THE BREAKDOWN: Martinez-Macklin

Published

12 years ago

March 13, 2012

Lee Wylie

A16Z9832 bw photo courtesy of John James/DiBella Entertainment

THE SETTING:

On March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, Britain's Matthew Macklin will surely need more than just the luck of the Irish when he meets Sergio Martinez at the Theater venue in Madison Square Garden, NY, in a twelve round bout that will be televised by HBO.

Martinez, 48-2-2 [27 kos] is not only THE premier middleweight in boxing, but he is also considered one of the top five pound for pound fighters as well. If not for a controversial decision loss to Paul Williams, that was reversed in devastating fashion with a stunning second round knockout in the rematch, Sergio could stake a claim to being unbeaten in almost twelve years. His winning streak, combined with the manner in which he has attained it, make Martinez one of the most the most dominant fighters in boxing outside the Klitschko brothers.

His wins over Pavlik [unbeaten at 160 at the time] Williams, Dzinziruk [unbeaten] and Barker are among the most impressive consecutive wins by any fighter currently competing today. If Macklin were to come away from the Garden victorious, it would surely trump Ricky Hatton's winning effort over Kostya Tzsyu as the biggest upset involving a British fighter in the modern era.

Similarly to Martinez against Williams, Macklin, 28-3 [19 kos] is no stranger at being on the wrong end of a controversial decision loss. Back in July of last year, Macklin lost a close, highly disputed fight to middleweight champion Felix Sturm. Despite the fight being in Sturm's backyard, many felt Macklin should have been awarded the decision, German television announcers included.

Apart from that loss, Macklin, like Martinez, is also on a healthy run at the moment. One would have to go all the way back to 2006 for Macklin's last legitimate loss, a tenth round stoppage at the hands of fellow Brit, Jamie Moore.

Although the time span of each fighter's winning run may bear a resemblance, the quality of opposition does not. Martinez has been fighting world class opposition, while Macklin has been campaigning against C level fighters.

A win for either man would prove significant.

Martinez will certainly have one eye on Floyd Mayweather's recent weight increase as a possible indication that Floyd may be willing to step up and face him. A win over Macklin and a fight between two of boxing's best becomes one step closer.

On the other hand, should Macklin reign supreme, he would be sky rocketed from mediocrity to magnificence in an instant. Boxing is full of rags to riches stories. With his Irish background, a win for Matthew Macklin on St Patrick's Day, in New York, over one of the elite fighters in boxing would be THE defining moment in his career and one of boxing's top stories in any year.

THE SCIENCE:

Martinez, 37, a natural southpaw, has a style all of his own. Sergio's relaxation and flashiness in the ring have led to many labeling him as arrogant which is not the case. These characteristics serve a purpose. Sergio is a very unconventional counterpuncher. Using his legs, Sergio is able to create a distance between himself and his opponent. Blessed with A+ hand and foot speed, Martinez can use an opponents' aggression against them. By feinting, moving backwards with his hands low, Sergio lures his opponents into a false sense of security. Backing up, Martinez can lead with fast, precise power shots, catching his opponents as they are coming in, then move off to a different angle. Sergio can throw a variety of punches with equal measure. Straight left hands and right hooks remain his signature shots. The unpredictability of his attack make his offense as good anyone's in boxing.

Martinez is one of the very few natural two handed fighters in the sport. He has ended fights with either hand. The right hand, either as a jab [Dzinziruk] or a right hook on the inside [Barker] has served him very well recently. Martinez' left hand is one of the most spectacular single shots in boxing, as was proven by his 2010 knockout of the year over Paul Williams. Against Kelly Pavlik, Martinez successfully showed how a fighter can be the effective aggressor whilst backing up. One of the better attributes in Sergio's repertoire is his ability to let his hands go whilst moving. Martinez does not need to plant his feet in order for him to generate power.

Defensively, Martinez is vastly underrated. He is seldom hit clean. Rather than use technical defense like Floyd Mayweather or Chad Dawson, Martinez, because of his superior athleticism, is more like that of a prime Roy Jones when it comes to defending. Using his legs as opposed to upper body movement, Martinez can travel in and out of the pocket before his opponent has a chance to respond, thus making him a very elusive target.

Matthew Macklin, 29, is not regarded as a technician. He is not some wild brawler either. An orthodox fighter, most of Macklin's emphasis is on the attack. He operates best in close inwhen going to the body with his lead left hand, which he can bring back up to the head as well. Macklin is very conventional with his movement, circling clockwise behind his jab. Macklin also possesses very good head and upper body movement, thus making him more elusive than many might think.

