Saturday featured seven combined fights on Showtime and HBO and a
major title match in Germany. The interpretations and
implications from the weekend's action are almost limitless, with upsets, dominant performances and a few disappointments sprinkled in throughout the fights (fortunately, no robberies). However, one theme struck
me in particular: fighters who made me reconsider their existing labels in the sport.
Think
about the action from Saturday. Felix Sturm, a jabber supposedly on the slide,
rushes Darren Barker with power shots and heretofore unseen aggression. He ends
the fight in the second round. Paulie Malignaggi puts aside talk about becoming
a full-time broadcaster and bests Zab Judah with fresh-looking legs and a solid
jab. James Kirkland re-establishes relevance after a career marked with missed
opportunities and legal problems. Shawn Porter disabuses the notion
that he has a sparring partner mentality and takes the fight right to Devon
Alexander. Erislandy Lara finally seizes a big moment and dominates Austin
Trout from start to finish.
What
we saw on Saturday was an excellent display of character from these veterans
(and a younger fighter, with Porter). Ignoring the warnings from father
time or the catcalls from boxing media and fans, these fighters went to work
and performed at stunningly high levels, often reversing recent lackluster or
wanting performances.
Let's
take a look at where these five fighters were a year ago: Sturm had just
lost his middleweight title belt on home soil to Daniel Geale in a fight where he was outworked. He would subsequently lose a decision to Sam Soliman,
which was later reversed to a no-contest when Soliman failed a drug test. The
thought was that Sturm was on the decline. He was being outhustled in the ring and his
punch volume had started to plummet.
Malignaggi
had won a disputed decision against Pablo Cano in a fight where he was knocked
down and faded down the stretch. With a history of
injuries and public statements about his contempt for boxing, Malignaggi had
frequently talked about retirement. That he seemed so comfortable as a
broadcasting was perhaps another sign that his heart wasn't into being an
active fighter.
In
a junior middleweight eliminator last year, Erislandy Lara received a technical draw
against Vanes Martirosyan, yet another moment where he failed to impress on the
world stage. Although many had Lara winning the fight, his lack of punch volume
or urgency painted him with the Scarlet "C," which has been the
burden of many Cuban boxers – boring, lack of passion, etc.
Last December, James
Kirkland was in the midst of another round of inactivity, this time as a result of
a lawsuit against his former management and promoters. It was his third extended
period of inactivity in his career. In addition, by suing Golden Boy, how would
he get big fights again? He also talked about leaving Ann Wolfe, his trainer and professional muse. The last time he had left her he was knocked
out in the first round; would he even still be a factor in the sport?
Porter
had been most notable as a sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao and
Floyd Mayweather but his in-ring performances had left something to be desired. On the big
stage last year against faded, former lightweight champion Julio Diaz, the
best that he could muster was a draw. At 25, he was no longer a young prospect and
there were troubling signs in the ring. He would often lose focus
during rounds and get caught in-between styles. After watching his first fight
against Diaz, there was no thought that
this was a future world champion. (Porter subsequently beat Diaz convincingly in a rematch this year.) In addition, other young welterweights
in the Golden Boy stable, such as Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, were viewed as far more attractive commodities, receiving the recognition, network support and promotional
push that Porter had been unable to obtain.
Perhaps the
most important lesson learned from this past weekend is that trends can be
reversed in boxing. The purity of mind and purpose can solve a lot of problems. Sturm emphatically declared how important it was for him to regain his title.
Malignaggi felt revived after signing with Al Haymon. Porter understood
the seriousness of the opportunity presented to him.
And
in the end, these five fighters, many of whom had been written off recently by the boxing community, provided
thrilling moments on Saturday, from Lara's pulverizing straight left
hand that knocked down Trout, to Sturm going for the kill to Kirkland's savage beating of Glen Tapia. Porter jumped on Alexander from the opening moments and immediately took
Alexander out of his game plan. Malignaggi befuddled Judah with his
jab and movement.
For
many of these fighters, Saturday was redemption. For others, their performances
were trumpets to the boxing world announcing or confirming their vitality in
the sport. These proud boxers demonstrated that they weren't ready to
transition into a lesser phase of their careers: they were still
relevant, they could beat excellent fighters and they deserved coveted spots on
television.
So, don't
close the book yet on Sturm, Porter, Lara, Malignaggi and Kirkland. There may
still be many important chapters to be written. And even if Saturday's glories turned
out to be the last hurrah for some or all, it's important to remember that labels are not permanent in boxing. Intangibles – health, peace of mind, desire, maturity, coachability
– continue to lead to surprising results. Labels will – and frankly,
should – always be a part of boxing, but let's try to make sure that they
are written in pencil or erasable pen, instead of a Sharpie.
Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
@snboxing on twitter
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