THE CAN’T MISS AND CAN’T WATCH LIST
Posted on | May 24, 2007 | 2 Comments
THE CAN’T MISS VS CAN’T WATCH LIST
By Tony Penecale
The HBO boxing card held on Saturday, May 19 featured an unusual combination: Candidates for best and worst fight of the year. The slugfest that saw Kelly Pavlik score a knockout over the feared Edison Miranda had the fans riveted throughout the contest. The “Main Event” between middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and Corey Spinks was a dreadful affair, featuring less action than a Philadelphia sparring session, with Taylor pulling out a split decision victory.
These bouts, one that had me breathless and the other that had me bored, inspired me to compile of list of boxers today that Can’t Miss (as in that I can’t miss them when they are on) and ones that Can’t Watch (as in ones that usually leave me asleep on the couch).
CAN’T MISS
What makes a “can’t miss” boxer? A “can’t miss” boxer is one that brings a combination of passion and heart into the bout but is also vulnerable enough where anything can happen at any given time. Not all “can’t miss” boxers are undefeated or pulverizing punchers. The boxers on this list are consistently entertaining whether they are winning or losing.
? Jorge Arce – The Mexican Cowboy is a 115 lb ball of fire. While he was beaten in his last fight, Arce is a fan-friendly fighter, attacking his opponent and looking for the knockout. His knockout wins over Husein Husein (first fight) and Masibulele Makepula got him on this list.
? Emmanuel Augustus – This journeyman boxer losses as many as he wins but his unusual style of moving, dancing, juking, and punching from obscure angles makes him fun to watch. Even though is record is slightly better than .500, he gave Micky Ward a tough time in the 2001 Fight of the Year, and even bloodied a young Floyd Mayweather in a losing effort.
? Paul Briggs – The Australian Briggs hasn’t gotten a lot of exposure on American TV with only 2 of his bouts coming in the states. But both were exhilarating slugfests with Thomas Adamek, where both the punches and the blood were flowing freely.
? Miguel Cotto – The next star to come out of Puerto Rico is a relentless body puncher with power in both hands. Cotto often ignores defense which against Ricardo Torres nearly cost him in a big way. Cotto had to pull himself off the canvas and survive a serious onslaught before regrouping and knocking Torres out. His upcoming bout against Zab Judah, a quick and dangerous puncher, should prove to be exciting.
? Juan Diaz – While not a big puncher, Diaz wears his opponents down by settling a torrid pace and throwing punches from bell to bell. In his last bout, he wore down the respected Ancelino Frietas and forced him to surrender.
? Arturo Gatti – Known as “Boxing’s Blood and Guts Warrior”, Gatti is nearing the end of a highlight-reel career. Although he lost 2 of his 3 bouts, he is still a draw in Atlantic City where he has put on so many dramatic slugfests. While known most for his trilogy with Micky Ward, Gatti has been producing Fight-of-the-Year candidates since the mid 90s with his memorable brawls with Wilson Rodriguez, Gabriel Ruelas, and Ivan Robinson.
? Rogers Mtagwa – Quite possibly the best kept secret in boxing. I have known Mtagwa since he first came to the states from Tanzania in 2000 and I’ve seen his transformation from crude slugger who was losing close decisions in action-packed bouts on ESPN to highly-ranked boxers such as Agapito Sanchez and Israel Tejedor to a more polished, power-punching slugger, capable of ending a fight with one punch. The fearless featherweight boxes aggressively, trading punches from the start, and is not afraid to take 2 punches to land 1.
? Manny Pacquiao – What’s not to like about Pacquiao? This buzzsaw from the Philippines attacks relentlessly with power punches. Pacquiao has never been in a bad fight and has crushed 2 modern day legends in Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.
? Kelly Pavlik – Before he demolished the highly-touted Edison Miranda on HBO, Pavlik has been featured on ESPN several times. He talks a good game and then he goes out and backs it up. His televised knockouts over Jose Luis Zertuche and Lenord Pierre were especially impressive.
? Paul Williams – The tall, power-punching southpaw has been emerging on the scene over the last few years. His impressive knockout win over Walter Dario Matthysse helped establish Williams as a boxer to watch. The upcoming bout with the equally excited but defensively deficient Antonio Margarito should be a fans dream.
