Originally Published: December 15, 2008
Line 'em up, and Wladimir Klitschko will keep knocking 'em out
For nearly a decade, Hasim Rahman hovered near the top of the heavyweight division. On Saturday, he was just another outclassed, gunshy opponent looking to get out of the way of Wladimir Klitschko's heavy hands.
Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty ImagesTarget practice: Wladimir Klitschko, left, controlled Hasim Rahman from start to finish.
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
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Wladimir Klitschko TKO7 Hasim Rahman Retains unified heavyweight title |
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Records: Klitschko, 52-3, 46 KOs; Rahman, 45-7-2, 36 KOs |
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Rafael's remark: It will be hard for Klitschko to gain universal support as the legitimate heavyweight champ of the world as long as his older brother, Vitali, holds one of the belts because they say they'll never fight each other. So all the younger Klitschko, 32, can do is what he's been doing, which is lining 'em up and knocking 'em down. Klitschko is simply powering through contender after contender with ease. Rahman, the former universally recognized champion, was just the latest in a string of notable opponents whom Klitschko destroyed. He did the same thing to Tony Thompson, Sultan Ibragimov (in a one-sided unification bout in February), Lamon Brewster, Calvin Brock and Chris Byrd. It's not Klitschko's fault that there is no big-name foil to get fans, at least fans in the United States, excited.
Rahman, 36, was a late substitute for injured mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin and simply had no answer for Klitschko's devastating left jab and powerful right hand. Klitschko can be a bit robotic and monotonous, but he's so solid technically, so big and so powerful that he'd be the favorite against every heavyweight in the world with the exception of his brother.
Rahman's only hope was to land one big right hand, as he did to win the title from Lennox Lewis in 2001. He never came close. Klitschko, meanwhile, couldn't miss. He punished Rahman until finally dropping him with a series of left hooks in the sixth round. In the seventh, Rahman was being crushed and not punching back when referee Tony Weeks intervened and saved Rahman from being knocked out cold.
Rahman's time near the top of the division is now over. If he decides to fight again, he'll be an opponent for a younger fighter looking to put the name of a former champion on his résumé. For Klitschko, the search for a quality opponent goes on. There is talk of a fight in American with Cristobal Arreola, which would be fun. There's also loudmouthed former cruiserweight champ David Haye, who was ringside and continued to call Klitschko out. And there's a good chance of a rescheduled mandatory with Povetkin in fall '09. All Klitschko can do is keep fighting the best available opponents in a weak division and dominating.
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Riddick Bowe W8 Gene Pukall Scores: Not available |
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Records: Bowe, 43-1, 33 KOs; Pukall, 14-13-2, 12 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: Since Evander Holyfield is fighting for a title Dec. 20, it made perfect sense for Bowe to fight the week before so they can set up a fourth fight. (That's a joke, Freaks.) How sad it is to see Bowe, the former heavyweight champion, about 100 years past his prime, still getting hit in the head to make a few bucks? Shame on Wladimir Klitschko and those associated with his promotional company, K2, for putting him on this card. It's a disgrace. Bowe is a mess. Just talk to him for five minutes and it's very clear there are residual issues from a career of punishment. At 41, Bowe, a balloon at 271 pounds, was fighting for the first time in 3½ years. Of course, he retired in 1996 after two brutal disqualification wins against Andrew Golota, had an aborted stint in the Marines, spent time in prison and admitted in court that he had suffered brain damage. But he returned to fight once in 2004 and again in 2005 before another long layoff. With nemesis Lennox Lewis watching at ringside (as an HBO broadcaster), Bowe dropped Pukall, 33, of Germany, at the end of the fifth round in his best moment of what was a pathetic situation. |
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Kendall Holt W12 Demetrius Hopkins Retains a junior welterweight title Scores: 117-111, 116-112 Holt, 115-113 Hopkins |
