Adamek Beats Up Golota In Poland

By Lee Payton

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

As expected, Tomasz Adamek took care of business with a 5th round stoppage of faded former heavyweight contender, Andrew Golota. This one was really all about money, as it's been many years since Golota has shown he can fight at a world class level. The show took place in Lodz, Poland to maximize profits, and in the end everything worked out nicely for Adamek in his first foray into the heavyweight division.

Golota came out unusually fast during the first 3 rounds, probably knowing that he has too many miles - not to mention pounds, as he came in at a career high 256 - to fight the scheduled 12 rounds. To his credit, he did try his best to come forward and land the big one, but it was not to be. He found himself on the canvas in the first, evidence that his legs just aren't what they were.

Adamek thrived under the bigger man's pressure and used it to showcase some of his seldom seen boxing skills. This was not the stone-faced terminator who is only looking to line up a short right hand. On this night, "Goral" used educated feet to sidestep his opponent's rushes, and swift combination punching to do the damage.

By round 4 Golota was still trying, but had slowed down considerably. He was breathing heavily and his enthusiasm seemed to be sagging. A familiar sight. The end was near.

Adamek landed his money punch at the start of round 5, and it sent the old guy to the canvas. He got up, but was swamped by a world class fighter in his prime. A few more solid shots later and Golota was on skates, prompting referee Bill Clancy to call a halt to the exhibition.

With the win, Adamek picks up a ranking in the IBF's top 15 at heavyweight. No one is sure whether he will continue to fight the big guys or if he'll go back down to cruiser to defend his world title.

Usually smaller fighters move up because the heavyweights make more money, and no doubt that would be the appeal for Adamek, as potential fights with either of the Klitschko brothers would generate mega-bucks.

Is it worth it though? Does Adamek have a realistic chance of even being competitive with the giant Ukrainians, or even one of the smaller top heavies like Alexander Povetkin, David Haye or Eddie Chambers?

Given his frame once allowed him to compete at 175, and taking into account that Steve Cunningham had him wobbling badly in the 4th round of their cruiserweight fight, you have to seriously question whether Adamek has the capacity to absorb the kind of fire-power he'll be facing against the big men.

To put it bluntly, going in that direction seems like a cash-out, and with the potential to reign for a few more years at cruiserweight, is that a wise idea at this stage? Especially when you consider that Adamek should be able to make some decent money at 200 pounds. He can obviously draw well in his native Poland, but he's also proven himself a big draw at the Prudential Center in New Jersey where his last 3 bouts have done very well.

Besides, there are fights below heavyweight that fight fans want to see.

A rematch of that incredible fight with Steve Cunningham would be a great place to start. It's an irresistible clash of styles that has already proven to be TV-friendly. Cunningham has been lobbying for a return bout, but in the meantime is settling for a chance to reclaim his belt - vacated by Adamek - against Matt Godfrey.

Ola Afolabi is another top guy who could make for an exciting night. Earlier in the year he knocked out Enzo Maccarinelli and will now be taking on undefeated Marco Huck for a title belt.

I'm not sure what's going on with the enigmatic Guillermo Jones these days, but that's another potentially violent scrap.

Whatever does happen next - it must be worthwhile. After Jonathan Banks, Bobby Gunn and now Andrew Golota, fans are anxiously waiting to see Adamek take on someone they think has a serious chance.

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U.S.S. Cunningham Targets Rematch with Adamek

Joseph R. Holzer had a chance to speak with Steve Cunningham, after the Ring Magazine #1 ranked cruiserweight contender's winning effort last week against Wayne Braithwaite.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Seven months after losing it, Steve "U.S.S." Cunningham set sail on a tour to regain the IBF title. His first mission: successfully withstand the barrage of the hard-hitting Wayne "Big Truck" Braithwaite in Sunrise, Fla., on July 11.

Mission accomplished.

Throughout the course of the 12-round title eliminator, the 6-foot-3-inch Cunningham was content on trading with the diminutive Braithwaite on the inside, most times landing cleaner punches at a higher frequency. All three judges had Cunningham winning by a wide margin: 119-109, 117-111 and 118-110.

"I wanted to rough him up a bit, just give him different looks," Cunningham said of his willingness to mix it up with a dangerous opponent.

One win closer? Check.

It was Cunningham's first bout with Naazim Richardson as his trainer. Richardson -- who also trains Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley, among others -- gained recognition in January for discovering a foreign substance in Antonio Margarito's hand wraps minutes prior to entering the ring against Mosley. His keen eye led to a one-year ban for Margarito.

New trainer? Check.

Next on the U.S.S. log is reclaiming what Cunningham (22-2, 11 KOs) feels is rightfully his: the IBF belt, along with the then-vacant RING cruiserweight championship Adamek won in their epic December slugfest.

"I feel like a champion," Cunningham said. "A champion without a belt right now. I'm looking for my belt, and I found it. I know where it's at, so I'm going to go get it."

With his win, he might not have to look far. Barring interference from fellow-Philadelphia fighter Hopkins, Cunningham and Adamek are on another collision course.

Also in action in Newark, N.J., on July 11, Adamek had too much ammunition for Bobby Gunn. Referee Earl Brown and a ringside doctor called a halt to the bout after the fourth round. It was Adamek's second win in as many fights since defeating Cunningham.

Though separated by more than 1,200 miles, Adamek and Cunningham were linked by I-95 and a memory of a first meeting.

Adamek (38-1, 26 KOs) floored Cunningham three times in December. Still, Cunningham's resolve and relentless will were enough to impress judge Clark Sammartino to score it for him 114-112. At 115-112 and 116-110, respectively, Shafeeq Rashada and John Stewart favored Adamek, a testament to how closely the two competed considering up to three extra points could have been deducted from Cunningham's scorecards due to the knockdowns.

It's no wonder why Cunningham is vocal about a rematch and deserving of such.

"I'm the No. 1 mandatory and hope to get (a rematch) sometime in '09," he said.

Not only is Cunningham not looking past Adamek, he also isn't seeing anything else in his scope. Adamek is the only blip on his radar.

A move to heavyweight doesn't entice Cunningham, either. In a fairly deep weight class with a lack of household names, he wants to be the face of the cruiserweight division. Evening the score with Adamek on a stage set by HBO or Showtime is the first step, as well as one toward closure.

"After Adamek, I'm going to get them belts," Cunningham said. "Then it's the whole cruiserweight division. (By beating Braithwaite) I wanted to send a message, let them know that I'm still the man in the cruiserweight division. Man up."

