I have read on nearly every message board that I have come across and have seen many writers note that the recent WBA Heavyweight Title contest between defending champion, Nikolay Valuev and 4-Time Heavyweight Champion and challenger, Evander Holyfield was a horrible miscarriage of justice. That saying: ?Don?t believe everything you read? comes to mind.
I got a chance to finally view the fight in its entirety and it was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. Valuev plodded forward, confused, while Holyfield ran for the majority of the fight, only engaging during clinches or as he moved away from one. This was an effective strategy but this is for the heavyweight championship of the world and do you give it to a guy that is running away for the most part?
So, I kept my eyes on the screen and waited. At some point it would have to be evident that Valuev lost, but it never happened. This was a close and ugly fight, and in a close and ugly fight, it should go to the champion. Holyfield supporters are too quick to give him the benefit of the doubt in close rounds and the Valuev detractors are quick to point out that he has lost many a fight and was given the unfair nod, so take away a few rounds from him. When you factor those two things in, you get some people giving Holyfield the win by the scores of 119-109 or 118-110.
Boxing is subjective and that is what makes the scoring of a fight so debatable. This end result, a majority decision for Valuev, is not a bad call. It?s a reasonable call for a bad fight.
The controversy can be dismissed and there is no need for a rematch. Off this performance, there may be no need for Valuev to go after the Klitschko brothers. He didn?t show any gumption. Larry Merchant once said that part of his problem is that he doesn?t fight like the big guy he is, and in this fight, it was on display. Holyfield didn?t press, so Valuev didn?t press. He just allowed his opponent to move and move and never cut off the ring.
In his past few outings, Valuev looked better by the fight and was on the verge of becoming legitimized as a top big guy. Either he regressed, over trained (came in at 310, the lowest of his career), or was in awe of his popular challenger because he looked horrible even in winning. If you are only as good as your last fight, then Valuev doesn?t belong in the ring with Wladimir Klitschko.
Holyfield will forge on, claiming foul in this fight, and trying to maneuver himself into another title opportunity, getting preferential treatment over legitimate challengers. Boxing is a selfish sport and therefore, it?s perfect for ?The Real Deal.? And the sanctioning bodies and promoters love him because he is a household name and will use him over a guy like Alexander Dimitrenko or even a Tony Thompson, because his name carries more weight.
I think that we will probably see Holyfield taking on Vitali Klitschko, after Vitali gets passed Juan Carlos Gomez, despite the mandate that he take on former champ, Oleg Maskaev.
Wrapped up for the Fans
The super bout between British Superstar, Ricky ?Hitman? Hatton and Filipino Superstar, Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao, is just about set. All of the people that were siding with Hatton to trounce the smaller man have jumped ship and are now picking the Pacman to win and it?s hard not to, especially after watching him dismantle Oscar De La Hoya in his last bout.
Although Manny did prove that he can beat up a bigger man, the De La Hoya victory may mislead some fans. Hatton is a bigger risk to Manny at this point with his mauling and aggression, and because of that will to win and the fact that Hatton is a very good fighter with a lot of spirit, we should have a barnburner on our hands, and an actual super fight for once.
Realistically, the bouts labeled ?Superfights? have been nothing of the sort: Bernard Hopkins ? Kelly Pavlik, Roy Jones ? Joe Calzaghe, and Oscar De La Hoya ? Manny Pacquiao have featured has beens giving it one more go and losing to father time, with the exception of Hopkins. On paper, none of those fights were great fights. When you think of great fights, you remember fighters at the top of their game at the top of the sport colliding. Tommy Hearns ? Ray Leonard is a great example of a super fight. Manny Pacquiao ? Ricky Hatton is another.
You have to favor Manny going into this one, but there are a lot of factors. There has to be some degree of letdown from the De La Hoya fight. You cannot achieve anything greater than knocking out ?The Golden Boy.? It is something that is recognized more than anything else in the world of boxing and the fact that he made him quit, has launched the Filipino superstar to another level. Hatton hasn?t found the spotlight that he once had prior to his loss to Floyd Mayweather, JR, and wants it back.
It can be argued that Hatton will have more to prove in this fight and knows that his entire career is riding on it, and if there is a letdown mentally from Pacquiao, then maybe there is a chance for an upset. What is going against Hatton in this fight more than speed, which everyone is pointing to, is that his style is not good against Manny?s style. He will maul and slug, but Manny is stronger and the mauling will work against him.
Pacquiao is the man to beat in boxing right now and Hatton is one of the few men that might have a chance, but there are a lot of things that he will need to do and he will also need a little bit of luck on his side as well. What we do know as fans of the sport is that this fight is dynamite. Hatton will be swinging and it is safe to say that he is the biggest puncher that Manny has faced, outside of De La Hoya, who didn?t throw any meaningful punches. If Hatton lands flush, we might be in for a surprise, and boxing is about surprises.
If Manny should win and win impressively, Floyd Mayweather, JR., will come out of retirement to reclaim his throne, and that fight would be one of the biggest showdowns in the past decade.
Merry Xmas
I want to wish all of the readers and writers and everyone else that has been involved with the success of RSR a Merry Xmas or Happy Holidays?whatever term makes you the happiest. Have a safe and merry holiday.
