The Other Four Kings

Published

3 months ago

March 16, 2021

Ted Sares

“During the1980s,” wrote TSS editor Arne Lang in a recent article, “Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran enlivened the sport, fighting each other in what amounted to a round-robin, nine fights in all fought across four weight divisions. Looking back 20-odd years later, the late Boston Herald (and TSS) columnist George Kimball dubbed them the Four Kings, a name that would stick.”

Arne went on to state: “It seems inevitable that [Devin] Haney, [Teofimo] Lopez, [Ryan] Garcia, and [Gervonta] Davis will cross paths with each other before their careers are finished. More than one writer has dubbed the quartet the new Four Kings.”

Maybe so, but let’s slow this down a bit before the memory of four other kings fades away. These particular four traveled on the U.K. Expressway, a uniquely fast, ferocious, and furious pathway. They were Chris Eubank, Carl Thompson, Nigel Benn, and Michael Watson and they, too, had lots in common.

This writer has always had a special affinity for fighters from the United Kingdom. Maybe it has to do with their grit or maybe the drama that seems to unfold in many of the top fights. It might have started when Alan Minter dismantled Sugar Ray Seales in 1976. However, watching the likes of Carl Thompson, Chris Eubank, Michael Watson and Nigel Benn has provided special thrills.

First and foremost, these four were warriors in the true sense of the word. They would risk their own well-being to render havoc on an opponent, and in too many instances, the price paid was terribly high.

Like their U.S. counterparts, they often fought each other. Watson lost to Eubank twice, but beat Benn by shocking TKO in 1989. Benn went 0-1-1 with Eubank with their second fight before 42,000 rabid fans in 1993 called Britain’s version of Hagler-Leonard. Thompson beat Eubank twice during his exciting chill-or-be-chilled career. But it wasn’t so much that they compiled great records or were world champions at one time or another as it was the way in which they fought.

Benn

Nigel “The Dark Destroyer” Benn was and is a complex, emotional and extremely soulful man who fought the best of UK competition at a time when that competition was as keen as any in the world. A middleweight and super middleweight boxing champion with a 42-5-1 record (three of his defeats came at the end of his career), Benn’s life in and out of the ring is the grist for a movie or Netflix series

When you think of Benn, words like fury, rage, and ferocity come to mind. These were his trademarks in the ring and they provided uncommon excitement and entertainment for fight fans, but sadly his career-defining fight with the great bomber Gerald McClellan ended with tragic results for McClellan and detracts from his entire body of work.

As Boxing Monthly contributor Ian McNeilly poignantly said, “One man’s finest hour was the end of another man’s life as he knew it…the fight with Gerald was one of the best and worst to ever take place. A triumphant and tragic microcosm of boxing.” It would change Nigel’s life forever, and according to his trainer, the tragic results of that fight took away his fighting spirit. “

Quoting McNeilly again, “The story of Gerald McClellan is a painful one, one that fighters, boxing writers and fans seem to find it easy not to discuss……This is because he is a living embodiment of the risks fighters take every time they step through the ropes, a reminder of the dangers that are ignored at peril. To dwell on cases like Gerald McClellan would destroy the sport. To ignore him is to debase ourselves.”

While Nigel Benn was a one of a kind and will not soon be forgotten, no boxing fan will ever forget Gerald MeClellan.

Eubank

A match with a James Toney or Michael Nunn would be a game of chess. A fight with Benn is another matter, because he punches like no other man. It took me 10 months to recover from that fight, (and) 10 months to recover from the Watson II fight, too. – Chris Eubank

No one was more eccentric than Chris “Simply the Best” Eubank, but this is not about his cane, bowler hat, jodhpurs, monocles, lisp, etc, etc. The cocky and flamboyant Eubank, who went undefeated in his first 43 bouts, was the antithesis of Benn and a great rivalry developed between the two culminating in two historic fights. Few can forget the manner in which Eubank seemed to get under Benn’s skin and drive him to distraction. It was high camp and it was hilarious.

The first fight between Eubank and Benn was termed “Grand Prix stuff” by BBC commentator Dave Brenner as both men went at each other with malice aforethought and evil intent. The fight was a classic with Eubank finally stopping Benn with 5 seconds to go in the 9th round, but not before being decked twice himself. Their second bout was a grueling and fierce affair after which each warrior paid the other their due respect.

