News and notes…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
It’s busy time for me right now with playoff coverage of the minor league hockey team the Oklahoma City Blazers here in Oklahoma City. So if you don’t hear from me too much, I apologize.
Also forgot to clarify it the other day, but the card at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami will be on Showtime on Saturday. That’s the second time this year Showtime has come to Oklahoma.
It was in Tulsa in January, now Miami. But if Showtime really wants to throw me a “bone” heading to Oklahoma City is the ticket.
Anyway, that night should be a great night of, like I said before, seeing some rising stars before they’ve got the championships and the million-dollar contracts.
***
How about Bobby Lashley? He wins a decision and has the gall to say “I’m not ready.” I don’t know what to say about that, not used to fighters being so honest about everything.
I’ve said before I have a soft spot for Lashley, and I do. I think he’s an extremely hard worker and gives 100 percent to whatever he is doing. He doesn’t believe his own hype and realizes he is a ways off from becoming what he needs to become.
With that said, just give it a little time and maybe Lashley will be ready for the UFC. It’s just refreshing to not hear him calling out fighters he would have no business meeting in the first place at this point.
***
Also an interesting little nugget from Anderson Silva. He said his dream bout would be to box Roy Jones Jr. after his MMA career is done.
That’s not so much shocking as the fact that he said it’s an all but done deal. Nothing with RJJ comes easy, so I’ll believe it when I see it.
My other thought is he’ll do it after his MMA career is over. How old will Jones be at that point? Will he even matter? Should he even be in a ring at that point?
***
Strong card Friday night on ESPN2, featuring two fighters I hoped could spark life into the heavyweight division but faltered.
Sam Peter, former WBC champion, takes on Eddie Chambers as both look to work their way back up the ladder.
Chambers lost to Alexander Povetkin last year. Chambers held his own in the first half of the fight and then seemingly stopped fighting. It was weird to watch at home. “PUNCH already.”
Peter made his mark with solid outings against James Toney, but Vitali Klitschko absolutely took Peter to school last year in Vitali’s first fight back.
Can’t count out The Nigerian Nightmare because of his scary power (look up the Jeremy Williams KO for proof), but I don’t think Chambers ever gets nearly that close and boxes circles around him for a decision win.
***
Lawal wins, suffers injury
Former Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma wrestler “King” Mo Lawal improved to 4-0 in his Mixed Martial Arts career last weekend.
But it came at a price. Lawal broke his right hand in a unanimous decision victory against Ryo Kawamura at the World Victory Road Sengoku event in Tokyo, Japan.
Lawal said he broke his right hand when he missed Kawamura and hit the canvas instead. Lawal also said a knee injury prevented him from really putting on the pressure to go for a knockout.
Despite his injury, Lawal said he hopes to return to action in May.
***
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has offered former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks a spot in its organization after the welterweight division was disbanded in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization.
Both groups are owned by the same company, Zuffa LLC.
Hendricks would join Jake Rosholt as another former WEC fighter and OSU wrestler to make it to the UFC. The other member of the OSU trio, Shane Roller, is still in the WEC and has a bout scheduled for WEC 40 in Chicago on April 5.
***
Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi and Lawton middleweight George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah might take some time off, but it won’t be because of injury.
Zuhdi injured his left hand while Tahdooahnippah injured his shoulder in their victories two weeks ago. Neither injury is believed to be serious.
***
Also getting my wish for Mike Brown and Urijah Faber 2 in the summer. Brown shocked Faber with a brilliant KO back late last year. Faber has looked good since and so has Brown. One more time, alright, let’s have some fun.
Rising stars in Oklahoma…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
This weekend offers a unique opportunity to Oklahoma boxing fans. There is a big event Saturday night at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, and it features what might soon become a who’s-who of the sport.
Main event features Ronald Hearns, son of “The Hitman” Tommy Hearns. I’ve seen Hearns, Ronald that is, fight a couple of times. He’s not at world-class yet, but he hasn’t even come close to hitting his ceiling.
But if that’s not enough to entice you, how’s this for some of the prelim fighters: The Dirrell boys, Anthony and Andre. Heavyweight contender Chazz Witherspoon. U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr.
And if you need some local flavor Oklahoma City welterweight Carson Jones continues to have his name out there. This will be his fourth fight this year. I gotta applaud Jones’ determination right now. He’s been in rough spots before in terms of fighting people he wasn’t ready for or not getting fights but right now, whoo, he is smokin’.
And if Jones can win, he’s already got bout No. 5 of this year lined up in Tulsa the first week of May against Michi Munoz. The two were scheduled to fight last September at the Cox Convention Center, but Munoz pulled out extremely late in the deal.
Anyway, got the time, got the money, the Miami show should deliver. It might be one of those nights where you can say “I saw him before he became world champ.”