And the U.S.S. Cunningham won't dock until the mission is accomplished.

Check out Joseph's blog for his current cruiserweight top 10 rankings: Pugilism 101 Read more!

British Scene: Cruiserweight Prizefighter Recap

The latest edition of the Prizefighter series was full of knockouts and surprises. Matt Chudley has a recap of all the action from this past Tuesday's cruiserweight tournament.

Check out our preview of the show: Cruiserweight Prizefighters Preview

Tuesday May 19 The Prizefighters: Cruiserweights By Matt Chudley After an evening of shocking upsets, Derby-based Jamaican and late replacement Ovill McKenzie outlasted fellow outsider John 'Buster' Keeton to claim the 6th prizefighter tournament and the £25,000 prize. McKenzie, a career light-heavyweight who stepped in for the injured Mark Krence, weighed-in nearly 15lbs under the tournament limit of 202lbs and carried an unspectacular 14-9 record. Equally suprising was the appearance of McKenzie's opponent John 'Buster' Keeton in the final. Like McKenzie, Keeton had lost 3 of his last 4 coming into the tournament and 16 in his 42 fight proffessional career. Before the first bell of the night sounded, McKenzie and Keeton where ranked 6 and 7 in the field of 8 by the bookmakers at odds of 12 and 16 to 1 for the oversized trophy. Quarter-finals In the first bout of the evening the tournaments heavy favourite and WBO top ten 175lber, Dean Francis made light work of overmatched journeyman Neil Simpson. Having succumbed to Francis after 3 rounds 13 years prior, the 26-18 Coventry based fighter faced the same fate again. Electing to use his oft-injured right arm as sparingly as possible, Francis peppered Simpson with left hooks and uppercuts from the outside with little argument until referee Phil Edwards decided he had seen enough 38 seconds into final round. Next up was the return of former two-time world title challenger Bruce Scott against old victim John Keeton. Having been stopped twice by Scott previously, Keeton was the fresher man this time around. In the first round Scott was unlucky to recieve a count from referee Richie Davis after having been pushed to the canvas by Keeton, but was visibly hurt and had been shaken up by an uppercut in the previous exchange. Following the 10-8 round, Scott came back in the second to hurt Keeton with a right hand of his own but the Sheffield man steadied himself and continued to keep the action highly competitive, to the point where the knock-down provided a decent cushion and he prevailed on the scorecards. Fancied by many and the classiest of the bunch in his prime, Terry Dunstan was returning to televised action for the first time since his four and a half year prison stint for trying to rob a central London pub and was taking on the little fancied Ovill McKenzie. The drab affair came to life in the second round when McKenzie dropped Dunstan with a right hand, but besides that it was the lack of accuracy from McKenzie against the ring rust and awful timing of Dunstan. McKenzie edged the 1st and 3rd rounds with slightly more activity and marginally more punches landed to take the win by a wide margin on the scorecards. The last quarter-final saw the youngest fighter, 25 year old former heavyweight Mickey Steeds taking on the talkative former Commonwealth champion Darren Corbett. Employing little to no head movement, Steeds was caught with an overhand right early in the first that left him clinging for the ropes but unable to avoid the canvas. Though he did come back to hurt Corbett in the 2nd with a left hook, Steeds was unable to keep out of the way of the surprisingly quick hands of the Ulsterman and lost on points. Semi-finals With the revised in-play odds now showing him to be the odds-on favourite for the tournament, the ever confident Dean Francis was up against career gatekeeper John Keeton in the first semi. However, the marauding, plow-forward style of underdog Keeton was clearly a nightmare for Francis from the outset. A super-middleweight earlier in his career the smaller man Francis was given no room to get his shots off by the on-rushing Keeton, who dropped Francis with a right hand to the top of the head as Francis was back-peddling. The punch clearly shook-up Francis's equilibrium and after returning to his feet he was soon back on the canvas again, from almost identical punch. Francis elected not to try and beat the count on the second occasion and the fight was over. With Francis gone, popular character Darren Corbett now seemed to have little in his way to becoming the 2nd Prizefighter winner from Belfast, after the success of countryman Martin Rogan. With Corbett having turned pro as 220+ pound heavyweight and McKenzie the smallest man in the competition, McKenzie looked to hold up close and try and use his superior speed and timing to get the better of his rusty opponent who was only in his 3rd fight in the last 5 years. After a close first round a left hook, right hand combination from the Jamaican shook the Irishman and falling back onto the ropes another right hand put him down. With Corbett still shaken up, McKenzie pressed on to draw the stoppage from referee Richie Davis. Slouched on the ropes and failing to answer back, Corbett was clearly in no position to carry on despite his arguments to the contrary. Final With two former world title challengers and most fancied fighter left by the wayside, the final was now to be contested by two fighters carrying 25 defeats between them. The Jamaican started the more purposefully of the two in the first getting some joy out of working Keeton on the ropes. Undeterred as ever, Keeton continued to press forward and momentarily stunned McKenzie in the 2nd with an overhand right from his crouched stance. With Keeton understandably feeling the pace more after his grueling war with Bruce Scott, McKenzie continued to produce the sharper punches in the 3rd and prevailed by scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27. Following the victory a stunned yet overjoyed McKenzie confessed that he had no idea what he would spend the prize money on, having given it little thought and that he would be returning to the light-heavyweight division. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Cruiserweight Prizefighters Preview

Sky has some mid-week boxing on tap Tuesday night with a strong line-up of cruiserweights set to do battle in the popular Prizefighters series.

Matt Chudley has the preview of the eight man one night elimination tournament.

