A Boxer With A Detached Retina Weighs In On Margarito…FOLSTAD

Published

13 years ago

December 1, 2011

Cotto Margarito final PC 111130 003a Antonio Margarito will be fighting Saturday night thanks to the recent musings of the New York State Athletic Commission. The all-clear siren has sounded. All is suddenly right again in the closeted world of Top Rank.

The right eye is fine, and Margarito’s rematch with WBA super-welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is back on schedule at Madison Square Garden (HBO Pay-Per-View).

Too bad, though. I could have saved the NYSAC some time and heartache if they had just asked me about battered eyes. I would have told them it was safe for Margarito to fight again. His cataract surgery was last spring, or about the same time mine was. That’s plenty of time for the eye to heal, to see things clear again.

Why ask me? Because I know the wear and tear fighting puts on the eyes.

While it was Margarito’s right eye that was injured last year in his fight with Manny Pacquiao, it was my left eye that quit on me, surrendering to one too many punches thrown in one too many dark arenas.

At the time, it almost felt like a betrayal, a mutiny. One minute I was dreaming of titles, fame and fortune, the next minute I was eating breakfast while my fiancé told me about the career opportunities in selling life insurance. She was explaining all the benefits that come with regular paychecks and 40-hour weeks at a bank or in a real estate office, places where you won't bleed or bruise or cut too easily.

But I never really listened.

It was a right hand or a head butt or maybe a shoulder that did the damage, slipping in like a thief, doing the dirty work on my eye and then quietly slipping away unnoticed.

I still don't know how or exactly what round my retina became detached, but it struck a blow for an easier lifestyle.

For me, the world changed after that, moving from fight nights, big crowds, applause, newspaper clippings and long hours in the gym, to coffee and want ads in the morning. From sweatshirts, jeans and sneakers at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday to suit coats and ties and 9 a.m. appointments on the fifth floor of corporate buildings.

The fight – which turned out to be my last – was in the early winter of 1979 in Omaha, Neb., a cold, simple, out-of-the-way place to end a career.

It was supposed to be an easy eight-rounder, a gift for a week of heavy sparring with a guy named Dale Hernandez who was fighting the main event that same night against Lennox Blackmoore.

But by the time my fight was over, I had banged up my right hand, was cut over both eyes and had suffered the detached retina, though I didn't know it at the time.

Despite the carnage, I won the fight, but only in the hard, simple world of figures and won-loss records.

Fight long enough and you learn to ignore the small aches and pains that come with the job, the little inconveniences. They’re with you all the time. They just change places once in awhile. And that's all the battered eye seemed to be, a minor injury that needed nothing more than a few stitches and a little time to heal.

But two weeks later, the black curtain in my field of vision was still pulled down in the corner of my eye. It was like trying to look through a window with the shade half down.

I was scheduled to fight again in Winnipeg, Canada and when I went back to the gym to start training again, I told my trainer, Jim Morgan, that I was still having problems seeing out of the eye. He wouldn’t let me work out that night and the next day I saw an ophthalmologist. Two days later, I had eye surgery for a detached retina, my doctor telling me my fighting days were over, that there was a strong chance I could lose sight in the eye if I damaged it again in the ring. Since I was already very near-sighted, there weren’t a lot of options.

So after 60 amateur fights and 22 pro fights spread out over 12 years, a way of living was suddenly over. It was time to move on, to get a real job.

Still, you never forget what it was like to fight, how special it made you feel despite the crooked nose, the scars over the eyes and the rough edges that still slip out once in awhile.

I tried to explain it to my fiancé but she just shook her head, never understanding why I loved something as brutal as the prize ring.

I stayed away from boxing gyms for awhile after that. I would occasionally read about an upcoming fight, but I wouldn’t watch it. Occasionally, I would run into someone who knew me as a fighter and they would ask me why I wasn’t in the paper anymore and I’d just tell them it was time for me to retire. They would shake their heads, but I wouldn’t go into the details unless they asked me. And then I kept it short, told them I had a bad eye and couldn‘t risk loosing it.

