The Fighter’s Fighter
Professional boxing is monetised violence masquerading as entertainment. Boxers hold their hands lower, so as to be more explosive and more pleasing on the eye. Getting hit is to a pro what getting wet is to a swimmer.
That’s terrible news for the likes of Demetrius Andrade. Canelo dismisses the American as a “horrible fighter” precisely because he is so hard to hit.
Amateur boxing on the other hand, is more cautious in intent and more of a technical exercise, with an emphasis on scoring points. Knock-outs are rarer. Of course, the skill set of the practitioners varies markedly.
Nevertheless, after seven years of covering amateur fights, I am delighted to report that amateur boxing is fascinating in its own right, mostly because of its authenticity.
The ‘Phenomenal’ Dylan (photo right) is proof positive of the enduring appeal of the amateur sport. The relentless son of Sundgua brings his entire arsenal to every fight. Dylan is Schwarzenegger-esque in that he never stops coming forward, never stops throwing bombs and never gives his opponent a moment’s rest.
Dylan is the fighter’s fighter and a fan favourite. All hooks, jabs, uppercuts and haymakers, Dylan stays ‘in the pocket’ from first to last.
I’ve been privileged to cover many of his contests these last few years and they are almost always the same — hyper-masculine wars of attrition.
We talked a little after his last fight and I asked him about his ambitions.
“To be known as a boxer,” he said.
Mission accomplished Dylan!
Dylan’s fighting style makes covering his contests one of my most enjoyable photo-assignments but what’s your favourite fighting style, or boxing match-up?
Here are just a few of the contests that have entranced me over the years. Let me know yours.
Toe To Toe Wars
Routinely described as the most ferocious eight minutes of ring action ever, the 1985 ‘War’ between Marvellous Marvin Hagler and Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns is worthy of all the many accolades it has garnered.
According to his trainer Emmanuel Steward, the tall, athletic, hard-punching Hearns had every pugilistic tool necessary to beat the intimidating Boston brawler Hagler and might have done so, had it not been for the leg massage Hearns received minutes before the fight began.
His legs drained of energy, Hearns decided on a high risk-high reward strategy that left him an eternal winner even as he suffered a three-round defeat.
George Foreman’s 1976 showdown with Ron Lyle is a punch-till-you-drop; knock-down, get-up thrilling advert for the golden age of heavyweight boxing.
Legendary shot caller Howard Cosell described the contest as being without skill.
Yes .. it does look like a straightener between two after-hours pub brawlers at times but come on … this is what fans want — two boxers trading leather until one of them can take no more!
Two of the heaviest punchers in boxing history came together to deliver five tremendous rounds of none stop action.
A photographer’s dream … but then, at that time, no stills camera was built for such rapid fire movement!
What a fight!
Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward I is an incredible toe-to-toe slugfest, whilst the London 2020 contest between Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor is another fight destined for legendary status.
When Boxing Becomes Art
The year is 1966 and 24 year old heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali takes on Cleveland ‘Big Cat’ Williams, in Houston, Texas for the right to be the heavyweight champion of the world.
The G.O.A.T treats the watching public to probably his most aesthetically-pleasing performance. Ali, his timing impeccably sharp, hardly misses a shot all evening, dispatching his opponent in just three rounds.
Williams, 33, becomes a very old man in the ring. Evidently, he is slowed and stiffened by a gunshot wound received during a recent confrontation with Texas police but is also bewildered by the dizzying variety of punches, thrown from every possible angle and the blurring movement of an adversary, he can neither slow down nor corner.
Ali’s surgical left jab is both stinging and numbing. The speed and accuracy of his combinations are jaw-dropping even now. He is constantly on the move, switching effortlessly to new offensive positions, turning a title fight into an attack versus defence sparring session.
Within seconds of the opening bell, the experienced,big-hitting Williams is out of ideas. He is game. He follows the champion unconvincingly and occasionally lands a punch but his demeanour is that of an ageing fighter, who suddenly finds himself lost in familiar surroundings. He seeks answers to the questions posed by his tormentor but can find none.
Williams simply cannot discourage an opponent who, perhaps spurred on by the boos that greeted his arrival in the ring, offers a sublime demonstration of the arts of boxing.
Just before Ali drops Williams in the second round with a straightforward but nonetheless devastating left right combination, the television shot-caller describes the execution that is taking place as an “awesome going-over.”
It was indeed “no contest.” The manner in which Ali finishes the fight, repeatedly targeting Williams head, is the stuff of boxing perfection
Ali had some tremendous nights later in his career but surely, in his seventh title defence, ‘The Greatest Of All Times’ never bettered the superb timing, the head agility, the speed of thought and movement , the footwork and the supreme confidence he displayed on this unforgettable November evening.
