Yet Another Heavyweight Champion

A heavyweight bout this past weekend between Sergei Liakhovich and Lamon Brewster was good enough to keep me watching. There were quite a few bruising exchanges and a knockdown. Definitely one of the better heavyweight fights of the decade which really isn't saying much.

Brewster is a throwback. To the 80's heavyweight. The guys with tons of potential but for whatever reason do not have the mental toughness to not only win, but be dominant. Brewster had a dead man in front of him by the sixth round and couldn't put him away, simply content to fire haymakers and go passive whenever return fire came. There was much talk about how Brewster changed temperamentally after hiring on Jesse Reid as his trainer. Reid, one of boxing's best motivators was able to channel Brewster into throwing a lot of power punches per round that enabled him to demolish Andrew Golota in one and come from behind to knockout German Luan Krasniqi. Problem is, why does he need to inspired in the first place. Brewster replaced Reid with Buddy McGirt and in this fight at least, showed how a fighter cannot truly change who he is.

All great fighters are self-motivated.

And that is why Brewster will never reach his potential.

Liakhovich, on the other hand, has raw technical skills but is mentally focused. He was severely hurt in the sixth round and rallied through it. The true hard knock life of his Eastern European upbringing upstaged Brewster's own indecisive history. Liakhovich won the fight simply because he was willing to work harder.

These days in the heavyweight division, apparently, that is enough.

A Fat Tub Of Guts

The heavyweight showdown this past Saturday brought back the sorry nostalgia of the 80s, the decade of the fat heavyweight. It started with Greg Page, the erstwhile Ali imitator who proceeded to eat himself out of heavyweight contention. Then there was Tony Tubbs, whose last name befitted his blubbery physique. Lower down the food chain, there was James Broad, again someone whose last name perfectly described his stomach.


But perhaps the above heavyweights couldn't help themselves. They were big guys. Toney, on the other hand, is old for a fighter (37), short for a heavyweight (5'9") and weighed in at a grossly out of shape 237 pounds. This lack of professionalism is astounding, people pay to see the bout live, they pay for their HBO subscriptions and to see this kind of non-effort is insulting. This wasn't a fight he was taking on short notice, he had ample opportunity to get in shape and win the HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. Hell, the oddsmakers even declared him a 2 1/2 to 1 favorite.

His lack of passion was match by Rahman's lack of fire. Rahman was content to fire a jab at the lazy Toney and seem to win the fight simply by throwing more punches. Rahman's post-fight reaction was puzzling. After a fight he had appeared to easily win was declared a draw he took it with a shrug of the shoulder. He then stated in the interview with Larry Merchant that "Toney will come in shape next time. The rematch will be different". This is the first time I've ever heard a fighter become an apologist for his opponent. If he had any fire or desire he would have been angry at the decision and nixed the need for a rematch. If this had been Ali, you would have seen ranting and raving. Hell, even Larry Holmes had the temerity to tell the judges to kiss his "big black behind" after being robbed in the rematch with Michael Spinks.

So the commentators made a point throughout the broadcast that the fans are seemingly uninterested in the heavyweight division. The reason was made clear Saturday night. These are fighters without passion, with no desire to put forth the effort to make people interested.

When is Pacquiao versus Barrera II?

"Fuck all!" - The power of positive profanity

Time to eat some crow.

I had no idea Calzaghe was that good.

Granted he had made 17 title defenses so I knew he was an exceptional fighter. But I truly thought that he would not be able to hold up against the wrecking ball from Florida, Jeff Lacy.

I'm glad I didn't put any money on this one :)

Calzaghe easily outmaneuvered and outpunched the highly touted American in what was probably the most masterful performance by a British boxer ever, if not certainly in recent memory.

Lacy, whose hammering fists nearly decapitated fellow Americans like Scott Pemberton and Rubin Williams, had no answer for Calzaghe. By the middle of the second round, his facial expression said it all. The fight was, for all purposes, over. Calzaghe was too much and Lacy could only swing for the fences.

Most boxing pundits will cite Calzaghe's superior ring generalship as the primary reason for him winning this bout. I think this is only partially true.

