Saturday night at the Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, Lucas Matthysse dealt Tewa Kiram the first loss of his professional career?
At first, a fighter?s hands, which in and of themselves hold the true to key to either success or failure, are prepared to be wrapped. Regardless of our average span of life, the time spent in the ring is usually but a flash of experience and it can terminate in an instant. When all is as needed for the hands, then gloves are put on with utmost care. It should not be a news flash to anyone that boxing gloves are to protect a fighter?s most treasured asset, the hands and not the surface of an opponent?s body. On Saturday night at the Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, Lucas ?La Maquina? Matthysse dealt Tewa Kiram the first loss of his professional career en route to the vacant WBA world welterweight title.
In what began as a back-and-forth clash of styles and in the midst of a cascade of vocal disdain by those in attendance, Matthysse (39-4, 36 KO?s) made sure that Kiram?s first venture outside of his native Thailand was one to remember. Lucas dealt his Southeast Asia foe a pair of knockdowns in the eighth round, the second of which was the death knell for the night and led to the decision to stop the contest by referee Raul Caiz, Sr.
Kiram (38-1, 28 KO?s) found the Forum to be as inhospitable as the Boston Celtics once did when the arena was the home court for the Los Angeles Lakers. This isn?t the first time we?ve seen a boxer taste their initial defeat alongside the first venture outside their home stomping grounds. It happens. Likewise, the second knockdown seemed to have come from a well placed jab, which at times can do tremendous damage if timed and placed just right.
Someone should remind HBO?s Max Kellerman of just such a possibility. The longtime commentator took it upon himself to stop just short of openly accusing Tewa Kiram of punching the card early and rolling over as well. Perhaps someone should tell Max that not every fight has to end with a powerhouse cross to the chin or a thunderous crack to the body.
It was no dive and Kellerman of all people should know when and where such blatant paths to an early night have taken place. A dive or diver is better associated with someone like Likar Ramos. A dive is Bruce Seldon or dare we say?..Sonny Liston? In any case and unlike such HBO mainstays as Jim Lampley or Harold Lederman, Max Kellerman is part of daytime TV and lives to call it as he sees it on just about every popular sport. He shares time with Stephen A. Smith on ?First Take? on weekday mornings, for example.
He?s done well as a boxing commentator for many years, but he probably has never put on a pair boxing gloves and even more so, likely hasn?t been hit in the face in a long time. Maybe he should know what it feels like if he?s so convinced that a jab can, in fact, result in a knockdown, as was the case on Saturday night in Inglewood.