“Maybe if I was fighting for a million dollars, it would be worth taking the risk,“ I’d say. “But I’m not going to jeopardize my eye for a $1,200 purse.”

I remember Sugar Ray Leonard suffered a detached retina two years after I did, and after deciding to retire, he later changed his mind and resumed his career. The medical profession had already made some strides in eye surgery. His purse also had a few more zeros on it than mine. Risk has a price.

Though I did my best to stay away from boxing after that, I eventually was drawn back to the ring and coached an amateur team in Arizona a few years later. And yeah, I sparred with some of the young fighters I trained, knowing the risk. But I believed that 16-ounce gloves, headgear and healing time would minimize the danger to my eye. Besides, I was never good at going cold turkey.

Despite the surgery, my left eye was never really the same after that night in Omaha, and almost 20 years later, in the spring of 1999, I had cataract surgery performed on the eye while living in Denver. The doctor told me my eyes were pretty beat up from my years of fighting and that was the problem.

Then, in March of this year, I was covering some spring training baseball games in Clearwater, FL when I noticed I couldn’t read the scoreboard from the press box. I decided I needed stronger contact lenses and glasses, so I went to another eye specialist in Tampa. Hesaid I needed cataract surgery in my other eye, my right eye.

He asked a lot of questions about my eyes and the trauma they’d been through and I told him about my boxing history. Two weeks later, in early April, I had cataract surgery on my other eye. Three days after that, I was no longer near-sighed. Today, all I need are reading glasses.

Sitting in my eye doctor’s office a few days after the surgery, I asked him half-jokingly if I would ever be able to put the gloves on again and spar.

Without missing a beat, he said I could start sparring again in a couple months after the implanted artificial lens had some time to heal.

“But it probably wouldn’t hurt you to wear headgear,“ he said, keeping a straight face.

Not a bad prognosis for a guy who wore glasses for 53 years, but can see better now at 60 than he could when he was 16.

Antonio Margarito? Saturday night, his eye will be the least of his worries.

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Rick Folstad

Japan’s Budding Superstar Junto Nakatani KOs ‘Petch’ Chitpattana in Tokyo

Published

4 days ago

October 14, 2024

David A. Avila

Japan's-Budding-Superstar-Junto-Nakatani-KOs-'Petch'-Chitpattana-in-Tokyo

Japan’s budding superstar Junto Nakatani knocked out Petch Chitpattana in a battle of southpaws to retain the WBC bantamweight world title on Monday in Tokyo.

It was the first time the rugged Thai fighter was ever stopped.

“This was not my first time knocking out that kind of opponent,” Nakatani said.

The three-division world champion Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs) became the first fighter to knock out Chitpattana (76-2, 53 KOs) and performed the feat in front of a large Japanese audience at Ariake Arena in Japan. It was also his third consecutive knockout as a bantamweight.

“I’m happy about it,” Nakatani said.

The left-handed boxer-puncher expected to be in a firefight from the Thai fighter who had 78 pro fights of experience.

“He was a strong opponent,” said the champion.

During the first three rounds, Nakatani merely probed Chitpattana’s defense and style of fighting. Though he throttled the Thai boxer with a lead left cross in the first two rounds he did not commit until the fourth round.

Then things got interesting.

Chitpattana, who also goes by the name Tasana Salapat, opened up his attack in the fourth round with blistering body shots and short combinations. Both fighters freely exchanged body shots and blows to the head. As if measuring who was tougher.

In the fifth round the furious exchanges continued with both fighters connecting with right hooks. Nakatani began concentrating with uppercuts to the chin as Chitpattana belted the Japanese fighter’s body. Both fighters looked to hurt the other and jabs were a memory. Only power shots were fired by both.

Now it was total war.

