27.04.06 – By Justin Hackman: Boxing is unique in the sense that unlike any other sport, the truth lies in the intangible elements. While there are certainly intangibles present which prove to be powerful agents in other major sports, but as a result of a plentitude of contests per season, the main focus remains on statistics and figures which ultimately inhibit the diverse nature of a sport’s true beauty.
However, with a name fighter only competing a fraction of the times compared to other sports, the dynamics of boxing do not work in such a restrictive manner, as there is ample room made for intriguing discussion which cannot be limited by simple numbers. For example, a number of weeks ago, I examined the level of credibility (or lack thereof) in a definitive one through ten pound-for-pound list. The response from readers reinforced the notion that within the realm of logical arguments, a boxer’s merit can only be judged by the arguable, under-the-radar mechanics of the sport.
This past Saturday, Wladimir Klitschko began his domination of Chris Byrd not in the seventh round with the onslaught of straight rights, not in the fifth at the first knockdown, and not even in the second which was when Klitschko both threw and landed his first right hand missile. Byrd’s death sentence was signed and sealed by Klitschko in the first round as Klitschko did not throw a single right hand. In this way, Klitschko not only did not allow Byrd to get within a mile of his chin, but he forced Byrd to get acclimated to only the left hand.
As Byrd found himself a little too comfortable upon getting used to the jab, in the second round, Klitschko was able to land a monstrous right, and by that time, it was already the beginning of a definitive defeat. Because Byrd acclimated himself to Klitschko’s early one-handed style, it was impossible to later defend against the sledgehammer rights, considering Klitschko never gave him anything to acclimatize to. In this way, it was the punches Klitschko did not throw which set the stage for an easy victory.
A little over two weeks ago, Floyd Mayweather reinforced his status as the best fighter in the world against Zab Judah. His superb skill was not simply displayed by laser right counters (though still plentiful) or a slipping defense necessarily. These were merely the physical results of Mayweather’s brilliance and professionalism. Judah had priceless momentum building on his side which consequently was working against Mayweather, in the first four rounds of the fight. Mayweather was looking frustrated as it was seemingly becoming harder to hit Judah. Inexplicably, without the aid of a single punch, Mayweather shifted momentum at the beginning of round five. Mayweather channeled his focus to find the correct range against the quick, awkward southpaw. Once attained, Mayweather found himself in the zone after shifting momentum to himself and consequently was able to systematically break Judah down with an increasing ease in the later rounds. Mayweather cemented his pound-for-pound king status in a fight not as action-packed as the Gatti fight, and not as defensively noticeable as he showed against Bruseles or Mitchell.
Two great fighters in the last two weeks proved their skill without one single tangible physical action, which evokes great discussion and arguments more so than any scientific stat which arguably plague other major sports. The only science applied to boxing should be that of the sweet variety.
A fan’s love for boxing transcends the action shown in rounds one through twelve. Knowing Klitschko won the mental battle with himself of not selling out when he had Byrd hurt proves he is no longer the emotionally young, reckless kid with only potential to his name. He proved he has readily located his ability-limit. He has learned to fight within himself which makes him currently a more dangerous fighter than three or four years ago when he was prematurely hailed as the second coming in the heavyweight division. By capitalizing on his own defeats, he has attained a confident understanding of his own abilities through the utilization of the established intangibles.
Mayweather in the same fashion has proved he can not only embarrass fighters with his physical gifts, but he has the confidence and mentality of a veteran champion who can readily overcome adversity, if need be, in a fight. This combination of dominant physical and now apparently mental gifts, makes Mayweather arguably the most difficult fighter to defeat in all of boxing.
The display of these two fighters’ harnessing of the intangibles is what puts them a step above their competition. It is my hope that boxing fans acknowledge the beauty of what we witnessed in the last couple of weeks: proof that boxing’s most effective artillery lies in that which cannot be accurately illustrated by any mathematical statistic.
Questions/comments send to Hackman@uwm.edu