Heading into his fight with the Argentinean power puncher Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz was set to hit the boxing big time. His promoter Oscar De La Hoya said of the young Mexican American “Victor has the charisma, looks, smile and most importantly, he has the goods – the talent – to be the chosen one”. De La Hoya should know, he was the chosen one and for many the young fighter he was talking about was to be his successor.

Like De La Hoya before him, Ortiz also has an endearing story behind his ascent in life after overcoming being abandoned by his mother and having an alcoholic, violent father setting up years of struggle. What Oscar failed to mention is that a silver tongue, golden looks and a platinum story mean little if you don’t have a cast iron heart. And that’s what Ortiz has been accused of ever since that night with Maidana, the night the young man who had shown great strength in getting to the position he found himself, quit in the ring.

‘Vicious’ Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos ‘El Chino’ Maidana was not just a good fight, it was one of the best in 2009. It was a real battle that saw Maidana knocked down three times and Ortiz twice. Ortiz suffered a bad cut and swelling around his eyes. While Maidana refused to quit, Ortiz did the unthinkable and gave in.

Gene Blevins - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotion

Large proportions of the boxing community criticized the young boxer, although many of those turning against him have probably never been in a boxing ring and most definitely will not ever be taking a beating like he did that night against Maidana. Fairly or unfairly, Ortiz has been hit by criticism and the night still haunts him as we lead up to his matchup with veteran Vivian Harris.

During a recent conference call between Harris and Ortiz, Harris questioned Ortiz’s mental strength with statements such as “He has a lot of talent, don’t get me wrong, but you have to believe in yourself and I definitely don’t think he does…He doesn’t have the courage…you don’t ever, ever give up a match…I know once I land, he’s got to question himself.  I hope he doesn’t get flashbacks”.

Ortiz has a lot of questions to answer, perhaps including to himself. He will never want to be lambasted for ‘cowardice’ again and he will want to prove his toughness in the toughest of sports. Quitting may actually have made Ortiz into a man; his darkest moment in professional boxing may have opened the curtains to a brighter future. We will only know when he gets involved in another war of attrition.

What’s in the mind is crucial in boxing... Mike Tyson used to win fights before the opening bell by intimidating opponents who froze with fear. Evander Holyfield is one man he couldn’t intimidate – and we all know how those fights ended. Recently the signs were there for Carl Froch when he gave inclinations that he didn’t want to fight Mikkel Kessler on the arranged date, following doubts about being able to make the trip from England to Denmark due to Volcanic ash plaguing Europe’s skies. He made it to Denmark but he had already taken his mind off the fight. During the twelve rounds the normally brave Englishman complained to his corner about the body shots that were hurting him and didn’t seem to get his shots off like he did against Jean Pascal and Jermaine Taylor previously.

He hadn’t changed as a person or as a fighter, but his mind wasn’t right and consequently he wasn’t as strong and lost for the first time against a very good fighter, and was clearly annoyed after the fight that he hadn’t carried out trainer Rob McCracken’s pleas to let his punches go. In the first fight between Roberto Duran and Sugar RayLeonard, Duran’s taunting prompted Leonard to fight Duran’s fight – a street brawl. In the rematch, Leonard played mind games and made Duran infamously quit. Ortiz will have to overcome demons in his own mind, his ability to do this will be the difference in whether he continues being a top fighter for years or ends up as a fringe contender. At the top level mental strength is vital, it's the difference.

Known as a psychology man in boxing, Teddy Atlas knows a thing or two about toughness and weakness. In his book ‘Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring: A Son’s Battle to Become a Man’, Atlas talks about the mental fragility of his fighter Michael Moorer. When Moorer fought George Foreman, Atlas talks of how Foreman “could recognize weakness and fear in other men because he recognized it in himself. I always said that the old George Foreman, the forty-four-year-old man, would have knocked out the young George Foreman. He wasn’t as good physically, not nearly so, but he was tougher mentally by far”. In short, Foreman quit against Ali and had to live with that knowledge, and this made him stronger mentally.

Miguel Cotto was seen to give up in his titanic battle with Antonio Margarito and received similar criticism to what Ortiz has faced. Three fights later, Cotto faced off with Manny Pacquiao and received a similar beating. However, this time around the Puerto Rican showed incredible courage and bravery, showing genuine disappointment that he was stopped in the final round when he was saved by referee Kenny Bayless. For many he had redeemed himself.

The light welterweight division is very strong and Ortiz will inevitably encounter situations that require great courage at some point. He has the talent to rise to the top; soon enough he will get his chance to prove his character and banish the demons from that night with Maidana. Maybe he will have to prove himself against Harris on September 18^th. Ortiz has been the subject of much hype. Outside the ring he has shown immense bravery, now he needs to show the same courage, the sort of courage few possess, in the ring. Did that night with Maidana shape him into a man, a warrior; or is he a "quitter"? Time will tell.

This past weekend was a low-key one by most standards. At the same time, it was an active couple of days on the world stage...

Credit: Mike Boehm / ProBoxing-Fans.com

On Thursday, still-useful Kali Meehan, 36-4-1, scored a decision win over Evans Quinn, 18-5-1—and winless in his last 4. With such a dearth of young talent in the heavyweight division, old retrograde contenders like Meehan continue to remain in the picture. It’s not difficult to imagine an even bleaker situation, say, 10 years from now.