Chris participated in two more such fights against Michael Watson and they are discussed below. Eubank finished his great career with two losses to Carl “The Cat” Thompson and one to Joe Calzaghe, but his 45-5-2 record came against the very best opposition possible and if a tally were made of his won-loss record, the finding would be astounding.

Michael “The Force” Watson

September 21st, 1991, was the night that Michael Watson should have died. –Chris Baldwin

Getting angry won’t correct the past.— Watson

If you sit there and watch a person take about an hour to tie his shoestrings, then you realize that whatever problems you got ain’t that significant. —Vernon Forrest

Watson and Eubank fought one of the most savage fights in British boxing history. Indeed, it was Britain’s Hagler-Hearns.

Both Watson and Eubank had agility, skill, and power. They were classy and smart fighters who could adapt well for differing opponents and circumstances. After a grueling 10 rounds of action when they finally met in the ring, things came to a boil in round 11. It was an incredible three minutes with Eubank tiring badly, but then suddenly rallying and taking it to Watson, hurting him with several hard shots. But the rally almost gassed Chris, allowing Watson to return the punishment and finally knocking Eubank down with a crunching right to the head. Then, with Watson ahead on points and seemingly on the verge of a stoppage victory, Eubank — who had struggled to his feet– immediately connected with a devastating uppercut which caused Watson to crash backward and strike the back of his head against the ropes. His eyes glazed over as the bell rang and he staggered back to his corner. Soon after Round 12 began, a helpless Watson was trapped in a corner and Referee Roy Francis wisely stopped the fight. Watson then collapsed in the ring.

Michael’s life was at great risk. A total of 28 minutes elapsed before he received treatment in a hospital. He spent over a month in a coma, had six brain operations to remove a blood clot, and then languished over a year in intensive care and rehabilitation before facing six more grueling years in a wheelchair while he ever so gradually recovered some movements as well as the ability to speak and write.

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No one really expected Watson to live, much less talk or write. Yet, against all odds, he finished the London Marathon in 2003, capturing the hearts and minds of an entire nation. As people wept in joy and urged him on, Watson walked for six days. He reached his goal after 12 long years, way too many operations and hospitals, and far too many years in a wheelchair. But he trained for months and walked the entire 26 miles and 385 yards, finishing with Eubank and his neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn at his side.

I was completely inspired. I felt tears falling from my eyes. It has lived with me forever. How do you expect that to make a man feel when you are called ‘The People’s Champion?’ That’s the one label they will never take away from me. — Watson

On 4 February 2004, Michael was awarded the MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.

Carl Thompson

Manchester-born Carl Thompson won the IBO cruiserweight title by beating Sebastian Rothmann in a closet classic and then turned right around and stopped contender and future champion David Haye in still another great fight in which Haye was winning but gassed out, allowing the cunning “Cat” to catch and claw him out. In 2001, The Cat lost his title to American Ezra Sellers in a fantastic slugfest in which both warriors were down multiple times. Thompson finished his career with six straight wins and will forever be adored by his fans as a humble but fierce warrior who participated in a number of true classics.

Reminiscent of the Norkus-Nardico classic, the Cat’s all-out Pier 6 with Sellers in 2001 produced six knockdowns (Thompson was knocked down four times, Sellers twice)! Sellers finally halted “The Cat” in the fourth round and ended a winning streak that had started after Thompson lost to Johnny Nelson in 1999. Thompson had been decked many times before, but he had always gotten up. Against Ezra, he was separated from his senses and sent to Feline Dreamland. This fight reliably demonstrated what can happen when two chill-or-be-chilled types face off.

It was truly a shame that Carl flew under the radar of American boxing writers and fans. In many ways, his exploits were just as noteworthy as those of Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank (whom he beat twice in 1998), or Michael Watson. Maybe it was because he fought as a cruiserweight (a lower profile weight division) but more likely it’s because he never fought outside of Europe.

Ted Sares can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com

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Tyson Fury Roared and Deontay Wilder Remained Silent at their L.A. Presser

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2021

The Sweet Science

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TSS special correspondent LAUREN RODRIGUEZ was on the scene for the Top Rank Promotions press conference in downtown Los Angeles on June 15 at which the third meeting between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder was formally announced. Here is her report.