His determination and will power were simply greater than Lacy's. After the first round, Calzaghe returned to his corner and the conversation between himself and his father, Enzo, went something like this.

Joe "His power is shit. Fuck his power".
Enzo "Fuck all..."
Joe "Fuck all! He's shit!"

Ah, the power of positive profanity. There was very little in the way of ring instruction in Calzaghe's corner. Just a few "fuck him!" and a lot of "fuck all!!"...I guess that "fuck all" is the British equivalent of our Ebonic "Fuck dat!"...Point is, Lacy was highly touted in all circles with tons of hype that I still, quite frankly, feel was deserving despite the defeat. But it mattered little to Calzaghe. Refusing to believe in the hype, he pumped himself up in the corner, using the power of forceful language to psych himself up. His punches weren't textbook but he never tired, threw tons of shots and just pummeled Lacy from pillar to post. His determination to impose his will was simply greater than Lacy's.

Whether or not the fight should have been stopped is point for debate. Some pundits may say the fight should have been stopped sometime after the eighth round when Lacy was hopelessly behind on points. I take my hat off to Lacy and his corner as they never stopped trying. The damage will be more psychological than physical, however. I'm not certain if Lacy will recover psychologically from the beating he took.

There is now talk of Calzaghe taking on Jones, Tarver or Glen Johnson.

He would destroy the shell of Jones within five rounds. Tarver would be a more difficult fight than Lacy because of his height but, again, I think Calzaghe would outwill the passive "Magic Man". A fight with Johnson would be a barnburner as they both have similar "Fuck all" mindsets. I'd favor Calzaghe because of his superior speed.

Its hard to explain why Calzaghe has been underrated for all these years. Sometimes its those guys out of the spotlight whose star shines brightest of all, we just don't notice it...

Lacy versus Calzaghe

It has been awhile since I have posted so I apologize to my millions of fans who have been eagerly anticipating the next article chronicling my thoughts.

In all seriousness folks, Lacy against Calzaghe this weekend is what all of us fight fans have been clamoring for.

Lacy looks to be as good as they come. A former Olympian he punches with Tysonesque power. The right hand bomb he launched against Scott Pemberton was downright scary. Pemberton dropped as if he had been shot. What I like most about Lacy is his technique of repeatedly hitting his opponent with the same shot once he lands. During his bout against the capable Syd Vanderpool, Lacy chased after his opponent like a cheetah after a wildebeest. He would land a monstrous right cross, Vanderpool would retreat and than Lacy would chase after him repeatedly throwing the right hand. His superior will and firepower has enabled him to defeat all 21 of his professional opponents. Considering he has one of the best young trainers (Dan Birmingham) in the sport, Lacy is a fearsome wrecking machine who will be very tough to beat.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is a fighter with the experience. 40 wins and no defeats. His wins have come against only a handful of the division's notables, I give him full credit for defeating Charles Brewer and Omar Sheika. I do think, however, that Chris Eubank was a bit long in the tooth before Calzaghe added his scalp to his resume. Calzaghe has a busy, swarming style and will have the hometown crowd in his favor (the bout is taking place in Manchester, England). The crowd will cheer even if he farts in Lacy's direction and this will help should the bout go to the scorecards.

Their primary common opponent aside from Omar Sheika is Robin Reid. Calzaghe took a split decision victory over Reid in '99. Lacy pummeled Reid to the canvas numerous times in '05. Clearly the '99 version of Reid had more in the tank than the one that faced Lacy but nontheless I think it shows that Lacy is a class above Calzaghe.

My pick is Lacy. I most often go for the smarter fighter in close contests like this. At first glance, Calzaghe appears to be the smarter fighter simply because of his vast edge in experience. But upon further inspection, I have to go with Lacy as not just being the smarter fighter but having a greater ability to execute a game plan. He'll use his superior strength to outmuscle Calzaghe on the inside and force him to the ropes. I think Calzaghe will absorb a shellacking as early as the third round and be too proud to quit. Lacy will slam the Welshman from pillar to post by the late rounds and force the referee to intervene.