The Champ

Published

8 years ago

April 17, 2015

When The Champ walks in the room, everything changes. The room seems smaller. The air changes from communal oxygen to single-purpose and the other people in the room suddenly try to draw shorter breaths in hopes no one notices they’re stealing what’s rightfully his.

But The Champ (pictured above, photo by Rachel McCarson) doesn’t care. Or maybe he doesn’t notice. He’s not there to worry about mundane trivialities such as who owns what. He already know what’s his, and he knows he can pretty much take whatever else it is he wants in the room, too, if he so desires.

He’s The Champ.

Our man strolls in and everyone goes quiet. There’s a hush that swells and no one wants to be the one to pierce it with a sound. The tension makes the moment taut like a balloon ready to pop. He towers over every other person at Lucky Street Boxing Gym in Fort Lauderdale, Florida like they’re ants—like we are all tiny little ants.

It’s hot outside but it’s hotter inside where two boxing rings and scores of regular folk mill about in anticipation of seeing him train. Bleachers are set up for people to come in everyday and they do. There are rules, of course, and everyone follows them. No cell phones, no cameras and no pictures while he’s sparring. Don’t bother him while he trains. Be quiet.

Other stuff, too. If you break a rule, you’re asked to leave.

No one breaks a rule.

It’s media day. People from all over the world have come to see him today. They prowl about the gym like leopards. They try to blend in but they stick out here and there because of their spots. They’ve come for pictures and videos and quotes. The Champ notices the interlopers and gives each of them a few minutes of his time. He’s smart, affable and intentional with every word. If life’s a chess match, most people walk around the world trying to anticipate the next move. The Champ isn’t most people. He’s the type who knows the moves that come after the ones everyone else is busy thinking about, and he’s pondering them in four different languages.

After a few more minutes, The Champ heads to the boxing ring closest to the bleachers. The white mat is marred with sweat and grime and blood. More will be added soon. The Champ sits in a gray metal chair just outside of the ring. He pours talcum into each of his size 15 shoes. The white powder looks like diamonds as it falls. When he’s finished, he serenely begins taping his hands, a ritual that lasts what seems like a lifetime to those snapping pictures with their phones in hopes of later showing their loved ones who they saw pour powder in shoes today.

Soon enough, The Champ is in the ring shadowboxing. He’s throwing punches light but they look like they’d break every bone in your body. Even the air seems to wince at them. The Champ isn’t just big and powerful. He’s fast, athletic, agile and skilled. He was born to fight, and while it may have taken fire, brimstone and the genius of the late Emanuel Steward to mold him into the heavyweight champion of the world, it certainly did happen. He is the champion, and The Champ is the most dominant heavyweight titleholder since Larry Holmes. In fact, the only fighters in the history of the storied division who compare to him statistically are the greatest of the greats: Holmes, Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis.

The Champ is sparring today. Two pugs are dressed up nice to take a beating. One looks tough and mean, the way every fighter of Eastern European descent seems to look these days. But he’s not nearly as big as The Champ and even if he was, he doesn’t have the power, speed or skill to compete with him. Nope, this fellow is just target practice.

The kid has guts though. He slaps down hard on The Champ’s guard using his fist as a hammer trying to create an opening. But The Champ stuffs it and returns the favor the only way a man carrying the moniker “Dr. Steelhammer” could possibly do: heavy, hard and with great malice.

The kid is in there for a reason though. He goes three rounds with The Champ, two of which he was clearly carried. The lion in the ring stalks the lamb, and the kid circles around with long arms and a high guard the way The Champ’s opponent, Bryant Jennings, might try to do on April 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Champ will be ready then. Hell, he’s ready now.

Round 3 is brutal. Where before, the only shots the kid caught were light taps, The Champ is hurling everything with full force now. The World Champion is no longer taking it easy on him. He strafes the kid’s face with all the classics: a jab that looks more like a telephone poll, a right cross that might as well be a dump truck and that vaunted left hook he used last time out to behead his opponent with ruthless precision. The kid is standing by the end of things, but only because The Champ wants it that way.