The third fight between Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury (30-1, 21 KOs.) and Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) will go down July 24th in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. This continued mash-up between the two comes 16 months since their last bout. The first fight, in December 2018, ended in a draw and their second in February 2020, ended in a victory for Fury in the 7th round.

Fury carried the press conference while Wilder remained largely muted.

The WBC champion Fury remains undefeated, a status he is adamant in maintaining. The heavyweight boasted a white suit patterned with images of himself in a crown and wearing the belt he won off Wilder.

“This is a reminder of what happened to him last time, this is a remembrance suit of Deontay Wilder’s ass-kicking.”

The “Gypsy King,” an entertainer, left little words unsaid as he berated his silent opponent.

“It shows how weak a mental person is, it shows the emotional effect the last fight had on his life… I was worried about him after the defeat I gave him,” said Fury.

An Alabama native, Wilder has a 93% knockout rate, the highest rate for any heavyweight.

Wilder wanted no part in other questions from Q/A moderator Christina Poncher, or the media, as he remained silent with headphones and sunglasses to shield him from questions.

Wilder’s trainer, longtime friend and former heavyweight contender Malik Scott answered very few questions for the fighter as tensions rose.

“He’s very stubborn, like most legends and gifted people they have their things with them. As long as he gives me what I want in the gym, I don’t care about the stubbornness cause we’re going to get this done,” said Scott.

If it’s one thing Fury and team all agree on, it’s that history will repeat itself in this third fight come July.

When it comes to what we can expect this time, Fury’s trainer SugarHill Steward stated, “All I have to say is, over time, he [Fury] now has power to knock a man out with one punch. His boxing IQ is one-punch knockout power.”

In Gypsy King fashion, we will have an entertaining show come next month. Fury intends on moving his weight all the way to 300, so he can give Wilder a bigger knockout in the ring and fans a bigger show.

“This time I’m hoping to take him out early, one, two, three rounds max.”

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Tokyo-Bound Aussie Heavyweight Justis Huni Stops Rugged Paul Gallen in the 10th

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2021

Arne K. Lang

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Had Justis Huni fought Paul Gallen two months ago, the match would have been trashed as little more than exhibition. During his record-tying 19 years in rugby, Gallen evolved into one of Australia’s most well-known sporting personalities. When Gallen took up boxing in 2014, it was thought that he did it as a lark; as a way of cashing in on his name recognition. And his first 11 opponents were a motley bunch of former rugby players, MMA fighters, 40-somethings, and boxing novices.

Then came the night of April 21, 2021. In a shocker, Gallen demolished former WBA heavyweight titlist Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne in less than two minutes. “Gallen transformed from a rugby league player to a bona fide prize fighter before our very eyes,” said prominent Australian sports journalist Andrew McMurtry.

That knocked Lucas Browne out of a lucrative match with Justis Huni and vaulted Paul Gallen, who turns 40 in August, to the head of the queue. They met Wednesday night (Australia time) at a convention center in Sydney and Huni, five-and-a-half inches taller, 15 pounds heavier, and the younger man by nearly 18 years, saddled Gallen (11-1-1) with his first defeat.

Heading into the fight, Gallen conceded that the heavily favored Huni was faster. However, he thought that he could wear the bigger man down. “If I get through those first four to five rounds, I’ll be in his face the whole time and I think I can knock him out late,” he said.

It proved to be the other way around. Huni dominated the fight and when he knocked Gallen down in the 10^thwith a big right hook, the referee stepped in and stopped it. But Gallen, who had a bum shoulder from his rugby days and thought that he fought most of the fight with a broken rib, showed tremendous heart.

It was the fifth professional fight for Huni (5-0, 4 KOs) who won the Australian heavyweight title in his pro debut. Of Dutch, Swedish, Samoan, and Tongan heritage, he quit school at age 15 to give boxing his full attention and will represent Australia in the Tokyo Olympics which start next month.

Brisbane-born Huni is already being talked-about as the best-ever Australian-born heavyweight. The rap against him is a lack of one-punch knockout power which won’t be a detriment in Tokyo.

—

In undercard bouts of note, Brisbane middleweight Isaac Hardman (11-0, 9 KOs) scored a 4^th-round stoppage of Emmanuel Carlos (12-2) and middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich, a Russian residing in Auckland, New Zealand, advanced to 16-0 (9) with a second-round stoppage of previously undefeated Alex Hanan (13-1).