Check out our recap of the show: Cruiserweight Prizefighters Recap

Tuesday May 19 The Prizefighters: Cruiserweights By Matt Chudley On Tuesday night, Barry Hearns’ Matchroom Sport presents the sixth installment of the prizefighter series. This tournament boasts by far the most accomplished field of competitors to date, featuring two former world title challengers and one currently world ranked fighter. The format which consists of 8 fighters battling through elimination rounds of quarter-finals, semis and final of 3 rounders on the same night, has produced plenty of drama and excitement on each occasion. WBO #8 Light-Heavyweight and former European super-middleweight champion, Dean Francis (30-3-1) enters as the favourite for the £25,000 winners cheque. An amateur rival of Joe Calzaghe, Francis's career has been hampered by a succession of injuries to his right shoulder which saw him temporarily retire from the sport in 2003 after losing to Matthew Barney in a fight which he fought most of one-handed. Facing Francis in the opening round is rank outsider Neil Simpson. Though a former British and Commonwealth Champion at 175, Simpson has spent most of his career as a gatekeeper and has racked up 18 defeats in his 45 fight pro career. This will be the second time Simpson has come up against Dean Francis, their previous meeting ended in a 3rd round stoppage win for Francis over 13 years ago. Returning to the sport after a 9 year absence with a 4 round decision win over Paul Bonson, former world title challenger Terry Dunstan (20-2) is very much the unknown quantity. After being stopped in the 12th round by Carl Thompson in 1999 while ahead on the scorecards, Dunstan then pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, blackmail and aggravated burglary and served 4 1/2 years of an 8 year sentence. Back in 1998 following a 20 second KO win over European champion Alexander Gurov, Dunstan challenged for the IBF cruiserweight title 6 weeks later, only to be stopped in the 11th round by champion Imamu Mayfield. Now at the age of 40 and with a long stretch if inactivity it’s hard to know what to expect from the once talented fighter. Going up against Dunstan is former Commonwealth light-heavy champion, Ovill McKenzie. A late replacement for Mark Krence, McKenzie has successfully played spoiler on a number of occasions. In 2005 McKenzie relieved former British Olympian Courtney Fry of his unbeaten record, before a string of wins led to a 2 rounds stoppage of Peter Haymer in a contest for the vacant Commonwealth title. The 14-9 Jamaican has once again found himself as a gatekeeper in recent times after losing his title to fellow prizefighter Dean Francis in a one round blowout. Also Jamaican born, former two time world title challenger Bruce Scott (27-9) returns to the ring at the age of 39, after 3 years away. After stopping prizefighter entrant Darren Corbett to claim the British and Commonwealth titles in 1998, Scott went on to compete for two different world title belts in 1999. He lost on points to Sheffield's Johnny Nelson in a bid for the WBO title and was then stopped later in the year by WBC champ Juan Carlos Gomez in Germany after 6 rounds. Scott retired in 2006 after losing to a decision to journeyman Hastings Rasani. Taking on Scott for the third time in their careers is the well traveled John 'Buster' Keeton (26-16). Both of their previous meetings ended in stoppage wins for Scott but since Scott's retirement, Keeton has gone on to win the British title and has mixed with a high level of competition though being finished early a number of times. The youngest and most inexperienced fighter of the group, Mickey Steeds (12-4) has been tabbed as the dark horse by many. Although he may be the only fighter of the bunch not to have lifted at least a British or Commonwealth title the 25 year old turned pro at heavyweight with no amateur fights and went on to challenge for the British title in only his 10th fight. At only 6 foot tall and carrying a great deal of unnecessary weight, Steeds made the move down to Cruiserweight where he has since notably lost a 12 round decision to current British champ Rob Norton and was stopped in 5 by classy Cuban Yoan Pablo Hernandez. Facing Steeds in the 1st round of the tournament is Belfast's Darren Corbett (27-4-1). Returning from a four year retirement last year, Corbett was given a harder than expected nights work by journeyman Remigijus Ziausys. The 36 year old previously held the Commonwealth cruiserweight title before losing it to fellow participant Bruce Scott and holds a career best win over current British champion Rob Norton. e-mail Matt Chudley

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Next Challenge for BHop: Adamek's Cruiserweight Title

By Lee Payton

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Bernard Hopkins will try to add the World Cruiserweight Title to a personal collection that already includes undisputed gold at middleweight and light heavyweight, when he challenges champion, Tomasz Adamek of Poland. The deal is not 100% done, but there is an agreement to fight, probably in July.

Hopkins has already had an amazing career that is sure to get him an invite to Canastota, NY, as soon as he is eligible, so why fight at his age? Why not? He is still one of the very best in the world, and his skills tend to keep him from absorbing the kind of damage that most old guys take if they stick around long enough. In fact, he's so defensively sound that after 12 rounds, you're usually left struggling to remember him taking a clean shot.

He's a one of a kind fighter who is trying to do something special; be the only fighter in history to win undisputed titles from 160 to 200 lbs. That bit of history would look great engraved into his Hall Of Fame plaque.

Should the stubborn old geezer prevail in his bid for a third World Championship, he will have beaten Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver and Adamek to get there. Not bad, but there's room to nitpick.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. They have to fight the fight. And while I believe Bernard will just pull out the plan he used to embarrass Kelly Pavlik, the rugged Pole has demonstrated a refusal to surrender that will keep him in the fight for as long as it lasts.

Tomasz Adamek is a proven tough guy, who can't be in a bad fight. As a title holder at 175, he gutted out 2 bruising decisions over hard Aussie, Paul Briggs, and dropped the classy Chad Dawson in a losing cause. I couldn't possibly do justice to his incredible title-winning victory over Philadelphian, Steve Cunningham in one of 2008's very best fights. If you have seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't... find a copy!

The champ brings his own set of advantages to the dance, of course. The most obvious being size, strength and brutal power, especially in his brick of a right hand. It's a fight-changing punch delivered with impressive accuracy and speed from a short distance. In many of his highlight reel moments, a blow that travels a mere 6 inches does the damage. It will certainly be the hardest blow the Hopkins has ever tasted.

Assuming Adamek can land one.

In most cases bigger, stronger, more powerful, with a sturdy beard is more than enough, but in Hopkins, he's facing a tactician who has made a career out of taking away the other guy's favourite weapon. I see Tomasz doing a lot more searching than punching in this one.

Is it just me or is it crazy that the former Middleweight Champion is considered by most to be a virtual lock to beat the best 200 lber in the world... at 43. Some fighter.


While you're here...

Golden Boy Promotions' "Lightweight Lightning" is looking like a very attractive fight card, even without La Hiena, Jorge Barrios. I've had a soft spot for Jesus Chavez for years now. Remember when he fought Erik Morales for about 10 rounds with just his left arm?! If anyone deserves a break, it's him, but I don't think Michael Katsidis will have much sympathy.


I know the winner of the Sam Peter-Eddie Chambers fight will probably receive a high ranking by one of the sanctioning organizations, but I have to question this decision by Peter's management team. Surely they could have found an easier target. I mean, what's the point of having a big punching heavyweight if you don't get him someone he can hit?


Word is everyone's favourite TV fighter, John Ruiz, is in line for another shot. The WBA loves this guy. Over the last 10 years (!) he's either held their belt, been the #1 contender for their belt, or fought in an eliminator for their belt. It hurts me that Evander Holyfield is being sucked into the black hole that is their rankings. Spare me The Real Deal vs. Drummond/Chagaev/Ruiz IV.

e-mail Lee Payton

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Shobox Preview: Adamek vs Banks

Michael Nelson takes a look at the upcoming Shobox card.

