Jennings Is The Ideal Opponent For Klitschko To Shine Against

Published

8 years ago

April 22, 2015

On Saturday, April 25th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, WBA/WBO/IBF heavyweight title holder Wladimir Klitschko 63-3 (53) will make his 18th consecutive title defense (17-0 13 ko’s) against American challenger Bryant “By-By” Jennings 19-0 (10).

The fight will be broadcast on HBO and marks Klitschko’s first bout in the United States since February of 2008.

Wladimir is riding a 10-year unbeaten streak, and if you look into the streak a little further, you can say with impunity that he hasn’t even had a tough fight or one close call during it.

Klitschko, 6’6″ 245, has been fighting as a professional for almost 19 years, compared to Jennings, 30, who turned pro five years ago. By the time they step into the ring, Klitschko doesn’t look to have slowed down much, if at all, since he began his 21 fight winning streak back in October of 2004.

Bryant Jennings is 6’3″ with an 84 inch reach and weighs about 225 pounds. Some have suggested that he reminds them physically of Evander Holyfield. Holyfield just so happens to be one of the most mentally and physically tough fighters in any weight division in boxing history. As for comparing Jennings to Holyfield mentally or stylistically, it’s way too early to go down that road. But let’s just say for Jennings to compete, let alone beat Wladimir, he better turn out to be Evander’s clone.

Jenning recently said, “Most people don’t even reflect on history and realize that some of the greatest heavyweights of all time weren’t that big. I’m a guy that’s at traditional weight for a heavyweight, that has great movement and has great athletic ability. I have it all, but they’re not even looking at the attributes that I bring to this fight.”

And you know what, there is some truth to what he said. However, having watched Jennings fight four or five times, it’s obvious that he doesn’t have the power or physicality to bother Klitschko enough to make him do anything he doesn’t want to do, and that will have Jennings basically at Klitschko’s mercy. Stylistically, Jennings doesn’t get off or put pressure on like Holyfield via his punch-output and aggression. Which means Wladimir will not be under much, if any duress. Yes, Jennings trains really hard and looks to always be in great shape regarding his stamina, although his chin and ability to recuperate from a big shot has not been tested against a puncher like Wladimir Klitschko.

Jennings also isn’t much of an inside fighter, unless his opponent is on top of him and not really getting off. Then he’ll up the rent and go to the body with multiple shots in waves. But here’s the problem, because Klitschko doesn’t fight on the inside, Jennings will not get many openings to work Klitschko’s body. Jennings covers good with his high guard and doesn’t take many unnecessary risks in order to make something happen.

Think about that, everyone knows that Wladimir never takes any risk unless he’s forced to, so the odds are overwhelming, based on that alone, that Jennings will not make Wladimir fight with a sense of urgency. Which in turn will lessen the chances Klitschko will get caught with a fluke or lottery punch that hurts him to where he can’t recover and come back. Jennings is also hittable when he does open up and has no finishing punch or weapon that can discourage Klitschko from going right at him. Bryant can box and has skill, but his lack of fight altering power will be his undoing.

To beat Wladimir Klitschko, it’ll take a fighter that has the right combination of size, athleticism, speed, power and toughness. Jennings toughness as mentioned earlier has never been tested, and it doesn’t take a sophisticated boxing observer to deduce that he just doesn’t have the power to keep Klitschko from beating him down. So based on the x’s and o’s Jennings is probably ideal for Klitschko to look great against, but there’s more.

Recently, Wladimir Klitschko has started to receive some overdue accolades regarding his career and formidably as a fighter. He’s fighting Jennings in the media capital of the world, New York City. If Wladimir really wants to convince the lingering naysayers that he’s a once in a generation fighter, Jennings is the perfect opponent for him to come out and fight like the heavyweight destroyer he looks like when hitting the heavy bag. In Jennings he’s fighting an inexperienced opponent who may be very willing, but also very limited, and one who will not fight out of his comfort zone and who will most likely, after he feels Klitschko’s strength and power, revert to survival mode…..which will leave Klitschko an open door to really go after him.

To most fans that have watched Klitschko’s career, they see him as a dangerous fighter who for one reason or another has never really quenched their thirst in desiring a show stopping performance, a la Lennox Lewis or Mike Tyson.

Too many opponents have gone rounds with Wladimir that really shouldn’t have been able to hang with him if he didn’t enter the ring with slight trepidation. And that, along with a few other things, have held him back from becoming must see, especially in the United States.