Now the Klitschko brothers are poised to face two more carcasses being dragged back into the picture: Sam Peter (vs. Wladimir next week) and Shannon Briggs (vs. Vitali). How did Briggs work his way back into contention exactly? And for Peter, he has already dogged it twice and I won’t go along a third time. Against Vitali, he put forth one of the most tepid efforts ever seen by a man fighting for a title. Then in a big fight against Eddie Chambers, he shows up at 265 pounds and stinks up the joint. Why arrive for those two fights in such poor condition, then manage to get in shape for nothing fights like he did in his last four bouts?

I have no room on my plate for head cases. I’m turned off. Maybe the fact that he was competitive against Wladimir the first time, dropping him multiple times, makes this match interesting. I say Wlad blasts him out this Saturday in fairly easy fashion.

On the Other End of the Spectrum…

Lighter-weight enthusiasts always scour the results of the little guys, looking for the next diamond-in-the-rough—and maybe the next Ricardo Lopez. At 105 pounds, the 3 top guys are undefeated and two of them were in action this weekend. Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez, 26-0 (22 KOs), won a non-title bout (whatever happened to those?) by knockout. Thai Oleydong Sithsamerchai fought to a draw with countryman Pornsawan Porpramook and is now 34-0-1. While this pair and South African Nkosinathi Joyi are a talented group of young titlists, they will probably never gain appeal in the west.

A busy week also took place one division north at 108, with titlists Omar Nino Romero and Luis Lazarte each making defenses. Romero, coming off a stirring title-winning decision over Rodel Mayol, stopped retread contender Ronald Barrera (now 0-5 in title fights) after 6 one-sided rounds. Lazarte, 39, who incredibly won a title on his 6th attempt, defended his IBF belt with a decision over Nerys Espinoza.

In a year of upsets, Scotland’s Ricky Burns continued the pattern by defeating favored and unbeaten WBO 130-pound champ Roman Martinez. Burns, now 29-2 (7 KOs), was dropped by a hard right in the opening round, but dusted himself off and edged Martinez in a really good fight held in Glasgow. Burns had looked shaky recently, but seemed inspired by the supportive crowd and world title implications. The 130-pound class, always a haven of good fighters and matchups, might be at its weakest in recent memory. Still, Burns-Martinez was a stirring encounter.

Jan Zaveck, 30-1, avenged his only defeat with a majority decision in his home country of Slovenia over Rafal Jackiewicz (36-9-1). The IBF Welterweight champion surged late to pin the first loss on Jackiewicz in 21 fights. Jackiewicz started his career 15-8-1.

WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm registered another defense by beating Giovanni Lorenzo by unanimous decision. Lorenzo, who talked tremendous smack leading up to the fight, was unable to get anything going until it was too late. Sturm, in his first fight in over a year, was able to control long stretches of the bout with his jab and greater polish. Nothing against Sturm, who is a fine fighter and has beaten some decent opponents, but maybe he should take on some meaningful fights before it’s too late. To this date, his only two losses are a disputed decision to De La Hoya in 2004 and an avenged defeat to Javier Castillejo.

Looking Ahead…

In addition to Klitschko-Peter II, next week has some good action.

Erik Morales takes on Willie Limond in Step 2 on a comeback no one is really excited about. As long as he takes on opponents like this, everything should be okay, but I shudder to think of him taking another beating, which is all but an inevitability at this point.

Jason Booth tries to spring another UK upset, as he takes on titlist Steve Molitor—who is looking to re-establish himself after a disastrous loss to Celestino Caballero a few years back.

On HBO, Yuriorkis Gamboa fights a unification bout with tough vet Orlando Salido. In an intriguing bout between undefeated lightweights, Anthony Peterson, 30-0 (20 KOs), takes on Brandon Rios, 24-0 (18 KOs).

Things could have been so good for heavyweight boxing. In the form of the imposing, stern, chillingly impassive Klitschko brothers, the division was supplied with the perfect bad guys. ‘Dr Ironfist’ (Vitali) and ‘Dr Steelhammer’ (Wladimir) naturally fit the eastern European stereotype in terms of personality and physical specimens; they resemble Ivan Drago from Rocky. But where's Rocky?

Credit: Mike Boehm / ProBoxing-Fans.com

While younger brother Wladimir (34) is set to take on Sam Peter in a rematch on September 11th, which is expected to be a more straightforward task for the improved Klitschko than the first affair which saw him hit the canvas three times, the older and bigger brother, Vitali (39), fights Shannon Briggs on October 16th.

With Vitali looking invincible ever since his loss to Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis due to terrible lacerations around his eyes (Vitali was ahead on the scorecards at the time) in 2003, the boxing world has been crying out for someone to challenge the Ukrainian.

Stylistically Vitali (like his younger sibling) does not capture the imagination. He doesn’t destroy opponents like a prime Tyson, he jabs their heads off and breaks their resolve without letting them get inside his imposing reach before eventually knocking them out (as he has done in 38 out of 40 of his wins) in an almost systematic fashion.

The lack of worthy contenders to Vitali Klitschko, coupled with this style, has left fans of boxing turning away from the division which traditionally attracts the most attention. Right now boxing needs superstars to give it a recovery injection that will ignite excitement. Outside of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, it should be the heavyweight division where this can happen, as it always has done in the past... but can it again?

Shannon Briggs (38) is not going to be the man to set the sport alight. The big man from New York who was recently renamed as “Shannon ‘where’s my asthma pump’ Briggs” by the ever ready to talk British heavyweight contender David Haye, has been a decent fighter but never a contender for being  an actual superstar. He has been shown up in the past, most recently by Sultan Ibragimov in March 2007, in a fight for the WBO belt that Briggs held, as a sluggish, one dimensional fighter.

