Boxing’s Baddest: The Fan’s Speak! V2 Issue 6
By Bill Harris
24.03 - The time has come. That’s right, the time for me to shut up and let someone else answer the fans for a change. It’s time to show someone my world, and see just how well they deal with the harassment that these everyday writers face from "know-it-all-fans." So, allow me to step aside and hand the pen over to a Maryland native, and everyday guy, Bill Harris. Now sure, Bill isn’t a boxing extraordinaire, but he knows a thing or two about boxing. And I’m sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing my nerdy self rant and rave about boxing every week. What do I know anyway? Anyways, enough boredom. Bill, welcome to my world.
Lets be real here for one moment....The punch might have been lucky but as you pointed out most knockouts are "a lucky punch". Mike Tyson hit The Black Rhino with a "lucky punch". This is boxing. All of these punches are lucky. I unlike all other people do not think that the brothers are overhyped. Is Lennox Lewis overhyped. He has been caught by 2 "lucky punches". The fact of the matter is that when you step in the ring a lucky punch can happen either way. Was it a lucky punch when Roy Jones hit John Ruiz and took what little fighting he had left. I think that lucky punches are not simply lucky it is simply boxing!!!! Corrie Sanders did the impossible. He landed a punch on someone who did not see it coming. It can happen at anytime and will continue to happen. That is why this sport is so special. Do not count these brothers out because they will be back.
- Mitch Bombet
Mitch, I have to agree with your assessment about "lucky" punches. I like your use of quotes here, because they aren't really "lucky" at all are they? These so-called "lucky" punches are landed only on boxers who aren't defending against them. Particularly in the heavyweight division, a single punch can change the outcome of a fight and in this case, the possible future of an entire weight division. I believe the lightest punching heavyweight could knock out any other heavyweight (except maybe Tua) with a single punch if it he lands it just right.
Now that leads me to the Klitschko and Sanders fight. Why is everyone so SHOCKED that Sanders pulled this win off? Who said golfers can't fight? The man can PUNCH! Lets give him SOME of the credit for the win here! Sanders is a very dangerous puncher early and if you need some more evidence, we can call Hasim Rahman and Al Cole to the stand. Corrie Sanders landed a beautiful left hook and refused to ever let Dr. K recover.
As for Wladimir Klitschko, I personally am not yet ready to write him off just yet. Should we write off boxers who are beaten by big punchers? This knockout has raised more questions about his chin, but I believe it has answered some about his heart. He kept getting up for more and for that I give him credit. Lennox Lewis was KO'ed with a single punch by both Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, but is still the universally recognized world heavyweight champ. There is life after a KO.
The last time Klitschko lost, to Ross Purity, it was due primarily to poor conditioning. He went back to the gym, worked hard, corrected the problem and it hasn't happened again. This loss seemed to come from not being prepared for the rush of a powerful southpaw. We need to see how Klitschko will respond. Possibly, he'll return to the gym and improve his defense. He's made corrections before and been successful. On the other hand, Corrie Sanders may have provided the rest of the heavyweight division with the blueprint for dropping the Steel Hammer. In my mind, the book is still open.
Who hell u think u are slating calzaghe..u abviously havent seen many of his fights. man americans slate any1 outside the states its pathetic..why dont u slate all the people - No Name
No name? At least you could have made one up!
Well, I can't answer for Mike, but as for me, I love to watch Calzhage fight. I think he proved in his recent fight with Charles Brewer that the man has a warrior's heart and certainly some ability to go with it. Americans love to see fighters who are willing to mix it up and have no quit in them.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Calzhage handles Sven Ottke, should their rumored fight materialize. It'll answer a lot of questions about him. For him to move up and face Roy Jones, Jr. (which has also been considered) would be suicide. That's not a slate, it's just a dose of reality.
Being an American boxing fan and knowing many American boxing fans, I just don't see any disrespect going on over here for non-American fighters. Since many fights overseas are not broadcast here, we sometimes don't know much about foreign fighters and maybe we treat them as unknowns, but I don't consider that disrespect. I'm hoping in the coming years, that American television will find a way to bring us more European boxing.
Good article. The most interseting part is hoe everyone writes a boxer when they lose these days. In the bygone era when a fighter lost it was looked at as part of learning your craft, now it's the end of one's career and makes you a bum. As far as Klitchsko's chin goes I don't think we can tell yet if it's china yet, I mean the guy got creamed over and over by a big man with a big punch. Just a really bad match up for Wald with a southpaw who can punch. Let's give Corrie Sanders his due. He came into the other Guy's backyard, against the odds and came up big. Plus he seems to be a real classy individual. Very unusual for boxing and sports in general these days.
