The Top Ten Significant Boxing Events of 2002
By Fred De La Riva
28.12 - This past year proved to be a very intriguing one in the sport of boxing, but they all seem intriguing don't they? This sport is full of scoundrels, heroes, rich men and poor men alike, scholars, historians, entrepreneurs, superstars, leeches, etc…. And with the multitude of characters each year brings about new chapters in this pugilistic sport. So without any further adieu I present to you the most significant boxing moments of 2002 in no particular order.
1. Introducing Vernon Forrest.
After years in languishing in obscurity, Vernon Forrest became a major player in the game when he upset previously undefeated Sugar Shane Mosley. At the time nobody really believed Vernon would win. He had the tools to do it some claimed, but in the end most predicted the "Sugarman" would outclass Forrest. As it turned out, Forrest had the perfect game plan. He managed to keep Mosley on the outside with a solid jab and a powerful right hand. When Mosley was able to get on the inside, Forrest held to keep Shane from getting into the fight. Albeit, the fight wasn't the most exciting, their was some drama in watching Forrest win round after round and of course who can forget the 2nd round in which Forrest almost took out Mosley. Head butt or not, Mosley was hurt and came within an inch of going down for good. Several months later Forrest beat Mosley again to solidify his claim as one of the best in the game.
2. Bernard Hopkins Implodes
Going into 2002, Bernard Hopkins had the boxing world at his feet. He had just defeated future Hall of Fame inductee Felix Trinidad convincingly and could have asked for anything he wanted. A rematch with Trinidad was possible, but it did not happen as the Philadelphian out priced himself and Don King was not willing to meet his demand. Then there was the Roy Jones fiasco. On February 2nd of this year, HBO televised a double header featuring Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins from two different venues. Hopkins made a successful 15th consecutive defense of his middleweight title against journeyman Carl Daniels and Roy defeated Australian Glen Kelly. As expected both men taunted each other via satellite, but the best was yet to come. On August 24th, Derrick Gainer, a close friend of Roy Jones was scheduled to meet Daniel Seda in Roberto Clemente Stadium in Puerto Rico. Unexpectedly a heated confrontation between Jones Jr., and Hopkins took place as Jones followed Gainer into the ring. The exchange of words in the middle of the ring could have been a great springboard to a Jones/Hopkins rematch but that was not to be. Once again money issues negated any possibility of making the fight happen. To make matters worse Bernard was sued and lost a $610,000 libel judgment against former adviser Lou DiBella. The money wasn't the only thing lost either. Hopkins lost credibility as well. 2002 started off well for Hopkins, but it didn't end that way.
3. Roy Jones paints himself into a corner.
It all started innocently enough with Roy Jones being his usual braggadocios self and challenging everyone above the junior middleweight division. Well it just so happened that someone was listening that day. John Ruiz, the current WBA heavyweight champion did not live up to his moniker as the "Quiet Man", as he quickly accepted Jones's challenge. This began what was to be probably one of the strangest negotiations in boxing history. Roy asked for the world and he got it as Ruiz and even his promoter Don King accepted every demand Roy had asked for. That included a 60% share of the pay-per-view revenue! Once Ruiz signed the contract, Roy was nowhere to be found. His team claimed that he was off on a fishing trip and the press had a field day as to his intent. To this day there is some conflicting reports regarding Jones actual signing of the contract, but a press conference was held recently and tickets have began selling for the fight. We'll see if the fight actually takes place in March of next year.
4. Iron Curtain Comes Crashing Down
With the break up of the former U.S.S.R in the early 1990's, a whole wave of un-previously untapped talent trickled into the professional boxing scene. Among them were Orzubek "Guzzie" Nazarov who became the WBA lightweight champion in 1993 and Yuri Arbachakov who did the same for the WBC's version of the flyweight championship. These two men were just a hint of what was to become an Eastern European invasion of boxing. As the decade continued, the rankings were littered with names such as Golota, Maskaev, and Jirov to name a few. None has made the impact as former amateur world champion Kotzya Tszyu who has now come to terrorize the 140 lb division. The future looks bright too as the Klitschko brothers are close to dominating the heavyweight scene for years to come. What was then a major political event impacted boxing greatly as the former "Eastern Bloc" has now entrenched itself and has become a major power in the 2002 boxing scene along side with Puerto Rico, Mexico, England the Philippines, Japan, Thailand and the United States. Who knows, maybe in the near future, if we are lucky, the Cubans will be unleashed.
5. The Unofficial end of the Mike Tyson Saga.
As a boxing fan it is always sad to see the end of a man that carried boxing for the latter part of the 80's and well into the 90's. I realize that he was at his best before his involvement with Don King, and he obviously self-destructed, but he was a sight to see. Who can forget the destruction of Michael Spinks? At his best, Mike Tyson was the most intimidating heavyweight to ever step into the ring since Sonny Liston. He had fast hands, and a monstrous punch. Many a heavyweight crumbled under his onslaught. As the years went by, legal, marital and obvious mental problems affected his skills. Even with Buster Douglas's monumental upset of him in Tokyo, Mike Tyson continued to be a major attraction. I hated to see what was once a good fighter be destroyed by Lennox Lewis. Even now there is talk of a possible comeback, but for his own good I would hope that Mike stays away. He has given us enough thrills to become a legend in boxing. I wish him well.
