James Toney...Lights Out!

By Peter Silkov


The lights have been dimming for James Toney for quite a while now; it’s a long time since he last shone as the great boxer, which he once was, perhaps as far back as his fight with Evander Holyfield way back in 2003.  In the decade since the Holyfield fight, Toney’s nickname of ‘lights out’ has gained a sad irony as his life in and out of the ring has become progressively darker, as his skills and health have dimmed before our eyes, with almost every fight.  Once a throwback to boxing’s ’good old days’ with his old school skills and willingness to meet anyone between the roped square, Toney has now become a throwback to all that was and is bad about boxing. Toney now embodies the stereotype, used in old boxing films, such as ’The Setup’ and ’Requiem for a Heavyweight’ where a once mighty champion or contender is reduced to scuffling in small halls for small money, against men he would have once used as sparring partners, trying to ignore the ever encroaching signs of age, and the increasing damage done to him by his profession. 

James Toney hasn’t won a meaningful fight since his controversial 2008 decision win over Fres Quendo, when he was already showing clear signs of deterioration, both inside and outside the ring.  Since the Quendo fight, Toney’s slide has become steeper and more disturbing.  While the erosion of his ring skills has become ever more profound, the most disturbing aspect of Toney’s decline has been his increasingly garbled speech.  What started with a hoarsening of his voice about a decade ago, and then developed into an increasingly erratic speech pattern over the ensuring years, has now accelerated to such an extent to render Toney almost incomprehensible. 

When Toney made his appearance on Sky TV last week, in order to promote his participation in tomorrow’s (14 Nov) Heavyweight Prizefighter, it was hard not to feel moved to pity for this once immensely gifted athlete, who now seems unable to communicate cohesively. Toney’s speech is now beyond being simply garbled, it now resembles something akin to an out of control freight train coming off the tracks, with words and sentences twisting and crashing into each other, in a mass of verbal chaos.
To see a former great champion like Toney reduced to fighting, in what is basically closer to being a side show, than world championship boxing is sad enough, but the fact that he is doing so in such a decreased state of health and athletic ability is deeply worrying.

In truth Toney has been brought into the Prizefighter fray in an effort to boost the format’s flagging appeal. Looking at the possible opponents that Toney will face in this particular Prizefighter line up, one might think at first that even a much-reduced Toney will be able to look after himself against this collection of fighters, none of whom would have been considered a decent match for him even 4 or 5 years ago.  Yet if you take a look at Toney’s performance against Lucas Browne earlier this year, then you realize, the poor conditioning, the loss of speed and reflexes, the erosion of balance and motor skills, then you should see and understand. It is no longer simply a case of the level of his opposition, it is that Toney has reached the point where any opponent is a dangerous opponent, and every punch is now a punch too many.

One of Toney’s incomprehensible declarations since arriving in London for the Prizefighter tournament is that he is still the best heavyweight in the world. It says a lot about his present state, that Toney actually seems to believe this sadly deluded boast.

Toney’s situation is all the more depressing, coming at a time when the boxing world is dealing with the joint tragedies of Frankie Leal’s death and Magomed Abdusalamov’s severe injuries, after their recent fights. Boxing fans have once more been forced to look into the dark side of the sport. Funds have been set up and wise words have been uttered, and yet nothing has really changed if someone in Toney’s condition is allowed to carry on fighting.

Last week we saw Danny Williams and Oleg Maskaev struggle through 10 rounds against each other, in a fight whose only saving grace was that neither man seemed capable anymore of inflicting any significant damage upon the other. 

Meanwhile, Roy Jones Jr., who once shared with Toney the accolade of being one of the world’s premier pound-for-pound fighters, now shares with Toney the slide into mediocrity and self-delusion, as he prepares to fight journeyman Bobby Gunn yet still talks of winning more world titles.

In a profession where sudden fatal or life changing injury can strike at any moment, it is to boxing’s shame that fighters like Toney, Jones, Williams, and Maskaev are able to continue allowing their bodies to be hit by leather bombs, long after nature has started shouting stop. Yet, these are simply the high profile fighters who have been reduced to these circumstances. How many unknown fighters are there allowing themselves to be pounded like aging meat, long after they should have found another profession.  This is part of the nature of boxing, the sacrifice of the weak and aged, and the damaged. 

Boxing is a brutal and dangerous activity; this is part of its appeal, to watch these men in physical situations that the normal man on the street could never withstand. This is not about wrapping fighters up in cotton wool or banning head shots. It is simply about drawing a line at the point where the brutality of boxing loses its special beauty, and becomes simple brutality. When it’s no longer the fit and strong risking injury or damage, but the already ring-worn and damaged, being allowed to risk further damage, or worse.

