WATCHING WILDER Heavyweight Punching Sensations & How They Fared

Published

9 years ago

January 6, 2015

With the upcoming WBC heavyweight title clash between title holder Bermane Stiverne 24-1-1 (21) and challenger Deontay Wilder 32-0 (32) beginning to garner a lot of attention, because of Wilder’s 100% KO ratio, I thought I’d take a look at some other hyped heavyweight punching sensations who made their pro debut in the late 1960s and later, excluding former undisputed champ George Foreman. I’m excluding Foreman because he turned out to be more than a once in a generation puncher. Foreman really was a once in a lifetime puncher, and perhaps the strongest and most powerful heavyweight of the 19th and 20th centuries. The list below is comprised of the fighters who were really, really hyped as being genuine life-takers. And with the exception of two, the others turned out to be the genuine article.

I didn’t include big punchers the likes of Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt, Al “Blue” Lewis, Gerrie Coetzee, Mike Weaver, Bonecrusher Smith, Frank Bruno, Ray Mercer and Bert Cooper. And the reason for that is, despite all of them being legit with their power, they were never promoted and hyped to the extent that the fighters below were.

The 10 fighters listed below all received the media hysteria, and then some. This is the type of hype that Deontay Wilder is the benefactor of today.

Mac Foster: Made his pro debut on 11/28/66 and retired with a career record of 30-6 (30). Foster never fought for the title because the gatekeepers during the early 1970s were really tough and he stumbled in his biggest opportunity. At the zenith of Mac’s career he sported a record of 24-0 (24) and then was KO’d by Jerry Quarry in the sixth round in his first real test. Historically, Foster is remembered as being a pretty good puncher who didn’t bring much else to the ring. Definitely not the life-taker he was built up to be, but he was a good puncher among his contemporaries.

Earnie Shavers: Made his pro debut on 11/6/69 and retired with a career record of 74-14-1 (68). Shavers went on to fight for the heavyweight title twice, against Muhammad Ali in 1977 and Larry Holmes in 1979. Earnie hit Ali with some of the hardest shots he was ever caught with, and he was two seconds away from scoring a seventh round one-punch knockout over Holmes in their title bout. Historically, Shavers is considered to be one of the hardest two-handed punchers in boxing history. Both Ali and Holmes have said repeatedly that Shavers was the biggest puncher they ever fought. However, his stamina and delivery system were flawed and that held him back from becoming a great fighter.

Ron Lyle: Made his pro debut on 4/23/71 and retired with a career record of 43-7-1 (31). Like Foster and Shavers, Lyle lost to Quarry in his first high profile bout, the difference being Lyle lost by decision and wasn’t stopped. Lyle could hit with both hands and was a dangerous boxer-puncher, who could also fight inside. He fought for the title once and was stopped in the 11th round by Muhammad Ali. Lyle scored a sixth round knockout over Shavers, and in a pier-six brawl a year later had George Foreman down twice in their 1976 bout. In fact, no other fighter hurt Foreman during his career as badly as Lyle did before he was ultimately stopped by George. Lyle was a legitimate big puncher who could throw every punch in the book. He was fundamentally better than Shavers and had a better chin, but Earnie had the heavier hands.

Gerry Cooney: Made his pro debut on 2/15/77 and retired with a career record of 28-3 (24). Cooney was hyped as the boy-next-door white hope who could really punch. Cooney destroyed a washed up Ron Lyle and Ken Norton, both in one round. He was tall and had a debilitating left hook and was an underrated boxer. He gave Larry Holmes, when he was in his prime, a tough fight before running out of gas and taking too many punches, which led to his demise in the 13th round. Cooney for personal reasons outside of the ring never reached his potential as a fighter, but his power was legit and worthy of the hype it generated. This notion is something Larry Holmes has repeatedly endorsed over the last 30 years.

Mike Tyson: Made his pro debut on 3/6/85 and retired with a career record of 50-6 (44). Tyson was hyped and marketed better than any fighter in history. Mike was a rare blend of speed, power and accuracy. He used his short arms and stature to set up his finishing combinations and shots once inside. Tyson is the youngest fighter in history to win the heavyweight title, at age 20. His power and speed made him one of the most feared fighters of his era. He could hit with both hands, but unlike Foster and Shavers, he always delivered his power regardless of the opponent. Tyson lived up to the hype and was the real deal. He was much more than just a big puncher.

Tommy Morrison: Made his pro debut on 10/11/88 and retired with a career record of 48-3-1 (42). Morrison had a lot of hype behind him, like Cooney, and like Gerry, his Sunday punch was his left hook. Morrison scored some picturesque KOs on the way up and did capture the WBO heavyweight title. However, when he met the upper tier opponents of his era, his chin and stamina turned out to be a bigger liability than his power was an asset. Stand there and let him hit you, you’re in trouble. Like Cooney and Shavers he was easy to hit and seldom came back to win once he was hurt or in trouble. That said, his power was for real.. but he wasn’t a great fighter.

Lennox Lewis: Made his pro debut on 6/27/89 and retired with a career record of 41-2-1 (32). Lennox was a tall heavyweight who could box and punch. He could fight as the attacker or he could step back and counter. He had a terrific jab and uppercut and he could end the fight with a single right hand. Lennox fought a lot of big punchers during his era and never met a fighter he couldn’t beat. His power was for real and his delivery system was exceptional. Like Tyson, Lennox is considered one of the all-time greats, and it’s not just because he could punch. Historically, Lewis probably exceeded his expectations.

