BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY – IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT FOR THE
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING
By Ron Brashear
Inside Boxing Writer/Columnist
Photos: Rodney Long (click on photo for larger view)
NEW YORK, NY (IB – November 14 2004,) – In case you were not on hand in Madison
Square Garden in New York City last night, I hope you were able to tune into HBO
PPV and observe the talents of the current stock of heavyweight fighters. This
Don King promoted event was headlined by a total of five heavyweight bouts. Here
is high-level recap of fights in reverse order.
MAIN EVENT – John Ruiz – (41-5-1, 28 KOs) vs. Andrew Golota (38-5-1, 31 KOs)
John Ruiz retained his WBA version of the heavyweight crown in a fight that had
several bizarre twists to it. Golota scores two knockdowns of
John Ruiz in the
second round and appeared to be well on his way to capturing a piece of the
heavyweight crown. In round four, Ruiz was penalized a point for hitting Golota
behind the head after being previously warned by referee Randy Neumann. Despite
this type of slow start from Ruiz, followed by having his trainer (Norman Stone
– “Stoney”) ejected from the arena in the 8th round for arguing with the
referee, Johnny was able to come on strong down the stretch and eek out a split
decision victory. The announcement of the decision was greeted by a loud chorus
of boos. There were several fights that took place in stands during this fight.
There were quiet a few Polish supporters for Golota in the crowd that showed
their support by cheering Andrew on. In response to the loud roars, the crowd
was also very supportive of John Ruiz as well with chants of USA! USA! USA!
While this fight was very ugly, it was also a very entertaining fight as well. I
personally scored the fight for Golota and felt he deserved the victory.
CO -MAIN EVENT – Chris Byrd – (38-2-1, 20 KOs) vs. Jameel McCline (31-4-3, 19
KOs)
This bout had the appearance of David taking on Goliath. Jameel McCline
outweighed Byrd by 56 pounds (270lbs to 214lbs) and came out early in
the fight
wanting to use this advantage and overpower Byrd. McCline landed a solid right
hand to the head of Byrd that put him on the canvas for only the 3rd time in his
career. With this, the appearance that an upset was surely in the making.
However, Byrd had something to say about that and wasn’t ready to give up his
title that quickly. Byrd was able to re-group after being behind 20-17 on all 3
judges scorecards after the 2nd round and came back in the fight to win a split
decision to retain his title. Chris was able to do this by showcasing his
elusiveness and his ability to get his punches off faster and with better
combinations. The scoring was 115-112 & 114-113 for Byrd and 112-114 for McCline.
The key attribute that is most impressive in Chris Byrd is his total confidence
at all times. After all, he had stated before the fights, “Look at me, I’m the
smallest guy of the eight heavyweights on the card, but I don’t care because I
can beat all of them. Bring’em on.” While there have been many doubters that
feel Chris doesn’t have enough power to be a good heavyweight, this IBF champion
continues to earn more & more respect in the heavyweight division. I personally
am of the opinion that he does hold the supremacy of the current heavyweight
division.
UNDER CARD BOUT - Hasim Rahman (40-5-1, 32 KOs) vs. Kali Meehan (29-3, 23 KOs)
Rahman is back! Hasim ”The Rock” Rahman made his ring entrance to the tune of
Snoop Dogg’s hit single ”Drop it like its hot” and when the bell
rang, that is
exactly what he did. While there were no actual knock downs, Rahman was dropping
combinations on Meehan’s face and body that made this fighter and his corner
really hot. So hot, that they threw in the towel at the end of the 4th round to
prevent things from getting hotter. This was a superb blow-out performance of
pure dominance. After the bout Rahman stated, “I have fully re-dedicated my self
to the sport of boxing and I want one of the title belts!” If Rahman continues
to put forth this type of performance and is consistent with his training
regiments, it is very possible that he will become a two-time Heavyweight
champion.