One wonders what will become of James Toney in the not too distant future, when the promoters have squeezed the last drops of light from him. Will he be somewhere in a darkened room all alone? Will he even know where he is by then?



Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights


Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Gennady Golovkin Wants Big Names After Dispatching Curtis Stevens

By Peter Silkov

Kazakhstan born iron man Gennady Golovkin 28-0 (25kos) took another step towards boxing superstardom in America last night (Saturday Nov 2nd), with a workman-like, yet destructive, performance in turning back the challenge of Curtis Stevens 25-4 (18kos) at the Madison Square Garden Theatre, New York.

This was a fight that had been hotly anticipated by both the fans and boxing media and managed to polarise opinion upon the possible outcome. Some predicted a short one-sided blow-out for Golovkin, while others hailed Stevens as the man who had the power to expose the over-hyped champion. In the event, both sides were wrong.  Curtis Stevens didn’t come anywhere near ending the Russian’s reign as WBA World Middleweight champion, but, at the same time, this was no simple one or two rounds walk over for Golovkin either.

The first round was close and competitive, instead of going out hell for leather, as some might have expected, Stevens was trying to use educated pressure, while at the same time, favouring a high guard to block the champion’s bombs. Both exchanged shots, with Golovkin favouring his jab and Stevens looking to land the left hook. Although Golovkin won the round, he was finding the diminutive and long-armed Stevens, an awkward target to land cleanly upon. In the second round, both boxers were looking for meaningful openings, with Golovkin landing the jab, and Stevens trying to go to the body with his hooks. Stevens then made the mistake of leaving himself slightly open mid-round and Golovkin exploded a left hook on the side of his challenger’s head.
For a moment, it looked to be all over right there. Stevens went down as if he’d been hit by a Greyhound bus and with the shocked expression of a child who has just been told that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Many fighters wouldn’t have got up from such a knockdown; most wouldn’t have survived the round even after getting up.  Stevens managed to do both. Clambering to his feet and then surviving Golovkin’s follow up attack, even managing a few retaliatory shots of his own as the round came to an end.

In the 3rd round, Golovkin stalked and looked to put away Stevens, but the challenger showed a tight defence, which was frustrating the champion’s attempts to repeat his success of the previous round. Golovkin went through his impressive array of shots, with uppercuts, rights and lefts, and body shots all landing on the challenger, but none clean enough to drive him to the floor again. 

Rounds four and five saw Golovkin retain control of the fight, keeping his challenger for the most part backed up upon the ropes, as he unleashed a steady and unrelenting assault upon both head and body. Stevens showed a lot of heart to hang in there and more than that kept looking for ways to fight back. As Golovkin attacked, Stevens would punch back in bursts, showing surprising hand speed that seemed to take the champion momentarily out of his stride. Near the end of the 4th round, Stevens unleashed a combination from the ropes, which drove the surprised Golovkin back on his heels.  In the 5th round, Stevens scored with a sharp left and a hook to the body, which both seemed to surprise, if not hurt, the champion. Anyone with any doubt that Golovkin possesses a formidable chin would have been satisfied at this point in time.

Golovkin continued to dominate his game challenger in the 6th, with constant stalking and mixing a rapier-like jab, with a debilitating body attack. Stevens was still landing enough now and then to keep things interesting, but he was being increasingly driven onto the defence, and found himself continually covering up on the ropes. 

The seventh round saw Stevens’ brief moments of success becoming briefer, as the GGG man’s body attack began to take a visible toll. Stevens’ high-armed guard was slipping down and leaving his head more open for the champion’s attacks. 

Sensing the final weakening of his prey, Golovkin poured it on in the 8th round, driving Stevens once more to the ropes and unleashing a relentless variety of hurtful looking punches to a head and body, which the challenger was finding it harder to defend against. Referee Harvey Dock looked to be on the verge of stepping in a few times, but in the midst of the hail of leather coming down upon him, Stevens was still managing to fire off some retaliatory shots towards Golovkin, but these were now loaded more with desperation, than danger.  

With the rounds end, Stevens staggered back to his corner on weary legs, gripping the ropes rather than sitting down on his stool, followed closely by the referee. It didn’t take long for both Stevens’ corner, and the referee to agree that enough was enough, and that Curtis Stevens’ brave, but ultimately fruitless challenge of the GGG man, was at an end. 

In the end, this clash had not been the super-fight that it had been billed, but neither was it the one-sided massacre, which some would have you to believe. Instead, it was an outstanding champion disposing of a tough and dangerous, but ultimately outmatched challenger.

