This past weekend featured more boxing chills, spills and thrills than almost all of last year. Comebacks, upsets, ring wars ? the second Friday and Saturday in April had it all.
On Friday, fight fans got a hint of what was to come when fringe middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio scored an upset seven-round stoppage over highly touted prospect David Lemieux. Rubio, who had failed miserably in a challenge of then-middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, absorbed everything the hard-hitting, undefeated Lemieux had to offer, then came back to win. What was considered another step up the ladder for Lemieux turned out to be his Victor Ortiz moment. Remember when an undefeated, confident Ortiz became unhinged when Marcos Maidana outslugged him not so long ago? Ortiz came back from that setback. Now, Lemieux must do the same.
Lemieux wasn?t the only young gun to lose his ?0? Friday night. Super-middleweight Marcus Johnson, junior-welterweight Danny O?Connor and welterweight Willie Nelson all lost by decision on a card meant to showcase their talents. It?s back to the drawing board for all three prospects.
If Friday was the weekend?s appetizer, Saturday was the main course. The entr?e was a crossroads bout between the formidable junior-welterweight contender Marcos Maidana and the comebacking Erik Morales. Morales was a terror during the early 2000s ? as a featherweight. He also holds the distinction of being the last fighter to defeat Manny Pacquiao, though Pacquiao knocked him out in two rematches. Morales eventually retired, then mounted a comeback at junior-welter. In three wins at that weight, he did not look impressive. Some commentators feared for Morales? health as he insisted on going up against a hard-nosed banger like Maidana.
Morales did not score a storybook victory over Maidana, who came away with a majority 12-round decision. But Erik was able to turn back the hands of time far enough to give Maidana a stiff argument, and even convince some ringsiders that the decision should have gone the other way. And he did it with only one eye, as Maidana?s punches raised a grotesque swelling that closed the Mexican?s right orb in the early going.
Moral victories do not count in a fighters win-lose column. Even so, Erik ?El Terrible? Morales certainly scored a moral victory on Saturday night. The question is, does he have anything left in the wake of his magnificent effort against a tough guy who did everything he could to knock him out.
On the undercard of Maidana-Morales, Robert Guerrero and Michael Katsidis waged lightweight warfare over 12 tumultuous rounds. Lots of action, a disputed knockdown, warnings from the referee ? this contest was like a soap opera on steroids. In the end, Guerrero outpunched the puncher. As for Katsidis, he has gone 4-4 in his last eight outings, and has lost his last two. He may be on his way to becoming a gatekeeper instead of a viable contender at the top level of his division.
In a real shocker, hard-hitting middleweight prospect James Kirkland learned the same lesson David Lemieux did ? only Kirkland spent a lot less time in the classroom. Underdog Nobuhiro Ishida sent Kirkland to the deck three times in the first round, forcing an early stoppage. This result was reminiscent of the way Breidis Prescott got Amir Khan out of there in one round several years ago. Khan came back. Can Kirkland?
And then there was Tomasz Adamek?s final tune-up bout before facing one of the Klitschko brothers in a fall heavyweight-championship encounter. Adamek?s opponent was Kevin McBride, whose sole claim to fame was that he retired Mike Tyson back in 2005. Subsequently, McBride did nothing to capitalize on that distinction. At 6?6? and lugging a ?heftyweight? 285 lb on his frame, the Irishman offered nothing more than a large target for the 215 lb Adamek, who won a lopsided decision. But if Adamek could not manage to floor a big tub of lard like McBride over 12 rounds, or compel the referee to stop the fight, then how?s he going to beat either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko?
This weekend of enjoyment did a great deal to dispel the stench that lingered from last month?s Vitali Klitschko-Odlanier Solis debacle. Come on, promoters ? give us more.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers.
