The Winners Watched The Losers Fight

Published

13 years ago

February 23, 2012

The Winners Watched The Losers Fight – This past weekend WBC heavyweight title holder Vitali Klitschko 44-2 (40) won a hard fought unanimous decision over Britain’s Dereck Chisora 15-3 (9). Klitschko-Chisora certainly didn’t remind anyone watching of the “Thrilla In Manila” but for what we’ve come to expect as of late from heavyweight title bouts, you could almost say it was an outstanding fight.

It’s probably fair to say that the outcome was really never in doubt, but Chisora did back up his pre-fight deeds and words and really did try and take it to Vitali. In fact he had Klitschko on the defense with his controlled forward aggression more than any fighter since Lennox Lewis did so almost nine years ago. Chisora proved that he’s a worthy contender and if he manages not to do anything stupid outside of the ring, he’ll be heard from again and has a great chance to capture a version of the heavyweight title.

Hopefully his behavior at the post fight press conference isn’t a sign of things to come.

After giving a great acquittal of himself in the biggest fight of his career, Chisora managed to get into a post fight altercation with fellow Brit and former title holder David Haye 25-2 (23). Forget about who started the melee or so called brawl between Chisora and Haye because it doesn’t matter, they’re both dopes. On one side you had Haye taunting Chisora about losing three of his last four fights, and Chisora responding back for all to hear that, “I’m gonna shoot David Haye.” He should’ve just ignored Haye because of the two, Dereck put up a much better showing against Vitali than Haye did against Wladimir Klitschko last summer.

Prior to both of their title confrontations with the Klitschko brothers who posses all the meaningful heavyweight title belts, both Haye and Chisora talked a great fight before they were gloved up on fight night. Yet only one of them lived up to their words during the fight and gave a memorable performance, and that was Chisora. However, all anyone is talking about is his post fight scrap with Haye instead of how he gave Vitali the toughest bout of his title tenure.

And then there’s Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, the winners of the only two fights that mattered between them versus Chisora and Haye..the ones that took place in the ring where you actually get paid. During the post fight ruckus between Chisora and Haye, both Vitali and Wladimir just stood there smirking and didn’t say anything as they observed the absurdity. Both of them had to be laughing inside at the way Chisora and Haye were conducting themselves. Hell, Vitali had to really be enjoying it for the fact that for the next couple of weeks everyone will be talking and reading about what fools Chisora and Haye are, instead of how old and beatable he looked on February 18, 2012.

Boxing is not a sport for the faint and weak heart-ed. It’s nature attracts a lot of different types of men, just like all other physical and combat sports. Not all of them are rough characters like Chisora and Haye, but a majority of them are characters. Boxing is a tough sport and you have to expect some antics like Chisora slapping Klitschko at the weigh in. That wasn’t a big deal and everyone knows it was nothing more than Chisora looking for an edge and adding a little shock to the show.

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier rolled around on an ABC studio floor fighting for real after Ali called Joe ignorant a week before their rematch. Ali ripped George Foreman’s tuxedo jacket at an awards dinner six months before they fought just to get in his head. Fighters aren’t altar boys and sometimes they behave badly. That’s not justifying thuggish behavior between combat sports participants, but it does come with the territory. We’re not talking about tennis or golf, we’re talking about boxing, MMA and sometimes even the NFL and NBA.

What Haye and Chisora did at the post fight press conference was embarrassing and it shouldn’t be condoned or tolerated, but we’ve seen it before and we’ll surely see it again. On the other hand Vitali and Wladimir comported themselves with class as they both stood there and observed, yet nobody cares about them unless they’re going to fight one of the wild-cards named Dereck Chisora or David Haye again.

Some fans have a hard time with the Klitschkos ruling the heavyweight division. Why?

Is it because they’re flawed and not perfect fighters? Is it because they haven’t had to face a murderers row of challengers during their era? If that’s the case you better hold recent champions like Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson to the same standard. What must be respected about Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko is they’re professionals and with rare exception beat the fighters they’re supposed to beat. And today, there’s something to be said for that.

Forget about how flawed you think the Klitschkos are and how badly you want them gone. They at least keep their fighting to where it belongs, and that’s the place where you get paid a lot of money for doing it, especially if you continue to win like they have for the better part of the last decade. They’ll both no doubt retire with their health, a ton of wealth and legacies that will keep their names in the history books forever.

Whereas Chisora and Haye will most likely be in financial difficulty before they’re 40 years old and will be best remembered for a post fight press conference scrap in front of the two fighters who kept their names out of the history books. Too bad they didn’t let their hands go in the ring as much as they did during a post fight press conference. Maybe even Vitali and Wladimir were thinking that as they watched the losers fight?

Of course, the irony here is that if Haye and Chisora fight in England, it’ll be one of the biggest grossing non-title fights ever.

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Frank Lotierzo

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

9 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he rose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 25-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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