Kyle B. (Chicago, IL): I think Lucian Bute is the best super middleweight in the world today. He continues to defeat everyone put in front of him and quite easily. How do you see him doing against Kessler, and Ward (if he does defeat Kessler)?
Vivek W. (ESB): I would have to say that Bute has certainly made his case as a perennial player in not only the 168lb super middleweight division, but the sport as a whole. That being said, I won’t swing on that “pendulum” as I so aptly call it, referring to the many scribes around the sport that jump from one ‘vine’ to the next when a fighter KO’s someone or does something great. The flipside to Bute is that as great as he has looked, his most impressive victories were Miranda, Andrade (second fight), and Magee. Each of those men are great fighters, but if we had to compare them to the victories of other greats in the sport and what they had to accomplish to reach their elite status, how would they fare?
A prime Pacquiao fought blood and guts with Morales, Marquez and Barrera. Do these names hold up in comparison? Mayweather defeated a prime and undefeated Corrales (RIP), a prime and undefeated Ricky Hatton, and a speedster like Zab Judah, among others. Are we there yet? Hopkins defeated a prime Trinidad, a very powerful Segundo Mercado, and Glen Johnson, among others. Still not quite there, in comparison. So, my point is that although Bute is doing everything right and looking good while doing it, has he truly reached that higher level of the sport, which still resides a notch below the true elite (Mayweathers and Pacquiao’s of the world)?
Remember, he was out on his feet and needed an extended count to beat Andrade in their first encounter. That says a lot. I love what I see from him but a Kessler fight will show me more, and a Ward fight will answer all questions if he does in fact get beyond Kessler. Ward has less experience than Kessler, but I’ve told people for quite some time that to me, his talent, fundamentally puts him only behind Floyd Mayweather jr. in the sport. Inside, outside, box or brawl, he can do it all. I don’t like the headbutts and so forth, but I’ve never known him to compete that way, so I’m more curious to see if the new ‘trend’ continues.
He defeated the best in the world as an Olympian and never needed to foul to do it. What was different about these past few fights? I would say styles, but I could be wrong. Bika and Kessler are both rugged in approach. That can make for an ugly night more often than not. Bute is more measured in his approach so such a fight wouldn’t be that ugly. If Bute can handle the punch and aggression of Kessler, I like him on points, and that’s coming from the biggest Kessler fan on the block. Ward presents too many stylistic challenges and can take a punch, too. I like Ward on points if they fought. No question. Only question there would be where would the fight take place, because neither man seems to want to abandon their home-field advantage. Stay tuned.
Artis H. (Long Island, NY): I was really looking forward to this heavyweight fight and feel disgusted. Considering the limited action, what were your thoughts on Solis, and how it might have ended?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think my thoughts would parallel yours, for starters. I really walked away thinking it was a totally disappointing effort, but truthfully, you can’t blame the fighters. They came to fight, and to be quite frank, when I removed the emotions, I think the little action we did see demonstrated what could have been a good fight. Solis showed great movement, very good skills, and actually landed a few shots that I didn’t think he’d be able to by countering well and setting up his shots. Vitali was still cold, so he hadn’t really put his stamp on the fight yet. Some felt the shot he landed was enough to “scare” Solis into taking a dive. If you look at the shot again, it grazed Solis, and certainly he’s taken bigger shots.
I was very disappointed with the outcome, but upon hearing that Solis actually suffered an anterior cruciate ligament damage and exterior cartilage damage, I think there’s no two ways about it. It ended where it had to end. Several sources have also gone on record, as well as spoken in anonymity saying that it was pre-existing. The closest I can come to actually placing blame here is the fact that similar to what we saw in the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal, there comes a point when the knees of an over-sized athlete simply can’t support too much agility and mobility. All it takes is a sudden movement, coupled with poor footing and a shift of weight in the wrong direction, and SNAP!
You hate to see it, particularly in a fight of this magnitude, but it was non-preventable under the circumstances. A smaller, more lean version of Solis, similar to the one who wrecked havoc in his amateur career (200lbs) would have made for an interesting night. Right now, it’s all an afterthought, because he took a loss without being able to compete. One silver-lining for him is that this was the case, as it allows his confidence to remain intact, knowing that he never actually “loss” to an opponent from something the opponent did that he failed to overcome.
Seeing this whole thing materialize brings to mind a comment someone close to Solis (whom I will keep anonymous) made at his December fight against Ray Austin: “No one can beat Solis, but Solis”. I don’t share that sentiment in totality, but one thing for sure, right now in some respects it’s feasible to say he somewhat “beat” himself. Hope we see him again soon……healthy, and ready to execute at a smaller size, which I’m sure his doctor will tell him. If not, he will continue to defeat himself…..be it over the distance with limited stamina, or as a result of not being able to go the distance like we just saw. Stay tuned.