Defensive Genius
To my mind, not getting hit is almost as satisfying as the single punch that ends a fight and the late great Pernell Whitaker was an acknowledged master of the art .
It’s not just that ‘Sweetpea’ avoids taking the shot … it’s that he makes his opponent miss. There is real beauty in his footwork and movement.
Ali’s head movement against Williams (see above) is required watching for any would-be fighter, as is the remarkable dexterity of a very young Mike Tyson in his match-up with Reggie Gross.
The manner in which Tyson defends against Gross’ best shots and the patience he shows in waiting for an opening, before unleashing a knock-out blow is truly mesmerising.
The Upset
In the mid 1980s, Don Curry was America’s ‘Golden Child.’ Good looks synched perfectly with a forensic jab to make ‘The Cobra’ the heir apparent to the great Sugar Ray Leonard.
So when Curry was matched against the Briton Lloyd Honeyghan, the betting market had no doubts as to whom would emerge victorious.
However, canny fight fans know that it is unwise to make anyone such a heavy favorite against a hungry boxer of Jamaican heritage, with energy, a venomous punch and nothing to loose.
The manner in which the South London ‘Raggamuffin’ jumped all over Curry and shredded his reputation for all time was gloriously shocking. It made Honeyghan’s victory the greatest away performance by a British fighter in my lifetime.
In June 2019, British kingpin Anthony Joshua was supposed to overwhelm Andy Ruiz, a last minute replacement for a drugs cheat.
Desperate to put on a good show for the Square Garden New York faithful, Joshua “let his hands go” in the third round against the unfancied Mexican butterbean.
Big mistake! The rest is history!
Tyson v Douglas: Where were you on 11 February 1990? The front page of the world’s newspapers celebrated the release of the great Nelson Mandela. The back pages had just one story.
Calling The Contest
Everyone wants to have superpowers and calling in advance the round that you will knock-out your opponent is as close as most of us will ever get.
And no-one did it better than the King!
Ali’s predictions are by now the stuff of legend, so much so that his 1963 call to take out ‘that bum’ Henry Cooper in five rounds is one of the main reasons why Round 4 of that contest is so memorable and why Brits adore ‘our Henry!”
“If he keeps talking jive, I’ll cut it to five!” The incomparable Muhammad Ali!
Boxing As A Compelling Narrative
I have to admit that I am invested emotionally in far too many boxers. Ali, Hagler and even Errol Christie are just three for whom my support has bordered on the irrational. Thank goodness, I have no money with which to gamble, or my family would be homeless!
Sugar Ray Leonard is another to join this company and his victory over ‘Hands of Stone’ Roberto Duran had far more meaning for me than just his winning of a welterweight title.
This was a Hollywood arc writ large. I was Leonard and Leonard was me. His triumph was mine because he did to a bully what I have always wanted to do.
But first we were connected by the failure of Leonard in his first fight in Montreal, Canada, against the Panamanian. There, Sugar Ray allowed his machismo to surface to such an extent that his judgement was clouded and he entered into a slugfest he was less-equipped to win.
However, Leonard learned from that fight, like I hope I have learned from my life failures. He pressed Duran into a quick rematch, knowing that between fights, the older fighter lived, ate and partied like a king.
When the men faced-off in New Orleans, Leonard had a slick game plan to which he was ready to stick. His fight strategy was delightfully on point, demonstrating a psychological dominance rarely witnessed at championship level.
Duran was comprehensively outmanoeuvred and out-thought, frustrated to the point of powerlessness, resulting in his ‘No Mas’ moment of public abandon and agony, the most stunning event I have ever witnessed in a boxing ring.
Ali v Foreman: So many characters, so many incidents, so many layers and so many lawyers … the ‘Rumble In the Jungle’ is the greatest boxing story ever told!
Tyson v Berbick: This is how a generational iconic talent should be announced to the world!
Ali v Spinks: Thank God for Leon who gave Ali a second chance. Great story! Horrible, horrible fight!
When It Gets Personal
Oscar De La Hoya vs Ricardo Mayorga : This is the grudge match of all time. Bad boy Ricardo Mayorga went after pretty boy De La Hoya’s wife, his right to be considered a Mexican hero and even challenged his manhood. This was personal and far more than the prerequisite, pre-fight trash talk, setting up the mother of all beat downs.
De la Hoya didn’t- disappoint.
Hagler v Minter: “No black man will take my title,” warned English champion Alan Minter in the build-up to a 1980 London championship fight with the fearsome Marvin Hagler, conforming perfectly to the anti-black race-baiting of the age.
Oops!
Hagler made short work of cutting Minter to ribbons but was robbed of his right to receive the Middleweight title in the ring by bottle-throwing Minter fans, who took their hero’s trash talk to heart. These disgraceful scenes tarnished British boxing for a decade.
The Dazzle Kings
The fighters who made the most deadly of sports look so easy.