Chris Strait
official blog

Teddy Atlas has been right on the money with his recent criticisms of how slowly the Olympic class of 2008 has been moved along thus far. The management of Shawn Estrada, Demetrius Andrade, and Deontay Wilder ought to be ashamed with the level of opposition of their fighters first few matches. They should be additionally ashamed for allowing these mismatches to be televised. Not only are these fighters developing potentially dangerous bad habits by sharing the ring with inept opponents, but they are missing a golden opportunity to separate themselves from the pack.

It seemed as if Andre Ward was on that track after his gold medal win of 2004, but after the first sign of deficiencies, he was pulled back. Now, here we are, five years later, and no title shot. All of this just to protect an undefeated record? How many fighters with losses need to become stars before we let go of the emphasis on protecting a record. What happened to the Leon Spinks’ fighting Ali in his 8th pro fight, or Jeff Fenech winning a title in his 7th pro fight?

I am not just speaking of the fighters who have potential to be great. What about the limited fighters who need to strike while the iron is hot? Sometimes the fast move allows a fighter to grab some accolades (and money) before he is exposed. Paul Gonzales picked up a regional belt in his third pro fight and fought for a world title, before his limitations were revealed. Same with Henry Tillman. If Leon Spinks had been moved as slowly as the Olympians nowadays, he would have been beaten and dismissed before even entering the top 10, and never would have been able to call himself a world champion.

Here’s a good formula for the movement of decorated amateurs, who are a cut above everyone else turning pro (and if possible, try to get all of these fights televised. It will build the fan base, and reveal weaknesses that make it easier to get fights with bigger names):

Fight 1) against anyone, just get it over with
Fight 2) against an unbeaten prospect without that amateur pedigree… a 7-0 guy who’s fought nobody
Fight 3) a limited journeyman with a losing record, who goes rounds
Fight 4) a limited journeyman with a winning record, who goes rounds
Fight 5) a shot former contender who can punch, but not accept one
Fight 6) a top 30 fighter, for a regional belt or two
Fight 7) a lower part of the top 15 fighter, for a ranking
Fight a fractional belt holder in an optional defense
Fight 9) an HBO/Showtime date for a useless mandatory, then call out the big names.

See how easy that was? Assuming your charge wins all of these, you are in business. 6-figure paydays in only the 10th fight. Even if he loses, treat it like a video game. Move him back two places, and restart. Instead, we will likely be forced to see these Olympians fight tomato cans until they’ve padded their records and lost most of the schooling they practiced over all their amateur days. It’s shame really, because boxing needs a new star now, not in 4 years!

Chris Strait

Not to be a cynic, since I am relieved that it is now official that Wladimir Klitschko is the heavyweight champion of the world, but this does nothing more than confirm what people have been saying for years about the heavyweight division. It blows. But to add a new observation, it is not so much that talent is lacking in the division, as it is the schooling, conditioning, and passion.

Nearly everyone in the top 10 has a major deficiency in one of these areas, not to mnetion that half of the line-up qualifies for an AARP card. The passion seems to be the result of the polar shift in hemispheres of control. In the recent Klitschko-Chagaev match, did anyone catch an effetive body shot? Maybe a left hook, or an uppercut? It was a lesson in amateur boxing 101.

This is the problem with the European takeover. They view is strictly as a sport, nothing more. There is no emphasis on pleasing the fans. There is no glory in creating a brawl. Also, let us not forget that in Germany, where fans will pay top dollar to see an entirely technical battle, there is not even any monetary gain to be had by risking health in the ring.
The Klitschko brothers do deserve their moment in the spotlight, as they have overcome so much, and are a breath of fresh air in terms of shutting up the annoying ghetto culture that had been so prominent in boxing lately. However, here’s hoping that despite their limitations, David Haye and Cristobal Arreola get their hands on some belts and/or more attention, because these are two of the few that guarantee to excite, and potentially draw fans back into the heavyweight division.

Chris Strait

If anyone wants to know why Kelly Pavlik vs. Arthur Abraham is stalling in the making, one need look no further than Abraham’s promoter, Wilfried Sauerland. If one followed the careers of Sven Ottke and now Nicolai Valuev (and if you have, I feel sorry for you), one will see the modus operandi of this promoter.

First, grab a boring fighter with a sturdy chin and niche marketability, who is capable of going the distance, and making rounds look hard to score. Second, repeatedly reward him with dubious decisions, which are never successfully investigated. Maybe Mr. Sauerland has never been convicted of anything, but the proof is in the results. Although Abraham hasn’t typically needed help… when he did against Edison Miranda, corruption was right there to assist him in getting a lousy decision win.