While Macklin's hand and foot speed are far from great, he makes up for that with decent power, size and strength. In his last outing, Macklin displayed excellent in-fighting and aggression, going to the body relentlessly against Felix Sturm in a fight that many [this writer included] felt he won. Macklin's straight punches are decent enough but his hooks and uppercuts [his left in particular] can be fight changing.

Macklin's greatest properties going into this fight may be his chin and volume, two invaluable assets against a hard hitting counterpuncher.

At the moment, Macklin's confidence is sky high. He rightly believes he defeated Felix Sturm, who was a significant step up for him in terms of class. The difference between Sturm and Martinez though, is vast.

THE SCENARIO:

While the physicalities between the two fighters are similar, the physical gifts, like speed and athleticism belong to Martinez.

The biggest problem Macklin will face is the deficit in footspeed. Macklin must be quick enough to shorten the distance on Martinez, without just simply following him around the ring. Martinez' immense stamina level, because of his well documented cycling and soccer background, enables him to move laterally from bell to bell, without showing signs of fatigue. In order for Macklin to have success, he has to try and draw the attack out from Martinez, not allowing him to dictate when the attacks take place. Macklin must feint his way inside, trying to keep Martinez guessing and not the other way around. If Macklin's approach is as deliberate as it was against Sturm, it's not difficult to imagine the consequences. Darren Barker did well against Martinez in nearly making it to the end, but his emphasis was on defense, and his offense suffered as a result.

Macklin must get the defense/offense ratio perfect if he is to pose any real threat to Martinez. Matthew must try and cutthe ring off and get his left foot outside of the right foot of Martinez. Sergio likes to move counter clockwise behind his jab. If Macklin can get his feet into a dominant position, he has an opportunity to land his left hook. Macklin could also try and make Sergio take the lead, using feints and educated pressure. Easier said than done.

Here's the problem.

Martinez is at HIS best moving backwards, setting traps for his opponent to walk onto. Macklin is at HIS best going forward, being the aggressor.

This is why Martinez' style does not bode well for Macklin. Macklin has to be in close and static to let his hands go. Martinez can be out of range, moving away and STILL let his hands go.

The more aggression an opponent puts on Martinez, the better Martinez' style works, as a result of his fast hands and power.

In order for Macklin to have any real chance of winning, he would have to be something he is not. More intellect, less physical is what is needed to decipher Sergio's stylistic code.

Stranger things have happened in boxing. Maybe Martinez' lust for a bigger event has taken his eye off the ball, or maybe this is the fight in which Martinez' 37 years finally decide they no longer want to hang around with his young man's style of boxing. And maybe Macklin produces everybody's favourite “maybe” and lands something big on Martinez.

All evidence points to Martinez having the advantage in just about every department imaginable. Macklin will likely try and cut the ring off, only to taste Sergio's speed and power for his efforts. Macklin is tough, and he may see the final bell. But styles make fights, and Macklin's style by evidence does notnormally translate well against Martinez' style.

Martinez should be too fast. His footspeed will create the distance, and his handspeed will keep Macklin in his high guard for long periods. As the fight moves on, and with Macklin falling behind, he will likely neglect his defensive responsibility. Martinez will likely walk Macklin onto one of his fight ending power shots and put an end to the St. Patrick's day festivities.

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Lee Wylie

The Murder of Samuel Teah Calls to Mind Other Boxers Who Were Homicide Victims

Published

1 day ago

November 27, 2023

Arne K. Lang

The-Murder-of-Samuel-Teah-Calls-to-Mind-Other-Boxers-Who-Were-Homicide-Victims

There will be a boxing show this Friday at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena, a low-budget card featuring the return of former IBF 130-pound world title-holder Tevin Farmer. During the event, there will assuredly be a somber moment when those in attendance stand and silently pay homage to Samuel Teah as the timekeeper tolls the traditional 10-bell farewell. Teah passed away last week on Black Friday, Nov. 24, another victim of America’s epidemic of gun violence. He was 36 years old.

Teah was shot in the mid-afternoon during an altercation that spilled onto the sidewalk of a street in Wilmington, Delaware, and died at a Wilmington hospital. As of this writing, there’s been no arrest, but the shooting was apparently not random. A bus driver for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, Teah was purportedly in Wilmington (roughly 35 miles from his home in Philadelphia) to visit the mother of his child.