Last thoughts. Think I read somewhere that Ricky Hatton is to fight "Cool" Vince Phillips. Bad, bad matchup for Hatton, Phillips straight right beats Hatton's hooks to the target all night or as long as it lasts. Styles make fights, this one is no good for Hatton. Remember how fighters sometime get old overnight, it gonna happen one of these days to Benard Hopkins,
- Snafu
Snafu,
A couple of questions ago, in response to a question from Mitch Bombet (before reading your comments), I touched on a lot of the points you made about Sanders and Klitschko. Sanders is a class act. He DOES deserve credit for the KO and I don't think Klitschko should be written off just yet. He's still very young and is still learning his craft.
Hatton vs. Phillips scheduled for April 5 is a great matchup and a big step up for Hatton! I'm going to have to go with Hatton on this one for one reason only. Youth. Phillips, though he's in great shape and has a huge edge in experience, will be 40 in July. I just don't see him being able to keep up the pace that Hatton will force on him. I really think Hatton will step up his game for this fight. A win in this fight means everything to Hatton and I believe he'll fight as such. I just don't think Phillips will be as hungry.
Bullshit article.
Look at this quote. "two losses to average fighters will haunt him for the rest of his career, and certainly derail his hopes of becoming a legitimized heavyweight champion."
Only one heavyweight fighter in history was undefeated. Ali, the "greatest" had alot more than 2 loses. Once again we see so called "experts" dismissing fighters the instant they show any kind of human fallibility. How about experts giving us well reasoned articles instead of knee jerk reactions to 1 out of 42 profesional fights.
- Crunchy
Mike, no disrespect meant to you, I know this is YOUR column, but I'm siding with my man Crunchy on this one. I've said it earlier in this mailbag and I'll say it again: give Sanders some credit!! He's a PUNCHER. So what if Klitschko got KO'ed? It's not the end of his career. Sanders isn't a world beater, but once in awhile, he's going to catch people on the chin and they WILL go down when that happens. I'm not saying that Klitschko doesn't have work to do, but it's WAY too early to write him off.
Hey Mike, awesome work! I love your work and you're one of the reasons I come to this site, keep it up. But on to my questions
1) Do you think Tyson would beat Wladimir based on the idea that he was soo scared against Sanders and doesn't know how to handle a pressued attack?
2) Would it be smart for McCline to step up and get a rematch? Do you think he could win against Klitschko if he stopped fighting scared?
3) Off topic, but what do you think of Mayweather/Sosa and Spaddy/Dorin. Who you think will win those fights, and if it becoes Mayweather/Spaddy, who wins and why?
- KEVIN
Kevin. You're right. Mike does great work. One of the first articles I read on EastSideBoxing was written by Mike and I've been coming back ever since.
1. First, I really don't think Wladimir was scared of Sanders. He looked very relaxed coming into the fight. Of course, after that first left hook landed, I'm sure he was terrified of getting hit with another! However, your second point is the $1 million dollar question. Can he handle a pressured attack? Well, he sure couldn't handle one from Sanders. Now that we've seen that he is a mere human, I doubt Tyson would show him any respect at all. As much as I hate to see Tyson win a fight these days (I was a Tyson fan when Holyfield had both ears), I think I'd go with Tyson early. If you had asked me BEFORE the Sanders fight, I'd have said Klitshcko in nine.
2. I think McCline will have to find an opponent other than Klitschko. No one wants to see a rematch, although I guess it is possible that some paper bag company could sponsor the fight and McCline could use their product to breath into during the ring entrance. I doubt very seriously the outcome would change, but I hope Jameel keeps fighting. He still has room to improve and could go a long way.
3. Kevin, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not familiar enough with Sosa and Dorin to give you a very good analysis of how they'd match up with Mayweather and Spadafora. I've only seen each of them fight just once and its been several years back. Sosa came oh SO close to taking Spaddy's belt, but Paul showed a lot of heart to come back and win that fight. Mayweather/Spadafora is a dream fight for true boxing fans. We get to see two true masters of the sweet science putting on a boxing exhibition. I give a slight advantage to Mayweather in two categories: power and big fight experience. I believe Spadafora is every bit as good a pure boxer as Mayweather, but in Spaddy's career he has only TWO Kos against fighters with a winning record. In his last 12 fights, Paul has only 1 KO. Given that Spadafora has no power, how will he keep Mayweather from doing whatever he wants to do offensively? Sure, Spaddy can try to box his way to victory as he always does, but in this fight, he'd be facing a fighter who may be able to outbox him. Mayweather will bring enough big fight experience into the fight, that I see him winning at least eight of the twelve rounds, if he doesn't get the KO.
HEy Mike I hope this makes it into Boxings Baddest, I've tried and haven't had any luck. A few questions, but I wanna say great job!
What do you think of Acelino Frietas now? Do you think he beats Mayweather at 130 or 135, or wins a rematch against Casamayor?
- greg smith, cleveland, ohio
Hi Greg. Thanks for the props to Mike. He deserves them.
Frietas vs. Mayweather. Please, somebody make this fight!!! It is the perfect puncher vs. boxer matchup and one I'd love to see.