Although he has undoubted power (the most 1^st round knockouts of any heavyweight champion in the history of the sport with 31, including his last three victims), he has never proven himself at the top level and instead has boosted his record by fighting outmatched opponents. His last significant victory came in 2006 when he won the WBO title in a bout with Sergiy Liakhovich, this came courtesy of a 12^th round KO after a lackluster previous 11 rounds saw him behind on all the scorecards.

While Vitali talks up his opponent (you know something is up when a champion has to promote the challenger) as being experienced and a dangerous puncher, it is hard for anyone to really vindicate this as a competitive fight. Unless Vital has suddenly aged, he will box Briggs’ head off and then finish him off in the mid to late rounds. Although, of course, if Briggs is brave and really goes for it, then Vitali may finish him early - this is unlikely as Briggs will most likely go into damage limitation mode so that when the fight is over he can enjoy his pay day, just like most others who face the big Ukrainian.

Briggs has spouted the usual mantra of promising to “take the fight to him”, although it seems unlikely that ‘The Cannon’ will get anywhere near the champ. In addition, many fans won’t go anywhere near this matchup, instead asking the question of shouldn't one of the torchbearers for the flagship division of the sport should be doing more for the sweet science?

In Germany the Klitschko bros can do no wrong and a massive TV audience of around 10 million will tune in to watch the fight, while the O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany will most likely be full of 16,000 pro Klitschko fans. So in his comfort zone of Germany, Klitschko can hide away from the pressure and frustration exhumed by boxing fans demanding and craving an exciting heavyweight division. Boxing haven HBO has seemingly turned its back on the Klitschkos, barring one of the few, big time fights that the division could offer.

The current monotony of the most notorious division in boxing is not completely Vitali Klitschko’s fault though. Who has he had to fight in recent years? Contenders have come and gone with none being able to force a spectacle worth remembering against ‘Dr Ironfist’.

Fights with David Haye fell through for both brothers. Meanwhile, perhaps one of the Klitschko brothers should have faced off with Russian giant Nikolay Valuev, which would have at least been an interesting sideshow spectacle. But the point remains that there is a lack of talent - and perhaps more crucially American talent - in the heavyweight division which has been to the detriment to the sport as a whole.

Klitschko vs Briggs is not acceptable and won’t capture the imagination of many outside of Germany and Eastern Europe. What would though in this crucial weight class? A Klitschko against Alexander Povetkin? Yes, but Teddy Atlas, Povetkin’s trainer, doesn’t think his man is ready yet. A match up with Tomasz Adamek? Yes, but seemingly the Pole based in Newark is still building up to a challenge against the brothers. A showdown with the ‘Hayemaker’? Yes, but they need to sort out their differences on the negotiating table first.

Prior to his easy win over Albert Sosnowski in his last outing, Vitali pondered that “There are no big names out there, so we wait on a new generation to emerge”. He does have a point. But many fans have already turned away from the sport and more will soon as patience continues to run thin.

For Vitali, time is running out to really put his fist print on the history of the sport. As Cus D’amato once said; “To be successful a fighter must not only win but he must win in an exciting manner”. For this to happen for Vitali, he needs an exciting fight with a worthy contender. Perhaps, with the likes of Adamek, Haye and Povetkin priming themselves for an attack at the brothers in 2011, fans who have stuck around will finally get what they and the sport need - real excitement in the division that matters the most.

“Super” Judah is set to go into the ring on October 2, 2010 hoping that lightning will strike twice as he looks to put on another outstanding performance at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, when he will face fringe junior welterweight contender Michael Clark. Zab is still gleaming with confidence after his impressive third round stoppage of Jose Armando Santa Cruz, but even though Judah has looked like a world beater in his comeback, “Super” Judah’s new life in the 140 pound weight division is still in question because he has not faced the top guys in the division as of yet After his destruction of Santa Cruz back on July 16, Judah claims that he is the best Junior Welterweight in the division, period.  So what will Judah need to do to prove this?

Credit: Emily Harney

First, Judah will need to get past junior welterweight contender Michael Clark on October 2, and win in spectacular fashion. Michael “Cold Blood” Clark is a junior welterweight contender who has held several regional lightweight titles. Many boxing fans remember Michael “Cold Blood” Clark from the reality boxing show Contender back in 2006 where he faced off against Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage, in a fight where Clark was held on the inside by Bundrage and also was exposed to some dirty tactics.  Clark was knocked down in the fifth round which led to “K-9” Bundrage winning  the fight by a fifth round majority decision, which stumped Clark’s Contender chances.

After the reality show, “Cold Blood” Clark has fought eight times and has looked more cold than cold blooded.  Within those eight fights, Clark was involved in a no contest, a draw, and was stopped in the first round by then undefeated junior welterweight contender Mike “Mile High” Alvarado who has since moved up to welterweight. So does Clark pose any type of threat to Judah come October 2?

No!!  The only chance I give Clark in this fight is if he can possibly take Judah into the later rounds so that the boxing world can see whether or not Judah’s new found stamina is real or fairytale, because we all know when it comes to stamina, the truth will always be told in the ring.