In registering this, his 8th defence of his WBA World Middleweight title, Golovkin was impressive, but perhaps not as sensational as he would have liked. Had Stevens stayed down in the second round, Golovkin’s win would have been sharper and more definite, as it was though, Stevens lasting as long as he did showed us that Golovkin is indeed human. 

This may actually be a positive in the long run for the Russian, as there may well be certain fighters who will take heart from this fight that Golovkin can be hit, and even frustrated at times by a fighter with the inclination to stand up under his shots, and fire back. When a fighter is being as skillfully ducked, as Golovkin is by many of his fellow 160 pounders, showing a little fallibility here and there can be a quicker route to getting big fights than scoring 1st and 2nd round knockouts.

Although he is known for his hard punching, and swashbuckling style, it is the technical ability with which Golovkin is able to use his power, that really lifts him above the ordinary fighter. It is Golovkins speed, skill, and precision that makes him such a deadly force in the ring, as much as his power.

Now Golovkin's sights are set on bigger and more higher profile fights in 2014, with his preferred options being Sergio Martinez and Peter Quillin, and of course Floyd Mayweather (the fight just about everybody bar Wlad Klitschko wants at the moment!).  With boxing being boxing and politics often steering its course more than commonsense or what is right, it is possible that Golovkin may have to look to the Super-middleweights, and fighters like Andre Ward and Carl Froch, if he is to gain his own super fights. However, for the time being, Gennady Golovkin is a super fighter in search of a super-fight.


Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights


Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Watch Fight:

Gennady Golovkin vs. Curtis Stevens… Middleweight Explosion

By Peter Silkov

When Gennady Golovkin 27-0 (24kos) faces Curtis Stevens 25-3 (18kos) at Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, this Saturday, it promises to be an explosive confrontation. This will be Golovkin’s eighth defense of his WBA world middleweight title, since he won that belt in Dec 2010. In the three years since winning his title, the Kazakhstan born champion has steadily built up his reputation and following, going from a cult favourite, to being on the verge of super stardom.

Golovkin is at the head of a new wave of fighters to come out of Eastern Europe, who have captured the imagination of the American boxing fan with their aggressive, big punching and crowd-pleasing styles. The Eastern European boxer was in the past known primarily as being technically sound, but stiff and upright in style. Solid and hard to beat, but unspectacular. Now, there is a new generation of Eastern European boxers, who while keeping a sound technical base, have adopted a far more aggressive, crowd pleasing, American approach to their fighting style. Golovkin has in recent months been joined by Sergy Kovalev (light heavyweight), Ruslan Provodnikov (light welterweight), and Evgeny Gradovich (Featherweight), all of whom have recently captured world titles in their respective weight divisions. Then there is former two-time Olympic champion, Vasyl Lomachenko (featherweight) who was such a sensation recently in his professional debut, that he is already being tipped as a superstar of the future, and steered towards an almost immediate world title shot.

It is Golovkin however, the GGG man, who looks to be the one whom will reach superstar status first. With Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and Sergio Martinez, all in their respective career twilights, boxing needs new stars and new elite stars more than anything else at this time. Golovkin, with his amenable out of the ring attitude, alongside his calm, but brutally efficient in-the-ring persona, could be one fight away from the kind of matchups that could gain him elite star status.

The Stevens match is Golovkin’s fourth fight and defense of this year, and this throwback activity, along with his spectacular performances in each fight, has seen his profile rise as the year has progressed. In Curtis ‘Kryptonite’ Stevens, the champion faces perhaps his most dangerous opponent yet. Stevens is a heavy hitter, with the punch power, especially in his left hook, to rival Golovkin’s own much vaunted fistic power.

Standing at only 5‘ 7“, Stevens is a stubby fireplug of a fighter, who began his career at light heavyweight, and has unusually moved down the weights over the years, first down to super-middleweight, then down to middleweight. Crucially with every move, he has been able to take his punching power down with him.

Stevens’ challenge for Golovkins world title comes after a short, but spectacular run of knockout victories he has scored in his last 4 fights (including three 1st round koes), most notably, his most recent outing, in which he crushed the normally very durable Saul Roman in the 1st round of their USBA title match. ’Kryptonite’s’ impressive form has coincided with his move down to middleweight, a move that occurred following an upset defeat to Jesse Brinkley in 2010, after which Stevens was inactive for two years.