6. Steroids headline De La Hoya-Vargas Aftermath.
What was to become Oscar De La Hoya's golden moment was tarnished by the fact that his opponent was tested positive for steroid use. Fernando Vargas appeared unusually ripped in the days before the fight. His incredible physique was credited to his intense training regiment and the aid of special diets and supplements. In the press conference that followed the fight, John Philbin, one of Vargas's trainers announced that he was quitting the team and what was to follow was a situation that for the most part has eluded boxing. Steroids were found in Vargas's urine sample, but the details were sketchy since the Nevada State Athletic Commission was somewhat silent. At the same time Vargas had left the mainland United States and was vacationing in Hawaii and his statement did nothing to clear up the situation. In the end whether knowingly or unknowingly, Vargas was found guilty of ingesting the same drug that had caused Olympian Ben Johnson to lose his gold medal more than a decade ago. After several weeks of investigations, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, fined Vargas $100,000 and suspended him for nine months. A slap in the Vargas's wrist some say, but it was also a bigger slap to the face of boxing.
7. The Pride of Puerto Rico Retires
On June 19th, 1993, the world was introduced to twenty-year-old Felix Trinidad as he destroyed the very capable Maurice Blocker for the IBF Welterweight Title. That was the beginning of a man that was to become arguably the best fighter that Puerto Rico has ever produced and that is by far no small feat, since this small country has produced a plethora of boxing greats. Trinidad treated the public to many exciting fights as he tore through he welterweight ranks with men such as Yori Boy Campas, Pernell Whitaker, Hugo Pineda, Freddy Pendelton and Oba Carr. His crowning moment came in 1999 as he defeated his rival Oscar De La Hoya via a controversial decision. Nevertheless, Tito did not stop there as he continued his destruction of former Olympians by beating up David Reid and Fernando Vargas. What made Tito's fights exciting was that he was not quite invincible. There were those chinks in the armor that were waiting to be exposed and Bernard Hopkins did just that in their 2001 classic match up. Tito fought only once more after that loss and left the sport a rich and healthy man.
8. Boxing Journalism becomes firmly entangled in the Web.
It was bound to happen. With the growing popularity of the Internet, boxing sites began popping up on the web in the late 1990's. Most were fan-based websites, but soon after, professional boxing scribes began dabbling with the web. I may be wrong, but first among these professionally run sites was www.Houseofboxing.com, which was to set the benchmark for the premier boxing sites on the web. We now have such sites as www.MaxBoxing.com, which provides fans with what is probably the best interactive site out there. Then there is of course www.EastsideBoxing.com, which brings with it coverage of the Eastern European and World boxing scene and what is probably the "rawest" message board on the web. Those with thin skin need not apply. Charles Jay at totalaction.com is doing a fantastic job with his "Operation Cleanup" as he exposes all that is wrong in boxing along with links to daily boxing news on the web. The Ring Magazine and all the other boxing rags better watch out, as they are seriously being given a run for their money and I am willing to be that subscriptions are down. Who is willing to wait for boxing news when one can get 24 hrs updates at www.fightnews.com? There is even a site for those who are in need of a boxer's professional ring record and list of opponents at www.boxrec.com. For the historians, the guys at www.cyberboxingzone.com are just the ticket.
9. WBC knocked out.
German boxer Graciano Rocchigiani dealt a stunning blow to the WBC as he won his multi-million dollar lawsuit against the powerful boxing organization. Back in 1998, Rocchigiani assumed he was the new WBC light heavyweight champion as defeated Michael Nunn of the United States via split decision. Roy Jones the former belt holder relinquished the championship to go compete in the heavyweight division. After Jones changed his mind, instead of ordering an immediate match between Jones and Rocchigiani, the WBC decided to strip the German boxer and award Jones the belt. Rocchigiani took a big risk, but his gamble paid off to the tune of 31 million dollars. That victory has placed the WBC in the midst of financial ruin if you are to believe Jose Sulamain the long time leader of that organization. Stay tuned as the WBC has appealed the ruling.
10. De La Hoya Leaps into the Promoting Business
In November of 2002, Oscar De La Hoya began his next phase of boxing as what is surely to become his primary focus after he retires. De La Hoya announced the formation of Golden Boy Promotions LLC and he quickly acquired Roy Englebrecht Promotions, who has been active in the Orange County area of California for the last 12 years. Will he be as successful as he has been as fighter? Who knows. But he has become a very influential player in boxing and his name alone will attract future and current boxing personalities much like Sugar Ray Leonard who launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc in mid 2001.
Feel free to e-mail the author at reevee@earthlink.net with any questions or comments.