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Records: Holt, 25-2, 13 KOs; Hopkins, 28-1-1, 11 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: It was a tough week for Holt, but the Paterson, N.J., resident came through with his title intact after a first successful defense on Showtime's "ShoBox." Holt, 27, was originally scheduled to face rival Ricardo Torres in a rubber match after they split a pair of wild and controversy-tinged fights. But Torres, ill and unable to make weight, withdrew six days beforehand and Philadelphia's Hopkins, the nephew of Bernard Hopkins and already scheduled to box on the undercard, was signed to take his place in an outstanding show-saving move by Top Rank and Showtime. Besides the change in opponents, whose styles are polar opposites, Holt was also dealing with the arrest of manager Henry Cortes, who was taken in on drug-dealing charges and jailed on $500,000 bail. But Holt handled it all like a trooper and exacted revenge on Hopkins, who had defeated him as an amateur in the 1999 national Golden Gloves quarterfinals. Holt, the crowd favorite with a cheering section that included buddy Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants, outboxed Hopkins all night in a mostly tactical fight. He landed the harder blows and was more aggressive, so the split decision verdict was a stretch. Even Hopkins admitted he lost. The win set Holt up for a unification fight on Showtime, likely in April, with fellow 140-pound titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., who was ringside. The winner of Holt-Bradley could be in line for a money fight with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, according to Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes Holt and Pacquiao. |
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Yuri Foreman W10 James Moore Scores: 100-90, 99-91, 99-90 |
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Records: Foreman, 27-0, 8 KOs; Moore, 16-2, 10 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: This result was about as predictable as an Ivan Calderon decision victory. Foreman, 28, the far superior technician, boxed circles around the more limited Moore, 30, in a battle of New York-based fighters. Foreman, of Belarus, is rarely in a good fight, but the guy has a lot of talent. Foreman has no power, but he peppered Moore all night, and his speed and movement were too much for Moore to handle. If Foreman ever gets a title shot, which promoter Bob Arum has been promising, it wouldn't be surprising to see him win a belt. Unfortunately, he falls into the Cory Spinks category as far as entertainment value. Moore, originally from Ireland, lost his second fight in three starts. |
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Matt Korobov TKO1 Jason Wahr |
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Records: Korobov, 2-0, 2 KOs; Wahr, 1-2-2, 0 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: Korobov, 25, was a star amateur, winning two world amateur titles and making the 2008 Russian Olympic team before being eliminated early in the tournament in an upset. Afterward, he signed with manager Cameron Dunkin and Top Rank and relocated to Florida to pursue a professional career. He turned pro in November and returned for his second start, blowing out Wahr. Korobov dropped him three times before the bout was stopped at 2 minutes and 52 seconds into the round. Top Rank will keep Korobov busy on an almost monthly fighting schedule next year, and as such an experienced amateur who is a little bit older than many new pros, he should move quickly. |
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James Toney W12 Fres Oquendo Scores: 115-112, 114-113 Toney, 116-111 Oquendo |
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Records: Toney, 71-6-3, 43 KOs; Oquendo, 29-5, 18 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: Toney loves to yap about how he's the best heavyweight in the world and all that, but what this fight proved was that, at 40 and with a ton of mileage on his odometer, he's basically done. That was clear after Toney was battered by Samuel Peter in their January 2007 rematch and reinforced after Toney struggled mightily with Oquendo. Frankly, Toney got a gift split decision in a fight he didn't deserve. Toney, a former middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champion before winning a heavyweight belt only to have the decision overturned because of a positive steroid test, was originally supposed to face Tony Thompson. But a week before the fight, Thompson came down with bronchitis and was replaced in the Versus main event by Oquendo, who had lost most fights when he stepped up in competition, including in title bouts against Chris Byrd and John Ruiz. But Oquendo seemed ready against Toney. He was way busier and landed more punches. According to CompuBox, Oquendo connected on 222 of 740 blows (30 percent) while Toney landed just 154 of 491 punches (31 percent) in a sloppy fight. Perhaps the most entertaining moment came when Toney lost his footing in the fourth round and tumbled under the bottom rope and almost completely out of the ring. Oquendo, who finished strong against the fading Toney, cost himself a pivotal point in the eighth round when referee Lou Moret docked him for hitting behind the head. For Toney, there was no rousing victory, which promoter Dan Goossen had said ahead of time he would need to help stir demand for him to get a shot at one of the Klitschko brothers, who hold three of the four belts. After this performance, Toney certainly doesn't deserve the opportunity. |
