Under the tutelage of savvy Ann Wolfe and promotion of 50 Cent, the Mandingo Warrior bludgeoned and battered Glen Tapia?
?You took his nuts, now you gotta take his heart.??Ann Wolfe
?The sixth round was particularly bad for Tapia and one additional power punch from Kirkland after Smoger intervened to call a halt left the young fighter disconnected from his senses. In typical fashion, Smoger hugged onto the vanquished warrior and planted a kiss of consolation on the fighter?s neck.??Derek Bonnett (Seconds Out)
?He was an undefeated fighter, [near his] hometown and you give him every opportunity. I wouldn?t have stopped it without consulting the physician?The next round, anything of magnitude that was enough.??Steve Smoger
?You?re a great champion. You fought your heart out and it was a war.??James Kirkland
Under the tutelage of savvy Ann Wolfe and promotion of 50 Cent, the Mandingo Warrior (now 32-1) bludgeoned and battered a too-tough-for-his-own-good Glen Tapia to win a crunching sixth round TKO. It may not have been as pure or artful as Rigo and Lara?s performances last night, but these two put on a brutal display in what may well be a candidate for Fight of the Year.
The fight, a risky one for Mandingo, was much like the Angulo classic of November 5, 2011, except this one had no knockdowns. Tapia, like Angulo, started fast and won the first round, but once James found his incoming rhythm and reverted to his high punching volume, he became that familiar ring monster that simply could not be backed up as he began his dreadful beating on ?Jersey Boy? who lost for the first time. Kirkland took command after landing a straight left hand that hurt Tapia with about 1:10 left in the second round. Tapia fought back just enough to allow the beatdown to continue, but soon he was like tonic without gin. His punches, while still sharp, had no impact on the determined Kirkland who was doing what he does best to wit: A non-stop mugging of an increasingly helpless victim.
The fight probably lasted longer than it should have thanks to Glen?s ?brave? corner, the gnome-like and increasingly flamboyant Smoger, and the ring doctor Blair Bergen, (who at least examined Glen close up). Some fights cross into the danger zone. This was one of them as Tapia was bloodied, exhausted, and?what?s worse?disoriented after the fight.
The Mandingo Warrior has not fought in 20 months mostly because of legal and promotional issues, but with this win, he has re-established himself as one of boxing?s most fan-friendly brawlers. More to the point, he adds a strong dose of gin to the already well-mixed middleweight tonic, and visions of a Kirkland vs. Canelo or Cotto fight are thirst quenching indeed, not to mention the straw that stirs the drink, GGG.
