Brock Stops Lawrence in 6th Round

26.02.06 – By Jeff Bastasini: Highly regarded heavyweight contender Calvin Brock stopped journeyman Zuri Lawrence with a semi-decent left hook in the 6th round on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The punch knocked Lawrence unconscious, sending him to the canvas where his head bounced off the back of the floor. Immediately after, Lawrence was given oxygen, although he remained out for more than a minute. As for the fighting, Brock (28-0, 22 KOs) was essentially fought to a standstill by Lawrence (20-11-4), up until the moment of the knockout.. By looking at both fighters trading slowly on the inside, it was difficult to determine which of them was considered to a be a prospect, as neither fighter exhibited power, hand speed or boxing ability. In fairness to Lawrence, not much was expected of him, as he wasn’t the marquee fighter in this bout.

For the most part, Brock, who is considered to be one of the best prospects in boxing, fought at a listless pace, trading weakly on the inside against Lawrence. Being as this was the first time seeing Brock, I was shocked at how badly he looked against Lawrence. With noticible love handles around his sides and coat of fat around his middle, Brock looked, at least to me, like someone who had gotten off his living room couch and decided to fight a few rounds in a local boxing gym. For someone who is supposed to be a real talent, Brock showed zero defensive skills, eating every punch that the 35-year old Lawrence threw at him. In return, Brock’s punches, other than his left hook that ended the fight in the 6th, had very little power and were thrown slowly. The first 3 rounds where a tossup as far as who won them, with both fighter trading on the inside. However, after the 3rd, Lawrence seemed to tire, throwing fewer punches and taking more shots. Nevertheless, Brock didn’t seem capable of putting his punches together, which would have put a quicker end to the fight, seeing as how tired Lawrence looked.

Immediately after the fight was stopped, Brock started marching around the ring, celebrating loudly, as if he had just won the championship of the world. For the life of me, I don’t see what he was so happy about, considering how average he looked in there against Lawrence. I don’t see how he can claim a victory based on a performance that saw him being fought to a standstill by a journeyman.

To be honest, I don’t like Brock’s chances against a top heavyweight, such as Wladimir Klitschko, James Toney or Lamon Brewster. Sure, he needs more experience, yet in my opinion, I can’t see that improving his hand speed, flat-footed ring movement or his average punching power. Combine in the fact that he’s 31-years-old, which gives him very little time to make the necessary improvements to bring him to the very top of the boxing game. Anything is possible but he’s faced with an up hill battle based on what I saw of him on Saturday night.