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Andre Ward TKO3 Esteban Camou |
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Records: Ward, 17-0, 12 KOs; Camou, 23-5, 19 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: In August, Ward, the only 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, injured his right knee playing basketball and had arthroscopic surgery. The original diagnosis indicated that he'd be out of action until at least January. However, he's apparently a quick healer and was cleared to fight sooner. Making his return after a six-month hiatus, the 24-year-old from Oakland destroyed Camou easily. He was dominating Mexico's Camou, 32, and then seemed to take him by surprise in the third round when he switched to a southpaw stance and unloaded combinations to his head. Camou was reeling into the ropes and being battered when referee Pat Russell stopped the fight. The stoppage was perhaps a little premature, but it was probably just a matter of time until Ward put him on the canvas. Ward has immense talent and speed, and 2009 could be a breakout year for him. He's on the verge of a serious high-level fight against any top super middleweight contender. |
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Shawn Estrada TKO1 Shaun Spaid |
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Records: Estrada, 2-0, 2 KOs; Spaid, 3-3, 2 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: What a joke. Estrada is better than being served an incompetent opponent in a nationally televised fight. Spaid, 26, had no business being in the ring with Estrada, 23, an accomplished amateur who was on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Estrada came out swinging and blew away Spaid, who didn't connect with a single punch in the 43-second-long farce. Estrada, who landed 13 blows, scored two quick knockdowns before referee Lou Moret saved the day by stopping the sick mismatch. |
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Eddie Chambers W8 Cisse Salif Scores: 79-72 (twice), 79-73 |
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Records: Chambers, 33-1, 18 KOs; Salif, 23-12-2, 21 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: Peppering Salif with quick combinations, the quicker Chambers rolled to a near-shutout of journeyman Salif, 37, who lost his second straight and fourth of five fights. Chambers, 26, is on the comeback trail -- he won his third in a row since losing a lopsided decision to Alexander Povetkin in Germany in a January title eliminator with a shot at Wladimir Klitschko at stake. |
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Malik Scott W8 Raphael Butler Scores: 80-72 (twice), 79-73 |
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Records: Scott, 32-0, 11 KOs; Butler, 34-8, 27 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: If you've seen one Scott fight, you've seen them all. Scott has earned the nickname "80-72" because after 32 fights, he's still in eight-rounders and wins them all by virtual shutout in sleep-inducing performances. Scott, 28, is talented and has a very steady jab, but he doesn't fight with any fire. He's been a pro for nine years, and nothing has changed in nine years. Thankfully, only a handful of rounds of this fight were televised on tape to save us all from the full eight. Butler, 24, lost his second in a row. |
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Urbano Antillon KO4 Juan Ramon Cruz |
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Records: Antillon, 25-0, 18 KOs; Cruz, 15-6-1, 11 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: When Antillon's match with Cruz was first announced as the main event on the penultimate telecast of Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo," it figured to be an easy victory for Antillon. It was just that. The 26-year-old Mexico native living in California dropped Puerto Rico's Cruz, 30, in the opening seconds and rolled to the dominant victory. Antillon dropped Cruz again in the third and ended it in the fourth with a body shot as Cruz waited to be counted out on one knee for his third loss in a row and fifth defeat in seven fights. Antillon is a crowd-pleaser who can fight at either junior lightweight or lightweight, so he could be going places. |
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Brian Viloria KO2 Benji Garcia |