With two fighters who like to go forward and throw bombs, this match has all the hallmarks of being a short, but explosive encounter. Golovkin, despite his swashbuckling reputation, is a very good technical boxer as well, which will be a significant factor in the fight. It could be said that Stevens, despite his fearsome power, is ready-made for Golovkin, style-wise, and his come forward approach will find him out-maneuvered, out-punched, and finally broken down systematically by champion. Stevens does have exceptional punching power and this alone gives him a chance of a spectacular upset. Golovkin has the reputation of having a good chin already, but all fighters can be hurt if they are caught cleanly by someone with a dangerous punch.

However, the chances are that it will be Stevens’ chin, which is tested the most and earliest. Although he has a reputation of being a patient fighter, Golovkin usually wastes no time in letting an opponent feel his power. This Saturday against Stevens, the GGG man will be eager to make a fast start of his own against a fighter who is known to be dangerous early. It could all be over very quickly, short and sweet, for the fans, and for at least one of fighters.

If he is to become one of the truly elite champions, and go on to contests with the likes of Sergio Martinez and perhaps even Floyd Mayweather, then Curtis Stevens is the type of opponent against whom he needs to look impressive, just as he did when he destroyed Matthew Macklin in the 3rd round of his last fight in June.

By late Saturday night we will know whether Curtis ‘Kryptonite’ Stevens has derailed the GGG man machine, or if Gennady Golovkin is indeed marching towards the kind of stardom reserved for only a handful of pugilists per era. The answer, when it comes, is likely to be explosive.

Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

 

Mike Alvarado And Ruslan Provodnikov Ready To Wage War

 

By Peter Silkov

Some boxing fans appreciate the finer points of the game and the certain things, which can make this complex and often dark sport, become ‘the sweet science’.

However most, if not all, boxing fans enjoy a good old fashioned slugfest, when two fighters go toe-to-toe, and test each other in the most basic, yet thorough ways possible.

When Mike Alvarado 34-1(23kos) and Ruslan Provodnikov 22-2(15kos) meet in the ring this Saturday, October 19, at the 1st Bank Centre, in Denver, Colorado, they are expected to take part in just such a slugfest. Indeed, so confident are observers about the potential of this clash, that it is already being seen as, possibly, the fight of the year.

Both fighters have the reputation of being no-nonsense warriors, who leave it all in the ring every time they fight. Added to this is the fact that each man is coming off a career highlight fight which has cemented their reputation with the fans, in the boxing community. Mike ’Mile High’ Alvarado is coming off the two most important and high profile fights of his career, his two wars with Brandon Rios, losing the first via 7th round stoppage last October, but then, winning the rematch on points in March.

Just two weeks prior to Alvarado’s point’s win over Rios, Provodnikov had his own breakout fight, when he dueled with Timothy Bradley for 12 wildly exciting rounds, in a fight, which is still considered by many to be the fight of this year (perhaps a few other years as well!)

In the end, although the Russian came out a points loser against Bradley, it was one of those fights in which there were no real losers (a bandwagon that Bob Arum himself was quick to jump upon post fight) and Provodnikov’s status within the sport rose considerably.

Now, both men are set to face each other, in what is for many boxing fans, a dream fight come true. There may be a lot wrong with boxing, in many areas, but at the moment, the light-welterweight division is the hottest division in the sport, and in serving up clashes like this one, (just months after we had Lucas Matthysse vs. Danny Garcia and Marcos Maidana vs. Joseito Lopez) it is helping many fans keep their faith in the sport.

This match is for WBO World light-welterweight title, after Alvarado won the ‘interim’ version of the title in his rematch with Brandon Rios. However, the truth is, the title itself is meaningless to most of the people who are looking forward to seeing this fight. These two men could be fighting over a bag of crisps and they would still be filling up the 1st bank centre. In an era flooded by spurious titles, many fighters have now transcended the meaningless belts, for which they often have to fight, true boxing fans want to see real fights, between well-matched boxers, rather than fighters with padded records maneuvered into dubious titles.

All in all, this fight seems almost too good to be true, and perhaps we should guard against expecting it to surpass both fighters’ most recent efforts, in case we end up disappointed. Sometimes fights that have had fans in raptures before the first bell have had them running for the exit before the last. Perhaps, we should not shout too loud when a match-up excites us. Having said that, it is hard to look at these two men, and imagine that when they face each other in the ring, we won’t see a great fight breaking out.

Despite his reputation as a blood and guts warrior, Alvarado is really a boxer-puncher, rather than simply an out and out brawler. He has said, in the build-up to this match that he intends to use his boxing skills to out-maneuver and out-box Provodnikov, much as he did in the rematch with Rios. However although Alvarado has better boxing skills than his Russian opponent, he is no Timothy Bradley, when it comes to speed, and elusiveness. If Provodnikov was able to catch Bradley, like he did in their fight(even when Bradley had got his boxing together after being almost koed in the first two rounds), then it seems unlikely that Alvarado will be able to go through this match without being seriously caught at some point. What happens next may well determine the outcome of the fight.