***Check out The Boxing Bulletin's recap of the Shobox card, plus action from FNF as well: Shobox/FNF recap***

ShoBox comes back Friday night with a card that should produce some thrills. The main event features IBF and IBO Cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek (36-1) taking on the undefeated Johnathon Banks (20-0). In the co-feature, Colombian knockout artist Dionisio Miranda (19-3) battles Giovanni Lorenzo (26-1) in an IBF Middleweight title eliminator.

With pedigree largely developed in the legendary Kronk gym in Detroit, Michigan, under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, the heavy-handed Johnathon Banks has knocked out fourteen of his opponents, all within five rounds.

Boxing fans may remember him for his scintillating 2006 bout with Eliseo Castillo on Wednesday Night Fights, in which Banks found himself on the canvas twice in the first round. Banks showed tremendous heart by coming back to put Castillo down for the count three rounds later. Castillo hasn’t stepped inside the ring since.

In his last fight, he traveled to Germany to face Vincenzo Rossito on the undercard of Wladimir Klitschko’s bout with Tony Thompson. It was his biggest test since Castillo, a measuring stick to see how he compares with the likes of former Cruiserweight star David Haye and former contender Alexander Gurov, both of whom knocked out Rossito in two rounds.

Banks won a majority decision, but failed to impress. Not only was he out of gas by the 6th round, but it looked as if he didn’t know how to handle the fatigue, often turning his back to his opponent with body language that loudly expressed his desire for the fight to end. To his credit, he badly staggered Rossito with a right hand in the final round, which ultimately won him the fight.

Hopefully, it was a learning experience for Banks, because Tomasz Adamek’s short right is a punishing tutor. Adamek made the boxing world take notice with his two spectacular wars against Paul Briggs, earning a majority decision victory in both. After a lopsided loss to rising phenom Chad Dawson in early 2007, Adamek stepped up to the Cruiserweight division and regained his stature as one of the more dangerous fighters in boxing by beating O’Neil Bell into submission in 2008.

Then, last December in a fight of the year candidate, he dropped the favored Steve Cunningham three times to win a split decision.

To those keeping count at home, he has been in three fight of the year candidates: in 2005 (Paul Briggs), 2006 (Paul Briggs), and 2008 (Steve Cunningham). It’s difficult for this man not to be in a good fight.

Johnathon Banks may be able to hang his hat on the fact that Steve Cunningham rocked Adamek in the third round of their classic. But with a distinct disadvantage in speed, technique, and stamina, he has little more than a puncher’s chance. I expect Adamek to take Banks out in the middle rounds as Banks begins to tire.

On the undercard, Giovanni Lorenzo looks to bounce back from his loss to Raul Marquez eight months ago against hard-hitting Dionisio Miranda. Lorenzo’s speed of foot and hand may carry the day, but if he didn’t like the pressure that Raul Marquez brought to him, I imagine he won’t enjoy the duress Miranda will bring. Both men can pop and neither man has a great chin, so look for a knockout here as well.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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The Contender: Episode 9 Review

Alfredo Escalera Jr. 16-1-1 vs Akinyemi Laleye 11-1

The lasting impression from this week’s episode should have been the toe to toe, shoulder to shoulder, grueling struggle that took place in the ring between Alfredo Escalara Jr. and AK Laleye (pictured). Unfortunately, some infighting of a different kind stole some of the spotlight away from the ring action.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

The trouble started after Ryan Coyne was declared medically unfit to fight due to the cut he suffered in his first round win. This meant bringing back one of the already eliminated fighters to take Ryan’s spot against Rico Hoye.

The fairest solution to the dilemma would have been for trainers Tommy Brooks and John Bray, along with host Tony Danza to talk it over and decide which fighter was most deserving of getting a second chance.

Instead, Tony informed the fighters that it would be up to them to decide who would return. Leaving it up to the competitors, who would obviously have ulterior motives beyond selecting the most deserving fighter, was a lousy decision. This became clear enough once they started debating who to go with. Alfredo didn’t like the direction the selection process was going in, and spoke his mind, suggesting that Rico was angling for an easier second round match-up.

Perhaps if Alfredo had been a little calmer, things wouldn’t have gone the way they did, but his words were said in a huff, as he was leaving the room. Before Alfredo was out the door, Rico lashed out by saying, “You’re going to get stretched tomorrow night.”

Not surprisingly, Alfredo didn’t take kindly to the remark, and stormed back towards Rico. They were quickly separated before hostilities could further escalate, although a few more unpleasant words were exchanged.

The other fighters decided to leave the decision up to Rico, and he chose Joell Godfrey. Rico made no bones about the fact his selection was based on who gave him the best chance to make the semi-finals. Good for him, I guess, but the whole process was kind of lame and not really in the interests of having the best possible tournament.

But enough about all that - let’s get to the fight.

With a fairly big size edge (Alfredo typically weighs in around 200, while AK is usually at 175) John’s pre-fight instructions were intended to make use of that advantage. He told Alfredo to put pressure with the jab, cut off the ring, and work the body. “Just go in there and steadily, methodically, break this guy down.”

Tommy told AK that he was too quick for Alfredo, and his plan was based on using movement and speed. “It’s your show, get out there and be first. Keep him turning in circles, trying to find you. Stay off the ropes.”

Based on the size difference and trainer instructions, one might have expected Alfredo to assume the roll of stalker, with AK boxing and moving, but the action quickly developed into an inside battle, with AK refusing to back off. Even with Alfredo landing his jabs, and ripping uppercuts in close, AK was undaunted in his determination to stand his ground and if anything, he was slowly becoming the aggressor.

As the second round began, John could be heard yelling for his fighter to, “Close the gap, don’t let him breathe, Fredo!”

In the other corner, Tommy could also be heard giving instructions, but his voice paled in intensity from that of Rico, who kept yelling loud instructions at AK. One telling shot showed Tommy sitting and watching, with Rico shouting in the background, “Work him AK!”

Even after Alfredo landed something big, AK refused to stop throwing. There was one sequence near the end of the round where Alfredo landed a nice left hook, and a few moments later a hard right hand, but AK shrugged them off went right back to work.

Seeing his opponent take his best shots and refuse to back up had to be somewhat of a psychological blow to Alfredo. John tried his best to keep him going though and urged him to keep letting his hands go and working the body.

Unfortunately for Alfredo, his gas tank was starting to dry up. The fight had been fought with tremendous intensity, and he was the one starting to feel it.