Samuel Teah fought as recently as this past May when he suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of journeyman Andrew Rodgers at a show in Pennsylvania’s Newton Township, reducing his record to 19-5-1. Two months earlier he had spoiled the undefeated record of Enriko Gogokhia, an Egis Klimas fighter (think Oleksandr Usyk and Vasily Lomachenko) on a card in Ontario, California. This embellished his reputation as a spoiler. Earlier in his career, he had spoiled the undefeated record of O’Shaquie Foster, winning an 8-round unanimous decision over the man that currently reigns as the WBC world super featherweight champion.

What made Teah’s death more tragic, if that were possible, were all the tragedies that he had overcome. He was born in Liberia when that country was embroiled in a civil war. The family escaped to a refugee camp in Ghana and eventually reached the United States, settling first in New York and then Philadelphia. On the day after Christmas in 2008, when Teah was 21 and working at a Home Depot, he lost six members of his family in a fire that swept his mother’s West Philadelphia duplex after a kerosene heater exploded.

For some, Teah’s violent death may call to mind the murder of another Philadelphia boxer, Tyrone Everett.

That’s an awkward comparison.

Tyrone Everett was a world-class fighter. Six months before he was shot dead by his girlfriend in May of 1977, Everett, then 34-0, lost a 15-round split decision to Puerto Rico’s Alfredo Escalera in a failed bid to win Escalera’s WBC junior lightweight title, a decision so rancid that it stands among the worst decisions of all time. Moreover, the circumstances of Everett’s murder were sordid. His girlfriend, no stranger to the police, fatally shot him after finding him with a transvestite and there was heroin in the apartment they shared. (Editor’s note: For more on this incident, check out the new book by TSS contributor Sean Nam: “Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing” available on Amazon).

Samuel Teah was no Tyrone Everett. A man of deep faith, Sam’s positive attitude, despite all his tribulations, was infectious. “Everyone liked Teah,” said prominent Philadelphia sports journalist Joe Santoliquito who, upon hearing of Teah’s death, tweeted, “he will always have a special place in my heart.”

While the circumstances are different in every case, Teah joins a long list of boxers who met a violent death. If we limit the list to fighters who were still active at the time of their passing, here are four that jump immediately to mind.

Stanley Ketchel

The fabled Michigan Assassin, Ketchel met his maker on Oct. 15, 1910, at a ranch in Conway, Missouri. In the immortal words of John Lardner, “Stanley Ketchel was twenty-four years old when he was fatally shot in the back by the common-law husband of the lady who was cooking his breakfast.”

Battling Siki

Famed for knocking out Georges Carpentier when the “Orchid Man” held the world light heavyweight title, Siki was only 28 years old when he was gunned down in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan on Dec. 15, 1925, but by then the Senegal-born Frenchman had already degenerated into a trial horse. Siki’s body was found in the middle of the street with two bullets in his back fired at close range by an assailant, never identified, who was thought to be avenging a beating he suffered at one of the speakeasies that Siki was known to frequent.

Oscar Bonavena

At age 33, Oscar Bonavena was still an active boxer when he was gunned down on May 22, 1976, on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada, at the front gate of the infamous Mustang Ranch, a legal brothel. Bonavena had come up short in his biggest fights, losing a 15-round decision to Joe Frazier and losing by TKO in the 15^th round to Muhammad Ali, but the rugged Argentine was still a major player in the heavyweight division.

The shooter was a bodyguard for the brothel’s owner Joe Conforte, and rumor has that Conforte was the de facto triggerman, having Bonavena assassinated because the boxer was having an affair with Conforte’s 59-year-old wife Sally who was also Bonavena’s manager of record at this point in the boxer’s career. The story about it spawned “Love Shack,” a 2010 movie that despite a seemingly can’t-miss storyline and a formidable cast (Joe Pesci played Joe and Helen Mirren played Sally) proved to be a box-office dud.

Vernon Forrest

While all homicides are tragic, some are more distressing than others and the death of Vernon Forrest on July 25, 2009, was particularly gut-wrenching. Forrest was shot twice in the back by would-be robbers with whom he exchanged gunfire on July 25, 2009 at a gas station in Atlanta.

Forget the fact that Forrest was a two-division title-holder who had regained the WBC world super welterweight title in his most recent fight with a lopsided decision over Sergio Mora. Few in the sport were as widely admired. His philanthropic work included establishing group homes in Atlanta for the mentally disabled. His death came just two weeks after the death of Arturo Gatti who left the sport following a loss by TKO to Alfonso Gomez in July of 2007 and died under suspicious circumstances at age 37 at a hotel in Brazil.