Provodnikov is more of a straightforward brawler than Alvarado is, and will be conceding height and reach, to the Denver man. Provodnikov showed against Bradley, that he is a veritable Russian tank, with power in both hands. How will Alvarez fare against the punches, which had the iron-chinned Bradley on the floor twice (although one knockdown was strangely ignored!) and out on his feet for much of their fight?

The fact that this fight is at light-welterweight, rather than welterweight, where he fought Bradley, should be in the Russian’s favour, providing he is still strong at the lighter weight. In his first fight with Brandon Rios last year, Alvarado was stopped in the 7th round, after he was overpowered by Rios’ constant pressure, and big punches. Provodnikov has a similar brawling style to Rios, but is arguably bigger and stronger, with a heavier punch. With this in mind, Alvarado should be advised to employ the kind of tactics against the Russian, which brought him revenge against Rios in March.

As stated earlier, at some point Provodnikov will manage to land significantly upon Alvarado, and the question then will be can he ride the storm of the Russians powerful assaults? This fight will be decided by what happens when both men finally stand toe-to-toe. If Alvarado can survive these episodes, then there is a good chance of him jabbing, and fighting his way to a close (and perhaps controversial) point’s decision, in what is basically his backyard.

Unfortunately, as we have seen already this year, having the home advantage in such a tough fight as this can be the difference between victory and defeat, especially where the judges are concerned. This is really a homecoming fight for Alvarado (albeit a very tough one), and having the home advantage, will be a significant point in Alvarado’s favour.

Provodnikov’s best chance of victory looks to be via a stoppage or knockout, either of which is a possibility for a fighter who is dangerous, both early and late, in a fight.
With both men also prone to facial damage in their bouts, there is always the possibility of cuts coming into play, and affecting the outcome of the fight.

This is a huge match for both fighters, with the winner going on to further ‘super fights’ in this dynamic division, while the loser will inevitably find himself slipping down in the pecking order.

Conceivably, this match could have several possible conclusions. The surest thing is that it is unlikely to be boring or for the faint hearted, and may well be another fight of the year candidate. Just don’t say it too loudly…yet!

Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

James Helder Interviews Mark Prince

James Helder of IFilmProductions interviews Mark Prince about his inspiration to begin a legacy in the name of his son Kiyan. The Kiyan Prince Foundation mission, as stated by the foundation:

Mission

Our mission is to inspire young people to turn their back on the problem and become part of the solution. We aim to:

- Raise awareness so young people can understand the true and devastating effects their knife culture is having on their future and the communities
- To give alternatives/opportunities to young people caught up in gang and knife culture
- Create and provide more positive opportunities for young people by connecting with a vast range of organisations
- Educate, Train, Empower and raise Awareness with young people in all areas applying to knife and gang crime
- Run boxing and fitness programmes creating outlets for aggression build discipline and positive use of time
- To provide Motivational and Inspirational talks on surviving the tragic effects of knife crime
- To create a KPF Youth committee to have a voice about what solutions are needed. Helping to empower them in their communities.
- Running Fundraising events to raise money for long term goals and programmes
- To deliver courses, training and workshops to schools and other establishments for young people; educating them about the dangers
- Take them on residentials away from their environment to experience activities that encourage team building self knowledge social skills  http://www.kiyan.org

Mark Prince Coming Back to Make a Difference

By Peter Silkov

Stories of boxers making a comeback to the ring after years in retirement and long past their primes, are as old as the sport of boxing. They often are melancholy tales of faded glory and lost youth that seemingly never end happily. At first glance, Mark Prince’s comeback last Friday (October 4 2013) at London’s famous York Hall, in Bethnal Green, is no different to so many other boxers of the past. Prince was a world-rated light heavyweight in the late 1990’s and his only career defeat came in a WBO world light-heavyweight title fight with the formidable Dariusz Michalczewski. That fight took place on September 19, 1998, after which, Prince fought once more fourteen months later, beating Kevin Mitchell in the first round, before hanging up his gloves due to a severe knee injury. Friday’s comeback fight would be the first time that Prince had stepped competitively into a boxing ring in almost fourteen years.  This and his age of forty-four, did not look like boding well for Prince in his comeback.  Fourteen years is a lifetime in a boxer’s career, and few boxers get a chance to live their athletic lives again. 

