For a sport that is supposed to be dead, boxing sure makes a lively corpse. This weekend saw a slew of meaningful bouts featuring some of the cream of the fistic crop, along with some rising stars.
The most-ballyhooed matchup was middleweight champion Sergio Martinez?s homecoming title defense in his native Argentina against unbeaten Brit Martin Murray. At 38, Martinez is a pound-for-pound great who is destined for boxing?s Hall of Fame. But he?s shown signs of slippage in recent bouts, and the Murray encounter was no exception. Although he won a clear decision, Martinez hit the deck for the second time in successive fights, though this knockdown was not as devastating as the one he suffered against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in his previous fight. Martinez again managed to come off the floor to win. But how many more bullets can ?Maravilla? dodge from the young guns of the middleweight division?
The up-and-down Amir Khan also had to climb off the canvas to secure a 12-round decision win. His opponent, Julio Diaz, had him in a lot of trouble. But Khan gave as good as he got, and gutted out the victory. Khan remains a major player in both the junior-welterweight and welterweight divisions. But how many more wars can he endure before he wears out at a young age?
Danny Garcia, who holds the WBA and WBC versions of the 140-pound championship, successfully defended his belts against perennial challenger Zab Judah via unanimous decision. At 35, former junior-welterweight and welterweight title-holder Judah has become a high-level trial horse ? a test for young fighters who are on the brink of superstar status. Garcia passed his Zab test with flying colors, but not without getting some marks on his face, courtesy of Judah?s pinpoint punches.
Meanwhile a new face appeared in the depleted heavyweight ranks as unheralded Haitian-Canadian Bermane Stiverne scored an upset 12-round decision over long-time contender Chris Arreola. Stiverne checked Arreola?s usually-sturdy chin, dropping him in the third frame of their 12-rounder en route to a clear-cut victory. The victor?s reward will be a shot at WBC champion Vitali Klitschko?s WBC title. Some reward ? but also, some opportunity.
Another fresh heavyweight face made a brief appearance in Britain. Deontay Wilder remained undefeated as he crushed a used-up Audley Harrison in a little more than one minute of the first round. Wilder looks impressive so far ? but then, so did Seth Mitchell and David Price, both of whom were recently knocked on their assets. The question is, can Wilder avoid the jinx that brought down his fellow prospects? If he can, he?ll be golden.
Finally, an old face is about to disappear from the scene. At 44, James Toney ? a three-division champion, including heavyweight ? showed that he is no Bernard Hopkins as he dropped a decision to a 14-fight novice named Lucas Browne. Toney has a wealth of experience, but his grossly obese body simply cannot do what he wants it to do anymore. It would be a different story if Toney took care of himself the way Hopkins does.
This weekend of fight-fan riches, along with the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero matchup, shows that there?s plenty of life left in the old leather-pushing game.
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. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
