We all need heroes. Heroes are, in essence, those we wish to emulate. Boxers need heroes too and, fortunately, the sport abounds with athletes worthy of hero status. The purpose of this article is to point out several fighters who, in whole or in part, are worth taking the time to watch and emulate. First up, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing writers love to hate Mayweather, while boxers almost universally admire his talent. He is accused of being a defense-first dullard by some, but that’s precisely why he should be studied. What some perceive as boring is really economy. Where most fighters are happy to have two punches blocked if they will create a shot that lands, Mayweather often lands the first shot, making two missed punches unnecessary. The resulting low punch output is often seen as hyper- defensiveness, when what it is, is smart.
Remember being told when you were growing up about the older fellow who works smart and not hard? Why shouldn’t the same praise be placed on a boxer who does the same thing?
Pay close attention to Mayweather’s right hand. from his guard, it will block incoming jabs (per usual) right hands and left hooks, all without his glove moving more than six inches. This impressive defense means that he is always in a position to fire a counter shot. Which brings the reader to the main point–Mayweather’s defense compliments his offense. He is always balanced, thinking ahead of his opponent instead of just reacting to him, and executing a definite plan, which couldn’t be done by flailing away at his opponents. Though that might seem more exciting to the layperson, or the occasional writer, it isn’t effective boxing.
Nate Campbell put an end to the HBO written quasi-legend of Juan Diaz by beating the 24-year-old Houston, Texas fighter at his own game. When the first bell sounded, Campbell stepped inside and ripped body shots to the Diaz’s terminally soft middle and by the end of the fight had pounded Diaz’s face into a grotesque mask of flesh. Two of the three officials at ringside saw the fight for Campbell with scores of 116-111 and 115-112, with the third judge giving the fight to Diaz, 114-113.
This latest case of HBO building up a fighter only to see him brought crashing back to earth (see Jermain Taylor and Paul Williams) should give the HBO boxing brass pause as they think about how they market fighters in the future. Stellar production value is no longer enough.
Campbell is a very fresh 36 (he didn’t start boxing until he was 24), and has the emotional maturity of a man entering middle age that should keep him fighting at the highest levels for at least a couple more years. Certainly long enough to get the big payday or two that he has earned.
A rematch with Diaz is possible, but for Diaz, probably not a good idea. Diaz simply isn’t strong enough to keep a physical and emotional force like Campbell off of him as he has with fighters in the past. Now that it’s been proven that he can be broken, others will be less likely to let up and allow the “Baby Bull” trample them the way fighters have in the past.
Diaz, who is due to earn his BA in the fall, would do well to think about going back to school, and staying there.
March 9 from The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, David Haye overwhelmed Enzo Macaranelli in the second round of their cruiserweight title fight. After a cautious first round, Haye stepped up the pace in round two with his quick right hand checking Macaranelli’s chin, though the first time it landed in earnest Macaranelli took it well. Macarenelli made a point of countering Haye’s right with a quick left hook and managed to land enough to give the impression of a competitive fight.
That impression turned into a mirage when a right from Haye in the corner buckled Macaranelli and a slow to respond referee allowed Haye to reload and land another right that dropped the Welshman. Macaranelli rose and staggered about the ring, trying to indicate that he was okay, but the referee wisely had seen enough and waived the fight at2:04 of round two.
The 27-year-old Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) plans on testing his right hand at heavyweight, while Macaranelli (28-2, 21 KOs) also 27, has plenty left to say about the future of the cruiserweight division.
It’s often said that boxing is the art of “Hit and Not Get Hit.” True enough. Besides being impossible to land on your opponent with your butt on the canvas, not getting hit will extend your ring career. While there are myriad ways to employ defense, the first is to keep your chin tucked. This rudimentary skill, hopefully learned as part of a correct boxing stance, allows a fighter to be aggressive while minimizing his/her opponent’s target.
If your head tends to pop up like a Pez Dispenser when you throw punches, try this drill. Before shadowboxing, put on a pair of cheap sunglasses (anyone else hearing ZZ Top in their head right now?). This will force you to peer over the top of the lenses in order to see clearly. To help things along, cover the lenses with masking tape. The same can be done for heavy bag work, though you will need to add one of those nerdy elastic straps to prevent the glasses from flying off.
This should go without saying, but it shall be said anyway; don’t try this while sparring.
At the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, the WBC Super Bantamweight Champion, Israel Vazquez, knew he needed a big final round if he wanted to keep his title, and that’s exactly what he delivered by battering Rafael Marquez around the ring until the former champion fell into the corner, desperately grasping at the ropes to keep himself up. Since a fighter cannot use the ropes to prevent a knockdown, referee Pat Russell correctly scored it as such, giving Vazquez a two point round and, ultimately, the fight.
Two of the three judges at ringside scored the bout 114-111 and 113-112, respectively, for Vazquez, while the third had it 114-111 for Marquez. FightTube scored the bout 114-111 for Vazquez. The bout was televised by Showtime.
Though Marquez (37-5, 33 KOs) made a concerted effort to box from the opening bell, the brawl began in earnest when he knocked Vazquez down with a straight right in round four. Vazquez (43-4, 32 KOs) rose, apparently clear-headed, and fired volley after volley on Marquez, who answered in kind.
The fight slowly turned in Vazquez’s favor as the rounds ticked off. Marquez managed to take away the Vazquez hook that had wobbled him a couple times earlier in the fight, but Vazquez adjusted and focused on delivering straight rights with increasing success, evidenced by Marquez’s rapidly swelling left eye.
Warned by Russell for low blows several times during the fight, Marquez finally had a point taken in the 10th, which proved costly, though warranted.
The only blemish on the night came in the post-fight press conference, when Marquez’s promoter, Gary Shaw, and the Marquez camp, made rumblings about what they saw as the referee’s poor judgement during the fight. Virtually all of press row agreed that Russell did an excellent job.