I expect Zab to overwhelm Clark with his speed and hard combinations. Clark is a decent boxer, but at the end of the day, I feel that Zab will be too “Super” for Clark, thus, lightning will indeed strike twice at the Prudential Center, as I predict that Zab will put on another spectacular performance against the aging junior welterweight contender Michael Clark.

So what will be next for Zab once he gets past Clark?

Zab will probably get a big fight will one of the top junior welterweights in the division, but which one? Well, Zab’s stock has gone up considerably since the destruction of Santa Cruz.  Even some welterweights such as Andre Berto were an option, but Berto’s promoter Lou DiBella was not interested in Berto going south seven pounds to face Judah.

The big fight that will make sensefor Judah in the junior welterweight division will be Amir “King Khan” Khan because the other two top junior welterweights, “Alexander the Great” Devon Alexander and Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley are most likely to turn their attentions to each other in a mega-fight.

I would love to see Zab fight “King Khan” because like I said earlier, if Zab has some newly found stamina, it will definitely be tested against a fighter like “King Khan”, who will throw multiple combinations and apply effective pressure that Zab has had problems with in the past. Remember, even though Zab has looked great in his comeback, he still has not gone into deep waters, so let’s see how Zab responds if he is finally taken there.

If Zab can capture his old magic and move past this type of huge test against a fighter and young gun like Khan, then I feel that Zab indeed is ready to conquer the junior welterweight division. No matter who Zab faces next after Clark, I hope that Zab is mentally and physically ready to take on the top junior welterweights in his renewed quest to reign as junior welterweight king.

From the day he captured the WBO Featherweight Crown in 1996 until his early 2002 retirement, Naseem Hamed effectively was the featherweight division. His brash style and bone-crunching power made him the division's star, and when Hamed crossed over the Atlantic from his British base to begin fighting on HBO, he became the big money fight for anyone toiling away at 122 or 126 lbs. In the era when the Morales vs. Barrera rivalry was just developing and Manny Pacquiao was merely a blip on the radar, Hamed brought fans, fame and big money to the lower weight classes.

Credit: Anthony Neste - KRT Photos

The end of his career came suddenly, when Hamed was out-boxed and roughed up by Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001. By then Hamed had been slipping for some time. He fired Brendan Ingle in 1999, the man who had trained him from the age of nine. From that point forward, Hamed showed an increasing lack of focus, and in truth the Yemeni from Sheffield had probably lost much of his interest in boxing. He made no attempt at a comeback, and fought only once more so he could retire with a win at a youthful 28.

But what if Hamed's loss to Barrera had re-invigorated him, instead of encouraging the Prince to retire early? After another tune-up fight, followed by either a win in a rematch with Barrera or against another top featherweight, and by 2003 Hamed would have found himself squarely in the path of a rising tornado from the Philippines, the 25 year old Manny Pacquiao. It would have been an encounter between two southpaw featherweight punchers, yet of very different molds, and both in their prime.

The Formalities

No title is on the line, but as Pacquiao is almost unknown in the United States at this point, Hamed gets the champion's post and is introduced second. The Prince rides into the ring on a parade float-style Arab dhow, dismounts, spends 15 minutes slinking about to techno beats, and then flips over the top rope.

The Prince vs. Pacman

At the opening bell, Pacquiao makes his way across the ring and immediately beats Hamed to the punch. The Prince remains cocky on the surface, but begins backing away from his adversary, as this is the first time he has ever fought an opponent who can match or surpass his speed. Using his reach, speed and height, Pacquiao is able to score repeatedly, but not with his trademark right hook. Hamed's reflexes are too quick for that. Hamed drops Round 1 on all three scorecards.

Hamed also loses Round 2 and throws very few punches, but he begins to back up less and starts trying to time and counter the Filipino. The result is that Hamed catches his first Pacquiao hook, which deposits Hamed right on his ass. The Prince was always prone to knockdowns, but this was usually due to bad balance, and in this instance Pacquiao caught Hamed lunging in with a straight left. Hamed is essentially unhurt and smirks at Pacquiao as if he knows something.

Round 3 is more of the same. Back in the corner, trainer Emmanuel Steward implores Hamed to throw more punches. Hamed winks and says "sure." Pacquiao, confident, scoring more and having tasted none of Hamed's power, surges forward looking to put some hurt on the Yemeni from Sheffield. Pacman comes right at him and gives the Prince exactly what he wants. Hamed takes a quarter step into exactly the right place and turns his tree trunk-thick legs loose for the first time in the fight, felling Pacquiao with a straight left-right uppercut combo. The right uppercut lifts the Filipino off the canvas, twists him in mid-air, and sends him flying - literally flying - to the canvas.

Pacman has not been hurt so badly since he was knocked out by a body shot in 1999, and Hamed's British fans roar their approval as he dances his way to a neutral corner. Pacquiao struggles to his feet by the count of nine, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. It will later be revealed that two of his teeth were broken (not knocked out, but broken) by the uppercut. With 35 seconds to go, Pacquiao wisely covers up and clinches Hamed, refusing to give the Prince anymore chances to land his power.

The Prince Stalks His Prey

Pacman reverts to pure defense for all of Round 5, his legs made of rubber. His right jab is what saves him, as Hamed has trouble getting past the rapier-quick dart that is constantly shot in his face. It is little more than a slap, but because Hamed's hands are often down around his waist, it prevents him from seeing well enough to attempt to pound Pacquiao's body or drive his guard apart with a telephone pole straight left. Pacquiao starts re-asserting himself in Round 6, but loses that round as well.