We here at The Sweet Science send our condolences to Samuel Teah’s family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.

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Benavidez Dismantles Andrade: Will Canelo Be Next?

Published

3 days ago

November 25, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Benavidez-Dismantles-Andrade-Will-Canelo-Be-Next?

SHOWTIME aired its final pay-per-view event tonight with a show that aired from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The four-fight PPV card included world title fights in the 140 and 130-pound divisions, plus an interim title fight at 168 and the return of former two-division title-holder Jarmall Charlo. The interim title fight was a battle of unbeatens between David Benavidez and Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade and that was the featured attraction.

Benavidez, 26, is big for the weight class and lived up to his new nickname, “El Monstro.” He had too much firepower for the 35-year-old Andrade, a 2008 Beijing Olympian who began his pro career at 154 and had won world titles in two lower weight classes. His big moment came in the waning seconds of round four when he knocked Andrade to his knees with a sweeping right hand. The fight turned brutally one-sided at that point although one of the judges had Benavidez ahead by only one point when the sixth round ended. But there would be no seventh round. Andrade’s corner wisely stopped the fight.

A consensus 7/2 favorite in man-to-man betting, Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) began his pro career in Mexico at age 16. In his post-fight interview, he called out Canelo Alvarez while brashly predicting that he would be a legend before he left the sport (and you’ll get no argument from this corner). It was the first pro loss for Andrade (32-1).

Co-Feature

Jermall Charlo returned to the ring after a 29-month absence and scored a lopsided 10-round decision over Jose Benavidez Jr. The judges had it 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This bout was slated for the catch-weight of 163 pounds. Charlo came in overweight (166.4) but the match went ahead. Benavides Jr, a world title challenger during his days as a welterweight, had his moments, but was outclassed by Charlo who advanced his record to 33-0 (22). Benavidez falls to 28-3-1.

Matias-Ergashev

In what shaped up as the most action-packed fight of the night, 31-year-old Puerto Rican Subriel Matias retained his IBF 140-pound title, battering Shohjahon Ergashev into submission in a match that was halted by Ergashev’s corner two seconds into the sixth round. The heavy-handed Ergashev, who was undefeated heading in, dominated the first round-and-a-half, but Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) gradually wore him down.

Matias, who avenged his lone defeat to Petros Ananyan with a dominant showing in the rematch, had become something of a forgotten man in the talent-rich 140-pound weight class, but tonight he showed that he belongs among the elite in the division. It was the first pro loss for Egrashev (23-1, 20 KOs), a southpaw from Uzbekistan who fights out of Detroit and had SugarHill Steward (formally Javan “Sugar” Hill) in his corner.

Garcia-Roach

In the pay-per-view opener, Lamont Roach (24-1-1, 9 KOs) wrested the WBA 130-pound title from Hector Garcia (16-2) with a well-earned split decision. The judges had it 116-111 and 144-113 for Roach with the dissenter favoring Garcia 114-113.

A 32-year-old Dominican southpaw, Garcia was making the first defense of the title he won from Roger Gutierrez, a belt he was allowed to keep after moving up to lightweight to challenge Gervonta Davis, a bout he lost on a ninth-round stoppage. Roach, an underdog in the betting making his first start in 16 months, had come up short in a previous world title fight, losing a decision to Jamel Herring in 2019.

Roach was trailing on two of the scorecards through 10 rounds in what had been a ho-hum fight. But he cranked up the juice in the homestretch, rocking Garcia in the 11^th and flooring him with a right hook in the final stanza. Take away that knockdown (an illegal punch as it landed behind Roach’s head), and Garcia would have retained his belt with a draw.

Non-PPV

In his first start at 140 pounds, Puerto Rico’s Michel Rivera rebounded from his first pro loss (a wide decision at the hands of Frank Martin) with a unanimous 10-round decision over Sergey Lipinets. The judges had it 96-94 and 97-93 twice. Rivera, who improved to 25-1 (14) patterns his style and his persona after Muhammad Ali with whom he bears a strong facial resemblance.

It was the first fight in 16 months for the 34-year-old Lipinets (17-3-1), from SoCal via Kazakhstan. He rarely took a backward step but it wasn’t effective aggression.