Next.

One sparring partner scurries away and another one replaces him. This time, the threat is real. Joseph Parker, a young, talented and internationally accomplished prospect from New Zealand, is clearly more formidable and since he hasn’t just fought three rounds, he’s got fresh legs and a clean face. He’s tall like The Champ, has long arms and knows how to use them.

Two rounds fly by and Parker is doing pretty well. He’s keeping The Champ off of him with jabs and crosses to the body and is able to use his reach in ways most fighters can’t. If Jennings is smart, he’ll try to do some of the things Parker did. He did well enough for six minutes to not appear completely outclassed. That’s something. He even landed one excellent right-hand counter flush under The Champ’s left eye after the two traded feints in the middle of the ring.

You haven’t seen guts until you’ve seen a man stare straight at The Champ threaten bodily harm with a punch and the man throws one hard back at him anyway.

But Parker’s conundrum will be the one Jennings’ finds, too. When the third round between them starts, the sixth and final round of sparring for the day, The Champ shakes off all gentlemanly pretense and rocks Parker around the ring as if the preceding two rounds had been some sort of mirage.

Whatever The Champ was working on beforehand, (likely slipping and blocking incoming punches from someone with as long as arms as Parker) he’s down with now. All that is left for Parker to deal with is the World Heavyweight Champion, one of the finest who has ever lived. He strives admirably and with great courage, but Parker is simply no match for him at this stage of his career.

The Champ is too much for him. He’s too much for him the way he’s been too much for every other heavyweight in the world for the last nine years and the way he’ll probably be too much for Jennings in his next fight, too.

When the violence is over, The Champ takes off his gloves and headgear. The remaining hour is spent towering over everything and everyone in the room. Some want quotes. Some want pictures. Some wants autographs. He is the master of his domain. He struts around the room like a rooster. Even his walk is pregnant with integrity, and it’s the kind that sharpens a spine like a razor, the kind that can only be earned the hard way.

Almost no one else in the world has that kind of walk. How could they? Wladimir Klitschko has it because he’s gone through hell and back to become the man he is today. Redemption was knocked to the canvas three times against Samuel Peter almost ten years ago and it clawed its way back to its feet every single time. It never gave up, and the remembrances of knockout losses to Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders the years prior didn’t keep it from trying to exist either.

The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. That’s something Ernest Hemingway wrote. He wasn’t writing about The Champ but he might as well have been. Klitschko is stronger now precisely because he was broken so thoroughly before. He is strong in the broken places.

Strong, intelligent, direct, polite and serious: Klitschko is unlike anyone you’ll ever meet. You can see something in his eye when he talks, whether he’s looking at you or not. You know where you stand with him right from the beginning because it rests there in his gaze, and it’s something not seen in many other human beings on the planet, much less prizefighters.

He’s The Champ. You are not. He knows it.

You do, too.

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Kelsey McCarson

Avila Perspective, Chap. 254: Canelo vs Jermell Charlo in a Battle of Undisputed Champions

Published

20 hours ago

September 29, 2023

David A. Avila

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LAS VEGAS-Less than the usual massive crowd gathered for boxing kingpin Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo in the desert heat outside of the T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. Usually the weigh-ins are slightly bigger for Mexico’s idol.

Is the declining crowd an indicator of Alvarez fans ebbing belief in his abilities?

Still, on Saturday night, two undisputed world champions from differing divisions will collide as Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) meets Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena for the super middleweight world championship. PPV.Com will stream the clash of champions.

This year has seen a hyper-speed uptick in champions fighting other champions, perhaps the result of watching their female counterparts Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor produce the biggest fight of 2022. This year several marquee collisions were spawned from lightweights to heavyweights.

Or maybe the pandemic lull created a twitch panic among the elite.

Charlo was one of those who had been sidelined while others like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Canelo Alvarez filled their pockets with cash. And others like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez gained undisputed glory.