The challenger was eager to see who was tougher and determined it was now or never. Both exchanged with abandon in the sixth round with Nakatani firing three and four-punch combinations. It was one of these combinations that saw the Japanese star deliver Chitpattana to the canvas for a count of eight. He got up and fired back looking to score his own knockdown. Nakatani measured his challenger carefully and unleashed a three-punch combination that violently sent Chitpattana reeling. The referee quickly stopped the fight.

Nakatani was declared the winner by technical knockout. The official time of the stoppage was 2:59 of round six.

“Please keep an eye on me,” said Nakatani to the crowd and those watching on international television.

Other Bouts

South Africa’s Phumelele Cafu (11-0-3) floored four-division world titlist Kosei Tanaka (20-2) and out-fought the WBO super fly champion to become the new champion by split-decision.

“Its something I always dreamed about,” said Cafu.

It was quickly evident that Cafu was able to easily land the left hook. But after several rounds of connecting with the left, it was a right-hand counter that dropped Tanaka for an eight-count in the fifth round.

Tanaka rallied furiously with body shots and volume punching. But he could not avoid the power shots coming from the South African fighter who had never fought outside of his country. After 12 rounds one judge scored it 114-113 for Tanaka but two other judges saw it 114-113 for Cafu.

WBO flyweight titlist Anthony Olascuaga and former WBO light flyweight titlist Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez accidentally clashed heads in the first round and a cut over the eye of the challenger forced the fight to be stopped at 2:25 of the opening round. It was ruled a No Decision.

Former kickboxing champion turned boxer Tenshin Nasukawa (5-0) defeated Gerwin Asilo (9-1) handily to win a regional bantamweight title after 10 rounds by unanimous decision.

Nasukawa, a southpaw, showed off his quick hands and floored Filipino fighter Asilo in the ninth round. It was a battle between quick counter-punchers, but it was Nasukawa’s power that seemed to intimidate Asilo. After 10 rounds the scores were 98-91 twice and 97-92 for Nasukawa.

Nasukawa is known by American fans for fighting an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather.

Sunday in Japan

Seiya Tsutsumi (12-0-2, 8 KOs) upset Takuma Inoue to win the WBA bantamweight world title by unanimous decision. Tsutsumi scored a knockdown of Inoue and won by scores 117-110, 115-112, 114-113.

Kenshiro Teraji (24-1, 15 KOs) knocked out Cristofer Rosales (37-7) to win the vacant WBC flyweight world title at six seconds of the 11^th round. He moved up in weight after a lengthy hold of the WBC light flyweight title.

Shokichi Iwata (14-1, 11 KOs) knocked out Spain’s Jairo Noriega (14-1) at the end of the third round to win the WBO light flyweight world title.

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Results and Recaps from Riyadh where Artur Beterbiev Unified the 175-Pound Title

Published

5 days ago

October 12, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Resukts-and-Recaps-from-Riyadh-where-Artur Beterbiev-Unified-the-175-Pouns-Title

For the first time in the history of the 175-pound class, all four meaningful belts were on the line when Artur Beterbiev locked horns with Dmitry Bivol today at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When the smoke cleared, Beterbiev prevailed on a majority decision, adding Bivol’s WBA and lineal title to his own collection of belts to emerge as the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

This was a classic confrontation between a boxer and a puncher. Beterbiev had won all 20 of his pro fights inside the distance. Bivol was also undefeated but had scored only nine stoppages among his 23 wins and nine of his 10 previous fights had gone the full 12 rounds. As an amateur, Beterbiev had lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, the second of those setbacks in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 London Olympics, and it was no surprise that the 33-year-old Bivol, the younger man by six years, went to post a small favorite.

This proved to be a tactical fight that was a disappointment when measured against the pre-fight hype. Neither man was ever in jeopardy of going down and at the conclusion both acknowledged they could have done better.

In the first two rounds, Bivol was credited with out-landing Beterbiev 26-10. But the template was set. Although Bivol landed more punches in the early-going, one could see that Beterbiev was stronger and that his straight-line pressure would likely pay dividends over his opponent who burned up more energy moving side-to-side.

