The Boxing Weekend: Wladimir Klitschko, Yuriokis Gamboa & Manny Pacquiao Leftovers
By Geno McGahee
Friday
SHOBOX
London, UK
Showtime’s hit series SHOBOX still goes strong and has a show this Friday for its subscribers. Featured in the main event is light welterweight, John O’Donnell, 23-1, 11 KO’s, taking on Terrance Cauthen, 35-6, 9 KO’s, in a 12 round bout. O’Donnell’s opposition has been pathetic to date, once fighting a boxer by the name of Ernie Smith, who brought in a record of 13-109-5. He resembles the majority of O’Donnell’s opposition. He was a no-hoper. The defeat on O’Donnell’s record came via TKO in two rounds to Christian Solano, a fighter with a record of 19-11-4 going in. He had lost four of his previous five going into the O’Donnell fight and came out winning via TKO.
Cauthen has a more honest record, taking on the likes of Shamon Alvarez (L-MD 10), and Sechew Powell (L-TKO 4). He has taken on the far superior opposition in his career and is a very tough test for O’Donnell and may be too much for him, although his lack of punching power may have gotten him this opportunity.
On the undercard, Tyson Fury, 11-0, 9 KO’s, continues his march to heavyweight contention as he takes on Rich Power, 12-0, 9 KO’s. When you read the names going into this fight, it’s easy to imagine this as a video game rather than two humans ready to duke it out. Tyson Fury vs. Rich Power certainly has a ring to it and one of them will be leaving with their head ringing.
Fury is 6 feet, 7 inches, and has decent power. In fact, he almost knocked himself out once when one of his own stray uppercuts smashed him in the face. He recently knocked out John McDermott in nine rounds, in rematch of a fight they had earlier where Fury took a controversial decision. This, on the surface, tells us that he is improving as a fighter.
Rich Power has won all of his fights and the collective record of his opposition is a less than impressive: 27 wins, 60 losses, and 6 draws. This is an example of why you cannot determine a boxer’s chances by a winning record. Power has powered through complete bums en route to this showcase on SHOBOX. Fury hasn’t taken on a lot of world beaters, but he has taken on fighters with a pulse. The collective record of his opposition is 158 wins, 103 losses, and 10 draws. Fury has proven more and this is the moment of truth for Power. This is his first live opponent and it should be interesting to see just what happens when they collide.
ESPN3
Hessen, Germany
I must first give credit to ESPN for picking up this important fight. This is the heavyweight championship. IBO/IBF/WBO Champion Wladimir Klitschko, 54-3, 48 KO’s, has established himself as the top of the division and now he takes on a former champion, former WBC Title Holder, Sam Peter, 34-3, 27 KO’s, in a high stakes rematch with all the marbles on the line.
The HBO network has cut ties with the Klitschko brothers because they have noted that the public cannot tell Vitali and Wladimir apart and that they are not exciting. Granted, they can participate in slow waltzes and that not all of their fights are spectacular, but this is still history and we have a very exciting bout coming up on Saturday.
When they first fought, Wladimir climbed off the floor to win a decision in a fun bout. Wlad would go on to pick up three titles and Sam Peter would take the WBC Title, later losing it in an uninspired performance with older brother Vitali. Peter was fat and unfocused, but now, he’s primed and ready for this showdown. In his fights leading up to this opportunity, he has been fit and aggressive and I think that he looks at this fight as his return to big time boxing. His losses to Vitali and Eddie Chambers were disgraceful and he wants to win the public back that once compared him to Mike Tyson.
Wladimir has been feasting on the top contenders. He’s been easily dismantling them and dispatching them to the floor. Some consider him unbeatable because of his high skill, power, and the lack of real opposition in the division. I have to say that Peter is the biggest threat to him since Sam Peter the first time. This is a very exciting fight and get ready for a knockout! The judges won’t need to worry about keeping score.
HBO
Las Vegas, Nevada
One of the most exciting fighters in boxing today, Yuriorkis Gamboa, 18-0, 15 KO’s, will be taking on Orlando Salido, 34-10-2, 22 KO’s, in a 12 round bout with the IBF and WBA Featherweight titles on the line. Gamboa reminds me a lot of Roy Jones, JR. He’s hard to hit, has incredible power, and great timing. He puts punches together well and has been dominant in every fight he’s been in. Gamboa is a star.
Salido is a veteran that has gone the distance with Juan Manuel Marquez, but the bad news is that he’s been stopped in five of his ten losses and stopping opponents is the specialty of Gamboa. He’d better be ready because the storm is going to hit early. If he can make it through, he may be able to extend Gamboa and get some things done.
In the co-feature, we have Anthony Peterson, 30-0, 20 KO’s, taking on Brandon Rios, 24-0-1, 18 KO’s, in a WBA Lightweight Eliminator.
PPV
Mexico City, Mexico
Erik Morales, 49-6, 34 KO’s, is back and they want you to pay for it as he fights Willie Limond, 33-2, 8 KO’s, for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Light Welterweight Title. Some fighters cannot take the hint that their time has passed and risk even more injury stepping into the ring with diminished reflexes at an advanced age. Morales was beaten badly by Manny Pacquiao, pummeled to the floor on two occasions. He was devastated and he also lost very badly to Zahir Raheem.
A recent loss to David Diaz prompted the Mexican fighter to announce his retirement, but he cannot live without the spotlight and here we go again. The majority of opponents for Limond have been questionable and he has not picked up a victory over a recognizable foe. He is a safe opponent for Morales but it is still a pathetic pay per view overall and a meaningless fight. Morales is trying to maneuver himself into a big payday with a current top fighter but at this stage of his career, it’s not a good idea. Rent this PPV at your own risk.