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One Can’t Fight (Fury) And One Didn’t (Klitschko)
I can’t remember ever watching a heavyweight championship fight and simultaneously laughing and crying at the same time. Which is precisely what I did during the Wladimir Klitschko 64-4 (53) vs. Tyson Fury 25-0 (18) championship bout this past Saturday. I should’ve trusted my initial instincts which screamed at me to watch the “Iron Bowl” also known as Alabama vs. Auburn.
Can you even say it with a straight face – “Tyson Fury heavyweight boxing champion of the world?!” There have been some very limited heavyweight champs over the past 100 years. But at least you could say Jess Willard was as strong as an Ox, Max Baer’s right hand was a genuine life-taker. Leon Spinks at his best was non-stop aggression, Buster Douglas could box and punch a little bit when in supreme shape and John Ruiz was as tough and determined as a fighter could be. Whereas Tyson Fury can’t break an egg, he isn’t aggressive and he certainly can’t box like Douglas and I doubt he has the grit and determination of Ruiz.
It’s been said in this space for years that Wldimir Klitschko doesn’t like fist or the threat of them flying around or near his face. So much so that whether the opponent is big or small relative to him, if they throw bombs or even threaten to do so, he’ll stall and clinch and look to punch when he thinks it’s safe. And that was certainly evidenced during the 12 uneventful rounds Klitschko spent in the ring with Fury trying to hold onto his IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight titles. It’s hard to fathom after watching him fight Tyson Fury that Wladimir Klitschko held the heavyweight title for nine consecutive years. Longer than Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. Only the immortal Joe Louis’ reign of 12 consecutive years is longer than Klitschko’s.
Prior to the bout I couldn’t pick Fury to win, but I felt he was a live underdog because of his awkwardness and the fact that Wladimir was aging in dog-years. It was shockingly amazing to see Klitschko blunted and stunted by Fury’s lateral movement, feints and clinching. It was apparent Wladimir was truly bothered and troubled by a fighter with equal height and reach to him. He was also a sitting duck, due to his lack of head movement, to Fury’s telegraphed looping right hands to the head. Klitschko showed that he is utterly clueless at cutting off the ring, and won’t cut loose with his right hand, perhaps the biggest single power shot in professional boxing, unless his target is stationary or moving into him. And the thought of trying to bang Fury to the body or on the inside when Tyson was attempting to wrap him up in a clinch was nonexistent. It was always noted that Wladimir couldn’t fight on the inside, something that would’ve paid huge dividends against a giraffe like Fury.
One hates to admonish a fighter who has accomplished so much as Klitschko has since turning pro nearly 20 years ago, but let’s be honest, watching that bout, did you see any evidence that Fury can throw any punch other than a jab? His left hook is a slap, he has no uppercut and his right hand you can see coming a mile away. Yet Klitschko stood in front of Fury and instead of initiating the action, he waited and flinched at every flimsy feint by Fury. Wladimir was frozen offensively by Tyson’s amateurish bouncing around the ring with his hands down by his hips. And one must ask why? Because the few times Fury did manage to get through with a wild looping right hand, Wladimir wasn’t the least bit shook. Oh, his nerves caused him to become undone some but he wasn’t visibly hurt, and yet he still wouldn’t let his hands go.
In round 10 when Klitschko realized the fight was slipping away he looked to pick it up, and even then he was a half-step too far away because he wasn’t willing to commit himself to engaging without his focus mostly on getting out without being touched or hit in the process. Perhaps the most troubling thing about the fight was, not only did Klitschko get schooled by a fighter whose biggest asset is height/length and awkwardness, it was the way he let round after round go by and refused to fight like a wounded animal in trying to hold onto his title and prevent the perception observers have of him from falling further than it has in the eyes of many over the years. Can anyone imagine “Smokin” Joe Frazier or Evander Holyfield relinquishing their title to Tyson Fury with such little resistance or fight? I know I can’t.
