By James Slater: Yet more bad news has been announced regarding tomorrow night’s International version of “Prizefighter: The Heavyweights.” It has been reported on Fightnews.com that U.S heavyweight Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson has become the latest big name to have had to pull out of the once world class tournament. Reportedly, Johnson was refused permission to exit the U.S due to non-payment of child maintenance.
Replacing the once-beaten contender (Johnson being the third big name to pull out, following Fres Oquendo and Juan Carlos Gomez), will be little-known Evgeny Orlov of Russia, 13-8-1(8). The huge 6’9” 32-year-old will now meet French champion Gregory Tony in his first fight of the eight-man tourney.
Tomorrow’s show will still be worth watching, even if the best-known, most talented fighters who were on board for the event have now withdrawn. It just goes to show how putting together a show like this is never an easy job. At one point it looked as though big names like James Toney and Hasim Rahman might join Johnson, Oquendo and Gomez. Instead, we have what can only be called a mixed bag of fighters. Hopefully, the eight that are now in will give us a good show tomorrow.
New guy Orlov has fought mostly in Russia and in Germany (where he is based). Losing to some familiar names in Francesco Pianeta, Attila Levin and Kubrat Pulev, the approx 300-pound man-mountain has at least the experience of fighting more than once on the same night. Back in October of last year in Cyprus, Orlov – colourfully nicknamed “The Molecule From Hell” – took part in a “Bigger’s Better” tournament, where he faced three unknowns in a row. Orlov lost in the final to Oleksiy Mazykin of Ukraine in the final (UD3).
Orlov joins fellow giant Tye Fields as a monster who might just have more than a decent puncher’s chance to win the £32 grand prize money and the trophy that goes along with it.
And though it would have been nice to have seen more familiar names taking part tomorrow, bigger names do not always equate into better action. Sometimes the unknowns and the up-and-comers, or even the guys drinking at the Last Chance Saloon, provide thrilling action. Hopefully this will be the case tomorrow. Who will win? That’s a tough one; seeing as how we know so little about a number of guys taking part.
Call me crazy, but I have a feeling “Big Sky” will pull it off tomorrow night.