Fed Into The Mincer

Round 7 sees Manny Pacquiao borrow a page from Marco Antonio Barrera's book - he steps in, fires a rapid three- or four-punch combo, and steps out. The problem is that at this stage in his career, Pacquiao lacks the footwork to consistently stick-and-move against the nimble Hamed (his balance might have been bad, but the man's entire defense was bound up in those feet, and prime Hamed was hard to hit on the move). Hamed keeps his hands low and eats a punch or two if it means he can slam one straight left or right hook into Pacquiao's body or face.

Unlike any of Hamed's past opponents, Pacquiao is quick enough to hit Hamed, even when Hamed does not want to be hit. Unlike any of Pacquiao's opponents, past or future, Hamed has the speed and reflexes to make Pacman miss about half the time, while the other half of the blows are at least seen by Hamed coming in. Pacquiao has never been a brute force puncher, but one who relies on speed and shock. So, he lands a lot of leather on Hamed in Rounds 7 through 10, but never quite manages to catch him with the surprise, electrified blow. For his part, Hamed manages to land only one counter-punch at a time, but that shot lands with the force of a mule kick. These rounds are also ugly to score, as it is a question of volume vs. effect.

The End

By Round 11, Hamed's face is a mess. His left eye is closing from eating right hook after right hook, limiting his vision. Pacquiao is slowing down, suffering from bruised ribs, and his mouth has never stopped bleeding. Yet with the heart of a champion, Pacquiao decides to turn up the pressure on the Prince and gamble. For the first time since the early rounds of the fight, the old-style Pacman offensive is on again. Hamed lurches backward, drawing Pacquiao in for a vicious right uppercut to the body. That shot never lands, however, as Pacquiao lands a double right hook that Hamed cannot see. Hamed's head twists with the force, and Pacquiao lands a lightning quick straight left onto his temple at just the right moment. Hamed collapses backward onto the canvas. He gets up by the count of seven, but Pacquiao catches his second wind as he sees his rival hurt. Swarming Hamed, he lands blow after blow, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

The stoppage came just in time. Hamed was leading on the scorecards, just barely, but Pacquiao needed to bag both Rounds 11 and 12 just to win a Split Decision. One of three judges scored Round 4 a 10-7, despite only one knockdown taking place. After the fight, Pacman was rushed to the hospital due to internal injuries. He won the fight, but took enormous damage in doing so. He would later say of the knockdown in Round 4 that "the only reason I knew I wasn't dead was because I was in too much pain."

Just as the loss to Barrera brought Hamed back to boxing, the brutal win over Hamed led Pacquiao to start improving his style. Instead of the raw, speedy puncher, the Filipino would begin to evolve into a polished boxer-puncher. Hamed would come back again, crush Marco Antonio Barrera in a rubber match, and then drop a points loss to Erik Morales before retiring. After perfecting his style against some mid-ranked featherweights, Pacquiao would challenge featherweight king Erik Morales and beat him twice. He would also fight Juan Manuel Marquez at 126 lbs., and out-point that Mexican as well.

As Tomasz Adamek battled his way through twelve rounds against the sizable veteran Michael Grant, the fate of the much maligned heavyweight division seemed to rest with the Pole. The newest ‘savior’ of the big boys passed the Grant test, but not with flying colors. Grant, who few expected to last the distance, was picked as an opponent due to his Klitschko-like physique to prepare Ademek for a future fight. The Pole dominated, winning by a large points margin, but every so often was caught out and did not have things all his own way.

Credits: Mike Gladysz, Millenium Photo

This was, however, only Adamek’s fourth fight at heavyweight having come up from light-heavy and cruiser. He has undoubted talent and at times against Grant utilized movement which could trouble anyone. He also proved he can be effective with his left. Should Ademek now challenge one of the Klitschkos, while the result may not go his way, the division would certainly get excited - something unlikely to happen when the three major title holders make their defenses in the coming months.

Loved in Germany and Eastern Europe, begrudgingly respected everywhere else, the Klitschko brothers, while technically brilliant, struggle with mainstream exposure due to their boring boxing styles and refusal to fight each other.  Both are now in preparation for upcoming defenses but against dubious challengers.

Big brother and WBC champion, Vitali, fights the 38 year old fiery New Yorker, Shannon Briggs, in October. In the ring Vitali is strong and composed while Briggs can be erratic. Yet after recently facing embarrassingly unaggressive challengers such as Albert Sosnowski and Kevin Johnson one thing is for sure, Briggs will come out fighting. The hard hitting New Yorker does have a puncher’s chance, but not much more, and few expect this to be close.

The younger Klitschko, Wladimir, was all set to defend his IBF, WBO and IBO baubles against Teddy Atlas’s newest protégé, Alexander Povetkin, next month. The unbeaten Russian is gaining many plaudits but an experienced Atlas pulled his man out believing him not quite ready. This has lead to the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, Sam Peter, stepping in. Peter and Wladimir have form. The pair met in 2005 in an IBF and WBO world title eliminator in Atlantic City. In a dramatic fight Peter put Wlad on the canvass three times, yet that’s about all he did. Wladimir found the Nigerian far too easy to hit and controlled the majority of the bout, winning by unanimous decision.

Since then, Peter has disappointed while Wlad has dominated. Peter did win six in a row but back to back losses against Vitali Klitschko and Eddie Chambers derailed the Nigerian. Recent victories have been impressive but the names of his opposition have not. Meanwhile Wladimir, still unbeaten since 2004, looks in great shape. This should also be a one sided affair.

