Major Props to Jonathan Guidry and more

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2022

The fictional Rocky Balboa lost a split decision to Apollo Creed in the first installment of the fecund “Rocky” series. Thirty-five years later in Warren, Ohio, in a real-life saga with many parallels to Sylvester Stallone’s award-winning screenplay, Jonathan Guidry lost a split decision to Trevor Bryan.

Guidry, like Rocky Balboa, was dismissed as a no-hoper. Prior to meeting Trevor Bryan, this real-life Rocky had fought all but one of his fights in Cajun Country (the exception was a bout in Mobile, Alabama), and he had never fought a match scheduled for more than eight rounds. Some of America’s best jockeys have emerged from the Cajun parishes of South Louisiana, but never a prizefighter who achieved international recognition.

Guidry hails from Dulac, a little town on the outskirts of Houma, Louisiana, a place that has been a bullseye for catastrophic hurricanes originating in the Gulf of Mexico. Like many other men in his community, he makes his living from the water, shrimping and crabbing. A 32-year-old father of four, he never had the luxury of pursuing boxing as a full-time profession. He moonlighted in boxing as a way to make ends meet.

When it was announced that Guidry would be fighting Bryan, the reaction, if not a horse laugh, was one of derision. No one really knew how good Trevor Bryan was, but he was undefeated (21-0) and owned a piece of the WBA world heavyweight title. Moreover, he was promoted by Don King who was positioning him for a match down the road with a much bigger payday and it didn’t figure that King would jeopardize that scenario by putting Bryan in against someone with a reasonable chance of winning.

Among the scoffers, this reporter was perhaps the most caustic. I called the Bryan-Guidry fight a travesty and called the entire show a piece of junk.

In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t been as harsh. Kudos to prominent Canadian boxing journalist Corey Erdman who had a much smarter take on the match-up, a take that was more respectful of Jonathan Guidry.

By rule, no challenger can compete for a WBA title without being ranked in the top 15. Guidry, whose previous opponents were a motley lot, made his debut in the WBA rankings in December at #13. Don King effectuated the bump with a simple phone call. The WBA ratings committee, if there is such a thing, has the spine of a rubber toy.

But, wrote Erdman, “criticizing sanctioning bodies and the belts and bouts they create, and respecting the fighters who participate in them and perhaps benefit from them, shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. Particularly when the fighters, like Guidry, aren’t trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.”

Indeed, Jonathan Guidry, who was originally scheduled to fight Chattanooga journeyman Alonzo Butler on the undercard, refused to engage Trevor Bryan in the usual pre-fight trash talk. “I’m a nobody,” he said, “but yesterday’s nobody is tomorrow’s somebody…[Bryan] is good, but he’s not one of those elite fighters. I have a better chance fighting him than one of the other guys.”

Prior to getting the Bryan fight, Guidry never had the advantage of a full camp. Training was something he squeezed in between more pressing obligations. But he had too much pride to just show up and take the money. He hied himself to Houston where he submitted to the rigors of the noted trainer Bobby Benton. While there, by his reckoning, he lost 30 pounds. He was still something of a butterball — at the weigh-in he carried 246 ½ pounds on his 5’11” frame – but he worked himself into the best condition that he could under the circumstances.

Many years ago, in my capacity as a part-time fight publicist, I attended several Tough Man tournaments. The competitors included a good smattering of striptease club bouncers, all well-muscled young men. Watching them huff and puff after a round or two – and these were one-minute rounds! – gave me a greater appreciation of the dedication required to reach and maintain the level of a world-class prizefighter. It says here that the ability to fight unwaveringly hard across 12 rounds is the most under-appreciated feat in the pantheon of human endurance sports.

In his eight years as a pro, Jonathan Guidry had answered the bell for only 69 rounds. If he didn’t get knocked out, it figured that he would eventually drop from exhaustion. Fatigue did set in and he almost didn’t make it to the final bell, but he pulled himself upright after getting knocked down in the final seconds of the fight and denied Trevor Bryan the satisfaction of winning inside the distance.

As heavyweight fights go, this was hardly a classic, and the scorecard of ringside judge Steve Weisfeld – he had it 115-112 for Guidry – was off-kilter. However, it was, in the words of the aforementioned Erdman, a solid, spirited scrap.

Yes, there is such a thing as a moral victory and Jonathan Guidry proved it this past Saturday night in Warren, Ohio.

—

P.S. – Heading in to his fight with Jonathan Guidry, the jury was still out on Trevor Bryan. The sum of his previous fights didn’t yield enough information to tell us how good he was.

We know a little more about Bryan after his showing on Saturday and we can now say with confidence that the man who reigns as the WBA “regular” heavyweight champion and is undoubtedly Don King’s last hope for another heavyweight cash cow doesn’t figure to significantly arrest King’s declining fortunes.

Bryan’s next assignment, by all indications, will pit him against British heavyweight Daniel Dubois. New Orleans Times-Picayune staff writer Ted Lewis reached out to Hall of Fame boxing writer Bernard Fernandez to get his take on a Bryan-Dubois fight. “Dubois would knock him into next week,” said Fernandez who is currently recuperating from major back surgery.

Mark Kriegel

Congrats to author and ESPN boxing commentator Mark Kriegel who has been named the 49^th recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

January was a good month for Kriegel who was re-signed by ESPN barely one week prior to learning of this latest honor. Previous winners of the Nat Fleischer Award include such notables as Red Smith and John Schulian, to name just two.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Arne K. Lang

Up Next

Venerated Sportswriter William Nack Had a Soft Spot for the Sweet Science

Don't Miss

Glimpses from the Past (Part One)

Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

Published

3 days ago

March 19, 2023

David A. Avila

Mercito-Gesta-Victorious-Over-Jojo-Diaz-at-the-Long-Beach-Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10^th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

Post Views: 0

Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Jojo-Diaz's-Slump-Continues-Mercito-Gestra-Prevails-on-a-Split-Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Big-Baby-Wins-the-Battle-of-Behemoths-TKOs-Big-Daddy-in-6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21^st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0