Boxing has lost some steam in the States, not worldwide, but definitely in America. In addition to that, America loves heavyweights. Sure, they’ve flocked in droves to see Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight, but not like they ever did Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. I’m not saying that if Klitschko destroys Jennings he’ll become the draw or star that Ali or Tyson were, that will never happen. What I am saying is, if Klitschko looks like a real killer against Jennings, interest in him for his next fight against Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury will become much bigger…and more anticipated heavyweight title bouts, that’s great for boxing.

When Jennings fought Mike Perez in his last bout, it was clear early on in the fight that Mike was very sluggish and didn’t really want to be there. There was no point where Jennings picked up on that and did what he had to do to discourage Perez enough to quit, even though Mike was sending signals all over the place. That’s not the kind of mindset that bodes well for him against Klitschko.

I expect Jennings to be very cautious and respectful of Klitschko from the opening bell. I strongly doubt he’ll throw a meaningful punch until he sees what Wladimir is going to do. He’ll be defensive and hope Wlad does something stupid. Once he feels Klitscko’s physical presence, he’ll know immediately that he can’t win….And that will provide Wladimir an ideal opportunity to look like the Lennox Lewis who devastated Frans Botha in two rounds.

If Klitschko goes at Jennings with that mindset, even if he doesn’t get the early stoppage, he’ll gain a ton of new fans.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Photo credit : Rachel McCarson

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Frank Lotierzo

The Follies of Gervonta Davis: They Gave Him the Key to the City and Now He’s in the Slammer

Published

1 day ago

June 4, 2023

Arne K. Lang

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One surmises that Baltimore City Circuit Court judge Althea Handy has a lot of guts. When the 65-year-old jurist rescinded her decision to allow Gervonta “Tank” Davis to serve his 90-day sentence at the home of his trainer Calvin Ford and remanded him to the jailhouse, that undoubtedly didn’t sit well with some of the poobahs in Maryland’s largest city. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Davis was presented with a key to the city and a parade was held in his honor.

Davis appeared before Judge Handy on May 5. He had already pleaded guilty to each of four counts stemming from a hit-and-run accident that happened shortly before 2 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 5, 2020. After running a red light, Davis crashed his Lamborghini into another vehicle before crashing into the fence of a 7-eleven. The four occupants of the other vehicle, including a pregnant woman, required medical attention. Gervonta and his two passengers fled the scene in another car.

The four charges to which he pled guilty, eschewing a jury trial, included driving on a revoked license. Had Judge Handy thrown the book at him, she could have packed him off to prison for a term of four years and two months. Instead, she sentenced him to 90 days home detention, three years’ probation, and 200 hours of community service.

Davis owns a home in tony Broward County in South Florida. If it had been his decision, that’s where he would have served his 90 days. But Handy had visions of the boxer lounging by the pool and wouldn’t allow it. She insisted that he serve out his sentence in his native Baltimore.

Althea Handy (2002 photo)

It was agreed that Davis would be confined to the home of his longtime coach Calvin Ford for the duration of his sentence. The head trainer at the Upton Boxing Center in impoverished West Baltimore and the inspiration for the Dennis “Cutty” Wise character in the HBO series “The Wire,” Coach Calvin, as he is called, has been a father figure to Gervonta Davis and countless other boys. Gervonta was living with his grandmother after bouncing around between foster homes when he wandered into Upton at the age of seven. The boxer credits his coach with instilling within him the discipline needed to stay off the streets.

There was one small problem. Calvin Ford’s home had only one bedroom. It was far too small for the boxer and his entourage.

Davis needed to find a new crash pad. Being the resourceful type, he moved his tack to Baltimore’s luxurious Four Seasons Hotel before plunking down a reported $3.4 million on a 5,000-square-foot high-rise penthouse. When informed that the boxer had taken it upon himself to recalibrate his “punishment,” Judge Handy said, “not on my watch” or words to this effect, and had the boxer hauled off to the slammer.

—

Gervonta Davis was boxing’s youngest American-born world champion when he won his first title in 2017. On July 24, 2019, three days before his homecoming fight with Ricardo Nunez – his fifth 130-pound world title defense – he was presented the keys to the city by then mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young in a ceremony at City Hall. “Welcome Home….We’re so proud of you!”, read the proclamation. Later that year, on Oct. 26, the boxer was feted with a parade in his old neighborhood.