***
The only female MMA fight worth mentioning is starting to pick up steam. There are reports of Gina Carano taking on Cyborg, most likely in the summer.
Carano is the whole package (from a marketing perspective) while no female fighter has impressed me with her ability like Cyborg.
The two seemed to be on a collision course in the Elite XC but with that promotion folding, it just delayed the inevitable. What will be interesting is if the public would accept this as the A-side attraction or will it be relegated to a B-side deal?
***
Weekend fights were, what’s a good word, well, they’re over. Vitali Klitschko took care of business against Juan Carlos Gomez.
I’m getting real sick of the paw “patty cake” jabbing that is going on. It seemed like the first couple of rounds that’s all Gomez and Vitali were doing.
But Vitali found his groove and gave Gomez a gradual but extensive beating. After dropping Gomez in the seventh, it was finally called off in the ninth.
In Florida with the mix MMA and boxing card, it was Roy Jones Jr. winning via fifth-round TKO against Omar Sheika. Eh, I didn’t see it, but it’s just tough to get excited.
My last image of RJJ was him bragging about “going the distance” against Joe Calzaghe. He never attempted to try to win that fight, and that peeves me still.
Sheika has always been what I dub “an ESPN2 fighter.” He’s been involved in some great battles with Scott Pemberton, but he’s not a real measure of what RJJ has left. Sheika was tailor-made for Jones.
In the main event of the MMA side, it was former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley winning a unanimous decision against Jason Guida and earning $40,000 in the process.
Sounds like he dominated, but had some issues in the third round and almost got caught in a guillotine. I had no issues when Lashley was a WWE wrestler, and I have even less issues with the guy now.
He’s raw, but he could be a stud. It was a valuable experience, if not an unspectacular win. I’ll be keeping an eye on him.
Be back later this week with some news on Mo Lawal and Johny Hendricks.
Gomez looks to make ultimate step up…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I plum forgot what we have going on this weekend. In boxing, there is a crucial (well, I think so) heavyweight bout between Vitali Klitschko and Juan Carlos Gomez for the WBC heavyweight championship.
Always been a fan of Vitali (not so much Wladimir). But for argument’s sake, it would be refreshing if Gomez could pull out the win.
The Cuban dominated the cruiserweight scene after winning the belt in 1998. He made 11 straight defenses with 10 of them ending via KO or TKO.
Then he moved up to heavyweight. So far against some of the fringe contenders, his power hasn’t carried. He’s been winning comfortable-margin decisions but hasn’t knocked out anybody.
We know Vitali can punch, so can Gomez take a real heavyweight shot?
Gomez is 44-1 and at a time when all we’re really looking for is some new blood to be infused in the heavyweights, why not a 35-year-old Cuban?
There has been a late schedule change to the bout. It was originally supposed to be on ESPN live from Germany at 5 p.m. CST.
It’s now going to be on ESPN Classic Live and then shown quickly on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CST. I won’t be home for either viewing, so rest assured, the VCR will be in full use.
But just for the record, I think Klitschko takes care of business. Think Gomez would have had better shot vs. Wladimir than Vitali.
Zuhdi, Tahdooahnippah fight through adversity
It was a wild ride for Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi last week.
His opponent changed four times in less than a week heading into last Friday’s bout at the First Council Casino in Newkirk.
Eventually, Zuhdi knocked out James McClure in the sixth round. Zuhdi, a lightweight, agreed to fight McClure even though McClure weighed in as a welterweight, a 12-pound difference.
All of Zuhdi’s previous six fights ended in the first round, but he said he was very pleased with his performance despite injuring his left hand in the second round.
Lawton middleweight George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah also went six rounds and also scored a knockout. Tahdooahnippah injured his shoulder during the bout but persevered to win his third fight of the year and improve to 18-0-1.
Jones bounces back
Oklahoma City welterweight Carson Jones has come off losses before. But his latest loss should have given him confidence, a decision against Jesus Soto-Karass in February.
In his first fight back, he displayed that confidence. Jones easily knocked out Mike McGuire in the second round to up his record to 19-7-1, also on the Newkirk card.
Former Oklahoma City Blazers enforcer Ron Aubrey earned a second-round TKO on the card as well.
Lawal’s popularity growing
While some former Oklahoma State wrestlers are fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Mo Lawal has found another outlet: Japan.
So far, so good. Lawal has found success in his first three MMA bouts for the World Victory Road promotion and his unique training videos are becoming very popular among MMA fans.
He has won all three of his fights by knockout and fights Friday against Ryo Kawamura. The event will be televised by HDNet.
Lawal was a national champion at Central Oklahoma in 2002 and placed third at Oklahoma State in 2003.
(I’ll be doing what I can to try to get coverage of this. I remembered Lawal vaguely from my college days at Oklahoma. But his videos definitely give him that certain something to help him stand out.)
