MESI, THE NEXT "WHITE HOPE"?... NOT IF JIROV HAS HIS WAY

By Rick Folstad
Inside Boxing Columnist

INSIDE BOXING (Feb. 4, 2004) - This fight should come with a disclaimer, a strict warning for young kids and fragile grandmothers that this type of carnage could cause nightmares.

"The promoters are not responsible if grandma passes out in front of the TV."

That’s because it’s not expected to be a fight as much as a barroom brawl, two tough guys not accustomed to backing up, trying to see who flinches first.

Undefeated Baby Joe Mesi (28-0, 25 KOs) is a true heavyweight out of Buffalo who is a big name near the Canadian border, but a curious oddity outside the New York State line. He has yet to meet anyone from the top row of heavyweight contenders, though he recently beat Monte Barrett by a majority decision. But Barrett doesn’t make many top-ten lists.

Still, if a guy wins 28 fights in a row, it’s a sign he’s at least a little durable and the chances are, he doesn’t cut very easily. You could probably put that down in the scouting report on Mesi. Some bleeders need stitches just from looking at themselves in the mirror.

Baby Joe is 6-foot-1 and a content and comfortable 235 pounds. Aside from his early growing years, he’s been a heavyweight all his life. He’s also been hand fed a few opponents on his way up, guys who seldom hang around long enough to hear the final bell.

Of course, the party never lasts forever and for Baby Joe, his clock strikes midnight on March 13 when he takes on former IBF cruiserweight champ Vassiliy Jirov in Las Vegas. It‘s the kind of fight that could be over quick, though the smart money says it lasts long into the night.

Jirov is a hard-hitting, durable, dangerous fighter with a million-dollar chin. His only loss was to James Toney, and he was never out of that fight. He could probably recapture one of the cruiserweight crowns if he wanted to, but the real money starts and ends with the heavyweight division. That’s where Jirov decided to go. Just like Toney, he’s on the trail to bigger paydays.

"I think it’s a good thing for him," said Toney, who was scheduled to fight 6-foot-7 heavyweight Jameel McCline on Feb. 7 before Toney ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during a recent workout. "I’m all for it. I wish him the best. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when he fights Joe Mesi."
If this fight is a test for anyone, it’s Mesi. He’s like a new pain reliever being pitched to the American public. He’s been well-marketed and has all the endorsements, but does he really cure your headache at 3 in the morning? Is Mesi the real thing?

Jirov, meanwhile, doesn’t have to prove anything. He’s already been there, done that. The only question with Jirov is how he adjusts to moving up to heavyweight, how he handles an extra 25 or 30 pounds in the ring.

Especially when it’s throwing left hooks at his head.