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Records: Viloria, 24-2, 14 KOs; Garcia, 13-11-3, 1 KO |
| Rafael's remark: Since losing to Edgar Sosa for a vacant junior flyweight title in April 2007, Viloria, the 28-year-old 2000 U.S. Olympian, has embarked on somewhat of a low-profile comeback. But the former titleholder reeled off his fifth consecutive victory, blowing out journeyman Garcia, who lost for the third time in four bouts and fourth time in six fights. Viloria's speed and power were simply too much for Garcia, who was overwhelmed by a flurry of blows in the second round. Finally, Garcia went down from an accumulation of shots from Viloria's two-handed attack and took referee Jack Reiss' full count on his knees. The victory sets Viloria up for a possible shot at titleholder Ulises Solis in the first quarter of 2009. |
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Tomasz Adamek W12 Steve Cunningham Wins a cruiserweight title and vacant Ring magazine title Scores: 116-110, 115-112 Adamek, 114-112 Cunningham |
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Records: Adamek, 36-1, 24 KOs; Cunningham, 21-2, 11 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: When Cunningham's mandatory defense against Adamek was set, it figured to be an excellent fight, given their contrasting styles. But who knew it would turn out to be a legitimate fight-of-the-year candidate? What a sensational scrap, easily the best fight in the brief history of fights on the Versus network. The crowd roared throughout the non-stop action as crowd favorite Adamek, 32, of Poland but based in Jersey City, N.J., scored three knockdowns to eke out a split decision. The victory made Adamek, a former light heavyweight titlist until losing to Chad Dawson in February 2007, the recognized cruiserweight world champion in the wake of David Haye's moving up to heavyweight. Adamek sure earned the title with a tremendous display of heart and an iron chin. Cunningham, 32, of Philadelphia, had been a road warrior, fighting overseas in all of his previous title bouts until finally securing a bout on home soil. He probably wishes he were back in Europe after such a hard, physical fight. Adamek dropped him in the second round with a big uppercut and knocked him down again with a right hand at the end of the fourth, and one more time with a right in the eighth. But Cunningham was always in the fight. In the fourth, for example, he pulverized Adamek for most of the all-action round until he got sloppy near the end of it and got caught as the round came to a dramatic end. The fight begs for a rematch. HBO and Showtime, with bigger budgets than Versus, need to strongly consider finding a place for it on the schedule next year. |
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Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko W12 William Gonzalez Retains a bantamweight title Scores: 116-112 (twice), 114-114 |
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Records: Agbeko, 26-1, 22 KOs; Gonzalez, 21-3, 19 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: Agbeko, 28, was so impressive winning his title with a dominant seventh-round TKO of Luis Perez in September 2007, but then he disappeared. The Ghana native, based in New York, hadn't fought since finally making his long-overdue mandatory defense against Nicaragua's Gonzalez, 27. The fight had been postponed multiple times, including once when Agbeko came down with malaria. But it was worth the wait. What a terrific battle. They went at it for the whole fight in a highly entertaining slugfest that set the stage for the even more exciting Tomasz Adamek-Steve Cunningham main event. Both fighters had their moments, but Agbeko appeared a bit stronger and more determined, especially in the second half of the fight, when Gonzalez, who had a cut over the left eye from an accidental head butt early in the bout, was slowing down. Let's hope it's not another 15 months before Agbeko's next defense. |
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Devon Alexander TKO3 Chris Fernandez |
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Records: Alexander, 17-0, 10 KOs; Fernandez, 15-6-1, 9 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: After promoter Don King stuck blue-chip prospect Alexander on the shelf for an inexcusable eight-month layoff, Alexander has fought twice in two months. After a blowout fourth-round knockout win on King's card in China last month, Alexander returned stateside for another easy night. This time the 21-year-old from St. Louis dropped Fernandez twice in the second round and battered him in the third. After Alexander staggered Fernandez at the end of the round, the referee stopped the bout between rounds. It's great that Alexander has been busy the past two months, but now how about King getting Alexander some television exposure? |
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
