There is a new heavyweight belt holder as of this Saturday. Nicolay Valuev defeated John Ruiz by majority decision to win the WBA Heavyweight trinket. The fight from Germany was not televised in America and maybe for good reason. The fight was a typical boring John Ruiz fight. The clinches far outweighed the punches landed, making for difficult rounds to score. In the end, the German fighter got the decision on his home turf; surprise surprise. The decision comes with some controversy, but it was not a flat out robbery. Almost every fight that John Ruiz is nearly impossible to score because of the lack of action in between clinches. Ruiz has had a five year run with his belt. He has held on to that WBA strap with decisions, disqualifications, technicalities, and clinches. Give “The Quiet Man” some credit. He certainly had tenacity. I actually find it ironic that this surprising long run at the top was cut short by probably the worst opponent that Ruiz has faced during his championship reign.
I don’t mean to degrade Valuev before he really has the chance to make his mark as an elite heavyweight, but he is not very good. Larry Donald whooped him fairly easily last November and he did not exactly impress in his victory against Ruiz. The good news is that the giant could attract some attention to the sport. The circus sideshow spectators will come out in droves to see this 7 foot monster with boxing gloves. I don’t predict a very bright future for the Russian, but he will be an interesting opponent for the true Heavyweight Champion, whenever that vacancy is filled.
An Ode to Awkward Styles
The fundamentals of boxing that experts frequently talk about are techniques that have stood the test of time. Around the turn of the 19th century, fighters used vastly different tactics than they use today. If an individual in the past discovered a new way to fight that was more like how boxers fight today, he would have an advantage over the others. All time greats like Gene Tunney and Jim Corbett were not extraordinarily gifted physically, however they rose to the top because they implemented the most cutting edge boxing tactics of their day. Over the decades, pugilism has developed into a scientific art from; the sweet science. This is a science that has been proven, time and time again. The “fundamentals” will give a fighter better balance, timing, and positioning. Straight punches will allow you to hit your target before it hits you. Instilling refined technique into a prizefighter will make him a better fighter by leaps and bounds. Yet after seeing the proven effectiveness throughout history, some fighters throw the book out of the window. Some boxers will disregard every rule that a decent trainer would have, and you have to love them for it. We say that these brave enriching characters have an “awkward style”; some, of course, are more awkward than others. They are usually ridiculed for being amateurish in form but you cannot argue with success. There have been many unconventional boxers who have held their own on a worldwide stage in recent years.
Sam Soliman looked as if he had been only boxing for a matter of days last week against Winky Wright. His unbelievable work rate and conditioning allowed him to be competitive but I have seen better technique from the fights that break out on the Jerry Springer show. He was constantly off balanced because of his atrocious footwork. He would bounce in and out reeling off flopping arm punches. Sam certainly won me over though. I am now a full fledged Sam Soliman fan. Anyone who can relentlessly flail away like a crack head for twelve rounds without tiring is worthy of my admiration.
The equally amusing Emanuel Augustus knows how to box. He just does not feel comfortable doing it. Hence, Emanuel invented the puppet dance. His feet lift up off of the ground as if strings were attached to his knees and he rattles off punches to the rhythm of music that only he can hear. This dance, which officials and judges apparently hate, can be frighteningly effective at times. None more so than last July against Ray Oliveira where Augustus dominated when he was doing the puppet dance. Emanuel actually had his worst rounds when he would attempt to box traditionally. Augustus is a pure entertainer. If you have never seen him in action be sure to check out his next fight against Emmanuel Clottey in February on ESPN.
Montell Griffin is ridiculously short for a light heavyweight at 5’7″. Height is usually thought of as an advantage, but Griffin has cleverly developed a style where he uses his short stature to his advantage. 99% of a Griffin fight sees Montell crouched down to make himself even shorter than he already is. His defensive guard is up in a way were it is nearly impossible to hit him cleanly. Boxers are not accustomed to punching straight down at tree stumps. If Montell sees any available opening to strike, he will uses his quick hands to dash at the opening with a punch. Griffin is back in his crouched shell before his opponent even realizes that he has been hit. These fights are always tough to score and ussually tough to watch.
One of the most famous examples of an awkward style is “Prince” Naseem Hamed. His head would be level with his hips during most of a fight. As he bobbed and ducked his head around from one side to the other he would swing looping haymakers from every conceivable angle. Luckily for Hamed that he had anvils for fists, possibly the hardest puncher pound for pound of his generation. That devastating power allowed him to get away with any technical flaws that he continually made. “If only he some technique to go with his physical gifts,” said Emanuel Steward. The legendary trainer was hired by Hamed and tried to teach him just that. Ironically, Naseem was never the same after a more traditional fighting style was taught to him. We found out that his awkwardness is what made him so dangerous. No one could prepare for his punches. People were not used to seeing shimmying around like that so Hamed was able to tag his opponents. One punch was usually all that it took coming from Hamed.
Ricardo Mayorga also relies on his power because the word technique is not in his vocabulary. He will walk right in swinging his looping power shots in an effort to land even if he has to take a few on the chin to do so. Mayorga is a throwback to the past where science was the last thing on a fighter’s mind. They would simply walk into the ring and try to beat the crap out of each other. Ricardo has a simplified approach to boxing; which is hit the other guy really hard with your fist. Then if you win, have a beer and smoke a cigarette.
Seeing the awkward style on occasion is always enjoyable. It is fresh to see interesting and inventive attempts to win a prize fight. The usual jab, cross, hook can get mundane after a while. So as a message to all of the boxers with awkward styles out there: don’t listen to all of the critics pressuring you to be more conventional. Punch from your shoelaces to above your head just like in Punchout the video game. Do dances in the ring. Whatever it is you feel comfortable doing. After all, this is all about entertaining the fans right?
The Upcoming Schedule
Last week I said that David Tua vs. Calvin Brock was probably going to be on the undercard of Gatti vs. Daamgard. Unfortunately, that very appealing heavyweight crossroads fight will not be on the January HBO show. HBO has promised to step up their quality and quantity for 2006 but their January schedule looks very tame. Aside from the underwhelming Gatti fight, the only other show is the Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales match on Pay Per View. The first fight between the two garnered unbelievable buzz but I predict that the rematch will not do as well for a couple of reasons. First, Morales is coming off of a humiliating defeat to a relative unknown. The first time, where Morales was also coming off of a loss, was different because that was an extremely close fight against his hall of fame rival Marco Antonio Barrera. Zahir Raheem won about ten rounds against Morales and controlled the fight throughout. A PPV show is supposed to feature super fights to determine who the best in the world is. After seeing Erik get thoroughly thrashed by Raheem you have to wonder if this show will live up to what a PPV is supposed to be, even if Morales beats Pacquiao again.
The second reason that I do not thing that this card is going to sell as well is the lackluster undercard. Martin Castillo vs. Alexander Munoz is a solid super flyweight title fight, but Castillo has already beaten Munoz so what does this one prove? Martin is an excellent fighter but most fans care little about the lower weight division, especially if the little guys are not known for their power punching as is the case with Castillo. Also on that undercard is Kelly Pavlik vs. the unknown Jose Luis Zertuche. I had never heard of Zertuche until now. I think that Pavlik has a bright future ahead of him but I question the significance of this fight. To round out the PPV undercard is a possible appearance by Morales conqueror Zahir Raheem. An opponent has not been named, nor has Raheem’s presence on the card, so that will mean that his foe will likely be of the “late replacement” variety. With that uninspiring undercard, Morales and Pacquiao had better beat the crap out of each other or fans won’t be getting their money’s worth.