David Haye was supposed to have sorted all this out by now. Bursting into the heavyweights towards the end of 2008, determined to clean up the division, he was refreshing to say the least. Since then, a boring twelve round decision against Nickolai Valuev, which won him the WBA strap, mixed with a decent stoppage over veteran John Ruiz has been OK, but hardly fantastic.  Failing to secure fights with the Klitschko’s has raised doubts over Haye’s desire to take them on and will ultimately affect his legacy. Also the longer it takes for a Klitschko fight to be secured, the more time there is for Adamek to get there first and potentially steel Haye’s thunder. Haye, after all, did have fights lined up with each Klitschko brother before pulling out of both encounters, not exactly walking the talk that he spews out to the media.

The latest news is that Haye will defend his title against fellow Brit Audley Harrison in November. As a British fight fan seeing these two heavies conjure up memories of Lennox Lewis’s 1993 WBC title fight against Frank Bruno would be fantastic. But back in the real world, Harrison, although revitalized this past year, is pushing  40 and has been a huge let down in the past.

An easy victory for Haye ought to be in the cards. However, those who aren’t familiar with Harrison should know he has skills. A huge southpaw with a thundering left hook, he won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Since then, with frequent disappointing and embarrassing performances, Audley was destined for the unwanted tag of Britain’s biggest waste of boxing talent. Yet returning to the ring in 2009 he had a fantastic year and was crowned European champion last April. Harrison's critics say he lacks heart and toughness and his hulking frame affects his stamina. Yet Harrison’s fans would direct you to his last fight against hardened Brit, Michael Sprott. Audley had torn a tendon in his shoulder early on and could barely swing his arms. Sprott, who already held a KO victory over Harrison back in 2007, dominated and was ahead on all the judges’ scorecards going into the final round. Somehow in the twelfth Harrison threw the left hook from hell, bang, on Sprott’s chin. Sprott was knocked out and Audley was European champion - and back.  The romance of Harrison pulling off the unlikeliest of victories over Haye will keep many a fight fan enthused but realistically it should be another mismatch.

The heavyweight division still holds marvels and mystiques. Icons such as Dempsey, Louis, and Ali will never be forgotten. Newer names such as Tyson, Lewis and Holyfield carried on the superstar tradition. But can the new crop ever hope to break the sport's divide? And how can the division ever regain its past glory if it constantly produces one sided mismatches? The likes of Adamek, Haye even Povetkin could certainly test the Klitschkos and for the sake of the division it would be nice to see them giving it a go.

After two and a half years in retirement, Erik Morales returned to the ring in March 2010, and now has the second fight of his comeback waiting for him on September 11th. Starting in 1997, "El Terrible" carved a path of destruction through the 122, 126 and 130 lbs. divisions. Morales was the man who dueled Marco Antonio Barrera in a trilogy that was essentially a campaign to win the hearts of Mexican fans and succeed Julio Cesar Chavez as the reigning king of Mexican boxing. In the last great performance of his career, Morales skillfully out-boxed current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, becoming the last man to hand the speedy, hard-hitting Filipino a defeat. Morales clearly stands as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time.

I must admit to being a huge fan of Morales. The man was a skilled boxer who simply loved mixing it up, even if it was not always the wisest course of action. A more fan-friendly fighting style and character is hard to imagine. Time and again, Morales would allow himself to be drawn into a slugging match and immerse himself in the sheer joy of pugilism. If the man had fought smart (ala Ray Leonard) and adopted a judge-friendly strategy such as boxing for the most part and punctuating the end of each round with a well-chosen exchange, he probably would have beaten Barrera in all three engagements and spared his body enormous wear and tear. Yet that was not the style of Erik Morales, and that is why his fans loved him.

His comeback gives me very mixed feelings. By all reports, the 33 year old Morales is not in dire financial straits, and I can easily see him returning to the ring simply because he is bored and he enjoys it. Both of his comeback fights have been against sub-par opposition in Mexico. Fighting for fun is not so peculiar as it might sound, as I have known a few boxers over the years who were semi-retired but kept their toes in, taking the odd fight for no other reason than they simply enjoyed it. If that is all that this is, then I wish Morales well and hope he enjoys himself.

Of course, the Morales comeback probably won't work out that way. Sometimes fighters ply the "dinosaur circuit," sticking with limited opposition or other old "name" fighters and therefore avoiding the worst risks, but more often they are lured into a fight with a young lion and become meat on the table. Morales has no business mixing it up with Top 10 fighters in the talent rich 140 lbs. division. If boxing actually worked out like it was supposed to, he never would because no top 10 fighter would be able to use a match with Morales to advance up the ladder to a title shot, and no champion would be able to defend his title against an unranked Morales. Yet it is easy to see ever-corrupt WBC President Jose Sulaiman giving Morales a #10 ranking or something on the basis of beating up a few journeymen, and then seeing the ugly spectacle of Erik Morales being demolished by the likes of Devon Alexander. Watching William Joppy beat up a virtually defenseless Roberto Duran in a 1998 WBA title fight is the kind of thing I'd rather sooner forget.

It is my hope that in his return to boxing, Erik Morales exercises the same wisdom he did in that 2005 bout with Manny Pacquiao. Restraining his love of glorious combat, Morales boxed Pacquiao right up until the final round. Then and only then did he risk everything by slugging it out with the younger, faster man. It was the way Morales would have always fought if he had been smart. It might have cost him a little popularity, but he still would have been a star and enjoyed a longer career to boot. If he shows the same sense now, no one should worry about Morales's health. If he plunges forward with the same reckless abandon boxing fans around the world loved, but also dreaded, I can only hope the end is merciful.

