All Hail the Mighty Afolabi

Published

8 years ago

November 5, 2015

Ola Afolabi is a glaring question mark of a fighter.

On the one hand, he has done an enormous amount of his fighting on the road and this, perhaps, has scorched his heart with the same molten steel that adorns his chin.

Born to Nigerian parents, schooled in the UK, training and boxing out of California, he seems the world’s premier road warrior now that Glen Johnson has sunk to the status of opponent. His wonderful show of courage and grit in his second fight with then cruiserweight number one Marco Huck seems typical of his best self; a fight which seemed repeatedly to be slipping away from him, and one that was eventually scored a draw, in which he came roaring back against the supposedly superior divisional boss over and over again.

Afolabi earned his third shot at Huck, but on the night of that fight, something strange happened. Perhaps affected by what was a rather flat atmosphere in his opponent’s German back yard, Afolabi failed to deliver. He brought neither the pressure nor the savagery of his first two attempts on Huck, settling instead for the beta role as Huck outworked him in a fight that was rather disappointing given the intensity of their first two encounters.

An enigma wrapped in a puzzle, until Wednesday, Afolabi slipping from the rankings after losing in another war earlier this year to Victor Emilio Ramirez. His opponent in Kazan, Russia, was Rakhim Chakhkiev, a fighter who was heralded by very significant hype until he was defeated by Pole Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in summer of 2013. This was seen as a surprise by many, but not by this writer who has remained unconvinced by Chakhkiev. That said, it should be noted that he overhauled Afolabi in the rankings as their career-trajectories were turned in opposite directions as Afolabi faded from the title picture and turned thirty-five.

Hence, even as a confirmed Afolabi fan and a Chakhkiev doubter, I felt that Chakhkiev, “The Machine,” out of Magas, Russia, had timed this well.

It looked that way, too, when the two men entered the ring. Chakhkiev looked every inch a Russian special forces soldier expelled for excessive violence, heavily muscled and bearded like any self-respecting marauding mountain-bound psychopath is these days. Afolabi on the other hand looked like a former elite athlete who has taken to minding club doors for a living.

Perceptions did not improve in the first. As he tried and failed to establish his jab, Afolabi was repeatedly tag with stiff southpaw lefts to the body whenever the Russian puncher made it inside, which was often. He boxed with absolute disregard for what Afolabi might send back, winging in hard punches designed to score the knockout. He missed with most of these, but Afolabi looked rattled.

Afolabi had the best of the opening seconds of the second round but Chakhkiev was within moments launching into a sustained two-fisted attack in the face of which Afolabi just covered up and allowed abuse to reign down on him. This set the tone for the round; Afolabi did pop up for the occasional left-hand counter but in general he was just swarmed brutally into a defensive shell, caught often with crooked, winging punches.

In the final fifty seconds of the round, however, Chakhkiev just began to look a little faded – his mouth open, he started to move rather than punch and suddenly Afolabi was prodding his way forwards.

Two more hurtful looking lefts were dug to Afolabi upstairs and down at the beginning of the third and the penny seemed to be dropping for the Russian: for all that he was an admired puncher having won eighteen of his twenty-four wins by knockout, Afolabi was able to eat what he was dishing and return to the table for more without complaint. This left Chakhkiev looking suddenly planless and an aimless walkabout of the canvas occurred with Afolabi following and prodding out the jab. Momentarily it seemed he might take control of the contest when, in keeping with the general level of luck he has enjoyed in his career, Chakhkiev landed what was probably an accidental headbutt behind a two-punch combo to the body. Afolabi was now dealing with a serious cut to the corner of his left eye as well as a rampant knockout artist who had just seen red in the water.

Chakhkiev followed that blood home with new brutality, firing in huge punches aimed for the main at Afolabi’s skull as the Brit tried to punch with the Russian and came off very much the worse. At the end of the round Chakhkiev, streaked with Afolabi’s blood, threw his hands to the sky in a gesture of triumph – in reality, he had now lost the fight even if a delighted and partisan crowd did not know it yet.

The Russian spent the opening seconds of the fourth showboating and the rest of the round giving ground as Afolabi began to dial in his right hand.

Chakhkiev just left one of his left hands to the body in a little longer than wise just seconds into the opening and Afolabi cracked him, his patent clubbing right hand to the top of the skull sending the Russian spinning off to his right and his knees. The referee, suffering from bias or blindness, elected to rule the blatant knockdown a slip and Chakhkiev was up and by turn backing up and holding on. Heavily marked around the nose and below his eyes, Afolabi now had the eyes of a predator rather than a sparring partner as he stabbed rather than prodded his way in on his bereft opponent. Another booming right followed by a left that whipped straight through the target left Chakhkiev face-down, eyes shut until the count of ten.

Afolabi proved himself the warrior of old and Chakhkiev proved that he had learned nothing from his defeat to Wlodarczyk, going out in similar fashion but suffering far more devastation – having first wrought more on an opponent who is clearly carved out of granite. Afolabi is indestructible, one of those rare fighters in possession of a chin so extraordinary that there is no point in comparing him to other fighters as he can never be anything less than #1, for all that he will be tied for that position.

Match it to that wrought heart and he is a fighter that we can never write off. If Afolabi proved anything,, he proved that.

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Matt McGrain

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

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

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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