However, Mark Prince’s comeback to the ring is different. Rather than donning the gloves once more, simply out of boredom, or a desire to relive past glories, Prince has a cause that he is indelibly bonded. On May 18, 2006, Mark’s fifteen-year-old son, Kiyan Prince, an immensely talented young footballer for Queens Park Rangers, was fatally stabbed after intervening in a street fight between two youths outside his school. In a cruel irony, Prince had spent much of his time since retiring from boxing in 1999, working with disadvantaged youths, and trying to steer them into a positive direction in life, just as he had found a new life away from the streets, after he had taken up boxing in his early 20s.  In the wake of his loss, Mark decided to make something positive come out of the tragedy of Kiyan’s death. He created the Kiyan Prince Foundation, a non-profit organisation that is committed to combating knife crime and all forms of youth violence. The ultimate aim is to make the younger generation aware that there is another path in life to choose, rather than the petty crime, and gang violence, by which so many live today. 

Since setting up the Kiyan Prince Foundation, Mark has become a familiar spokesman against violence and delinquency, but at the same time, has found himself frustrated in his efforts to make the kind of impact that is needed to bring about real lasting change on the streets. Despite many pats on the back from authorities, funding has been hard to get, and the foundation is still without a building in which to base the foundation.  
It is with these goals in mind that Mark decided to make a comeback and to use his return to boxing as a platform to bring renewed attention and funding to his cause.

As expected, after such a long time out, Mark found starting his comeback was not a simple task, when the BBBC (British Boxing Board of Control) refused to grant him a license. This was eventually remedied, when Mark was given sanctioning by the GBA (German Boxing Association) and his comeback was finally able to take off on Dave Murphy’s ’Night of Champions’ show.

Prince’s first competitive opponent in fourteen years was 39-year-old Czech Jindrich Velecky 19-25(18), despite his losing record, is known for his toughness and durability. Fighting at cruiserweight, Prince entered the ring looking in remarkable condition for a 44-year-old boxer coming back from such a long absence. 

The first round saw both men boxing a bit cagily, with Prince getting his jab going and landing a couple of right hands, as the Velecky tried some right hands of his own, but found himself missing the more nimble Prince.  

In the second round, after starting the round with his swift jab, Prince opened up with a two-handed attack to the body and head, which put Velecky onto the defensive, as Prince gained total control of the bout. In the 3rd round, Prince kept the Czech on the end of his jab, and firing right hands to the body.  Midway through the round, Velecky landed a right to Prince’s face, but got a two-fisted rebuke for his temerity.

Prince started the 4th round stalking the now defensive-minded Cezch, pot shotting with his right hands to head and body, while keeping up a steady barrage of jabs. It was clear now that Prince’s punches were hurting the Czech, who was now hardly landing any punches of his own. The end, when it came, was sudden, as Prince, after landing a few jabs to the head, connected with a right that sent Velecky staggering into the ropes, and prompted referee Micky Vann to step in, and halt the contest.  Much to Velecky’s evident annoyance.

It was an emotional victory for Prince, who gave a powerful speech to the audience afterwards, about his motivations for coming back to the ring. Overall, it was an impressive performance for Prince, against a man, who is often beaten, but is not often stopped. How far Prince can go with his comeback remains to be seen and there will certainly be harder tests for him in the future. However, judging by the large crowd in attendance, he has already reached his goal of bringing more attention to the Kiyan Prince foundation.  

The hall was packed and the crowd was heard, from the first bell, right up to Mark’s victorious finish. The profound meaning of this fight to Mark was evident in the moments after his win, when he literally jumped around the ring with elation, and emotion. Many members of the crowd seemed almost as emotional as Mark himself, at what he had just done. 

After the audience had settled down, Mark gave a moving speech about his son and the reasons why he had returned to the ring, not for the material glory, but to try to make a difference in ways, which will transcend simply the sport of boxing.
Mark may have a long journey ahead of him, in order to take the Kiyan Prince Foundation to where he wants it to be, but judging by the impact that he had on Friday night, he has the ability to make people sit up and take notice, all he needs is to be granted is a platform on which to stand. 

Mark Prince’s fight was the culmination of a busy and entertaining fight card.

The night opened with a light-middleweight contest between Nick Klappart 17-1(11kos) and Suleyman Dag 10-46(5kos). This fight turned out to be something of a drubbing for the diminutive Dag, who looked as if he belonged in a different weight division to Klappart. Despite showing admirable heart and toughness, Dag was picked off almost at will by Klappart, was bleeding, and battered by the time his corner mercifully threw in the towel, after a brutal 4th round, which had seen Dag ship some heavy punches. 