AK was the fresher fighter, with a bounce in his step. Almost all the effective work was coming from his hands, as Alfredo was starting to struggle. He kept trying, but his punches were becoming sloppier, and increasingly wider, and seem to totally lack the snap they had earlier.

As Alfredo flailed away, Rico yelled, “He’s ready to quit! He’s ready to quit!”

When Alfredo came back to the corner before the final round, John told his exhausted fighter to, “Dig deep, dig deep! Find it, find it!”

Tommy told AK to give him one more round. “Look over there,” Tommy said, pointing to the other corner. “He can’t even stand up, son!”

Alfredo could barely get to his feet, but he came out for the final round and gamely attempted to land something big. It just wasn’t going to happen though. He didn’t have the steam on his punches, while AK was still strong.

With Alfredo breathing heavily, AK turned it up a little more. He hurt Alfredo with a right cross, and a little later, a big left hook sent Alfredo collapsing into the ropes and falling sideways to the canvas. There was no count. The fight was over.

In the locker room after the fight, John told his fighter, “Let me tell you something. I’m proud of you. You know why? You went out like a soldier. You went out like a viking. You went out swinging. You weren’t looking for a place to run. You weren’t looking for a place to hide and lay down. You went out swinging, and there’s never any shame in that.”

It was indeed a gusty effort.

AK looked good. He's certainly not fighting like the smallest fighter on the show, and now moves on face Troy Ross in the semi-finals.

It should be a good scrap.

- Andrew Fruman e-mail
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The Contender: Episode 8 Review

Felix Cora Jr. 19-2-2 vs Troy Ross 18-1

The second round of The Contender cruiserweight tournament began this past Wednesday night, with two of the most impressive fighters from the first round pitted against each other.

Both Felix Cora Jr. (pictured) and Troy Ross won their opening bouts in style – Felix with a convincing decision win over the previously unbeaten Joell Godfrey and Troy with a stunning 2nd round TKO victory over the tough skilled veteran Lawrence Tauasa.

On paper, it looked like we had the potential for a great fight.

These were two polished fighters. Both had good jabs. Both kept their hands up. Both respected the other’s power, but weren’t afraid to stand in and let their hands go.

The only regret going in was that these two had to fight this early in the tournament.

Blame Troy for that.

Having taken part in the season’s first fight, Felix didn’t have a say in his second round opponent. He had slotted his name into the first bout of the empty second round bracket and waited to see who would choose to fight him. Eventually, after the next four winners chose to take alternative routes forward, Troy decided he was up for the challenge.

Tony Danza asked him to explain his choice.

“I figure I might as well go with the best of the best right now and just keep the ball rolling.” Fair enough. Little injuries can happen at any time, and if Troy felt healthy and ready, taking on the man considered his biggest threat as soon as possible made sense.

Tommy Brooks was certainly looking forward to it. “This fight between Troy and Felix… put your hard hat on, put your safety belt on, and don’t go get a coke, because you might miss something. These two guys come to fight and the first one to make a mistake - good night sweet prince.”

After a cautious few moments to start the fight, Troy was the first to test the waters with a little aggression, following up his jab by mixing in some power shots. He had some success, but didn’t fully commit to attacking, and settled back to probing with his jab.

Tommy had told him in the dressing room to score points and not force anything. “If you’re looking for the knock-out, it ain’t going to happen. Just box, he’ll run into it.”

In the other corner, John Bray could be heard saying, “Jab, jab, you got to work. You got to work Felix.”

In a short fight, there’s really no alternative to staying busy. There’s just no time for much of a feeling out process, even when up against a strong opponent that might take a little figuring out.

Perhaps feeling the pressure to get something done, Felix got a little careless and leaned in to throw a lead left to the body, and as he started to follow up with a right, Troy countered with a chopping left hand.

The punch landed right behind the ear, and sent Felix toppling backwards.

It was clear right away he was hurt. He lay on his back and lifted his head, while the rest of his body lay flat. He used his elbows to slowly push himself up to a sitting position before struggling to his feet an instant before the ref’s count reached 7.

As the ref said 8, he motioned for Felix to step towards him and said, “Come here.”

It’s customary for fighters to raise their gloves to let the ref know they are fine, but with his gloves down Felix took an unsteady step forward. That was enough for the man in charge. He quickly grabbed a hold of Felix and waived it off.

That was it. At 2:38 of Round 1, it was over.

In his pre-fight interview, Felix had said “I just have to take what’s given to me and adjust to what’s in front of me. If I’m not careful how I go about doing things, it could be a short night for me. So I have to be perfect this fight.”

Perfect is always a tall order, but on this occasion, one mistake did indeed mean the end. Felix tried to come inside without jabbing his way in. It’s the type of thing that can often go unpunished, but against a good counter puncher, it’s a very risky move.

In every previous fight on the show, the climactic moments have been met with boisterous cheers from the fighters watching. Not this time. With the quarter-finals underway, and the team format that governed the match-making of the first round over, none of the other fighters had much of a rooting interest in the outcome.

They had all liked Felix. He was quiet, humble and respected. Everyone also knew about the situation going on back in his hometown of Galveston, Texas which had been devastated during the show’s taping by Hurricane Ike.

To add to his troubles, his participation on the show had meant his employer back home would be letting him go.

Troy Ross was fairly subdued as he came back to the corner. “You did what you were supposed to do.” Tommy Brooks told him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Easier said than done.

The fighters on the show, train in the same gym, live in the same house and eat at the same table. They are all there to knock each other off, but living in such close proximity, they can’t help but develop empathy for each other’s struggles.

They know only one man can win, but they wish each other the best. They understand the sacrifice involved to try and get ahead in a sport where only the elite of the elite earn extravagant wages. For the rest, even very good fighters like themselves; it’s a grind just to make a living.

For Troy Ross, a spot in the semi-finals is next.

For Felix Cora Jr., some bigger challenges await.

Good luck to both of them.

- Andrew Fruman e-mail

More on Felix Cora...

Cora Looks Back on Contender Experience: Galveston Daily News
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The Contender: Episode 7 Review

Rico Hoye (Gold) 20-2 vs Mike Alexander (Blue) 12-2

Tim Flamos (Gold) 20-4-1 vs Ryan Coyne (Blue) 9-0

This past Wednesday was double header night on The Contender, as the four remaining fighters went at it.

Last week’s victory by Troy Ross was the fifth consecutive win for the Gold Team and meant they were still in charge of doing the matchmaking. With only four boxers still to fight, that gave them the final say in both fights.