Credit: The Candian Press/Paul Chiasson

Jean Pascal is the champ at 175. He defeated Chad Dawson by decision in a fight that had to be stopped due to a bad cut on Dawson’s eyelid caused by an accidental clash of heads. Nonetheless, Pascal is now the champ, and while he is flashy and has star potential, you had to feel watching the fight that if Dawson wouldn’t have gotten cut, he had a very good chance to knock Pascal out in the final round.

It seemed to me like Pascal was tired from the 6th round on. He stole rounds with brief flashes of excitement and appeared to have Dawson hurt a few times, but couldn’t seize the moment. Pascal has nice hand speed and some power, but I’m not exactly convinced that he will enjoy a long reign at the top. Dawson wants a rematch, even though I’m not sure we will see it right away. Pascal was asked about fighting Lucian Bute next in the Super Bowl of Canadian Boxing, and seemed reluctant. Pascal mentioned Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe, one guy retired, and the other is pretty close to retirement. Very interesting choices by Pascal.

Going back to Dawson, I was very disappointed by his performance. I thought he was going to be determined to prove he belongs in the discussion for best in the world along with Pacquiao, Mayweather, Williams, Martinez, and Marquez. Instead, Dawson went through the motions, not throwing punches, content to let Pascal be the aggressor. When you could clearly see Pascal was done, I just wanted to scream at the TV: “What are you waiting for!" Dawson seemed to pick up the pace late in the fight, but the cut above his eyelid was really just bad luck that it happened when and where it did. I also have to say, Dawson showed, in my opinion, poor sportsmanship in his post-fight interview. It was just a bad night all the way around.

The week before the Dawson-Pascal fight, there was a fight between Tavoris Cloud and Glen Johnson for the IBF Title. The fight seemed very close, but the decision went to Cloud, the younger and stronger fighter. Personally, I think the fight was a draw. Cloud obviously wants Pascal or Dawson next, which makes sense, but I think he would lose both of those fights. To me, Cloud just seems one dimensional. He goes in looking for the knockout and if you hold up against the pressure, he doesn’t have a plan B. It’s fun to watch, but Cloud just reminds me a little of Jeff Lacy. I wonder what Lacy is doing now ?  Johnson, the old warrior, probably was a victim of bad luck and circumstance. He should know by this point in his career to always look for the knockout, because if it goes to the scorecards, you’re probably going to lose. I still consider Johnson the 3rd best fighter at 175.

I don’t know whether Joe Calzaghe is going to come back or not, but I would give him a chance against Pascal. At the same time though, Calzaghe would be putting his undefeated record in a lot of danger, so my best guess is he stays retired, unless Ricky Hatton wants to fight him at 175. Bernard Hopkins says he wants to be the man at 175 again, even though I’m not sure what that will do for his career considering he’s already done that. Well, to do that he’ll have to beat Pascal. I know Hopkins wants David Haye, but Haye isn’t interested in taking risks. I’m still angry Hopkins-Adamek fell through at Cruiserweight.

WBA champ Beibut Shumenov is an intriguing fighter because after 11 fights, he is already a world champion, even though I don’t think he’s one of the best in the division. He has the talent, even though he got dropped in the first round of his last fight. He won every round after that. In another year or two, he may be at the top of the division or he may not even have his title unless he gets protected.

After the Super Six tourney, your probably going to see at least a few of those 168lb guys move up. Lucian Bute isn’t in the Super Six, but is clearly one of the best at 168. He has a fight in October, but then expect him to leave 168, and hopefully we see him fight Pascal. Andre Ward is the favorite to win the Super Six, and I think he could be good at 175 too, his chin is holding up better and he’s the most talented of the Super Middleweights. The top Europeans at 168, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham, can both be top guys at 175. Kessler has a severe eye injury that has caused him to pull out of the Super Six. Hopefully it’s not career threatening, and he can come back strong. Abraham projects as the best of the guys moving up because of his power, but lost a lost of respect with his performance against Andre Dirrell.

I should also mention Zsolt Erdei, who was a dominant champion at 175 while not exactly fighting top guys, is coming back to 175 after going up to Cruiserweight and winning a title. I expect him to pick up right where he left off, but hopefully he fights some of the other top fighters at 175.

There can be little question that Mikkel Kessler has withdrawn from the Super Six Boxing Tournament due to legitimate health concerns. No one would ever accuse "The Viking Warrior" of ducking an opponent, and he was heavily favored to win his upcoming bout with Allan Green and secure a semi-finals slot in the tournament. With his departure, the question on the lips of boxing fans everywhere is "what now?"

Replacements?

Credit: Tom Casino/Showtime

Jermain Taylor bowed out after his first fight in the group stage, early enough that his replacement by Allan Green made some sense. Kessler must be replaced for the last fight of the group stage, which is not quite the same thing. Green had two fights in which to prove himself, but Kessler's replacement inherits a middle-ranking spot in the tournament and has only one fight to make a statement, and that is against the weakest link in the form of Green. It raises the very real issue of whether Kessler should be replaced at all.