You just don’t win decisions over his fighters, especially when they are holding the belts. Other than Ruslan Chagaev and Cristian Sanavia (who defeated Markus Beyer for the WBC Super Middleweight title a few years back, then surrendered it to him in a rematch), I cannot think of anyone who has received fair judging (or sometimes even refereeing) on one of his cards.
Just ask Miranda, Danny Green, Larry Donald, John Ruiz, Evander Holyfield, Mads Larsen, Glen Johnson, Robin Reid, and Charles Brewer about fighting on a Sauerland card. If Pavilk’s team is holding out, or insisting on calling the shots, it is for good reason. It is not fear of Abraham, but likely fear of the corruption his business associations bring into the ring. While Universum is another story altogether, results like these make it easy to see why Roy Jones never took on Daruisz Michaelchewski.

Can anyone recall the last time Buddy McGirt was in a winning corner? I’m sure he’s still a better trainer than most former fighters, but I cannot think of the last time I saw a fighter of his end up victorious in a major fight. Yet, he continues to receive reverence and respect as an elite trainer.
Perhaps he has the right history (a multi-division champion himself), as well as the right zip-code (originally from New York, where most of the major press in the sport resides). I have nothing against the man, but it’s time to look at the facts, and in so doing knock him down a peg or two.
He has not put together a winning track record like Freddie Roach or Emmanuel Steward. He has not had dramatic fighter-motivating moments like Teddy Atl as. He has not developed any great, or even good fighters from start to finish like Nacho Beristain.

Time and again over the last few years, McGirt always appears to be on the short end, especially in major fights. Is this a run of bad luck, or did we all just get too excited because he happened to be there when Arturo Gatti decided to throw a jab again?

And if you’re looking for an underrated trainer, names like Ronnie Shields, Trevor Whitman, and Justin Fortune should be on your list. Often times, these guys are behind the scenes of many big names (Fortune), are not in a talent rich location (Whitman), or just haven’t had the right fighter to propel them to the front (Shields). It’s just a thought, but maybe if Buddy’s phone would quit ringing for a while, he could develop some younger fighters, and have the chance for his skills to grow right along side them.

I, FOR ONE, LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEW GUARD OF PROMOTERS (DE LA HOYA, AHMET ONER, KAHREN HARYUTUNYAN), ETC… WITH FIGHTERS GETTING INVOLVED, AND NO ONE TEAM GETTING ALL THE BIG FIGHTS, IT WILL HELP BOXING. THE BIGGEST CASE IN POINT LATELY OF HOW CORRUPT THE OLD GUARD HAS GOTTEN IS…

BOB ARUM AND JOSE SULIAMAN SAY ANTONIO MARGARITO SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR THE PLASTER IN HIS GLOVES. THEY SAY IT WAS THE TRAINER… AND THAT THE FIGHTER HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.

FIRST OF ALL, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, AS EVERY FIGHTER OF EVEN MARGINAL INTELLIGENCE HAS TESTIFIED TO. BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE TWO PERSPECTIVES THESE COMMENTS ARE COMING FROM:

FROM SULIAMAN, WE ARE DEALING WITH SOMEONE FROM MEXICO, A COUNTRY KNOWN FOR:
1) TURNING FIGHTERS PRO AS YOUNG AS 14.
2) PITTING A HALL OF FAMER LIKE MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA AGAINST A 1-8-1 FIGHTER.
3) PUTTING RAFAEL MARQUEZ IN WITH FORMER WORLD CHAMPION VICTOR RABANALES IN HIS FIRST PRO FIGHT!
THESE ARE MISTAKES THE U.S. MADE IN THE SIXTIES. THEY STILL DO IT NOW! A LITTLE PLASTER IN THE GLOVES IS NOT GOING TO RATTLE JOSE.

HOWEVER, IT IS ARUM’S COMMENTS THAT ARE EVEN MORE TRANSPARENT AND CHILDISH. HE JUST DOESN’T WANT TO LOSE HIS BIG TICKET SELLER, PERIOD. HE HAS NO INTEREST IN JUSTICE, FAIRNESS, OR THE FACT THAT HIS FIGHTER MAY HAVE KILLED SOMEONE WITH THIS PRACTICE, HAD IT NOT BEEN CAUGHT EARLIER.