David Tua: Made his pro debut on 1/12/92 and retired with a career record of 52-5-2 (43). Tua scored one of the most frightening knockouts ever when he stopped future title holder John Ruiz in 19 seconds. Tua, had two handed power and possessed a cast iron chin. He was short and compact like Tyson. When it came to single shot knockout power, Tua was more dangerous and a bigger puncher than Tyson. However, he wasn’t as fast or accurate. In his only title shot he was dominated by Lennox Lewis and lost by decision. Sadly, he never got near enough to Lennox to catch him good and was easily out boxed by him. Tua is no doubt one of the biggest punchers in heavyweight history, but is seen historically as an under-achiever. His power was authentic and real, but he wasn’t a great fighter because of his poor delivery and accuracy.

Wladimir Klitschko: Made his pro debut on 11/16/96 and is currently 63-3 (53). Wladimir is still in the midst of his career. Due to his reach and size he most resembles Lewis. Klitschko has a great left hook and his right hand has fight-ending power. He doesn’t like to fight inside and isn’t that good at it. He is best fighting at mid range and outside. He enters the ring with trepidation because he was stopped during the first few years of his career. However, he has learned how to use his size and now fights big. He looks as if he can hold the title almost as long as he wants to, and he is most definitely the hardest punching heavyweight in the world today. As it stands right now, Wladimir Klitschko has lived up to the expectations that were placed upon him when he turned pro.

Samuel Peter: Turned pro on 6/2/01 and retired with a career record of 34-5 (27). Peter was hyped to be the next Tua, but as a puncher and fighter he was no Tua. Peter was a crude, wild swinging banger with no game plan and couldn’t box. He didn’t have the greatest chin, and for him to land cleanly, he needed his opponents to stand right in front of him and then dare him to hit them. Based on the early hype that surrounded him, he didn’t come close to matching the hype as a puncher or a fighter.

The 10 fighters above were really hyped on their way to the big-time and were billed as being once in a generation punchers. Most of them lived up to their expectations but never blossomed into being great fighters, with the exception of Lewis and Tyson. They didn’t flourish like that because of other shortcomings in their game, as some couldn’t box and therefore didn’t always deliver their power, and/or some lacked a great chin and the stamina needed at the highest level in professional boxing.

Now the boxing world awaits for Deontay Wilder to show if he’s the real deal and if his perfect record of scoring all knockouts in his 32 bouts is authentic, or if he is just a product of great maneuvering and match-making. One thing is for sure–all big punchers are susceptible to being hit. And Wilder has been chin checked during a few of his early fights and as an amateur. So we have questions about his durability and power, at least I do.

Down the road someone will do a list like this and Wilder’s name will be under Samuel Peter. Only then we’ll have the wisdom of time to find out if he was more Lennox Lewis or Samuel Peter. The only thing we know right now is….if you say you know, you really don’t, you’re just guessing. Most likely we’ll have a better idea as to whether Deontay Wilder is the genuine article on January 18, 2015.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Ramon Cardenas Channels Micky Ward and KOs Eduardo Ramirez on ProBox

Published

13 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Ramon-Cardenas-Channels-Micky-Ward-and-KOs-Eduardo-Ramirez-on-ProBox

The Wednesday night bi-monthly series of fights on the ProBox TV platform is the best deal in boxing; the livestream is free with no strings attached! Tonight’s episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas and Eduardo Ramirez who brought a caravan of rooters from his hometown in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Cardenas, coached by Joel Diaz, entered the contest ranked #4 by the WBA. He was expected to handle Ramirez with little difficulty, but this was a close, tactical fight through eight frames when lightning struck in the form of a left hook to the liver from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasn’t able to beat the count. It was as if Cardenas summoned the ghost of Micky Ward who had a penchant for terminating fights with the same punch that arrived out of the blue.

The official time was 1:37 of round nine. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick “Wrecking” Ball in London in his lone previous fight outside Mexico, falls to 23-3-3.

Co-Feature

In an upset, Tijuana super welterweight Damian Sosa won a split decision over previously undefeated Marques Valle, a local area fighter who was stepping up in class in his first 10-round go. Sosa was the aggressor, repeatedly backing his taller opponent into the ropes where Valle was unable to get good leverage behind his punches.

The 25-year-old Valle, managed by the influential David McWater, was the house fighter. This was his 10^th appearance in this building. He brought a 10-0 (7) record and was hoping to emulate the success of his younger brother Dominic Valle who scored a second-round stoppage of his opponent in this ring two weeks ago, improving to 9-0. But Sosa, who brought a 24-2 record, proved to be a bridge too high.

The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for the Tijuana invader and a disgraceful 98-92 for the house fighter.

Also

In a fight whose abrupt ending would be echoed by the main event, 34-year-old SoCal featherweight Ronny Rios, now training in Las Vegas, returned to the ring after a 22-month hiatus and scored a fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco of the Dominican Republic.

A three-punch combo climaxed by a left hook to the liver took the breath out of Polanco who slumped to his knees and was counted out. A two-time world title challenger, Rios advanced to 34-4 (17 KOs). Polanco, 34, declined to 21-6-1. The official time was 0:54 of round five.

—

The next ProBox show (Wednesday, May 8) will have an international cast with fighters from Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom. In the main event, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr will make his U.S. debut against the California-based Kazakh Sergey Lipinets.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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