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Belts are made to unified, not multiplied.
By
Michael Cassell “The Philadelphia Boxing Report”
posted on 12/15/06
PHILADELPHIA –
In a division that is
hemorrhaging fans faster, than Mel Gibson and Michael Richards combined,
a small amount of excitement is better than nothing at all. Last year,
the consensuses best Heavyweight in the world, was Hasim Rachman. After
the better half of the Klitschko brothers retired, and while Chris Byrd
was still in the mix, it only made sense to declare Rachman, the best of
the bunch. He was after all, the last man to put Lennox Lewis on his
back, and although he looked sluggish in a few outings, there was just
nobody else to latch onto.
As the Heavyweights
seemed to get bigger and slower, and more uninspiring than ever, 37 year
old Oleg Maskaev, seemed to be working harder and harder, at a chance to
get back into the good graces of the division. When promoter Dennis
Rappaport found Oleg a few years back, he was amazed that Maskaev was
thinking of retiring, and moving on. Dennis is his biggest fan, as well
as his biggest critic
“I told him
(Maskaev) , you have so much natural ability. You need to move around a
bit more in the ring. If someone taught you that, you would be
unstoppable. Oleg is a guy that can actually punch people numb. He hits
so damn hard.” Dennis Rappaport
Within 3 years,
Maskaev won ten bouts, eight of which were by knockout. When he faced
Rachman earlier this year. Maskaev was living off his big night in 1999,
when he knocked Rachman through the ropes and out for good. Rachman was
living off his Lewis Knockout, but neither fighter had really done
anything to solidify the foundation of their Heavyweight careers.
Maskaev changed all that, when he scored a Technical Knockout of
Rachman, and with a solid lead left hook, and right hand, took the WBC
belt, from the Rock.
“I told you he
would do it. This guy is a Cinderella story, he is the real deal. He
changed his style, everything. The best part about it is, he is a great
guy. He really deserves this victory, and he earned this belt” Dennis
Rappaport
Meanwhile, the little
brother of Vitaly Klitschko, Wladimir, decided he needed to make some
changes, if anyone was ever going to take him seriously again. He hired
the best trainer in boxing, Emmanuel Steward, and he learned to do
something very creative. He learned that a “jab” is actually an
important thing. He also learned how to move. The biggest misconception
about Heavyweights, is when they are knocked out, they have a glass jaw.
The reality is something a whole lot simpler.
Heavyweights are
caught, when they are out of position. Klitschko was usually out of
position and off balance when he missed with a punch. Steward taught
him, as he taught Lewis, better ring positioning, and control of his
shots. It was never more evident, then when he fought Sam Peter. Peter
is a very hard puncher who caught Klitschko a few times, but Klitschko
prevailed, and made Peter pay. Peter and James Toney fought earlier this
year to decide who is the number one contender to fight Maskaev. The
decision was deemed so bad by the WBC, that the WBC ordered a rematch. (Why
not demand better judges?) There is only one problem. Whom does
Maskaev get to fight in the meantime? His people have no one to
negotiate with, all the While; Klitschko may be getting ready to fight
Ray Austin. Yes, Ray Austin.
“Wladimir looks
better than ever before. This guy trains hard everyday. He never takes
off, and he is at the gym before I get there.” Emmanuel Steward
Does anybody really
care who wins the match between Toney and Peter? Does anyone want to see
Klitschko fight Ray Austin? I think it is a no brainier, that we would
all like to see a unification bout, over anything. We need closure; we
need the division to be more defined. A fat former middleweight, who
lost his title do to steroid use, will not define the division. Sure,
Toney plays a great bad guy, but he also fights in a very lackadaisical
way. Sam Peter could be something special, but the guy just keeps
growing and growing. How much bigger can he get before Shannon Briggs
starts getting jealous?
Let us throw some gas
on a fire, which is barely a smoking twig. Let us let the two big former
soviets battle it out. They both have earned it. They both have made
changes to get better, and the most important thing is, they are both
winning their fights, without steroids, or whining. They are thoroughly
beating the hell out of their opposition, and they both hold belts. I
think this fight should be made for the spring, and it needs to be done
right now!
It seems as of every
fighter from the last 15 years, is trying to come back .With Evander
(my heart feels great) Holyfield still fighting (badly), and
Oliver (emotional breakdown) McCall just getting another
victory, 2007 could be a very strange year. Maybe we can have a great,
(Who gives a flying crap) tournament. We can pit Michael Moorer
VS. Evander Holyfield, and Oliver McCall VS David Tua, and who ever
wins, gets to fight Mike Tyson on PPV for four rounds.
The Philadelphia
Boxing Report
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