarry, AFTER he was done fighting. The cheers were replaced by silence. Except for his family taking care of him. He was a confused child like man. Brain damaged. Dementia pugilistica.

Mike Quarry is no better off. Quarry was entering the ring when the famous Don Dunphy, who rarely wasted a syllable, said of him, "He's lost only to the best." My point is both men were too game, never quit, and had good chin's. This was their downfall. This is what I think will happen to Arturo Gatti. He will end up sipping his soup through his straw. And Evander Holyman is not far off. But the fans want blood. They want brutal knockouts. They mock technicians like Roy Jones Jr., Lennox Lewis and Pernell Whitaker. This is what is wrong with boxing. These warriors can never give it up. Their "carry me out on my shield" attitude is dangerous. This is where their corners, families and commission needs to step in, before it is too late. Sure fighters take chances getting into the squared circle, but some risks are unnecessary and preventable. It's too late for Ali, Wilfredo Benitez and Jerry, But not so for others. So I will say again, "please retire, Gatti, Holy, and Ward". The "fans" won't be for you at the end, I guarantee you that.

I find it funny referee Elmo Adolph defending himself against the indefensible. Blaming everyone but himself. The ref should take the heat, as he is the last line of defense. This was a terribly officiated matchup. Adolph should at least recognize that.

Winky Wright should keep quiet. This guy "lost" to Fernandomania on Nando's worst night. He lost. Now he acts if he can beat both Fernie and Oscar. I don't think so.

Good story on Howard Cosell, the man I model myself after. This man "told it like it was". You either hated him, or loved him. "Down goes Frazier, Down goes Frazier, Down goes Frazier", I will never forget those nine words. It sends shivers down my spine. Can you imagine Howard without Ali, or vice versa? He was hated for defending blacks and Jews. He left boxing, the sport he loved. His olympic, baseball, football coverage was outstanding. He truely was great. His sayings were numerous, and classic. Loudmouth? Perhaps, but listen to the message, not only the words.

In closing, I want to say farewell to Chick Hearn. Although I have hated the Lakers (I'm not from L.A.), I have grown to respect them. Three-peats are hard to do. I NEVER had a bad thing to say about Chiky Baby. I will miss his "chickisms" and just his voice. Lakers come and go, but Mr. Laker will be missed. This man was can be summed up in one word: class. Pure and simple. RIP, my friend.

That's it fight fans!!!!! Keep your hands up and keep punching for the stars!!!!!

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