Emanuel Augustus Is and Was No Andrew Golota, Or Vice-Versa

Published

11 years ago

October 21, 2014

The near-fatal shooting of former fighter Emanuel Augustus – by all accounts, he remains in critical condition – recalled one of the more curious weekends a lot of boxing writers, myself included, ever were a part of. The contrast between what happened in The Palace at Auburn Hills, in a tony suburb of Detroit, on Oct. 20, 2000, was in stark contrast to what happened one night later, in Motown’s gritty, old Cobo Hall. Those two very different bouts should have reminded everyone in attendance at both events that success in boxing owes as much to intangibles – heart, determination, a refusal to succumb to adversity – as to physical talent. True greatness in the ring can only be achieved when a fighter is blessed with heaping measures of skill and of will, qualities that are not mutually inclusive.

The headliner for the high-visibility, big-bucks extravaganza at The Palace – prime ringside seats had a then-record face value of $2,500 (attendance was 16,228), and the subscription price for the much-anticipated Showtime pay-per-view telecast was $49.95 – was two-time former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, still the biggest draw in the sport despite, or maybe because of, his burgeoning reputation as something of an unhinged wild man. That sinister image owed in large part to “Iron Mike’s” chomping of Evander Holyfield’s ears in their rematch three years earlier, but, not surprisingly, in his first post-chew outing, against Frans Botha, Tyson had blatantly tried to break the South African’s arm during a clinch, a transgression of civility that was overlooked by referee Richard Steele en route to Tyson’s fifth-round knockout victory.

In Cobo Hall, the main attraction was a not-quite-yet-at-the-top-of-his-game Floyd Mayweather Jr., the then-23-year-old WBC super featherweight champion whose purse for the non-title 12-rounder, $250,000, was mere tip money compared to the megamillions he pulls down today.

But, in retrospect, the real stories of those companion bouts belonged to neither Tyson nor to Mayweather. The real drama was furnished by the superstars’ opponents. Tyson was paired against the “Foul Pole,” Poland’s Andrew Golota, a big man blessed with power and boxing ability as well as being saddled with an inner fear that frequently overcame him during inopportune moments. Mayweather was to swap punches with Augustus, then known as Emanuel Burton, a competent tradesman who lacked elite abilities, but who compensated for that shortcoming with an inexhaustible supply of gumption and want-to.

In Golota, the world again saw a fighter who might have become a champion, or at least a major force in the heavyweight division for a long time, again implode in a cloud of shame and recrimination. In Augustus, we saw a presumed no-hoper give one of the most gifted fighters in the planet all he could handle, simply because the designated victim didn’t realize he wasn’t in there to, you know, actually win.

Golota flat-out quit at the end of the second round, confirming what many had already believed about him, his act of surrender punctuated by his shoving of his new trainer, 72-year-old Al Certo, as well as of referee Frank Garza, each of whom were trying to get him to get back to doing what he was being paid handsomely (a reported $2.2 million) to do, which was to fight.

“I’m sorry for all my fans who count on me,” Golota, nearly in tears, said afterward as the full implication of his career suicide must have been setting in. “It was not my day. But he head-butt me, you know? And nobody took care of this, you know? Nobody gave (Tyson) a warning.”

By attempting to blame Garza, and Tyson, Golota dishonored only himself. It hardly seemed to matter that the announced result – a third-round TKO win for Tyson – later was changed to a no-decision by the Michigan boxing commission after Tyson tested positive for marijuana.

The 6-4, 240-pound Golota, of course, had already established himself as the loosest of cannons with myriad demonstrations of mindless sabotage. He was twice beating up Riddick Bowe before a spate of low blows resulted in disqualification defeats in fights he appeared to be winning handily. A bronze medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the winner of an unprecedented seven Polish national amateur titles, Golota also bit Samson Po’uha on the neck in their May 16, 1995, bout in Atlantic City, but the referee didn’t penalize him and he went on to win on a fifth-round stoppage. It was more or less the same story on March 15, 1996, when Golota blatantly head-butted Danell Nicholson, also in Atlantic City. Again Golota avoided disqualification, and he took out Nicholson in eight rounds. And Golota was far ahead on points in his Nov. 20, 1999, meeting with Michael Grant when, after being knocked down in the 10^th round, he rose and indicated to referee Randy Neumann that he’d had enough.