Beterbiev showed no ill effects from the torn meniscus that forced him to withdraw from the originally scheduled date (June 1). At the conclusion, two of the judges favored him (116-112, 115-113) and the other had it a draw (114-114).

IBF Cruiserweight Title Fight

Australian southpaw Jai Opetaia, widely regarded as the best cruiserweight on the planet, took charge in the opening round and wore down Jack Massey whose trainer Joe Gallagher wisely pulled him out at the two-minute mark of the sixth round.

Opetaia, who repeated his win over Maris Briedis in his previous bout, sending the talented Latvian off into retirement, improved to 26-0 (20 KOs) in what was his third straight appearance in this ring. A 31-year-old Englishman, Massey lost for the third time in 25 pro starts.

Opetaia’s next fight is expected to come against the winner of the forthcoming match between Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith. They risk their respective belts next month on a Golden Boy Promotions card here in Riyadh.

Other Bouts of Note

The bout between heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke was the semi-wind-up. It was a rematch of their March 31 tussle in London. At the end of that bruising 12-round barnburner, Wardley was more marked-up but remained undefeated and retained his British title when the judges returned a draw. Clarke likewise skirted defeat after opening his pro career 8-0.

Today’s sequel was a brutal, one-sided fight that never saw a second bell. It was all over at the 2:22 mark of the opening round, dictating a long intermission before the featured attraction even though it would commence 15 minutes ahead of schedule, going off at 3 pm PT.

Both men came out swinging but the Ipswich man, Wardley, had heavier ammunition. A big right hand left Clarke with a visible dent near his left ear. When the end came, Clarke, was slumped against the ropes, his eyes glazed and his jaw looking as if it may have been broken. (He was removed to a hospital where he was reportedly being treated for a fractured cheekbone.)

Wardley, who carried 242 pounds on his six-foot-five frame, never had a proper amateur career, but having knocked out 17 of his 19 opponents, he stands on the cusp of some big-money fights. “I’d be shocked if he’s not fighting for a world title next year,” said his promoter Frank Warren.

In a battle between two 35-year-old middleweights, Chris Eubank Jr advanced to 34-3 (25 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta (25-3-2). A 25/1 favorite, Eubank had his Polish adversary on the canvas four times before the bout was halted at the 1:50 mark of the seventh frame. The match played out in a manner mindful of Szeremeta’s bout with Gennady Golovkin in 2020, another bad night at the office for the overmatched Pole.

The knockdowns came in rounds one, six, and twice in round seven. The final knockdowns were the result of body punches. Szeremeta had his moments, but these were due largely to Eubank’s lapses in concentration; he was never really in any danger.

After Eubank had his hand raised, Conor Benn entered the ring and confronted him. The sons of British boxing luminaries were initially set to fight on Oct. 8, 2022. That match, expected to draw a full house to London’s 20,000-seat O2 Arena, was shipwrecked by the British Boxing Board of Control. Benn’s antics in Riyadh are an indication that it may yet come to fruition.

In a 10-round contest, Skye Nicolson outclassed Raven Chapman, winning by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice. The Aussie was making her fourth start of 2024 and the third defense of her WBC featherweight title.

Nicolson, who improved to 12-0 (1), hopes that her next title defense is in Australia where she has fought only once since turning pro, that back in 2022, but she would gladly put that on the backburner for a date with Amanda Serrano. It was the first pro loss for Chapman (9-1), a 30-year-old Englishwoman.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 300: Eastern Horizons — Bivol, Beterbiev and Japan

Published

7 days ago

October 11, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 300: Eastern Horizons — Bivol, Beterbiev and Japan

All eyes are pointed east, if you are a boxing fan.

First, light heavyweights Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol meet in Saudi Arabia to determine who is the baddest at 175 pounds. Then a few days later bantamweights and flyweights tangle in Japan.

Before the 21^st century, who would have thought we could watch fights from the Middle East and Asia live.

Who would have thought Americans would care.

Streaming has changed the boxing landscape.

Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), the IBF, WBC, WBO light heavyweight titlist meets WBA titlist Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) for the undisputed world championship on Saturday Oct. 12, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The entire card will air on DAZN pay-per-view. In the United States, the main event, expected to start at 3:15 pm PT, will also be available on ESPN+.

A few decades ago, only Europeans and Asians would care about this fight card. And only the most avid American fight fan would even notice. Times have changed dramatically for the worldwide boxing scene.

In the 1970s and 80s, ABC’s Wide World of Sports would occasionally televise boxing from other countries. Muhammad Ali was featured on that show many times. Also, Danny “Lil Red” Lopez, Salvador Sanchez and Larry Holmes.

Howard Cosell was usually the host of that show and then denounced the sport as too brutal after 15 rounds of a one-sided match between Holmes and Randall Cobb at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1982.

That same Cobb would later go into acting and appear in films with Chuck Norris and others.

Streaming apps have brought international boxing to the forefront.

Until this century heavyweights and light heavyweight champions were dominated by American prizefighters. Not anymore.

Beterbiev, a Russian-born fighter now living in Canada, is 39 years old and has yet to hear the final bell ring in any of his pro fights. He sends all his opponents away hearing little birdies. He is a bruiser.

“I want a good fight. I’m preparing for a good fight. We’ll see,” said Beterbiev.

Bivol, 33, is originally from Kyrgyzstan and now lives in the desert town of Indio, Calif. He has never tasted defeat but unlike his foe, he vanquishes his opponents with a more technical approach. He does have some pop.

“Artur (Beterbiev) is a great champion. He has what I want. He has the belts. And it’s not only about belts. When I look at his skills, I want to check my skills also against this amazing fighter,” said Bivol.

The Riyadh fight card also features several other world titlists including Jai Opetaia, Chris Eubank Jr and female star Skye Nicolson.

Japan

Two days later, bantamweight slugger Junto Nakatani leads a fight card that includes flyweight and super flyweight world titlists.

Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs), a three-division world titlist, defends the WBC bantamweight title against Thailand’s Tasana Salapat (76-1, 53 KOs) on Monday Oct. 14, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. ESPN+ will stream the Teiken Promotions card.

The left-handed assassin Nakatani has a misleading appearance that might lead one to think he’s more suited for a tailor than a scrambler of brain cells.

A few years back I ran into Nakatani at the Maywood Boxing club in the Los Angeles area. I thought he was a journalist, not the feared pugilist who knocked out Angel Acosta and Andrew Moloney on American shores.

Nakatani is worth watching at 1 a.m. on ESPN+.

Others on the card include WBO super flyweight titlist Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) defending against Phumelele Cafu (10-0-3); and WBO fly titlist Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs) defending against Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs) the WBO light fly titlist who is moving up in weight.

It’s a loaded fight card.

RIP Max Garcia

The boxing world lost Max Garcia one of Northern California’s best trainers and a longtime friend of mine. He passed away this week.

Garcia and his son Sam Garcia often traveled down to Southern California with their fighters ready to show off their advanced boxing skills time after time.

It was either the late 90s or early 2000s that I met Max in Big Bear Lake at one of the many boxing gyms there at that time. We would run into each other at fight cards in California or Nevada. He was always one of the classiest guys in the boxing business.

If Max had a fighter on a boxing card you knew it was trouble for the other guy. All of his fighters were prepared and had that extra something. He was one of the trainers in NorCal who started churning out elite fighters out of Salinas, Gilroy and other nearby places.

Recently, I spotted Max and his son on a televised card with another one of his fighters. I mentioned to my wife to watch the Northern California fighter because he was with the Garcias. Sure enough, he battered the other fighter and won handily.

Max, you will be missed by all.

Fights to Watch

(all times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN pay-per-view, 9 a.m. Beterbiev-Bivol full card. Beterbiev (20-0) vs Dmitry Bivol (23-0) main event only also available on ESPN+ (3:15 pm approx.)

Mon. ESPN+ 1 a.m. Junto Nakatani (28-0) vs Tasana Salapat (76-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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