In a
memorable battle between two middleweights fighting for bigger
opportunities at the top of the division, Daniel Geale and Darren Barker
waged a spirited war at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The
defining sequence featured Geale dropping Barker in the sixth round
with a left hook to the solar plexus, and Barker rising, almost unfathomably,
competing and winning the last portions of the frame. That knockdown blow was
placed in a perfect spot; many boxers wouldn't have even attempted to
continue, let alone fight six more rounds and win a closely contested match. It
was the type of fight where both boxers let it all hang out in the ring. And
while there may have been opportunities missed (especially for Geale), there
was no lack of effort, heart or willingness to reach for greatness.
Barker earned a split
decision by scores of 114-113, 116-111 and 113-114 in a fight where not a lot
separated the two boxers. Barker's punches were harder but Geale's were
flashier. I scored it 115-112 for Geale but there were a number of very
close rounds. This was no robbery.
The Barker who showed
up in Atlantic City this weekend was vastly improved from the version that
was knocked out by Sergio Martinez in the same city almost two years
ago. Against Martinez, Barker seemed tentative at various times in the fight.
Although Barker won a few of the early rounds, Martinez's sharp power
counterpunches made him reluctant to let his hands go. Barker would score with
quick one-two's, and get out of the pocket. He didn't sit down on his shots
but he connected. Barker featured a high guard and was successful in
neutralizing Martinez's straight left hand; however, once Martinez went to the
right hook, Barker couldn't adjust – that ultimately led to his downfall.
This weekend Barker
fought much more confidently. He commanded the center of ring. Featuring a much
more fluid offensive style than he did against Martinez, Barker sat down on his
power shots and he had a lot of success with his left hook to the head,
straight right hands and hooks to the body. Barker took what was available to
him. If Geale's hands were low, he jabbed. If Geale tried to pressure in close,
Barker drilled him to the body or went through the middle with uppercuts. If
Geale stayed on the ropes, he pounded him.
Barker
showed poise and intelligence throughout the fight. He didn't
overcommit with his shots from the outside or smother himself at close
range. His ring generalship was really solid. He didn't blindly
follow Geale around the ring without throwing punches. He also refused to
get frustrated by Geale's fancy footwork and odd-angled shots. Barker knew
when to work and when to tie up. In addition, he did a wonderful job of surviving like
a pro in the 6th and 12th rounds when he was really hurt.
Geale didn't lose the
fight as much as Barker won it. With a different set of judges, perhaps Geale
would have been declared the victor. Sure, there were things on the margins he
could have done differently. Perhaps he stood and traded a little too much with
Barker. Maybe he had a few too many sequences with his back to the ropes. He probably
didn't go to the body enough early in the fight. At points, he had a lot of
success with his lead right hand, and then he would go away from it.
In his best rounds,
which were the 5th, 6th and 12th, Geale showed his championship mettle. He worked
angles and used high volumes to get Barker out of position and create openings.
Geale featured a huge arsenal of punches and did significant damage, despite
having only "average" punching power. Geale hurt Barker in these
spots because of his unpredictability and creativity in the ring.
Ultimately, Barker
outworked Geale in many of the later rounds of the match. Surviving the
knockdown blow and ignoring a cut above his eye, Barker refused to
fold. It was his night and if he didn't win decisively, there would be no
questioning his heart, skills, resiliency or determination.
In his prime at 31
and in one the sport's best divisions, Barker has tons of attractive career
options. He could return to England and engage in some wonderful matchups against
Marty Murray or Matthew Macklin (I would love Barker-Murray). He could
also shoot for a unification match against fellow titlists Gennady Golovkin or
Peter Quillin. A rematch against Geale in the UK would also be a
solid move. If Barker's feeling really enterprising, perhaps he should take a
stay-busy fight at home at the end of the year and then attempt to avenge the
lone loss of his career against Martinez in 2014.
For Geale, he'll have
some more opportunities. He's already won world titles away from home and with
so many attractive fighters who are connected to big television networks
(Golovkin, Martinez, Quillin, Barker, etc.), another title shot may come within
a year. He didn't perform badly at all last night and he has an active,
TV-friendly style that will keep him viable in the division. This weekend he
just fell a little short. Perhaps another one or two punches in the 6th or 12th
would have stopped Barker. Ultimately, it wasn't enough, but
he made a stellar U.S. debut and he'll be back in a big fight before you
know it.
******************************************************
Leading into
Cleverly-Kovalev, in many quarters there was a suggestion that Cleverly was the
superior boxer – not who was the better fighter per se, but that this
fight was a battle of the boxer vs. the puncher. Perhaps people saw
Cleverly's anemic KO percentage or his relatively good hand speed and
athleticism and talked themselves into making such grandiose claims. Maybe
Kovalev disposed of his opponents so fast and mercilessly that his considerable
boxing skills went unnoticed by many of the sport's observers.
Watching Cleverly
against Tony Bellew or Aleksy Kuziemski, I saw a fighter who had repeatedly
made bad decisions. Instead of using his height, reach and athleticism to win
fights on the outside, Cleverly decided to slug it out in the trenches. He made
the Bellew fight far closer than it needed to be and despite the "TKO
4" victory against Kuziemski, he got clipped quite a bit by staying in the
pocket for too long.
Similar to Amir Khan,
a fighter with tremendous physical gifts and boxing skills who often falls
short because of bad decision making, Cleverly doesn't have a high ring
I.Q. He has yet to understand his strengths and weaknesses. He's failed
to realize what will make him a winning fighter against the best
light heavyweights. If you want to blame Frank Warren for Cleverly's relatively
soft matchmaking, that's fine, but this is really on the fighter and his
team. There's been more than enough evidence in the ring to see that Cleverly
shouldn't be a guy who stands in the pocket and trades.
After the second
round of Saturday's fight, I tweeted "I don't know what Cleverly's
game plan is other than to duck and get hit." To me, standing in
mid-range against Kovalev was perhaps the worst strategic move I
could think of. Kovalev's power had already spooked Cleverly – he
struggled to let his hands go with any conviction. Cleverly was a sitting duck
for punishment and he and his corner (his father, Vince, is his trainer) had no
plan for even mere self-preservation. The lack of a "Plan B" was stunning.
I would assert that
Kovalev is both the better boxer and puncher. Lost amid a surface reading of
Kovalev's 90% knockout ratio are his deep amateur background in Russia and
the technical expertise he has picked up in America working with trainers Don
Turner and John David Jackson. Kovalev isn't crude in the ring. He's
not early Marcos Maidana or a one-punch trick pony like Randall
Bailey. Kovalev uses an array of punches, distance, foot
positioning and patience to knock out his opponents. Yes, he is incredibly
heavy-handed, but he's a very cerebral fighter. He's not taking four shots
to land one.
Kovalev did a great
job of setting up his shots against Cleverly. In the pivotal third round,
his sequence of punches that led to the first
knockdown started with a left uppercut/left hook to the head/left hook to
the head/left hook to the body. Only after that sequence, did he throw and land
the right hand, dropping Cleverly. Again, Kovalev's right hand is one of the
most vicious shots in the sport, but he's a thinking fighter. He
understands how to deliver his finishing blows.
Once the power
punches flowed with regularity from Kovalev, the fight was shortly over.
He scored two knockdowns in the third, a quick one to start the fourth and
picked up a nice shiny world championship belt. Not even a friendly hometown
ref (Terry O'Connor) could thwart Kovalev's date with stardom.
Kovalev, Golovkin and the late-model version
of Matthysse are tremendous boxing talents because they have a wide array
of boxing skills in addition to their top-shelf power. Only the best in the
sport will have a chance at beating them.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
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