“I don’t think Andrew is a coward,” Tyson’s perplexed trainer for the fight at The Palace, Tommy Brooks, assessed after Golota again had run up the white flag. “He has anxiety attacks. Mainly, he’s a front-runner. Once the tide turns in a fight, he folds the tent.”

Folding the tent, regardless of the circumstances, was not Augustus’ style, and he again showed that with his gutty performance against the vastly more talented Mayweather the night after Golota had given up in a fight he probably wouldn’t have won in any case, but in which he at least had a chance to redeem himself to some degree.

Against Mayweather –still known as “Pretty Boy” then, not “Money” – Augustus proved that there was much more to him than his nondescript record (22-16-4, with 10 wins inside the distance) might have indicated. The end came as expected when Augustus, his face swollen and bleeding from the nose and left ear, had taken three consecutive left hooks to the body in the ninth round of the scheduled 10-round. With their fighter well behind on points, Augustus’ cornermen began waving white towels, prompting referee Dan Grable to step in and wave a halt to the surprisingly competitive contest.

Not surprising, though was Augustus’ angry reaction to the stoppage. He figured he still had more than a round to land that tide-turning shot and possibly shock the world, and even if it didn’t happen, hell, he wasn’t the kind to ever give up.

“But I’m not hurt,” Augustus told Grable in animated but futile protest. “Come on, don’t stop it.”

Augustus’ manager, Luis DeCubas, said his guy had fought too hard and too well to be exposed to continued punishment in a fight he couldn’t win.

“Emanuel’s left hand was screwed up, his right hand was gone,” DeCubas said. “He had nothing left to hurt Floyd with. Why would I leave the kid in there to get killed. That’s not right. But I tell you, Emanuel has the biggest heart in boxing, and he proved that today.”

Despite the apparent ease with which he was winning, Mayweather didn’t come out of the scrap unscathed. When Grable stepped in and wrapped his arms around Augustus, Mayweather’s nose was dripping blood and his face was uncharacteristically blotchy.

Before Mayweather took on Miguel Cotto in 2012, he said, “If I was rating certain fighters out of every guy that I fought, I’m going to rate Emanuel Augustus first compared to all the guys that I’ve faced. He didn’t have the best record in the sport of boxing, he has never won a world title, but he came to fight and, of course, at that particular time, I had took a long layoff (seven months).”

Augustus is perhaps best-known for his putting Mayweather to one of his sternest tests, but that was hardly his only career highlight. Known as the “Drunken Master” for his penchant for fake-staggering around the ring, likely a ploy to draw opponents into his hitting zone, Augustus dropped a 10-round decision to the rugged Micky Ward on July 13, 2001. The ESPN2-televised brawl as so action-packed that it was named Fight of the Year by, among others, The Ring magazine and USA Today.

Losing with courage is still losing, however, and Augustus concluded his professional career on Jan. 29, 2011, the eight-round unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of Vernon Paris – on the undercard of the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Devon Alexander junior welterweight unification bout at the Silverdome, in Pontiac, Mich. – left him with a final mark of 38-34-6, with 20 wins as well as five losses inside the distance. Never a champion, or even a serious contender (he never got a shot at a widely recognized world title), it was Augustus’ destiny to simply fade away, a mostly unremembered footnote to boxing history.

Even the particulars of his near-death – the Chicago native was shot in the head (Christopher Sills was arrested several days later) in his adopted home of Baton Rouge, La., close to a gym where the 39-year-old Augustus sometimes sparred – was hardly headline news. In Louisiana’s capital city, the citizenry was far more interested in the LSU football team’s last-second, 30-27 victory at Florida three days earlier than in the shooting of a retired boxer who never really attained star status there or anywhere else.

But the fact that Emanuel Augustus is hanging on, fighting for his life with the tenacity he always exhibited inside the ropes, stands as incontrovertible proof of two things:

One, the man always could take one hell of a shot.

And two, he can never be likened to Andrew Golota.

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Bernard Fernandez

Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

4 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

Chris-Eubank-Jr-Outlasts-Conor-Benn-at-Tottenham-Hotsour-Stadium

Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

6 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective,-Chap.-323:-Benn-vs-Eubank-Family-Feud-and-More.jpg

Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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