In his most recent bout, a non-title affair contested at the catch-weight of 136 pounds, Davis stopped Ryan Garcia in the seventh round to advance his record to 29-0. The fight played out before an SRO crowd of 20,000-plus at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In his four fights prior to that, Davis drew capacity or near-capacity crowds to NBA arenas in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC. When it comes to putting asses in seats, no other American boxer can match him.

—-

Davis turned pro under Floyd Mayweather Jr’s “Money Team” banner. As recounted in a previous story, Mayweather’s influence was pervasive. Gervonta came to mimicking Floyd’s lifestyle, reflected in what normal people would see as reckless spending, manifested in bling and in his growing collection of rare and expensive automobiles. The parallels are striking and to that list we can now add one more. When Gervonta emerges from his current abode he will have spent almost exactly as many days behind bars as his former promoter. Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days for domestic battery in 2012 and with time off for good behavior was out of jail in two months.

When Davis gets out, will his boxing tools be as sharp as ever? Based on Mayweather’s experience, his fans have nothing to worry about.

During Mayweather’s incarceration, his lawyer and personal physician submitted a document to the court in hopes of securing an early release. “Jail food and water,” it said, “didn’t meet Mayweather’s dietary needs and lack of exercise space in a cramped cell of fewer than 98 square feet threatened his health and fitness.”

Not to worry. Floyd had some of his best moments after he was set free, although it may be worth noting that he stopped knocking people out.

Floyd was 35 years old when he regained his freedom. Gervonta Davis will be 28. There’s no reason to think that he won’t be as good as ever, but that’s assuming that he keeps his nose clean. He doesn’t need any more of these kinds of distractions.

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Claressa Shields Defeats Maricela Cornejo in Detroit

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2023

David A. Avila

Claressa-Shields-Defeats-Maricela-Cornejo-in-Detroit

In front of a Detroit crowd familiar with boxing legends, Claressa Shields demonstrated her place among the legends with a start-to-finish win over number one contender Maricela Cornejo to retain her middleweight world championship on Saturday.

“Maricela is just super tough. She was just in shape and knew how to get away from shots,” said Shields

More than 10,000 fans entered Little Caesars Arena and witnessed the fight.

Despite last-minute changes in opposition, Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) accepted always strong Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) and proved that former Detroit boxing legends such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns need to move over.

The champion wasted little time in opening-up with looping overhand rights that barely missed the mark. Cornejo was careful to avoid the bombs. Though few punches landed it was clear that Shields was on the attack.

Cornejo was scheduled to fight another foe and had been preparing in Las Vegas with famed trainer Ismael Salas. She was fully prepared to face anyone, but Shields is not anyone. Her defense was on point but the speed ratio of Shields punches is almost impossible to practice.

Still, Cornejo did enough by connecting with a strong right cross that kept Shields from overwhelming her.

“Just stay smart and not get hit with her big right hand,” said Shields about her battle plan against Cornejo who replaced Hanna Gabriels who failed a PED test.

Though Cornejo had two inches height advantage, Shields had faced others that were taller before such as Christina Hammer and Savannah Marshall. Shields adjusted well.

“Height don’t matter, power don’t matter,” Shields said. “It’s all about skills and wills and I always have more.”

Over the years Shields has carefully added more ammunition to her offensive arsenal and fighting a taller opponent with power has become second nature. Shields kept a perfect distance at all times and made it difficult for Cornejo to time her attacks with a big right cross.

Cornejo jabbed her way trying to close the distance, but Shields agility and reflexes kept the taller fighter from her goal. Shields snapped Cornejo’s head back numerous times during the fight, but the Mexican-American fighter from the state of Washington has always shown to have one of the best chins in women’s boxing. No one has ever knocked her down.

Shields came close, especially in the seventh round. Cornejo opened the frame with a strong right lead that seemed to awaken the gates. Shields unleashed the blinding combinations that have bewildered every foe she’s ever faced since childhood. The speed and fury of the blows forced Cornejo to hold and maneuver out of range. She survived the onslaught but if it had been a three-minute round the fight might have been over. Instead, after the two-minute round expired, Cornejo had survived.

Shields had expended a lot of energy attempting the knockout. It takes a lot of to fire off dozens of blows with blinding speed and accuracy. Most of the eighth round was fought by both at a much slower tempo, until the last 20 seconds when Shields and Cornejo opened up the guns.