? Diego Corrales – TRIBUTE – The late, great Diego Corrales, who tragically passed away earlier this month in a motorcycle accident, always left everything in the ring. After being knocked down by Floyd Mayweather 5 times, he got up 5 times and protested vehemently when his step father stopped the bout. His dramatic come-from-behind knockout over Jose Luis Castillo, when he rose from the canvas twice in Round 10 to starch Castillo, ranks as one of the greatest fights in recent memory. Rest in Peace Fallen Warrior!
? Vinny Pazienza – ALL-TIME FAVORITE – Growing up a “Pazmanian Devil” fan was one of the reasons I started boxing. His inspiring return from a broken neck that nearly paralyzed him was the stuff of legends. While his style was always aesthetically pleasing, which including trash talking, dancing with his hands at his sides, or pounding himself in the head, Pazienza fought every fight as if it were his last. While he didn’t always win, he brought a tremendous amount of heart whenever he stepped into the ring, and thrilled his millions of “Pazmaniacs” throughout his career.
CAN’T WATCH
What makes a “can’t watch” boxer? While I can appreciate all styles of boxers in the game and I understand how difficult of a sport boxing is, there are certain fighters who I just can’t watch as their style seems to just suck the charisma right out of the arena. A good defensive boxer who makes his opponent miss and then counters can also be fun to watch. I very much enjoyed watching a prime Pernell Whitaker stand right in front of his opponent and dodge every punch. The Bernard Hopkins of the late 90s was fun as he used his superior ring generalship to force his opponent into a mistake and then he “executed” him. But a boxer who substitutes running for the art of defense or one who resides on a gameplan that causes more damage to the audience than his opponent is one that can’t watch.
? Chris Byrd – I used to enjoy watching this smallish heavyweight in the mid-to-late 90s. He would stand in front of his usually larger opponents, make them miss, and sometimes would talk to announcers while he was doing it. But after losing by knockout to Ike Ibeabuchi, he became an overly passive boxer, content to move away from his opponent and parry punches with his open hands. His bout with DaVarryl Williamson was an affair that saw little punching between both men. The only entertainment was provided by the referee who admonished both boxers for their lack of action as early as the second round.
? Keith Holmes – Holmes had 2 undistinguished reigns as WBC middleweight titlist. Most of his wins came against decent but hardly imposing opposition. When his big chance came against Bernard Hopkins in the 2001 middleweight tournament, he was content to fight like a frightened turtle, hoping to capture a disqualification victory against his rough-housing opponent.
? Zahir Raheem – While he was outstanding in his win over Erik Morales, Raheem has been dreadful in his subsequent bouts with Ancelino Freitas and Cristobal Cruz, with those bouts featuring little in the way of clean punching, but lots in the way of clutching and waltzing.
? John Ruiz – Another boxer who had his career ruined by a big punch. In Ruiz’s knockout loss to David Tua, he came out firing punches but was caught and brutally knocked out, never to be the same again. The Ruiz that returned was a clutching, mauling boxer. During the last few years, it would become a game to count how many clinches per round Ruiz would initiate. The only thing entertaining about a Ruiz bout would be the antics of his former trainer/manager Norman Stone, who would initiate more action by threatening the opponent, the opponent’s corner, the officials, or anybody else that got in “Stoney’s” way.
? Bruce Seldon – I don’t know what about Seldon has annoyed me the most. His professional wrestling gimmick early in his career, where he would get intentionally knocked down, feign like he was unconscious before bouncing up ala Hulk Hogan was pretty bad. His flopping from a Mike Tyson punch that clearly missed claiming that Tyson’s forearm touched a nerve near his temple was just plain flabbergasting. And after declaring that he had cleaned up his act and was going to get serious, he was felled by a left hook and pulled a “No Mas” on a PPV card against Gerald Nobles in a close bout.
? Corey Spinks – For a boxer who does so much dancing and showboating during his walk to the ring, Spinks should try to be a little more entertaining when he actually steps between the ropes. One of his bouts resembles a track meet with Spinks as a world-class sprinter. He punches in mid run and rarely sits down on any of his punches which explains why he only has 11 stoppages in his 36 wins (without a stoppage win since ’01).
? Hector Camacho – ALL TIME LEAST FAVORITE – There have been few boxers with such an inappropriate nickname as “Macho” Camacho. Most of his bouts consisted of a lot of running and slapping, and when things got tough; his bouts consisted of holding, a lot of holding. While his lack of fire in the ring was a sure annoyance, combined with his lax attitude to training, childish attitude, and outrageous outfits, along with several dubious decision wins he was awarded (the ones over Edwin Rosario and Ray Mancini still irk me) puts Camacho at the top of my all-time can’t watch list.