At light welterweight, Antonio Counihan 1-0 made his professional debut against Robin Deakin 1-50, and won via a 4 rounds point’s decision. Counihan showed talent in this his first real test at 135. After scoring two knockdowns in the opening stanza, Counihan outboxed, and out-punched the brave Deakin for the point’s verdict.
Counihan, who has already built up quite a fan base, judging by the amount of spectators, who were singing his name as the contest started. If he continues his career in this manner, then Counihan could be one to watch in the future.

Also making his professional debut at light middleweight, Shiya Ozgul 1-0, out-pointed Michal Vosyka 1-5-1 over 4 rounds. In a lively encounter, Ozgul showed a crowd-pleasing style.

The first women’s fight of the night featured super-bantamweights, Marianne Marston 2-0 (2kos) against debutant Katalena Lazar. Unfortunately, it was an unhappy debut for Lazar, as she was dropped by a body shot almost immediately, and after beating the count, was swiftly dropped by another shot in the same place, and this time counted out at 67 seconds of the 1st round.

The second women’s contest of the night featured, Jennifer Retzke 13-1-1(9kos) taking on Angel Mckenzie 4-30, for the vacant GBC light-middleweight championship. After a busy contest that went the scheduled 10 rounds, Mckenzie seemed unlucky not to get the point’s verdict.  The fight had seen Mckenzie bustling forward and throwing punches, while Retzke fought mainly off the back foot, using a good jab, and movement. In a fight where many of the rounds could have gone either way, Mckenzie seemed to have done enough by virtue of her aggression and landing the more punches, despite the fact that Retzke was landing the more solid and correct shots.

In what was the fight, of the night in terms of competitive action, Iain Weaver 3-0(ko1) out-pointed Michelino Di Mari 2-1-1 over 6 rounds, in what was a battle of unbeaten super-featherweights. Both men went toe-to-toe for much of the fight and treated the crowd to some good exchanges. However, it was Weaver who edged the rounds with his better accuracy and his jab, and at the end of the six rounds, he was a worthy winner of a great fight, which deserves a rematch.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation is a non-profit organization and if you would like to contribute to Mark Prince’s campaign to raise awareness, give opportunities to young people, educate, create programs to inspire, motivate,  to mentor, and so much more, please contact the foundation and be part of great solution to violence.   Please visit http://www.kiyan.org/ to discover what you can do to make a difference!

If you want to watch Prince's return to boxing the video is available here:


Film from SecondsOut

Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com  

Wladimir Klitschko Aiming to Punish Povetkin

By Peter Silkov

On Saturday Wladimir Klitschko 60-3(51kos) steps into the ring with Alexander Povetkin 26-0(18kos) at the Olimpiyskiy, Moscow, Russia, to defend his WBA, IBF, IBO, WBO world heavyweight titles.  Historically in boxing a fight for the heavyweight championship of the world has always been one of  the sports most important occasions, a time in which even those most fickle of boxing followers will look up, and take notice.

Today that is not quite the case, world heavyweight title fights are a bitter sweet occasion for many boxing fans today.

This will be Wladimir’s 25th world title fight, and the 16th consecutive defence of his WBO belt since he regained it way back in 2005.  Even by today’s multi title standards Wladimirs world title tally is a formidable resume.

The only other active heavyweight who comes close to Wladimirs achievements and ability in the ring is his older brother Vitali, who holds the WBC title, the only belt not to be owned by Wladimir.  But here lies the Klitchenko’s problem, so absolute have they become in their dual rule of the heavyweight division, that they have been accused in many quarters as having killed off all interest in the heavyweight division.   In some senses this is true, as between them the Klitschko’s have decimated a whole era of heavyweight challengers and pretend champions, until quite simply there is nothing left untouched by them. 

Once considered the inferior fighter of the two brothers, Wladimir rebounded from devastating stoppage defeats to Corrie Sanders in 2003 (which ended his first world championship reign) and Lamon Brewster in 2004, to remodel his style to such an extent that he has been unbeaten ever since.  Under the guidance of the late legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, Wladimir tightened his defence, and developed his jab to such an extent that he is able to win fights with that alone.  Using his height and reach, speed and athleticism, to its fullest Wladimir has become a boxer who fully fulfils his nickname ’Dr Steelhammer’ as he dissects his opponents with the clinical efficiency of a surgeon.  In many ways, Wladimir can be seen as Stewards masterpiece, as he has developed from being a fatally flawed boxer, on the verge of retirement, to now being considered the premier fighter of his era, and eclipsing his older brother Vitali.   