As fighters, Wladimir Klitschko can do everything in the ring that a fighter can be asked to do over another better than Tyson Fury. Yet Fury showed up doing a cheap impression of Muhammad Ali via his antics and mockery while circling to the left and Klitschko was clearly stymied. Had Klitschko been able to land one good right hand and shake Fury, Tyson would’ve lost some of his nerve and Wladimir’s confidence would’ve escalated. But that never happened and Fury’s confidence grew with each passing round as Klitschko became an interested observer.
After 12-rounds of inept boxing, two things are clear. Wladimir Klitschko won’t fight and Tyson Fury can’t fight, at least not at the championship level despite waking up this morning as world heavyweight champion. He’s just very lucky to have been in with a fighter like Wladimir Klitschko who has gone back physically as a fighter. And on this night demonstrated that when he doesn’t own every physical advantage conceivable over his opponent, is very limited and physically handcuffed by his mental trepidation.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedGFist@Gmail.com
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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
PRESS RELEASE — CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 5, 2024 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is thrilled to announce the newest class of inductees to be honored during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend June 5-8, 2025 in “Boxing’s Hometown” Canastota, NY.
The Class of 2025 includes Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, “The Pazmanian Devil” Vinny Paz and Michael “Second To” Nunn in the Men’s Modern category; Yessica “Kika” Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis and Mary Jo Sanders in the Women’s Modern category; Cathy “Cat” Davis in the Women’s Trailblazer category; referee Kenny Bayless, cut man Al Gavin (posthumous) and referee Harry Gibbs (posthumous) in the Non-Participant category; broadcaster / journalist Randy Gordon and television producer Ross Greenburg in the Observer category; Rodrigo Valdez (posthumous) in the Old Timer category and Owen Swift (posthumous) in the Pioneer category.
Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians.
“We’re extremely excited about the Class of 2025 and are very much looking forward to honoring the newest class of inductees to earn boxing’s highest honor,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy.
The 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is scheduled for June 5-8th in “Boxing’s Hometown.” Many events will take place in Canastota and nearby Turning Stone Resort Casino throughout the four-day celebration including ringside talks, fist casting, fight night, 5K race / fun run, boxing autograph card show, banquet, parade and induction ceremony.
For more information on the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call (315) 697-7095.
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Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta
The annals of boxing abound with iconic rematches, and there’s a good chance that list will get longer after this Saturday in Phoenix’s Footprint Center with Top Rank’s ESPN card featuring Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) versus Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs, against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs).
Valdez’s ties to the local area and multiple Arizona appearances give his bout against Navarrete top billing, but WBO featherweight titlist Espinoza’s initial encounter with Ramirez was the better bout the first time around, deemed Fight and Upset of the Year by many observers.
That’s not to say Navarrete-Valdez 1 didn’t hold plenty of drama as Navarrete captured the WBO junior lightweight belt with a relatively widespread unanimous decision. Valdez got himself into an immediate bind in the first fight by walking into Navarrete’s jab, enabling Navarrete to score early with looping right leads from his six-inch reach advantage. Valdez’s corner implored him to stay patient but it seemed there was no avoiding a firefight that played into Navarette’s always busy hands.
By round 3 Valdez’s face was heavily marked and often on the defensive, waiting to establish an offense that never fully arrived. Though he scored with some big shots down the stretch, his swollen right eye closed by the 9th frame and the eventual outcome seemed obvious.
“I know there’s a lot of pride at stake in a Mexico versus Mexico battle,” said Navarrete. “I believe this will be an even better fight than before because we’re familiar with each other. I know I have to push Valdez to his limits.”
“I made mistakes the first time, the biggest one was trying to knock him out,” reflected Valdez. “I still have a few fights left in me, not everyone gets a second chance. I know what I needed to train for (this time) and I’ll make the most of it.”
Offense was never a problem for either Espinoza or Ramirez, who traded knockdowns in a give-and-take affair that might have gone either way. It was the gloved-up version of mongoose versus cobra as two time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez charged in behind blurring punches up the middle while the much taller Espinoza fired shoulder level combinations. In this case, it was the underdog cobra who triumphed.
