Ringside Report Readers: Can You Figure Out the Fight From These Facts?
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By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
3 minutes of madness – a round that stopped hearts, traffic and captured the imagination…
But which fight was it?
Build up
It was the time for the heavies to weigh in and match up. This time, both the challenger and champion were the first to publicly say, we shall not dodge each other. For a prolonged amount of fans had been treated to two world champions fighting on social media and outside of the ring, offering money and glory to each, but without a signed piece of paper between them the fans had no fight to witness…
Then these two Titans got it on.
The debate ceased, the contract was signed and now we got to see the action for real.
The champion was the first from his country in over 10 years, to hold a world title belt, the challenger a man who defied the odds in a world title fight, outside of his own country years before in a masterclass that included refusing to box on spongy canvas, using his uncle’s game plan and singing when he was winning.
The champion had no equal in his country, but few would know recognize him outside of the sport. Everyone in the challenger’s country knew who he was and he divided as many as he united.
Both fighters were minorities in their own right.
They had met, more than once before the announcement and in true fighting fashion that included a confrontation in the ring where the challenger jumped in and the champion faced off.
A press tour ensued with London, New York and California visited as they got ready to do battle in the City of the Angels in December.
The year? 2018.
The world; expected.
Expectations and punditry
In the lead up to the fight there was a simple split. There were those who thought the Champion, having been on his throne for so long, would simply out muscle and destroy the Challenger who had been out the ring for so long. The challenger had managed a few warm-up fights, but he had hardly managed to take on candidates with pedigree and fought puffed up guys who gave him very little challenge. It was a strategy that the challenger was to continue after the fight but for the Champion, his devastating power, all in one hand, was just thought by most to be far too much for the challenger. People feared for the challenger; as it turned out, they needn’t have worried.
Ring walks
With the undercard all done – no fewer than three fights on it at the same weight as the main event, they had featured two former beaten opponents of the champion with the other being an up and coming prospect from the challenger’s home country.
The challenger was ready to walk to the ring. His entourage included his brother by his side, a former world champion in front of him from his home country, and at his back a world class trainer from his opponents’ home country. It was a ring walk of some composure, showing just how popular the challenger was amongst a crowd who had flown to be by his side. It was a relationship that would save potential riots after the fight had finished. The only thing over the top about his entrance was how he got into the ring; that was to change in his next two contests.
As for the champion, he used the same method of entering the ring but he was resplendent in a crown with a gold face mask, worn along with a long flowing gown, more akin with its frippery to be part of a Las Vegas show, he strutted and he preened and looked as regal as he was able.
3 minutes of mayhem…
When the bell went for this round in the fight, we see them stalk to the center of the ring.
The champion and challenger are held back by the referee as if all out war is due. Once the referee steps back, looking almost reluctant to do so, the challenger steps forwards with both now sizing the other up.
Both are pawing in the air and it is the champion who throws first towards the challenger’s mid belly. One commentator tells us all what most knew, that the champ has to find something, has to drop the challenger otherwise his title is gone.
Both fighters continue to paw and try and land jabs. As the scores from the pundits hit the screen showing a 6 point gap they thought that the challenger had, the champion lands the first serious punch with a straight right landing flush.
The challenger staggers backwards and at 30 odd seconds in you felt there was something coming…
And then it came…
Left and then right and the most dangerous fist in the ring saw the challenger crumble and fall. “I don’t think he’s going to get up” was the cry in the commentary and few around the ring, in the auditorium or on their pay per view were thinking anything differently. They held their collective breathes in the challenger’s corner as they thought this was it, as the champion conducted some shoulder roll dancing, winking at his wife to celebrate.
The referee seeing the state of the man on the floor, knew one thing – he was NOT out cold – nobody else realized that.
The warnings in the dressing room over what the referee would do in knockdowns was uppermost in the challenger’s mind, but also upper most in the challenger’s mind as the count got to 5 before the challenger opened his eyes, rolled to his left and got up like a Phoenix.
The challenger placed his gloved hands on the referee who shrugged them off, he then did his own wee dance to the left as he was asked to move there and it was clear… this was still a long way off a finish…
As the challenger reflected later, “Reiss (the referee) was looking at me like, “Are you OK? Like, you just took massive punches.” I said, “Jack, I’m OK.” I put both hands on his shoulders to let him know I’m OK. I looked straight in his eyes and said, “I’m OK.” Nice and clear so he would let the fight continue. One thing I’ve always been taught in boxing is if you go down, you have to make sure the referee knows you’re OK to continue because at the end of the day, that’s the referee’s job: to take the safety of both fighters into account.”
There was more in this fight to come.
The champion had seen his signature move, the most feared weapon he had, land, drop the other guy and for the first time… the guy got up.
That guy got up off the canvas…
What now?
The challenger claimed later, “I wasn’t hurt. I didn’t feel anything.”
We beg to differ…
With two minutes left on the clock, surely the champion was going in for the kill?
He started again with that jab, looking for an opening. A weakened challenger ripe for the taking?
Not a bit of it…
Sure, the champ swung and tried, sure the challenger was forced to grab and grasp at what he had and make sure he wasn’t hit through desperation but those swings cost energy…
The clinch after the knockdown takes about 15 seconds of the time remaining – but half the round still remained.
The head shots were thrown in as the challenger backed back, his feet secure, his head seemingly clear. Had the danger passed? Had he weathered a storm that no other had managed?
1:24 left on the clock.
The challenger puts his hands behind his back and nods and dips in a tainting move – is the champion unable to take control – can he manage to finish it off? What is this mad challenger doing?
And then a left hand from the challenger connects.
It rocks the champion, not completely but enough. A clinch gives them both time, the hook from the challenger is still rocking the champion as the champion now has to hold on. The challenger looks more fluid.
With a minute to go, the champion looks like he is done on his feet, the referee separates them and warns them before the challenger takes the center of the ring and hunts his prey.
That hunt takes him to 25 seconds left as he catches him but again, they clinch and time ticks past.
The final 10 seconds on the clock.
The champion on the outside, unsteady, looking like he could do with the bell. The challenger, center ring, looking like he is ready for a hard training session, fresher than the man who floored him a couple of minutes ago.
But then the champion finds something that launches him at the challenger. From somewhere, the desperation rings through and he throws; not once but twice, but at shadows.
The bell goes.
The champion, in his opponent’s corner looks bemused, the challenger running with his hands in the air, both awaiting a verdict that was unsatisfactory and gleefully accepted because it gave us a second fight.
The result
A draw – a what?
The challenger is marked by his dignity. The followers who had come so far in his metaphorical and literal journey were incandescent but becalmed by his peace. In marked contrast to when his cousin, also a heavyweight fighter, was robbed of his world title in against a New Zealand WBO champion, the challenger was worthy of the crown of which he had been denied.
Over a year later, they were to tango again. This time round, “the big dosser” as the challenger referred to the champion thereafter was to not allow any judges the opportunity of denying him a win, the title and the belt. He won emphatically in the 7th round of the rematch…
But what was the original fight?
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