Thomas V. (California): I think if Oscar Dela Hoya was still around today he could have given us some amazing battles and won against the likes of many top 154lb’ers today. Your thoughts?
Vivek W. (ESB): I’m gonna get ripped by some for this one, but my answer……..Absolutely. Oscar became a bit of a diva in his later days, so similar to Mayweather, he became the man many of us loved to hate, myself included (to a small extent). Emotions aside, I can give a few good reasons why I think he would still be relevant. Most remember the Pacquiao debacle and the Forbes farce, as well as the Sturm fight, but there are a few unspoken truths about these fights (and ODH) that people seem to forget that I’m gonna briefly remind them of.
THE ONLY FIGHTERS TO DEFEAT ODH AT THE END OF HIS CAREER IN HIS NATURAL HABITAT (154LBS) WAS THOSE “SLICK” FIGHTERS B-HOP OFTEN TALKS OF, WHICH GIVE MANY OTHER FIGHTERS THE SAME PROBLEM! Mosley defeated him at 154, Hopkins defeated him at 156, and Mayweather defeated him at 154. Many will say “Sturm should have gotten the nod against him”, but again, Sturm was that “slick” type fighter, and not only that, but that fight was at Middleweight. ODH was NEVER a legitimate 160lb fighter. NEVER! This fight took place at a higher weight than even Hopkins faced him at. That says a lot.
Oscar was almost the equivalence of what people say Marquez was against Mayweather. He had no muscle tone fighting that heavy. He was bloated and poorly conditioned. It was heavier than he had EVER fought and he had no business there, which is why he looked far more energetic, better conditioned, and fought a much better fight against a much better Hopkins than he did against Sturm. Against Forbes, he fought barely (3lbs) above a weight he hadn’t fought in 9 years. 154 was his true middleground. Middleweight was too big, welterweight and anything close was too small for him at that time.
At 154lbs, ODH could still, in my humble opinion, face and defeat much of what’s out there today. Not all, but much. Chavez jr.? I like ODH in that fight all day long. Martinez? Don’t get carried away! Williams, don’t get carried away……the work rate would eat him alive on points over 12, but that left-hook remains a wildcard. I like Williams here, but wouldn’t rule out a shocker. Cotto? a man who’s power has obviously not translated to the division the way it had others, who also cuts easily? Yeah, I think ODH makes a VERY interesting fight to score by the end of 12 here. Don’t know who wins, but an entertaining fight, no question.
Vanes Martirosyan? Yes, I like Oscar, here! Angulo? Looks good, but can be shaken by true power, and although he would do well, at some point he’d probably fall. Kirkland? Gotta love his heart, but it’s too soon. He was rocked by a journeyman the other night. At this stage, a solid left hook and he could be in trouble. That’s the bigger names in the division, and as I stated and subsequently laid a case out for…..yes, I think ODH could do well today against most, but only at 154. No catchweights, no shenanigans! He may not be what he once was, but we’d get a better night of action with him in the ring than we got with Bradley/Alexander 10x over; and that was 2 guys in their primes…..champions, at that!
Jerry I. (Atlanta, GA): Where do you see Kirkland in a year from now?
Vivek W. (ESB): There’s two ways to answer this question…..for starters, I hope a free man is part of the equation. If he can stay free and on the right track, both in and out of the ring, I love his chances to be at a world class level, ready to face the likes of today’s best. Ideally I would like to see him face Angulo at some point when he shakes the rust off, and a bout with Martinez would be great for the winner. But that being said, I don’t think we’ll see Martinez performing at the same high level beyond a year from now.
As we get closer to that 18 month mark, I think his skills and overall conditioning could begin to diminish because he fights in a lot of wars. He isn’t in some slick defensive fighter. He comes to hit and get hit. That wears on you after a while. So, Martinez would be the ideal fight I’d like to see a polished James Kirkland take, but beyond that, if Martinez is somehow knocked off his pedestal sooner, I’d like to see Kirkland somewhere in the mix facing whatever the best level of competition in the sport in his division is.
I like some of the changes I’ve seen in him, but he still needs to polish up that defense. He was wobbled last week. He could still be getting adjusted to getting hit after his hiatus from the ring, but that won’t work as he climbs the ladder. A better defense, and continued improvement in other areas and anything is possible.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), and Facebook).