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Three Pros are Joining the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, Ruffling Some Feathers

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2021

Arne K. Lang

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USA Boxing, the agency that controls amateur boxing in the United States, has a rule that prohibits professional boxers from competing in their tournaments. That rule remains in effect, but yet three pro boxers – middleweight Troy Isley, lightweight Keyshawn Davis, and featherweight Duke Ragan – will suit up for the United States in the forthcoming Tokyo Games. The announcement, which fell largely under the radar, came on June 7.

USA Boxing is subservient to AIBA, the sport’s international governing body, and to the International Olympic Committee. The Boxing Task Force of the IOC changed the rules to allow Isley, Davis and Ragan to compete and the honchos at USA Boxing are none too happy about it.

Blame the Covid-19 pandemic which forced the postponement and ultimately the cancellation of several qualifying tournaments including the “Americas” tournament in Buenos Aires at which boxers from 42 national federations – including the United States — would be competing for the Olympic slots allocated to this region. A total of 286 boxers from around the world will compete in Tokyo in the eight men’s and five women’s weight divisions with the coveted slots dispersed among four Continental Regional Divisions.

With no tournament, the Task Force redesigned the quota allocation process using world rankings to determine the national squads. The rankings were formulated using a point system from events held between January 2017 and October 2019.

The re-jiggering opened the door for Isley, Davis, and Ragan to rejoin the team. Isley and Davis had their first pro fight in February of this year. Ragan turned pro in August of 2020.

Team USA protested that the BTF allocation was unfair to the boxers that finished first in the final domestic qualifying tournament (December 2019 in Lake Charles, Louisiana), but their claim was denied. Isley and Ragan were knocked out of that tournament before reaching the finals; Davis finished first when his opponent in the finals took ill and had to pull out, but he was subsequently booted off the team, reputedly for missing too many practices which he attributed to a family health emergency. That unfrocking has been rescinded.

Before he left the team, Keyshawn Davis was considered the U.S. boxer with the best chance of winning a gold medal in Tokyo. A southpaw, he earned his spurs at the Alexandria Boxing Club in North Alexandria, Virginia, which was also the home gym of Troy Isley who lived right down the street.

The common thread between all three of the returnees is Kay Koroma who coached Davis and Isley at the Alexandria club where he was the top lieutenant to the club’s patriarch Dennis Porter and at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs where he served as an assistant to Billy Walsh. Duke Ragan, who hails from Cincinnati, is Koroma’s nephew.

Koroma came to the fore in 2016 when he earned raves for his work with Olympians Claressa Shields. Shakur Stevenson, Charles Conwell and others. But Koroma, one of the hottest young trainers in the sport, won’t be available to work with the 2020/21 team before it heads off to Tokyo. “My plate is too full,” he told The Sweet Science.

Koroma, like many of his former pupils, turned pro himself. He continues to work with Shakur Stevenson, whom he has known since Shakur was 13 years old, he assists veteran coach Al Mitchell with Mikaela Mayer and he recently replaced Ronnie Shields as the head trainer of rising heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba.

Isley, Davis, and Ragan comprise three-fifths of the men’s Olympic team. Super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr and welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson flesh out the quintet.

USA Boxing released a letter to its membership expressing frustration over the decision of the IOC Task Force which killed the dreams of seven boxers who hoped to snare an Olympic berth at the Buenos Aires tournament or, barring that, the Last Chance tournament in Paris which was also a casualty of the pandemic. The letter can be read at the USA Boxing web site.

The seven boxers who were fenced out are:

Darius Fulgham (heavyweight, Houston, TX)

Rahim Gonzalez (light heavyweight, Las Vegas, NV)

Joseph Hicks (middleweight, Lansing, MI)

Charlie Sheehy (lightweight, Brisbane, CA)

Bruce Carrington (featherweight, Brooklyn, NY)

Anthony Herrera (flyweight, East Los Angeles, CA)

and

women’s flyweight Andrea Medina (San Diego, CA).

USA Boxing insists there are no plans to allow professionals to compete for the United States in the 2024 Olympiad and beyond. This is a one-shot exception forced by a unique circumstance. But, needless to say, when it comes to amateur boxing, nothing is etched in stone.

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