ARUM IS ONE OF THE TWO BIGGEST FORCES IN BOXING PROMOTION FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. AHHH, YES… PROMOTERS. THE GROUP THAT HAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY STOPPED ALL EFFORTS TO CLEAN UP THE SPORT. NO REGULATIONS FOR JUDGES. NO NATIONAL COMMISSION. THIS IS A GROUP THAT HAS TIGHTENED IT’S GRIP TO EVEN PREVENTING FIGHTERS FROM CALLING EACH OTHER OUT!

HAVE YOU NOTICED THIS DISTURBING TREND? JUST WATCH GARY SHAW’S FACE WHEN HIS FIGHTERS ARE ASKED ‘WHAT’S NEXT FOR THEM?’ HE GETS VERY STIFF, ALMOST AS IF HE’S UNCOMFORTABLE THAT HE CANNOT ANSWER, AND ALL OF HIS FIGHTERS GIVE THE SAME OLD TIRED, “IT’S UP TO MY PROMOTER.” JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE VICE-GRIP ON THE PROTECTIVE CUP COULDN’T GET ANY TIGHTER, HUH? SHAW HIMSELF WILL LIKELY DENY HIS OWN FIGHTER, VIC DARCHINYAN, A CHANCE TO ERASE HIS ONLY BLEMISH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF SHAW’S OWN EGO.

SO THAT’S WHY, IF YOU ARE BOB ARUM, YOU WOULD SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT MARGARITO KNEW NOTHING. THAT’S THE WAY THEY LIKE THEIR FIGHTERS. KNOW NOTHING, THINK NOTHING, DO NOTHING, EXCEPT LET US POINT YOU IN A DIRECTION, AND START SWINGING. THESE ARE MEN, NOT HORSES. MAYBE THEY SHOULD START RESPECTING THAT.

IT’S ONE THING TO BE A MOTIVATED BUSINESSMAN. IT’S QUITE ANOTHER TO LET IT REMOVE YOUR BASIC COMMON SENSE, AND KNOWLEDGE OF RIGHT AND WRONG. THEY SEEM TO ONLY BELIEVE IN THE GOLDEN RULE. HE WHO HAS THE GOLD, MAKES THE RULES. WHO’S GOT TIME FOR ETHICS AND MORALITY, WHEN YOU’RE COUNTING YOUR CASH?

CHRIS STRAIT
WWW.STICKANDMOVESHOW.COM

Now that fighters like David Haye, Jean-Marc Mormeck, and Tomasz Adamek have let us know there can be life on this planet, it leaves me wondering who could have let us know this fact a bit sooner. Evander Holyfield and Dwight Qawi did us the pleasure of stopping in this division to create some memories, and Lord knows Henry Tillman tried, but the list of fighters who skipped 190 (now 200) lbs entirely is long, and littered with Hall-of-Famers. I’m not talking about those who couldn’t cut the mustard at heavyweight. Let’s instead look at some guys who did have heavyweight success, lest you think I am merely trying to resurrect a fallen career.

Michael Spinks
A big light heavy. A small heavy. Duh? Do I have to spell this out for you? Maybe that year he spent idle avoiding Tony Tucker and Mike Tyson (wisely) could have been spent tangling with Holyfield. Spinks would have easily beaten Carlos DeLeon, and picked up a belt at 190lbs. Plus watching “The Jinx” vie for yet another undisputed title would have put him in the history books in yet another category. I’m not saying Spinks would have beaten Holyfield. In fact, I’m almost certain he wouldn’t have. However, it definitely would have been more competitive than watching a faded DeLeon take punishment for 8 rounds, before reminding everyone why “The Real Deal” was high-tailing it out of the cruiserweight division after that fight. Plus, if he had lost competitievly, like he deserved to against Holmes in their second bout, it wouldn’t have taken much luster off of the eventual Tyson slaughter.

Michael Moorer
Again, it was likely the best division for his body. Always looked a bit soft and china-chinned at heavyweight, yet was on the grapefruit diet to make 175lbs. He beat Holyfield, so it was not a bad move moving straight up to heavyweight. However, suffering five knockdowns, including the loss to Foreman, should have convinced Moorer that he should end his heavyweight career. Name a cruiser who could have kept up with his power and jab in the mid 1990’s. Orlin Norris? Maybe. Juan Carlos Gomez would have likely folded at the first sign of struggle. Anaclet Wamba did not have the firepower, and even needed corruption to beat Adolpho Washington. Czyz was too small and old by then, while Nate Miller and Al Cole would have likely lasted the distance, yet have been easily outworked. Vassily Jirov was the only one capable, and by then, Moorer would have been through anyway. They did eventually fight, if you remember, and it was a brutal knockout win for even a faded Moorer.