Instead of watching on the sidelines, Charlo decided to make his move for greater glory by attempting to dethrone one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, if not the kingpin of boxing when it comes to money.

“If I accomplish this massive goal, it will be hard to top,” Charlo said a few weeks ago during his media workout. “I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.”

Risks brings rewards.

Canelo, long a member of the boxing elite, has held his position as the box office king for many years now by taking the daunting risks throughout his boxing life.

“Jermell is right, I have nothing to prove. But this time I have something to prove to him,” said Alvarez while in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “He never believed in my skills. He’s been calling me out. Now I have an opportunity to show him my skills.”

Undisputed super welterweight will challenge undisputed super middleweight in a two-division jump not often seen, except for Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Sugar Shane Mosley. It’s the road taken by those who seek to be great.

Both are 33 but the redhead Alvarez has been fighting professionally since he was 15. That’s a lot of bullets in the chamber he has already used. Charlo has height, speed and the ability to adapt to different styles. Stylistically, it’s a battle that makes even the skeptics take pause.

It all depends on Alvarez’s resiliency. Charlo has ring rust, while Alvarez seemingly has lost the hunger. Whose weakness will prove the greater?

“Now is the time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best,” said Charlo. “I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I”m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far.”

Alvarez remembers being as hungry as Charlo.

“I never overlook any fighter,” Alvarez said. “I know what he’s going to bring and I’m ready.”

Undercard

Several other notable bouts are included on the pay-per-view card.

Former world titlists and current welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas (27-5) and Mario Barrios (27-2) battle for an interim title set for 12 rounds.

Super welterweights Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) match skills in a match that pits a southpaw veteran against an undefeated southpaw from Arizona. For the past three years Ramos has been moving up the ladder and was last seen pounding out highly-touted Joey Spencer. Can he survive Lubin who nearly toppled Sebastian Fundora?

Doors open at T-Mobile Arena at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Lampley is back

Legendary HBO announcer Jim Lampley was hired along with ace reporter Lance Pugmire who will co-host the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Jermell Charlo showdown via viewer chat live on PPV.com.

It’s the same concept used by Monday Night Football that features former quarterback greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in alternative programming.

Lampley returns to boxing after a five-year absence following HBO’s yanking of the popular program that vaulted elite boxing to the top behind the likes of George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

The veteran announcer will be live streaming all the action on media platforms before and during the fight action. He was sorely missed by all who follow the sweet science.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk a Go for Saudi Arabia: Date TBA

Published

1 day ago

September 29, 2023

Arne K. Lang

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It is now official. Representatives of WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and WBO/WBA/IBF title-holder Oleksandr Usyk have come to terms. The Fury-Usyk fight will be staged at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on a date to be determined. (Speculation centers around Dec. 23.)

Fury vs Usyk is the latest addition to Riyadh Season, a months-long, state-sponsored, city-wide entertainment and sports festival that commences this year on Oct. 28 with the fight between Tyson Fury and MMA star Francis Ngannou serving as the centerpiece of the grand opening ceremony.

A point that will be central to the pre-fight hype is that more than three decades have passed since boxing had a unified heavyweight champion. The last man to be recognized as such was Lennox Lewis who unified the title in November of 1999 when he won a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Lewis entered the contest sporting the WBC belt whereas Holyfield held the WBA and IBF diadems.

As noted in boxrec, the vacant IBO heavyweight title was also at stake, a fact acknowledged in most British pre- and post-fight reports, but largely omitted from stories in American papers. As for the WBO, which was born the same year as the Florida-based IBO and came to leapfrog past it in credibility, it was out of the loop. Their heavyweight champion was Vitali Klitschko who had won the belt from Herbie Hyde.

The Lewis-Holyfield fight in Las Vegas was a rematch. They had fought eight months earlier at Madison Square Garden. That fight was ruled a draw, a decision deemed so unjust to Lennox Lewis that it spawned a federal investigation.