Slow times in the fight game…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Realize it’s been more than a week since my last post, but there is not much going on right now as things keep falling through one after another.
Saturday was supposed to be the Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver rematch (that nobody wants to see), but that’s been pushed back.
This Saturday was supposed to be the huge MMA/boxing joint event with Roy Jones Jr. vs. Omar Sheika and Ken Shamrock vs. Bobby Lashley.
Well, Shamrock got busted for three steroids, so he’s out. An undercard bout with Seth Petruzelli fell through. Petruzelli knocked out Kimbo Slice late last year, so it would have been interesting to see how he responded to his new-found fame.
As much as I love writing about Evander Holyfield and all his comeback attempts. For some reason, don’t have the same love for Jones or Marco Antonio Barrera.
Barrera lost a five-round technical decision to Amir Khan on Saturday. Color me unimpressed by that. There was a bad cut over his eye early in the fight, and it seems as though they milked it so it could be a decision instead of a no-contest. If anyone saw the fight, would like to hear your opinion.
I hate to think of Barrera and Jones fighting in these lower-level bouts, especially MAB. After all Barrera has given to the sport, don’t want to see him go out this way. But I can guarantee you we’ll see him again because he’s not going out like that, that’s for sure.
In MMA, we’re a month away from UFC 97, which I think is a good thing. Give it a little time, build it up properly, and you’ve got something. With heavyweight Cheick Kongo, a light heavyweight bout between Shogun Rua and Chuck Liddell and of course, Anderson Silva in the main event, there’s something out there for everybody.
Frank Mir had to pull out of UFC 98 vs. Brock Lesnar because of a knee surgery. That’s fine as now the two will meet in UFC 100, which should/better be one of the best-stacked cards in MMA history.
In local news, the usual suspects picked up wins Friday at the First Council Casino in Newkirk.
Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi won via sixth-round TKO as did Lawton middleweight George Tahdooahnippah.
Welterweight Carson Jones got back on the right track with a nice win as well. Was interested to hear how things went for him coming back after a good loss (if there is such a thing).
And things won’t get too much busier here in the next couple of weeks. Promoters aren’t dumb, and there won’t be too much head-to-head with the NCAA Tournament. For the record, Boneman’s pick is Pittsburgh. But not nearly as in love with that pick like I was last year with Kansas.
Kirkland no longer a prospect…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
By the third round of his bout with Joel Julio, I was ready to write-off James Kirkland as just another product of the hype machine.
Someone who everybody wanted to be special but really isn’t. He was quickly becoming the next Edison Miranda to me.
But then something happened. Kirkland, in the midst of furious back-and-forth exchanges, adapt and had a real game plan.
He started to slip punches, he worked the body well. He was, no, check that, is a complete fighter. It’s just so far he hasn’t had anyone to bring it out in him.
Julio came close before the fight was stopped at the end of the sixth round. Wasn’t sure if it was the corner or the ref, frankly, didn’t matter. Kirkland was beating Julio around the ring as Julio was retreating for nearly every minute of every round and had a bad cut above his right eye.
I’m not proclaiming Kirkland as the second-coming or an all-time great, but I’ll say I’ll no longer dismiss him as just a one-dimensional fighter.
Kirkland fights like somebody who is going after the kid that stole his lunch money he was younger. It’s almost scary looking at his non-stop intensity for every second of every round.
It’s also refreshing to see in this day of so many safety first boxers. I appreciate the slick boxers, but there are some (not naming names) that nobody will ever pay a dime to see fight again.
I would pay a dime (or two) to see Kirkland fight live. Ann Wolfe has done a fabulous job with Kirkland. She gave great advice between rounds and more importantly, he followed her words.
The other bouts didn’t do much for me on the HBO triple-header. Robert Guererro’s bout was ruled a no-contest while Victor Ortiz blasted Mike Arnaoutis in two rounds.
Not sold on Ortiz. Arnaouits’ best days are behind them. He’s still tough and rugged but if he’s the best name on the record, eh, still going to be skeptical.
I like what I see from Ortiz, but it’s time to step up the competition.
***
Boneman, eat your words about Gabriel Gonzaga. Oy, my heavyweight was knocked out in less than a round Saturday at UFC 96 against Shane Carwin.
In the main event, Rampage Jackson won a unanimous decision against Keith Jardine. Logic would tell you it should be Jackson vs. Rashad Evans for the middleweight championship, but I’m not so sure it’s going to happen.
Jackson used superior striking to get the best of Jardine after having some issues in round one. Scores were 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
Doesn’t feel like I missed much, and that’s a big problem about having the monthly PPVs. How do you differentiate between just a stay-busy PPV and one that is worth forking over the $50 for? It’s my only real issue right now with MMA.