Chris Byrd
This is the only fighter on the list who should have gone to cruiser before going to heavy, and not have dropped back down afterwards. Ironically, he is the only one who did! He just dropped too far (175lbs), and did it too late (age 37). Byrd’s weight progress that took place in his first 10 bouts (middleweight to heavyweight), should have been spread out over his first 30. He did not receive a legit title shot until he had been a pro nearly 10 years, and even then it was for a discarded belt. Those 10 years should have been spent winning belts at light heavy and cruiser, and having bigger fights with Virgil Hill, Roy Jones, and fellow Michigan native James Toney. Even if he had lost, it certainly would have been more glorious, competitive, and lucrative than his losses to Ike Ibeabuchi and Wladimir Klitschko. Byrd is likely the only one on this list that would have also made more money, had he waited to move up to heavyweight!

Roy Jones
I know. I know. He barely needed to move up to light heavyweight when he did. That is true, but when Jones finally did make the jump to heavyweight, he was essentially a cruiserweight anyway, and he performed very well. The lack of names at cruiser was no more dismal and depressing than the trail of inept challengers he left in his wake at 175lbs. At least the fact that Jones would have been cleaning out yet another division, and fighting bigger men, would have made it more interesting. After beating Reggie Johnson, instead of spending the next 4 years beating a list of alsos, he should have had one more fight at 175lbs…. doing whatever it takes to get Daruisz Michaelchewski into the ring, if for no other reason than closure. Then Jones should have moved up to clean house at cruiserweight. The anticipation for the eventual heavyweight jump would have lasted longer, been more lucrative, and likely tempted Mike Tyson to take the risk in the fall of 2003. A big fight with Chris Byrd might have even awaited him there, had both men followed this advice.

I’m not talking about any particular matchups. I’m talking about the weight itself. The sanctioning bodies did a rare correct thing when raising the cruiserweight division limit to 200lbs a few years back. This has already created more movement between that division and heavyweight, and helped to increase the spotlight of the cruisers themselves.

However, what this left was a bizarre gap that still needs to be addressed. Rather than give the same old “There should only be the original 8 divisions argument” like most would, I will be more realistic in my solution. The Light Heavyweight limit needs to be raised to 180lbs.

My case: from Junior Middle all the way up to Light Heavy, the weight difference is around 7 pounds per division (6 from junior middle to middle, and eight from middle to supermiddle, but still an average of 7 pounds). Then all of a sudden, there is this giant 25lb leap, and then no limit at all after that. If we accept the basis that as men get heavier the weight difference is felt less by a pound or two (that is basic math), then this gap needs to be addressed.

Plus, this leap is still leaving out a group of fighters. No longer is the 205lb-er having to suffer, but the 185lb-er is. What if someone’s ideal fighting weight is 183-184lbs? We are now forcing them to drop a noticeable amount of weight to compete at Light Heavy, or fight men nearly 20lbs larger than themselves in the same division. We can create a healthier stagger with an 12 lb difference from super middle to light heavy, and then a 20lb difference from light heavy to cruiser.

It’s fair, it’s right, it’s intelligent, and that is probably why it will never happen. I want to put it out there, though… before someone who is starving themselves to make light heavy, gets overpowered at cruiser, and we potentially harm a great career.

Tomasz Adamez may have made the leap successfully… but Jean Marc Mormeck may have stayed and been a better light heavy had he had this option, not being overpowered eventually at cruiser. He was a durable guy against the smaller cruisers like himself, but when the big men started chopping on him, he went. Let’s minimize this potential problem in the future, and just make a simple 5 lb weight adjustment.

Fast Fres Oquendo has come and gone and come again and gone again from the heavyweight picture many times it seems over the last few years. It would be one thing if he was proven incapable of competing at the highest level, and was occasionally making an ill-fated comeback. However, he has always seemed so close to making it into the title picture and the big money. Very little of his failures have seemed to be his own fault.

You could make the argument that he should have gotten the decision in both the Toney and Holyfield fights, and the Byrd fight was an all out robbery. You give him those 3 decisions, and he is a millionaire former champion. One who would have likely been blasted out against one of the Klitschkos when he stepped up, yes… but you could never count him out, because he is so hard to outscore legitimately. No one has dominated him.