The tentative Dec. 23 date for Fury-Usyk would be a quick turnaround for the Gypsy King but would give him two months to heal in the event that he emerges from his non-title fight with Ngannou with a facial cut or another issue requiring medical attention. As noted in a story in the London Mirror, the date of Dec. 23 has also been bandied about as the likely date for the resurrection of the aborted fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. Something would have to give and it wouldn’t be Fury-Usyk.

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Atlantic City Welcomes the 7th Annual Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2023

Luis A. Cortes III

Atlantic-City-Welcomes-the-7th-Annual-Boxing-Hall-of-Fame-Weekend

While the world of boxing will be focused on Las Vegas and the mega showdown between two undisputed champions, across the country Atlantic City will play host to the seventh annual Hall-of-Fame Induction Weekend. This year’s festivities are highlighted by the celebration of heavyweight boxers that once helped make Atlantic City the leading destination for “big time” fights. At the top of this year’s class are names like George Foreman, David Tua, Shannon Briggs, and Pinklon Thomas. With names like these, it’s easy to understand why this year’s Induction Weekend, now a staple of the city’s entertainment calendar, figures to be the best ever.

Ray McCline, a lifelong boxing fan, is the brainchild behind the event which has matured beyond the infancy stage. For McCline (himself a 2022 inductee into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame), creating an entire weekend around the sport in a way that could also benefit the city financially was a no-brainer.

“It’s great to see what this weekend has become. It’s been a long road from the original idea, but with great support and partnerships, it’s been possible,” states McCline.

In the past the ACBHOF has had to be as nimble as some of the fighters that they’ve honored to continue making sure the weekend wasn’t lost in the shadows of a city that has dealt with economic struggles. McCline and his staff at the ACBHOF have done an excellent job integrating the history of boxing with the history of Atlantic City. They’ve done this by offering fans the opportunity to spend more than just one evening immersed in the culture of the sport.

“It continues to grow and get better and that’s what it’s all about; making this the type of weekend that boxing fans mark on their calendars each year. This year we’re fortunate to partner with Hard Hitting Promotions to provide a great night of live professional boxing for fans as well,” says McCline. It’s the type of addition to an already full weekend schedule that only strengthens the ACBHOF brand.

A partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has also been a key to recent enhancements for the weekend of events.

After years of having to adapt the schedule to the schedules of their host properties, having this partnership with Hard Rock has allowed for the ACBHOF to lock in the final weekend of September or first weekend of October which is important because it allows fans to plan out their post summer and pre-holiday schedules without having to skip their trip to Atlantic City. “A major bonus,” says McCline. “It was one of the major hurdles that we had to jump over. Integrating Hard Rock and their established relationships in the world of entertainment only benefits both parties.”

It’s a fact that isn’t lost when you see crowds of concert-goers and people arriving in the city for other events enter the Free Fan Expo that takes place prior to the award ceremony.

Which brings us to this year’s schedule of events. Tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 29) will be the customary V.I.P opening cocktail reception followed by the live fights at Bally’s Casino. On Saturday at Hard Rock is the free Fight Fan Experience which allows fans to interact with legends of the sport from the past and fighters of today and tomorrow. During the evening hours. the actual awards and induction ceremony will take place at the Hard Rock. The weekend activities culminate in a legends brunch on Sunday morning at the Blue Water Grille at the Flagship Hotel.

What’s going on in Las Vegas isn’t lost on McCline. “This year is going to be great for those attending the induction ceremony at the V.I.P. level. We were able to set up our post ceremony cocktail reception in conjunction with showing the Canelo-Charlo fight. At the end of the day, we’re all fans of the sport so why miss a historic fight?”

Just listening to the joy that springs from the voice of Ray McCline when discussing both this year’s event and plans for the future is refreshing, especially when one considers all of the roadblocks that he’s overcome to bring his vision to reality in the form of a full weekend of celebration.

Note: The main event of the boxing show on Friday is a 10-round contest between super lightweights Branden Pizarro (18-1-1) and Esteban Garcia (16-2). For more information on event tickets, room reservations, and weekend schedules, visit the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame website at: www.acbhof.com

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