After saving energy in the prior round, Shields stunned Cornejo with a strong one-two that snapped the head of the challenger. Shields kept on the attack but in measured tones. Though she won every round it was evident that Cornejo was looking for one big counter shot that could turn the momentum.

It did not happen. Shields kept control of the fight until the very end. After 10 rounds both hugged each other in respect and the judges gave their verdict 100-89, 100-90 twice for Shields who keeps the middleweight world championship.

“I felt great. I won every round like I knew I could,” said Shields. “I tried for the KO, but Maricela was tough, had a strong right hand.”

For Shields it was her sixth defense of the middleweight championship.

“I thought I looked really, really good,” said a very content Shields. “Thank you for coming out.”

Other Bouts

Local fighter Ardreal Holmes (14-0) defeated Haiti’s Wendy Toussaint (14-2) by technical split decision after the fight was stopped early due to a bad cut following a clash of heads in the super welterweight match.

Toussaint was the aggressor through most of the fight but when a savage cut opened up above his forehead the referee stopped the fight though the ringside physician had given approval to continue.

The fight was stopped at 1:54 of the eighth round and Holmes won 76-75, 77-74, 74-77. The Detroit crowd booed the decision loudly.

A middleweight contest saw Michigan’s Joseph Hicks (7-0, 5 KOs) use his height and reach to dominate Atlanta’s Antonio Todd (14-8) from the outside. All three judges scored it 80-72 for Hicks.

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Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2023

David A. Avila

Adelaida-Ruiz-and-Fernando-Vargas-Jr-Score-KOs-at-Pechanga

Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga

TEMECULA, Ca.-After a long period of fighting out of the country, Adelaida Ruiz returned to Southern California and with her came hundreds of her ardent followers as she won by knockout over Mexico’s Maria Cecilia Roman on Friday.

Ruiz (14-0-1, 8 KOs) looked sharp and stepped in with a disciplined attack against Roman (17-8) who fought behind a peek-a-boo style throughout the fight. Ruiz fired away at openings with a measured attack in front of several thousand fans at Pechanga Arena on the MarvNation Promotions card.

Midway through the eight-round match Ruiz increased the tempo of the attack with blistering combinations to the body and head. During one of the combinations Ruiz connected with a left hook to Roman’s temple and down she went.

Roman beat the count, but Ruiz never slowed her attack and each round her blows seemed to increase with power, the impact of the punches resonating in the arena. The interim WBC super flyweight titlist, whose title was not at stake, seemed determined to win by knockout.

In the eighth and final round Ruiz staggered Roman with another left hook to the temple and that only sparked more punches from the Southern California fighter. She unloaded her bullet chambers and the referee decided to stop the action at 1:19 of the eighth round.

Other Bouts

Fernando Vargas Jr. (9-0) won the super middleweight contest by knockout when Heber Rondon (20-5) was unable to continue due to a shoulder injury at the end of the second round. Fans were displeased but it was not up to the fans.

Vargas showed patience against the veteran southpaw Rondon who showed some tricks in his bag. But after some exchanges in the second round it was a surprise to everyone in the arena when the referee signaled the fight was over at the end of the second round.

Undefeated Jonathan Lopez (11-0, 7 KOs) of Florida remained unblemished with a unanimous decision win over Mexico’s Eduardo Baez (21-5-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight fight.

San Bernardino’s Lawrence King (13-1,11 KOs) faced veteran Mexican fighter Marco Reyes (37-10) and was able to use his speed and southpaw stance to win almost every round. But he had to work for it.

Reyes was able to avoid most of King’s attacks but in the sixth round after absorbing some heavy blows the Mexican fighter was unable to continue and the fight was stopped at the end of the sixth round for a knockout win by King.

In a super welterweight fight, Mario Ramos (11-0, 9 KOs) wore down Jesus Cruz (6-3) for three rounds with his left-handed assault and then lowered the boom with a non-stop barrage of lefts and rights. After nearly two-dozen nearly unanswered blows the referee stopped the battering at 2:09 of the fourth round.

Orlando Salgado (3-2) slugged it out with Squire Redfern (0-1) to win a super welterweight fight by decision after four back and forth rounds. Salgado connected with the bigger blows but never could stop Redfern from rallying round after round. All three judges scored in favor of Salgado.

A heavyweight battle saw Mike Diorio (1-5-1) win his first pro fight in out-punching debuting heavyweight Ian Morgan (0-1) after four rounds. Both fighters tired a bit but Diorio had a better idea of how to score and won by decision.

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