The same was true of Andrew Golota. Chin deficiencies, aside, name a time when either of those men were clearly outscored. For Oquendo, he was even up with Ruiz and ahead against Tua, when his vulnerability to right hands cost him dearly. I have just accounted for all five of his losses. A few slips to the left, and more powerful pormoters, he may have been looking at an entirely different career.

However, it may not be so sinister. Although he gets an unfair shake when matched up against bigger names, it may be that the same style which makes him awkward, also seems to fool the judges. It’s a shame, because the skills are definitely there. Even now, he surely deserves a title shot more than David Haye, Juan Carlos Gomez, or (you’ve got to be kidding me) Carl Davis Drumond!

From Marty Denkin’s finger-waving stoppage of the first Forrest-Mayorga fight, to Jose Cobain’s 3 ludicrously early calls on the Tarver-Johnson 1 undercard, I have been watching California referees stop fights too early my whole life. Now, there is a positive side effect to this… other than Burgos against Darchinyan, there do not seem to be many injuries in California.
But you know what else there is not much of? Comebacks! Championship level guys are afforded more leeway (Vasquez vs. Marquez, etc.), and favorites are often given more of a chance to get up and fight. However, it is known… if you come to California, especially if you are not the favorite, you better not get hurt at all, or it will be waved off.
Julio Gonzalez should be glad his 2001 fight with Julian Letterlough took place in Ohio, because it would have most certainly been stopped, had it been held in his home state. Same with Diego Corrales against Castillo. I wonder how many fighters have been robbed of impressive come-from-behind victories, simply because they were wobbled early on in the fight.
Jerry Cantu, Lou Moret, James Jen-Kin, Jack Reiss, the Denkins, etc. All are qualified refs, who handle business well. However, this is one flaw they have all shared at one point. The logic is often, “they can fight another day”… but they trained to fight on THIS DAY, and they may not get another chance at that level if they keep dropping losses on quick stoppages.
This is certianly not a problem indigenous to California exclusively, but it takes place with alarming frequency here. Andre Ward was likely to bust up and stop Esteban Camou last Saturday, but Ward has a questionable chin, and Camou is a big puncher, who was not badly hurt at all. He should have been allowed to have the chance at a lucky punch.
The men/women in that ring know the risks, and do not need to be rescued from themselves. They are adults. Please, for the sake of the fans, and the fighters’ business, let them fight!

Ok… So, Oscar lost to Manny, and was dominated for the first time in his career. In retrospect, we should have seen it coming. Not because of anything those two fighters showed us, but because this year has been the year of the upset.
In all honesty, I only saw one of these coming: Klitschko over Peter, and that was probably the smallest upset. But it asked questions that were impossible to predict. klitschlo was the far better fighter, and everyone knew it, but could he come back after four years, could he come back after injuries, and could Sam Peter’s chin hold up. The answer turned out to be yes on all three questions, but these questiuons are ones we are used to dealing with.
The reason fights have been so hard to predict this year, is that there are new questions that we are not used to asking:

1) 40 is the new 30. With so many fighters fighting well into their thirties and forties, we now have to ask if they will get old in one night. We didn’t usually have to think of that. Now someone can look old due to styles or preparation, and then be back to top shape in the very next fight (Hopkins, etc.). For example: I have no idea what will happen the next time Joel Casamayor or Shane Mosley steps into the ring. They look like they are slipping, but I’ve been fooled too many times before.

2) Division jumping. With fighters simultaneously competing in as many as 3 divisions (Pacquiao, Williams), we never know how well their bodies are going to handle it. Some come up two divisions with no trouble (Pacquiao, Hopkins). Others seem like different fighters even moving one (Hatton, Pavlik). Some cannot come back down to an original weight, without an adjustment period (Jones, Tarver, De La Hoya)

3) There are no major stars left. Or hardly any. And the reason for that, is that the best are fighting the best, and people are losing. Calzaghe and Mayweather were rare perfect fighters, but they are leaving soon, or have left. We can enjoy the competitive matches that this situation creates, as well as the unpredictability, but it makes anticipating an outcome much more difficult.

I’m gonna enjoy the ride, but part of that ride is accepting that not too many of us are gonna look like experts until we adjust to these new rules!

So, for the first time, I throw up my hands: Kendall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres III? Consider my official prediction: “I have no freaking idea!!” But I will be watching.