Former world title contender Rico Hoye stepped up to take the first bout and selected Mike Alexander as his opponent. That left Tim Flamos and Ryan Coyne to do battle in the final match-up of the first round.

When prompted by Tony Danza to explain his choice, Rico said that Mike was the only real challenge left. While that was probably true, I would guess that the Gold Team got together and decided these two match-ups gave them the best chance of seeing both Rico and Tim through to the next round.

As the naturally bigger man, but less experienced fighter, Mike’s strategy was to stay busy, keep the pressure on and not let Rico get into a rhythm. Not being a brawler, this meant moving forward while working the jab. For Rico, the plan was also to use the jab, but to use it as a way of setting up his other punches.

For the first couple of rounds, Mike was able execute his plan and keep things close. He moved forward, used his jab nicely, and mixed in some nice straight lefts

“Keep touching him up!” Blue Team trainer John Bray yelled in approval to his fighter. “Keep the jab working, Mike!”

Tommy Brooks wasn’t quite as enthused with Rico. “You got to let your hands go and quit waiting,” he told his fighter during the break before the third round began. I think Mike’s southpaw style had Rico slightly uneasy, but with only five rounds to get it done, he had no choice but to step it up.

He did just that, and came out for round three with a lot more purpose, and his aggression changed the tone of the bout.

While Mike’s defensive ability wasn’t bad, he just didn’t know how play off Rico’s offense to mount his own and Rico effectively took the fight away from him.

Mike also started looking a little tired, and I’m going to guess that this was likely caused by being too tense in there. To his credit, despite his depleted energy reserves, he came out hard for the final round. He pressed forward, and tried to use his size to brawl it out in close. It was his only chance, and he went for it in what was a real gutsy display. It just wasn’t enough to earn him the victory.

The final scores were unanimous, 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46

The second fight of the night featured the youngest fighter on the show, 26 year old Ryan Coyne and at age 41, by far the oldest in Tim Flamos (pictured).

Fought often at close quarters, it turned out to be a bloody encounter when a nasty gash opened up above Ryan’s right eye after a clash of heads in the second round. With Tim constantly moving forward, and Ryan fighting out of a southpaw stance and having the habit of covering up and falling into a clinch when pressured, this was always a danger.

Despite having a clear edge in hand and foot speed, Ryan wasn’t able to keep the fight at a safe distance. He had John exasperatedly screaming from the corner, “What are you doing!? Move! What are you doing!? Move to your RIGHT!”

John kept trying to tell Ryan that he could make the fight easy, but Ryan either wouldn’t or couldn’t follow his instructions. Meanwhile in the other corner, Tommy calmly told an increasingly tired looking Tim to put his punches together and work the body.

The action was sloppy, but exciting, as Tim kept plowing forward and forcing Ryan to exchange. While this type of fight gave Tim a chance, he never really had the upper hand. Ryan still had the speed edge, and when he let his hands go, Tim was a very east target. There were a few occasions, when he caught Tim leaning in with huge uppercuts.

All in all, it was a closely contested battle and for the first time this season, there was some doubt about who would get the decision.

The final scores were…

49-46 Ryan

48-47 Tim

48-47 Ryan

Ryan moves on, where he’ll face Rico in the final fight of the second round. That’s if his cut heals in time. As mentioned earlier, it looked bad.

The other second round matches are…Felix Cora Jr. vs Troy Ross (next week), Alfredo Escalera Jr. vs Akinyemi Laleye and Deon Elam vs Hino Ehikhanemor

- Andrew Fruman e-mail
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The Contender: Episode 6 Review

Troy Ross (Gold) 17-1-0 vs Lawrence Tauasa (Blue) 30-5-1

“You got caught, baby. You got caught. That’s it.”

Of the six bouts on the show so far, the one I would have least expected to end in a stoppage was this one. These were two experienced veteran fighters, each with a very realistic chance of going to the final.

If you watch this sport long enough though, you realize to expect the unexpected. A fight might look one way on paper, but in the ring, where it’s decided, anything can happen. The right punch in the right spot can stop anyone. It doesn’t matter who the fighter is, he may have never been down in his life, but he’s still vulnerable.

Hino’s win (and by the way, much to my surprise, he chose to fight his teammate Deon Elam in round two) last week meant the ball was still in the Gold Team’s court. With Rico Hoye’s elbow a little sore, and Tim Flamos also nursing an injury, two-time Canadian Olympian Troy Ross (pictured) stepped up to take the fight. Troy had been feeling good and ready to go since the show started. Now he’d get his chance.

Troy’s choice of opponent came as a bit of surprise. He selected the battle tested Samoan, now fighting out of Sydney Australia, Lawrence Tauasa.

As he does each week, host Tony Danza (in my opinion, the best host the show’s had so far) asked the matchmaker to explain his choice.

“Both Lawrence and I have a lot of experience,” said Troy. “And we wanted to make it fair across the board.” His response seemed to indicate that with two teammates still to go, it wouldn’t have been right to leave one of them with the toughest fight.

Lawrence looked delighted when his name was called and said he was just looking forward to the challenge. A sense of mutual respect was evident as the two fighters, who had become good friends since the start of the show, warmly shook hands.

Blue Team trainer John Bray summed up the match by saying fans could look forward to seeing two very polished, very educated fighters. “It’s going to be very technical, and for boxing enthusiasts, you’re in for a treat.”

Meanwhile Gold Team trainer Tommy Brooks had plenty of praise for the two fighters when he found them sitting together chatting at the kitchen table. “See, this is what I never see. This is true professionalism. This is true professionalism right here!”

There was no talk of making weight, or any other struggles this week. Both fighters appeared ready and confident.

The game plan for Troy was to use his jab, and if something opens up, take advantage of it. Plus, with a height and reach advantage over his shorter more compact opponent, Tommy advised Troy to stay off the ropes, “Not like the rest of these knuckleheads.”

For Lawrence, the strategy was to close the distance, not let Troy get comfortable, slip the jab and look to counter with power. John said simply, “When you make him miss, make him pay.”

Both fighters came out cautiously early in what was very much a feeling out type of round. Troy, fighting out of a southpaw stance, circled from the outside while probing from distance with his right jab, while Lawrence effectively slipped and looked to counter. Aware of the threat Lawrence posed, Troy made sure to keep himself at a safe range, although by doing so, he was really too far outside to be landing his jab.

With John yelling, “You got to get busy!” Lawrence slowly managed to get a little closer, and when Troy stuck out the jab, he found a few spots to score with counters which likely grabbed him the round on the scorecards.

