by James Slater, photo by Wray Edwards/ESB – If he’d beaten his last opponent, Walid Smichet, in a dominant and overwhelming fashion Ireland’s John Duddy would very likely have been challenging middleweight champion of the world Kelly Pavlik this Saturday. But, as fans are aware, the unbeaten 28-year-old instead had one hell of a time with the largely unknown Canadian native on the Klitschko-Ibragimov show back in February.
Duddy kept his unbeaten, now 24-0(17) record, but he took way too many shots from Smitchet, was badly busted up as a result and quite spectacularly eliminated himself – for the time being, at least – from the Pavlik sweepstakes. Duddy was, it must be said, somewhat exposed. Showing hardly any effective defence all night, the Irishman was to suffer horrendous cuts around his eyes. Suddenly the 28-year-old was passed over by Welshman Gary Lockett when it came to who would box “The Ghost” next. The question is, has Duddy’s marketability been irreparably harmed since his way tougher than expected fight with Smichet?
In some ways the fact that Duddy has been forced to wait until he challenges for a world title is a blessing. The way he was so easily hit by Smichet made it quite clear Duddy would have been all but certainly blown away by the lethal hitting Pavlik had he fought him while showing the same lack of attention towards avoiding punches. Now at least Duddy has the time to learn as much as he can with a few more fights. Then, if he has mastered the art of head movement at least a little, the 28-year-old just might have a shot against a guy like Pavlik.
Very exciting, yet also vulnerable, Duddy’s fans will still pay to see him fight. As such, no, his marketability may not have taken such a beating. Massively popular, the tough Irishman will still sell tickets. But whether or not any of the purists among boxing’s experts would give him much of a chance against the elite of the middleweight division is another question entirely. What Duddy needs now is a number of confidence boosting and, if possible, spectacular looking wins. He needs to make fans forget about the way he looked in the Smichet fight and get people talking about him as a genuine contender.
First up in this rehabilitation, as it were, is the 28-year-old’s next fight. Boxing the 33-year-old Charles Howe, a guy who was stopped in one round by Joey Gilbert in his last fight, Duddy should have no trouble getting himself back on an impressive winning track. Hopefully, if the fight lasts that long, Duddy will also be in a position to be able to show off a few newly acquired defensive moves.
Otherwise, if he continues with his exciting yet risky fighting style, John Duddy’s chances at even giving a credible effort in a world title fight will be severely compromised.