When Diego Corrales fought Mayweather, I went on and on to my buddies that Mayweather had met his match! "Corrales is gonna kill him!!!" I said. The night of the fight, I popped some popcorn and settled in early to watch a decapitation take place live on cable. Little did I know and never would I have predicted that Floyd would be the executioner, not Diego. On that cold January night in 2001, I became a believer. I'll never bet against Mayweather again.
That's a long way of saying Mayweather over Frietas in either weight class (insert hedge here--> as long as his hands hold up).
As for Casamayor, I see another tough fight, but I have to go with Frietas again. Nate Campbell gave Casamayor an awful lot of trouble and may have taken a little bit out of him. I would pick Frietas by decision, but it won't be as close as the first.
Yo Dogg,
Just wanted to know if you heard anything on Gatti-Ward III possibly happenin? I hope it doesn't cuz I don't want both guys to get their asses kicked again! And I think it's gettin stale man! Also, what do you think of Gatti-Tsyzu cuz Kostya is my dog, bu he hasn't looked that great against Tackie and Leija. - BRUCE WILLIS
AMEN!!!!
I didn't want to see them do it a second time!
Their first fight was so classic and so brutal, a sequel could only produce a letdown or a death. Neither of which I wanted to see.
Gatti knows how to win against Ward. Stay away and box and the fight is his. A third fight would only be a replay of Gatti-Ward II.
Did you say Tszyu didn't look great against Tackie?? Are you kidding?? What in the world does a guy have to do to impress you?? Tszyu totally dominated a VERY GOOD fighter in Ben Tackie. I can't think of many more impressive title defenses in recent years. Also, I thought JJ Leija fought a very game fight, but as in most Tszyu fights, Kostya broke him down mechanically. I didn't think Tszyu looked bad, I just thought that Leija made it a fight for as long as he could.
I can't imagine Gatti going the distance with Tszyu. Tszyu is a precision and powerful puncher and tends to only throw head shots. Gatti is a cut waiting to happen. Mix the two and I just can't see this fight going the distance. Though I know Gatti has the heart of a lion and would keep getting up and coming back for more, I see this fight being a bloody mess and the doctor stopping it early.
Mike,
Read your article. Good piece.
My only objection to the recent spat of comments by you and your colleagues on the Klitschko debacle last week, is the fact that none of you to my knowledge, or few of you, had the balls to question Klitschko before he got knocked on his ass. Hindsight is 20/20, but all of you are "not surprised" that he got plastered and KO'd. Gee, too bad I didn't see all of you saying that all along. Most of the columns I have read in the last week say he was 'found-out', as if the whole boxing world knew he was a fluke.
I watched this guy in 3 fights, and had the same impression as you. He never got tested, or even hit. I was suspicious of his ability to take a punch, but I still thought he had enough offense, and size to blast his way to the top, or near it. Plus, what is he supposed to do, put his chin out there to be hit, to prove he can take it. No, he fights as best he can, and unfortunately, when the time came, he didn't stand up to it. You may say he should have fought better fighters all along, and would have proved before all the hype, that he was not up to snuff. Ok, how about the fact that he and his brother are being frozen out of the US boxing establishment because Don King is not making money off of them? How about the stupidity of his trainers and handlers pitting him against a known power puncher ( Sanders had 8 or 9 - 1st or 2nd round KOs in a row before loosing to Rachman), and a southpaw at that. All righties get hit by southpaws. Let alone one who has proven power. These trainers took 20 seconds to give Klitschko water after his 1st round knockdown, and no smelling salts at all. Makes me wonder if he even trained against a lefty.
Ok, I did not mean to take out all my frustrations on you, it's just that yours was the fourth column I read, where the American boxing establishment all of a sudden knew all along that he was all hype, and were not surprised in the least that he got his butt kicked.
Thanks for listening.
Frank
Easton, PA (home of Larry Holmes :)
Frank,
Isn't it nice to have a place to vent? Just lay back on the big ole eastsideboxing.com couch and tell us what’s on your mind. It's good to get your comments.
I've spoken quite a bit in earlier questions about this fight. Have you EVER seen a bandwagon empty so quick? I'm gonna stay on until his next stop(age). I don't think we've seen the end of Dr. K. Besides, now I have a great seat!
P.S. Please tell Larry that Bill (his biggest fan in Pasadena, MD) said hello and thank him for giving Butterbean a jabbing lesson and proving me right.
Just read the article in Seconds Out and do appreciate
it. Exactly what I've been thinking about Klitscho comment
"I know why I have lost"; sure you numbnut, because you
got cracked real good. Have you ever heard Vinny Paz
admit he really lost a fight? Always some bullshit story
about this and that. Anyway a good read.
Yeah, it's pretty rare to just hear someone say straight up, "He hit me. I went down. The ref counted to ten before I could get up, so I lost."
Thank Bill Harris for stepping up to the plate this week. If you’d like a chance to sit in the hot seat, contact Mike Samuels at Tyson180@aol.com.