After Troy’s tentative first round showing, Tommy had a little advice waiting in the corner. “This guy is walking in on you with his hands down. Straight 1-2. Right down the pipe. You can’t miss him, because he’s squared up. You can’t miss him.” Troy nodded calmly.

In the other corner, John told Lawrence that Troy had felt his power and would be a little more cautious about jumping in. “That means what you got to do is not wait for the counter.”

Following his corner’s advice, Lawrence came out a little more aggressively, looking to initiate the action. With Lawrence coming to him, Troy looked a little more comfortable than he had in the first round, and he found chances to snap home the 1-2 combos that Tommy had asked for.

Then came the shocker.

As Lawrence pressed forward with his hands a little too low, he was caught with a lead right hook.

It landed high on the temple. With his equilibrium suddenly askew, Lawrence stumbled forward, falling face first into the ropes.

It looked for a moment like he might not beat the count, but he managed to get up at 7. The ref yelled for him to put his gloves up, and while Lawrence responded to the order, he did so in such a manner that indicated the cobwebs hadn’t cleared. The ref decided to give him a chance anyway.

Troy pounced, and ripped hard combos to the head and body. Lawrence, with his back to the ropes, covered up without throwing back. As he helplessly drifted into a corner, the ref jumped in to save him. Just like that, it was over.

“You got caught, baby. You got caught." John said as he tried to console his fighter in the locker room.

"I got caught with a good shot."

"That's it."

Before leaving the arena, Lawrence said in his post fight interview, “This is the very first time this has ever happened to me. Being stopped. Being dropped. Being knocked down. It’s hard to take in… that after a sixteen year career, this has happened.”

Lawrence goes home, and Troy moves on, and of the six winners so far, he appears to be the most polished well rounded fighter. I think I might make him the favourite right now.

With only four fighters not to see action yet, next week will be a double header to close out the first round. I’ll be back then to recap all the action.

By Andrew Fruman e-mail Read more!

Bernard Hopkins: Eight is Enough (Part 2 of 3)

By Jeff Pryor

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

As Bernard Hopkins said while debuting as the newest addition to ESPN's Friday Night Fights broadcast team this past week, there are not many, but few options available to the aging warrior. The relative few who may provide a final foil are...

Chad Dawson (pictured):
No longer the future of the Light Heavy Weight division, with his win over Antonio Tarver he has stamped himself as the present. He's been calling on "The Executioner" for a fight, as Calzaghe has turned him down.

Reason to Execute:
Taking down Dawson, like his victory over Pavlik, removes any lingering debate over whether his Middleweight run benefited from the lack of good young competition to press him. Dawson may turn out to be the next generations marquee talent, and notching his name this late in a career would further Hopkins' claim as the era's greatest fighter, one willing to take on the biggest and best challengers regardless of their youth or dangerousness, at a time when he has no need to prove anything.

Reason to Waive it Off:
What does Chad bring to the table? He beat Tarver? Hopkins dominated Tarver 3 years ago. He struggled against, but beat Glen Johnson? Hopkins destroyed Johnson when Glen was undefeated. He's got a meaningless belt? Yep, meaningless. He has name recognition? No he doesn't. He brings money to the table? Uh uh. If Bernard wins, he's the Light Heavy champ of the world? No he isn't. He allows Bhop to prove he can tangle with the youngsters? Already did it spectacularly with Pavlik. He gets to pass the baton on to Dawson? He tried it with Taylor, didn't work out. He tried it with Pavlik, and may have derailed a budding superstar.


Joe Calzaghe:
The last remaining great contemporary of Hopkins'. Calzaghe has remained undefeated despite his scare in early 2008 against "The Executioner".

Reason to Execute:
Though Hopkins has never made an excuse for his down-the-stretch-fade during their bout, in the immediate aftermath, it was thought that the sheer output from Calzaghe tuckered the ageless wonder out. While that may have had a bearing on what occurred, sometime after the match Hopkins' trainer Freddie Roach revealed that Bernard had been suffering from a thyroid condition for the Calzaghe bout, a condition whose chief symptom is extreme fatigue. Conditioning trainer extraordinaire Mackie Shilstone had tried to control it with diet. According to the doctors Roach consulted, that's a pretty tough task.

While Hopkins was fresh (meaning the first 6 rounds) in their fight, he controlled the pace and Calzaghe like no one ever has before, knocking the Welshman down and cutting his noted output with movement and timing. Even slowing visibly, Hopkins narrowly lost the split decision while Calzage was left to resort to awkward flailing in order to get the volume up high enough to squeak out a poster boy for quantity-over-quality wins. Still many ringside and within the media had the bout scored in Hopkins' favor. The return bout would be huge across the pond, a trip which Hopkins has stated he would be glad to make, in order to get the opportunity to avenge an unjustified loss in his eyes..

Reason to Waive it Off:
For Hopkins there is little reason to avoid the rematch, and in fact he has called loudly for it. Calzaghe's punch power is very slim and while he threw more punches in the fight, the quality was quite inferior as illustrated by HBO's necessity of showing a glancing right hand as chief highlight of the punishment Joe managed to dish out, in all their related promo's since that fight. Seeing as compubox reported that he had landed more punches than any opponent ever had against Bhop, one would have imagined they naturally might have had a rich variety of devastating blows to choose from as highlights; apparently this was not the case.


Glen Johnson:
"The Road Warrior" deserves any big fight he can get, but a close loss to Dawson makes it a hard sell. Perhaps a possible bout (and win) against Adrian Diaconu for the WBC belt would sweeten the pot.

Reason to Execute:
Their is a history between Hopkins and Johnson; their first bout dating back over eleven years found Glen Johnson in deep waters for the first time in an undefeated campaign. A rematch after all these years would serve as nice circuity in both mens careers. As a senior's tour match-up, they don't get much better than this.

Reason to waive it Off:
Glencoffe lost to Dawson in '08; a disputed loss, (with which Hopkins could surely empathize), however lacking real drawing power, Johnson would be a decided step down in value for Hopkins, who has been facing pound for pound, marquee fighters for the last half a decade and not blue collar bangers like Johnson. Additionally, he almost certainly couldn't better the dominating performance he put in during their first go around. It becomes clear the reward simply doesn't come anywhere near the risk.


Roy Jones Jr.:
A relatively decent showing against Trinidad was all but obliterated by his performance against Calzaghe. It had to be a disappointment for Hopkins to watch Roy take a beating, when even a competitive showing would have preserved the chances of a rematch.