Another problem is who can replace Kessler. Green was slated to square off with Sakio Bika to earn his slot, making Bika a natural choice. Given that Bika was just disqualified in his bout against the questionable Jean Paul Mendy, he is not exactly a good choice to replace the highly touted Kessler. In fact, there are only two fighters that could generate the buzz necessary to adequately replace the great Dane: Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal.

Bute, the only 168 lbs. champion to not participate in the tournament, is most unlikely to step into Kessler's shoes. Bute priced himself out of the tournament in the first place, so why would he want to enter it now for the same amount of money, a mid-ranking slot and just as much risk? Pascal is a hot commodity after dethroning 175 lbs. king Chad Dawson, and is really a super middleweight rather than a light heavyweight. Entering the Super Six would make him more money than anything else he has on offer right now, but he has a legal obstacle in the form of a contracted rematch with Dawson. So who else is there? The ever-flexible Paul Williams?

The Best Choice

The problem facing the tournament is clearly bigger than merely replacing Mikkel Kessler. The real issue is that the entire Super Six Tournament is taking far too long. Attrition has already removed two of the original six from the mix, and Carl Froch was very close to dropping out of the tournament rather than face Arthur Abraham. The tournament is in danger of collapsing under its own weight, and needs to get moving if it is to continue to a decisive conclusion.

The best choice at this point is to advance directly to the Semi-Finals stage with the two fights that are already scheduled and not in danger: Andre Ward vs. Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch vs. Arthur Abraham. These are the four that have been with the tournament from the beginning, and all four deserve a slot in the semi-finals more than any replacement for Kessler.

No new addition to the tournament could honestly claim to have earned a slot in the semi-finals on the basis of one fight, so skip the formalities and get on with it. Appease Lou DiBella with a World Cup- or Olympics-style "loser's bracket" of some sort that Green can participate in, or guarantee Green a shot at the ultimate winner. Sauerland still has Abraham in the mix, and therefore does not suffer much from losing Kessler. Keep the existing fights for the sake of simplicity, and stage the final bout later this year. Moving forward now, and not replacing Mikkel Kessler, is the fairest and most practical option for saving the Super Six Tournament.

The three men fought many of the same contenders in an era that was rich with talent, and so the period beginning with Floyd Patterson winning the crown in 1956 to Ali's being stripped of it in 1967 was one of the liveliest eras in heavyweight history.

1. Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali: Ali started his career-long practice of fighting everybody worth fighting in the early-to-mid 1960s. Before winning the title, he over-powered the great Archie Moore and defeated the redoubtable Doug Jones. Ali scored one of the great upsets in sports history by first making the much-feared Sonny Liston quit on his stool, and then knocking him out in the rematch. He out-boxed and stopped Floyd Patterson, pounded out a points victory over uber-tough George Chuvalo, beat Briton Henry Cooper twice, humiliated Ernie Terrell, and knocked out Zora Folley. Only a few contenders from the era escaped a confrontation with the withering speed, grace and power of the youthful Louisville Lip.

2. Sonny Liston: For those who discount Liston as a great heavyweight, think on this. Many think this rangy, 6-foot, 215 lbs. man was the most powerful heavyweight who ever lived. George Foreman based his own brooding, hard-hitting style on Liston. The guy knocked out Cleveland Williams twice, stopped Zora Folley, out-pointed skilled boxer Eddie Machen, and tossed Floyd Patterson around like a rag doll. Simply put, to beat Liston you needed to be fast, able to take a punch, and hit with enough authority to keep the big guy wary. No one in the era had the right blend of elements to tame Liston except Clay.

3. Ernie Terell: Most people remember Ernie Terrell as the boxer who Ali taunted with "what's my name sucka!?" as he was mercilessly beaten. Standing 6'6", Terrell was in reality a rangy, skinny heavyweight and one of the best fighters of the latter part of this era. He went 1-1 with Cleveland Williams, and unlike Ali, Terrell met Williams before he was shot and lost a kidney. Doug Jones, Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo and light heavyweight legend Bob Foster were among his other victims.

4. Floyd Patterson: Like Clay, Patterson was another early bloomer. When he won the title, Floyd Patterson was the youngest man ever to have done so. When he beat Archie Moore to accomplish this feat, Moore was actually the bigger man, outweighing Patterson by half a dozen pounds. His reign as champion wasn't much to speak of, as it was dominated by his trilogy with Ingo Johansson (who never did much after that) and his two crushing defeats at the hands of Liston. It was after losing the title for good  that Patterson bloomed due to his efforts to win it back. He beat Machen, Chuvalo and Cooper, but lost to Ali.

5. Cleveland Williams: Like Terrell, Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams is often remembered in connection with the whipping he received at the hands of Muhammad Ali. Ali's win over Williams is often cited as Ali's best-ever performance, which is an utter travesty when one realizes that Williams was just a shadow of himself by then. In November 1964, Williams was shot by a policeman and lost a kidney. Prior to that, he was a 6'3" punching machine that slugged toe-to-toe with Sonny Liston twice, earned a draw with Eddie Machen, and scored a knockout over Ernie Terrell. When the two met in a rematch, Terrell beat Williams, but only on a narrow Split Decision. "Big Cat" was a tough customer who saw his career cut short. If Williams had not been shot and enjoyed a longer stretch of good health, I would pick him to beat some more of the era's contenders, including good odds against Floyd Patterson or a rubber match with Terrell. As it is, he enters the Top 5 of the era at #5.

Honorable Mentions: Eddie Machen, Zora Folley, George Chuvalo, Archie Moore, Doug Jones, Ingo Johansson.