UNDER CARD BOUT - Evander Holyfield (38-8-2, 25 KOs) vs. Larry Donald (42-3-2,
24 KOs)
Larry Donald did just what he was supposed to do. Outbox an aging legend and not
make the mistake of standing in front of him and exchanging
punch for punch.
While Larry looked good in this fight by showcasing a good left jab and a sharp
one-two combination including straight right-hands, the jury is still out. It
very obvious to me that Evander is only a shell of the “real deal” at this point
in time. When you see his body, this 42 year old veteran had the best chiseled
body out of all the heavyweights on the card tonight. So, he is still in
excellent shape. What has diminished are his reflexes. It’s like he can see the
openings to throw his famous counter left hooks, but by the time he releases the
punch, the target is no longer available to him. The same goes for his defense
now. He is relatively easy to hit now with a left jab, as well as an overhand
right. If Larry Donald packed some more steam and had really sat down on his
punches, he may have been able to take Holyfield out. The piece that is probably
hard for Holyfield to understand is that it is actually more brutal on the
Holyfield fan to watch him take these defeats than it is on himself. However,
until one of these younger fighters really puts a serious knock out victory
together on him, he will probably continue to find justifications in his mind to
continue in the sport. So if you are one of the folks asking why is he still
fighting, you may as well leave that question alone and just sit back and know
the answer is coming, but only we he is ready to provide that answer.
UNDER CARD BOUT - Oliver McCall (41-8, 30 KOs) vs. DaVarryl Williamson (21-3-17
KOs).
DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson, who just came off a technical decision
lost to Wladimir Klitschko as of a result of an accidental head butt
in the 5th
rd only six weeks ago, found himself in the ring with another former world
heavyweight champion in Oliver McCall. This was a very competitive hard-fought
battle of give & take for 10 rounds. Both of these fighters ended up with their
faces swollen and both of their eyes were puffy as well. In the end, it was DaVarryl Williamson that pulled out the unanimous decision by the scores of
96-94, 96-94, and 97-94 and derailed Oliver McCall’s comeback bid in the
heavyweight division. When I spoke to DaVarryl after the fight, he stated,
“Consider I have shown my competitiveness in this division against two former
world champions within a six week span, I feel I should now be line for my
opportunity for a shot at one of the world champions.” Based on what I observed,
I totally agree with DaVarryl. I would love to see him get an opportunity to
take on John Ruiz or Chris Byrd. I truly believe the fight fans would be in
store for an exciting event. DaVarryl showed that he can take a punch and he
showed the boxing community that he has the courage to stand in there and
exchange punches.
In closing, I had the following questions on my mind coming into Saturday
night’s fights and here are the answers that I came away with.
1. Has the curtain finally closed on 42-year-old Evander Holyfield? I think so,
however, it’s up to Evander to really assess the erosion of his reflexes and
decide if he still wishes to continue in the sport at a journeyman level. If
this was his last fight, I just feel fortunate I was there to cover it. He is a
living legend and I wish him the best on whatever he decides to do!
2. Is the same true for Hasim Rahman or is Kali Meehan for real? The answer is
clear. Rather Meehan is for real or not, the “Rock” is back and he looked great
and will be a major threat to any of the current champions.
3. Has Chris Byrd really buffed up to the point where he is ready to showcase
punching power in addition to his boxing elusiveness? Absolutely yes! Chris is
the cream of the crop at this point in time.
4. Is the “Quiet Man” John Ruiz ready to make some noise in the heavyweight
division or has Golota finally arrived at the top of the mountain? Golota has
arrived and just happened to come up short on the decision. As for Ruiz, like it
or not, he just keeps on winning. Ruiz has a good chin and a good solid right
hand. With this combination, he will continue his title defenses until a great
puncher or an elusive boxer is put in front of him.
Nevertheless, this was a great fight card and Don King continues to demonstrate
his own Supremacy in the rank of promoters!
You have just gone InsideBoxing.com
Ron Brashear can be contacted at
brashear@insideboxing.com,
ron@brasheargear.com