It is cruelly ironic that with his success has come the criticism of Wladimir being too good, and too dominating of his opponents.  Part of the problem is the technical approach which Wladimir takes in his fights, the ability to break down his opponents with his jab, while allowing his opponent little chance to land anything of substance upon him.  This approach has served him very well in the past 10 years, so well in fact that he has seemed pretty much unbeatable.  At the same time however this has rendered many of Wladimirs world title defences one way processions of him dissecting his way to victory. 

For a long time now boxing fans have wanted to see the Klitschko’s tested, something that neither brother has really been for the past decade.  But unfortunately for both brothers, their challengers have been largely limited.  The heavyweight division today has one of the most limited talent pools ever seen in its history. 

This is something which neither of the Klitschko’s is responsible for or has profited from either.  The truth is that both brothers have missed out on the kind of acclaim and huge paydays which showdowns against genuinely dangerous challengers would have granted them.

But at the same time it is worth remembering that the Klitschko’s fight to regularly packed arena’s in their adopted country, Germany.  While America has become largely ambivalent to the two brothers, Europe holds both men in much higher esteem. 

It is also undeniable that both Klitschko’s would be formidable fighters in any heavyweight era, with their power, technique and athleticism making them a difficult opponent for just about anyone.

In stepping in the ring against Povetkin this Saturday, Wladimir will be facing one of his most accomplished challengers.  The Russian born Povetkin is unbeaten and this showdown with Wladimir has been years in the making.  For those who believe Heavyweight boxing is dead, a look at the attention that this showdown is gaining in Russia may make some change their mind.

Certainly in Russia this is being seen as a huge occasion, with two Eastern European fighters meeting to contest the greatest prize in sport.  It is no coincidence that Wladimir will be getting his largest ever purse for this defence of his title, something around 17 million dollars, while Povetkin will take about 6 million.
 
Like Wladimir, the Russian is a former Olympic Goldmedelist, winning the super heavyweight title in the 2004 games, while Wladimir won Gold in the same division in 1996.

Povetkin is a well schooled boxer, but he has never faced anyone approaching the ability of Klitschko, and the question is does he have the depth of talent and resources to really pose a danger to ‘Dr Steelhammer’.

Since turning professional Povetkin has been brought along carefully, building up his record upon mainly fringe contenders and faded ex-champions Chris Byrd, and Hasim Rahman, both of whom were a long way past their best by the time they fought Povetkin.  For the past two years Povetkin has held what is known as the ’regular’ WBA world heavyweight title, which is basically a clever way for the world boxing bodies to earn a little more money by having more than one ’champion’ of their own.

Despite this the ’title’ has allowed Povetkin to build up his record and gain more experience as a professional.  On Saturday he will finally be let off the leash and let loose against ’Dr Steelhammer’.  The suspicion with Povetkin is that despite his amateur pedigree, like so many before him, he will find himself woefully out of his depth against Wladimir.

Povetkin is a good all round fighter, but does not excel particularly at any one thing.
He will be giving size, weight, reach, speed, power and skill away to Klitschko.  The reach in particular is likely to be a big problem for the Russian, with Wladimir holding a huge 6 inch advantage in this area alone. 

During the run up to this fight there has been the curious development of the Povetkin camp inviting Britain’s Dereck Chisora to fly out and be part of team Povetkin on Saturday night.  It has even been suggested that Chisora will be chosen by Povetkin’s management to  be their witness in Wladimir’s dressing room on fight night, and to oversee the wrapping of the champions hands for them.  This is all designed to try and disrupt the concentration of the Wladimir in the final hours before fight time, as the animosity between both Klitshcho brothers and Chisora (who lost on points to Vitali early last year) is well known. 

Perhaps Povetkin’s camp are hoping that using the presence of the erratic Chisora will disrupt the concentration of Wladimir, or even provoke him into entering the fight with a more aggressive attitude than usual.  It may well be that Povetkin’s only hope of victory will be that an overly aggressive Wladimir comes forward on the attack and leaves himself more open than usual.  This in light of  the champions still perceived fragility, would seem to be the Russian’s main chance of victory.

Interestingly Wladimir has said himself that he see’s this fight as one of his biggest challenges, and that he wants to respond to it by winning with a knockout.

The truth is that if Povetkin has really riled up ’Dr Steelhammer’ the consequences are likely to result in an even quicker and more painful night for the Russian challenger.  Klitschko is experienced and wise enough to be able to use any anger he may feel in this fight as extra motivation, rather than a negative distraction.

This looks like being another notch on Wladimir Klitshcko’s belt, as he continues to build up one of the most impressive and underrated legacies in the history of the heavyweight division.

      
Therefore, one man’s dream sparkles for a moment, then flickers and dies. We watch it fade away before us, and then wonder whose dream it will be next time. Chances are we wont have long to wait.

Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com