In the opener on Showtime’s YouTube channel. 21-year-old super welterweight Vito Mielnicki Jr, now trained by Ronnie Shields, scored the best win of his career, advancing to 16-1 (11 KOs). The pride of Vineland, NJ, Mielnicki had Alexis Salazar on the canvas three times before the match was halted at the 2:27 mark of the opening stanza. Guadalajara’s Salazar (25-6) had been stopped only once previously.

Photo credit: Amanda Westcott / SHOWTIME

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Katie Taylor Turns the Tables on Chantelle Cameron in a Dublin Blockbuster

Published

3 days ago

November 25, 2023

David A. Avila

Katie Taylor Turns the Tables on Chantelle Cameron in a Dublin Blockbuster

Underdogs win too.

Katie Taylor changed tactics and changed the outcome to defeat her conqueror Chantelle Cameron by majority decision and become undisputed super lightweight champion on Saturday.

“Two weight undisputed champion, that sounds great,” said Taylor.

It took six months but the sold-out crowd in Dublin, Ireland saw Taylor (23-1) avenge a loss to Cameron (18-1) and re-assume her position as one of the leaders of the female fight world.

It was a different Taylor who returned to Ireland and this time she brought changes against the younger, stronger Cameron that proved effective.

At first it looked grim for Taylor who resumed her style of speed combinations and was met with jolting left jabs from Cameron. One jab actually delivered Taylor to the canvas but a slip of the foot was caught by the referee.

In the second round Taylor showed her cards.

Using her speed and agility, Taylor used her own jabs and movement to score and then would suddenly clinch both arms. And in between clinches, quick uppercuts and rights scored.

It was the recipe used by the Irish fighter for the remainder of the fight.

The change in tactics by Taylor took away Cameron’s most effective weapon, her strong left jab. Unable to use that weapon, she dove in looking to use her strength and was butted by Taylor in the third round. A deep bloody gash on the forehead of Cameron formed quickly.

Cameron never quit attacking and finally found success in the fourth and fifth rounds with pounding body shots. It seemed to slow her opponent down, who had been busier until the body attack slowed her volume.

Both tried their best to control the rounds. Taylor used her hit-and-clinch recipe while Cameron pounded the body and used her strength inside. The best round erupted in the seventh as both unleashed wicked combinations and uppercuts.

The crowd roared its approval.

All that furious action seemed to drain Taylor and allowed Cameron to overpower her with body shots in the eighth. It also forced Taylor to grab Cameron every time she got close. It became so obvious that the referee warned Taylor to stop holding.

A tired Taylor seemed ready to be taken over, but somehow she mustered enough energy to sling quick combos and clinch. Cameron tried avoiding the clinches but was not able to find a solution.

Taylor closed out the fight with speed combinations as Cameron looked to end the fight with one big blow that never arrived. A spent Taylor looked relieved at the final bell as Cameron could not land the big one.

After 10 rounds one judge scored it 95-95 while two others saw it 98-92 and 96-94 for Taylor who becomes undisputed super lightweight champion.

“Whoever wrote me off you don’t know me very well,” said Taylor. “Tonight, you saw the real me. When I’m boxing no one can beat me.”

The win by Taylor sets up a trilogy with Cameron.

“I don’t think there has ever been a trilogy in women’s boxing. This would be the first,” said Taylor.

2024 look out.

Nicolson Wins

Australia’s Skye Nicolson (9-0) controlled every round over Sweden’s Lucy Wildheart (10-3) by hitting and moving against the slow-moving fighter and eventually won by stoppage in the ninth round to retain an interim featherweight title.

Nicolson proved too fast and agile for Wildheart who seemed a second slower and was punished by counter shots. Eventually a bloody nose forced Wildheart’s corner to stop the fight at 1:11 of the ninth round.

The speedy featherweight Nicolson is the number one contender for undisputed champion Amanda Serrano.

Other Bouts

Ireland’s Gary Cully (17-1, 10 KOs) won by split decision over Reece Mould (18-2, 6 KOs) to return to the victory column after suffering a knockout loss six months ago in the same arena.

Cully, a tall lightweight, started slowly but soon found his rhythm and used uppercuts and movement to offset the hard-charging Mould. There were no knockdowns in the back-and-forth battle with two judges favoring Cully 97-93, 96-93 and one for Mould 97-93.

“I’m back baby and it feels good,” said Cully who was stopped by Mexico’s Jose Felix six months ago.

Speed southpaw Paddy Donovan (12-0, 9 KOs) knocked out Danny Ball (13-2-1) in their welterweight clash with a left to the body in the fourth round. He first dropped Ball with an overhand left during an exchange.

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