Three days from first bell an unofficial consensus of online odds listed the previous winners as favorites, Espinoza by a hair and Navarrete by a solid margin. While the initial winners may still have an edge, that all disappears after the bell, and previous action indicates a pair of pick-em contests isn’t unlikely.
Boxing history is also full of tie-breaking trilogies, too. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if that’s what we’re looking at again in both these cases.
Adding to the electric atmosphere in Phoenix are a solid batch of undercard extras featuring multiple first-rate performers that should get the audience more than ready for the night’s headliners.
Top Rank junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado, 21-0 (15) from Nuevo Leon, meets skilled Dominican Jackson Marinez, 22-3 (10) in a contest that could qualify as main event worthy in many locales.
Undefeated southpaw heavyweight Richard Torrez, Jr, who earned the silver medal in that division for the USA at the 2020 Olympics faces off against Mexican big boy Issac Munoz Gutierrez, 18-1-1 (15) who reportedly packs a respectable wallop. None of Torrez’s pro opponents have made it to the final bell.
San Diego’s highly ranked welterweight title challenger Giovani Santillan, 31-1 (17) faces Fredrick Lawson of Ghana, 30-5 (22). Lawson has dropped his last two outings but that was against good opposition and he won’t be an easy test.
21 year-old DJ Zamora, a hot prospect at 13-0 (9) from Las Vegas meets experienced Roman Reynoso, 22-5-2 (10), from Argentina and emerging new stablemate Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, 11-0 (7), who recently signed a long term Top Rank contract faces Gerardo Antonio Perez, 12-6-1 (3).
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R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
Israel Vazquez, a three-time world champion at 122 pounds and one of the most crowd-pleasing prizefighters of any era, has passed away at the age of 46. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed the bad news today (Dec. 3) on his social media platform.
Born on Christmas Day 1977, Vazquez began his pro career in his native Mexico City at age 17. He was 16 fights into his pro career when he made his U.S. debut in El Cajon, California, under the management of Frank Espinoza.
Vazquez is most remembered for his four-fight rivalry with fellow Mexico City native Rafael Marquez.
The first two meetings were contested before small crowds in Carson, California, and Hidalgo, Texas.
Marquez won the first meeting thanks to a left hook that broke Vazquez’s nose in the opening round. The nose swelled to the point that Vazquez, who was making the fourth defense of his WBC super bantamweight title, could no longer breathe and he was all done after seven rounds.
Vazquez won the rematch (TKO 6), setting the stage for a rubber match that would be a fight for the ages. The bout, contested on March 1, 2008 at the soccer stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, was a shoo-in for Fight of the Year, earning that accolade from the BWAA, The Ring magazine and others.
Vazquez pulled that fight out of the fire in the final round, knocking Marquez to the canvas to win a split decision. Ron Borges, writing for this publication, wrote, “they knocked pieces off each other that could never be fully reattached.”
That was true of the detached retina in Vazquez’s right eye. It would require multiple surgeries before Vazquez, nicknamed “El Magnifico,” fought again and the eye would eventually be replaced by a prosthetic.
Their fourth meeting, contested before a celebrity-studded crowd at LA’s Staples Center, was anticlimactic. Vazquez, damaged goods, was stopped in the third round and never fought again.
All four meetings were televised on Showtime which celebrated the rivalry in 2015, airing highlights from all four fights on March 7 of that year. TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila, looking back at the series, wrote, “[It was] 28 rounds of the most scientifically brutal and awe-inspiring prizefighting at an elite level.” Avila would also call Israel Vazquez one of the sport’s greatest gentlemen, a class act, as evinced in his energetic handshake whenever meeting a new fan.
Vazquez used his ring earnings to open a boxing gym in the Greater Los Angeles City of South Gate.
Vazquez’s passing wasn’t unexpected. Mauricio Sulaiman announced last month that Vazquez had been diagnosed with Stage IV Sarcoma, a particularly virulent strain of cancer and along with Oscar Valdez and Top Rank, established a GoFundMe account to defray his medical expenses. Today, Sulaiman wrote, “Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace. May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times.”
We here at TSS share that sentiment and send our condolences.
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