27.04.06 – By Geoff McKay: The end looked like it should have. Alan Green stood in the middle of the ring with his hand raised by the referee, having been declared the winner by knockout in his bout against journeyman Donnie McCrary. After all, the matchmaker had gone as far as to apologize for bringing in so limited an opponent as McCrary.
However, there was no jubilant celebration after the victory, no throngs of supporters jumping into the ring. Greens’ trainer looked like he had just been rescued from a burning house as Green himself tried to smile for the cameras. He was unconvincing though, he couldn’t really force his lips into a grin and the #1 symbol he gave with his hand was halfhearted at best.
I don’t know who said it but one of the best quotes I ever heard went something like this;
“The roadside of boxing is littered with the wreckage of the ‘tune up fight’ gone horribly wrong.” This Wednesday there was very nearly another accident scene to add to the score.
The fight started out slowly, with McCrary on his bicycle, and Green, working behind the jab, trying to close the distance. It was obvious Green was the more talented fighter, and every once in awhile he would catch the retreating McCrary with a good shot.
I round two Green started to connect more as McCrary’s pace slowed, and he became less elusive. Green connected with a couple of nice short left hooks, the punch that he would end the night with, (and the punch that almost ended it for him). Green also started to work McCrary’s body in the second round.
In between the second and third round Joe Tessitore announced that Michael Moorer would be joining himself and Teddy Atlas to provide ringside commentary. Almost immediately after he sat down Moorer made a statement that turned out to be prophetic. When asked what he thought of Alan Green, his response was;
“I think he’s underestimating the guy”, “he’s coming in with his hands down, and his head is up”.
Yeah right, I thought. Does it really matter? As it turned out it mattered a lot. At 1:46 of the third round, Green dug a big left hook to the body of McCrary, who slumped to the canvas. It looked like the beginning of the end as McCrary rose at eight. Green moved in for the finish and was caught by a sneaky left hand from McCrary. Greens’ arms immediately dropped to his sides, and a series of clean follow up shots sent him to the canvas. Green tried to get up right away, but wasn’t able to get himself together. He did manage to rise at the count of eight, but was clearly out on his feet.
For some inexplicable reason, no matter how hard I screamed at my TV set, McCrary refused to go in for the finish. I re-watched the match, and counted only three meaningful punches that McCrary threw in the fifteen seconds following the knockdown, and one of them hurt Green badly again. Green was clearly in survival mode, and staggered around the ring on rubbery legs. He was still badly hurt when he walked to his corner at the end of the round.
Rounds four and five saw Green slowly re-establish his jab, and although he was cautious, (and still hurt), at first, he gradually began to dominate the tentative McCrary, who didn’t seem to have gained any confidence despite having almost knocked Green out. At 28 seconds of the sixth round Green caught McCrary with a beautiful left hook and floored him. McCrary didn’t beat the count, and Green had successfully averted disaster.
I have to give Green a lot of credit for how he handled the situation after the fight was over. He spoke clearly, said he was glad this happened now, (I’m not so sure of that), and also insinuated that he had expected it all along. Green was in damage control mode, and showed some real poise in trying to salvage a bad situation. In truth, we all know that Green was all but finished. He was hurt very badly and some refs might have stopped the fight in the same situation. I am convinced that had McCrary attacked when he had the chance, it would have been game over Green.
What remains to be seen is whether this is a hiccup, or if this is shades of things to come. If you are Green, or his handlers, you have to be disturbed that Michael Moorer was able to spot his flawed fighting, and hint at trouble. A flash knockdown is one thing; a predictable one is far more worrying. Green is definitely a smart guy, and seems willing to learn, so perhaps he can put this mistake behind him. I am sure, though, that now his management will think twice, or even three times before they resume talks about putting him in the ring with Joe Calzaghe.
On the under card, onetime contender Jameel McCline worked his way to a decision over Rob Calloway. Jameel simply has to become more aggressive to become a top contender again. He is a huge man, gifted with incredible physical tools; he just seems unwilling to get aggressive.
Also, undefeated prospect JD “The natural” Chapman scored a 3rd round knockout of Matt Hicks, who was undefeated at 7-0 before the fight.
On a closing note I have to say that I find Teddy Atlas to be a fantastic announcer. He may not be as polished as some of the other boxing personalities we see regularly, but his excitement is genuine, and contagious.
Comments may be sent to: geoffmckay@monarch.net