Reason to Execute:
Surely even now some part of Hopkins' wants the rematch he's pined for since their first bout nearly 16 years ago. Even the shell of his former self that Roy Jones is, provides a decent payday, especially considering the relatively negligible risk attached.

Reason to Waive it Off:
The disparity between competitiveness in each man's bouts with Calzaghe tells you all you need to know about who the better man is these days. Hopkins knows it, and he's said as much. A bout against Jones at this stage would likely sully his reputation more than a win against him would do to add to it.


Tomasz Adamek:
The reigning Cruiser weight champion brawler, hot off his fight of the year victory over Philly fighter Steve Cunningham

Reason to Execute:
Talk of an all Philadelphia showdown against Cunningham was likely halted with the defeat of said fighter, however the man who bested him has said he is ready and willing to take on "The Executioner". In Adamek, The Cruiser weight Ring Champion, Hopkins has a straight forward fighter and a great opportunity to walk away with another legitimate championship in a new division.

Physically, the height and reach of the two men is almost identical. When Hopkins stepped in the ring against Antonio Tarver he weighed in at 182 pounds, and in the words of Jim Lampley, looked "immaculate", another ten or fifteen pounds would likely sit just fine on his frame. As for their ring styles, Adamek keeps his left low and relies on big right hands; it's not hard to envision Hopkins circling to his right, completely neutralizing the Polish Pugilists chief weapon, the right hand (just as he did with Pavlik) while launching his own overhand rights atop the lowered left glove of his foe. Adamek took more flush, head snapping, shots in his last fight than Hopkins has in all of his 56 fights combined. Hopkins would likely hold the speed advantage and the ring generalship he would employ could frustrate Adamek for huge stretches at a time.

How much higher can Hopkins' all-time status fly? Beating the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above his best weight, at age forty four... unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Reasons to Waive it Off:
Fighting the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above your best weight, at age forty four? That's unprecedented in the sport... for a reason. Adamek is a big puncher and he's got the type of character that won't break or be discouraged by getting popped by clean counters for twelve rounds, he will keep coming until the end. If Hopkins gasses out as he did in the Calzaghe fight, Adamek can close the show. It's also impossible to know how a fighter will carry the weight up.

Though hopkins looked good at 182 pounds for Tarver, at some point fighters moving up reach a limit. It's high risk, high reward and how many fighters can claim to have fought the premiere middleweight puncher one fight, and the premiere cruiser weight puncher the next? But at what point does the risk no longer make sense?

We'll take one final look at Bernard's options tomorrow...

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The Contender: Episode 5 Review

Through the rest of The Contender: Season 4, we'll be doing a weekly story on the show. I know it's not a popular thing to admit among hard-core boxing fans, but I'm a fan of the show and have watched every episode from each season. While the fights are edited, and we don't get to see all the action - it's still boxing - and with only five rounds to win or go home, these guys really lay it on the line.

On to this week's show...

Ehinomen “Hino” Ehikhamenor (Gold) 12-3-0 vs Darnell “Ding-a-ling Man” Wilson (Blue) 23-7-3

As the rounds went by, the more ragged and sloppy Darnell Wilson looked – and the more Hino Ehikhamenor (pictured) grew in confidence. It wasn’t long before Hino was doing a little showboating, and while I desperately wanted him to pay for such audacity, Darnell just didn’t have it in him to connect. One desperate lunging attempt after another failed to find the mark. Darnell was just too spent from the rigors of making weight.

It was Hino’s choice to fight Darnell, thanks to the Gold Team’s win in Episode 4 - and it was a selection that came as a bit of a surprise. Even though the show had focused time on Darnell’s struggle to make the 200 pound cruiserweight limit, Hino’s expected choice was Ryan Coyne.

Back in episode 2, Ryan had caused a stir in the gym by wearing a bandana with Hino’s name on it. The meaning was clear – I’m calling you out.

Ryan seemed like a more obvious choice of opponent. Not because Darnell was unbeatable, but with only 39 career rounds under his belt against non-descript opposition all in his home state of Missouri (thank you, Boxrec.com) – Ryan looked like he might be in a little over his head.

Nobody takes kindly to being called out, but Hino decided not to take the bait. He said he wanted to take the tougher fight, but it’s possible he believed that Darnell was the more vulnerable opponent.

Making weight is one of the less talked about aspects of the sport, but when it’s a factor it can override everything else. When the body has been taxed to the max cutting pounds – all the experience and skills in the world can become meaningless.

Darnell’s weight had been an issue since the show started, and in the previous episode he’d tipped the scales at 210 pounds, prompting his trainer John Bray to say, “Darnell’s going to have problems if he’s called out.” John put Darnell on a strict diet, but early scenes from this episode indicated that Darnell was still struggling to lay off snacks.

On the day of the fight – only 10 hours before he was to step into the ring - John checked on Darnell’s weight. He was still heavy. Darnell didn’t seem bothered, and said he would do what he needed to do. That meant hitting the gym, wearing a sauna jacket, and melting off those last few pounds.

Darnell made weight – barely. Thanks to all his late efforts, he came in right at 200 pounds. He said he felt strong. There’s a difference though between feeling strong in the gym, and feeling strong when the bell rings – and Hino confidently predicted Darnell would tire quickly.

He was right – and from watching Darnell’s desperate efforts, it looked like Darnell knew it too. From the start, he fought like he felt he needed to end the fight as quickly as possible. He tried to force everything, loading up with bombs instead of working with the jab.

Only having to worry about big right hands, Hino easily avoided getting tagged. He consistently beat Darnell to the punch with his superior hand speed and danced out of the way of Darnell's lunging efforts. Hino was winning the rounds, and looked comfortable doing so, but clearly his trainer Tommy Brooks felt he could be doing more. During the break between the fourth and fifth rounds, Tommy tried to offer some instruction, only to have Hino argue with him – at which point Tommy just stepped back and said, "Alright, I got nothing to say, man. This is your fight."

That kind of cockiness didn’t matter in this case, as Darnell just didn’t have it - but if Hino’s to go anywhere, he might want to pay attention to his corner.

The scores were 50-44, 50-45 and 50-44.

After the fight, Darnell shouldered the blame for what happened. He said he fought as hard as he could, but his body just wouldn’t respond. “I will not let myself go into a fight like that again. I cannot do this sport being unprepared. It’s too dangerous.”

For Hino, the second round awaits.

I imagine he won't choose to fight Gold Team teammate, Deon Elam. That means either a match-up with Felix Cora Jr., or slotting himself into the empty final slot in the second round and leaving the choice up to the winners of the fights still to come.

- By Andrew Fruman (millingscribe@gmail.com)
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