UFC 97 looks to be a loaded card headlined by arguably the best fighter in the world, Anderson Silva. I don’t know, something about the way the cards are being booked is irking me. Can’t quite articulate it yet.
All ‘n all, not a bad weekend of fights.
The local scene…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
With it being March, the basketball madness has officially begun. Doesn’t mean the fight game is taking a break. Here are some local news and notes.
Watts makes wrestling Hall of Fame
Former Oklahoma football player and professional wrestler “Cowboy” Bill Watts was named Monday as the latest member who will be inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Watts attended Putnam City High and after playing three years at OU, played for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings before landing a career in professional wrestling.
Watts joins Steve Austin, Ricky Steamboat, Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk in the 2009 class. More members are expected to be announced.
The ceremony is April 4 at the Toyota Center in Houston, one day before WrestleMania XXV at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
Hendricks picks up win
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks picked up another win in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization Sunday.
Hendricks, a two-time national champion for the Cowboys, earned a unanimous decision against Alex Serdyukov in his second successful bout in the WEC.
This is the first of Hendricks’ five bouts to go the distance. He had earned three technical knockouts and one submission win in the previous four.
EvenTTent back to Newkirk
The EvenTTent was at Newkirk’s First Council Casino last week as Norman’s Wayne Cole won a first-round technical knockout as part of a C3 Fights events.
Now C3 Fights and catBOX Entertainment are joining together for a boxing event March 13 at the First Council Casino in the EvenTTent.
The EvenTTent is a portable venue that is 30,000 square feet and can hold up to 3,000 people. Lawton middleweight George Tahdooahnippah and Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi headline the card.
Tickets are available at the casino, tickets.com, zooamp.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.
***
This weekend features a triple-header on HBo highlighted by James Kirkland and Joel Julio. I named Kirkland as Prospect of the Year while Julio was in that very same spot a few years ago. Interesting dynamic in that one.
UFC also has UFC 96 this weekend, featuring Rampage Jackson vs. Keith Jardine. I’ll be keeping my eye on heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga. I do believe if he puts it together, he might be the best heavyweight in the UFC.
Catching up on some MMA…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Been pumped about the first two months of boxing, can’t say as much about the first two months of MMA.
Nothing has stood out, but there were a couple of announcements in the last two days that actually have me excited.
No. 1: Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir will fight for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 98 in Las Vegas.
Mir, of course, made Lesnar tap out to a kneebar 13 months ago. Lesnar came in a little reckless and got caught.
It’s made him a better fight as he’s looked more disciplined and calm in the Octagon his last couple of times out. Especially in his last bout where he knocked out Randy Couture in the second round.
Mir was beyond dominant in becoming the first person to ever stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Dec. 27 (my birthday).
Mir is on the biggest role in his MMA career, and this fight is being made at exactly the right time. Wish it wasn’t in Vegas but a more local, more frenzied atmosphere, but can’t get everything.
No. 2: Might take some heat for this one, but Ken Shamrock and former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley have agreed to fight March 21 on the same card as Roy Jones and Omar Sheika. It’s a mix of boxing and MMA on the same PPV in Pensacola.
My wrestling bias is why I dig this so much. I’ve gone on record in the past saying how much I still remember the Shamrock of 12, 13 years ago instead of the one now. You can’t take away those memories from me.
And Lashley, well, I was a Lashley fan in the WWE. His heart wasn’t in it 100 percent and he left to pursue this career. He won his first fight in December. And I don’t know what a win vs. Shamrock would mean in the grand scheme of things, but it’s got my interest.
Lashley was a solid amateur wrestler and one of the best in the armed forces. He’s 32, so he can’t really sit around and wait.
***
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks picked up his second win in the WEC on Sunday night. The two-time national champion won a unanimous decision on the undercard of featherweight Mike Brown’s win.
Really hoping Brown and Urijah Faber have a rematch. Faber got arrogant with that spinning back punch and got caught. Brown’s a rough and gruff dude.
This Saturday is UFC 96 with Rampage Jackson vs. Keith Jardine as the main event. I’ve said it before, but it’s just too many UFC events going on. I don’t see this as a PPV-worthy main event so even if I wasn’t at HS basketball, I wouldn’t buy this.
You have to be more selective in this economy, and the UFC PPVs are getting to be overkill at this point. Still interested in the results but not in the forking over the money anymore.
- Cowboy Bill Watts is the latest member that will be inducted as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Watts played football at OU and with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings before turning to wrestling.
Plan on doing much more on Watts when the ceremony (April 4) gets closer.
Marquez the Master…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(after a sensational performance by JMM vs. Juan Diaz, are Juan Manuel Marquez, right, and Manny Pacquiao, left, headed for a third fight?)
It was 52 weeks ago when Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez had their epic third showdown with Vazquez getting the narrow win.
You thought for sure you had just seen the Fight of the Year. In my opinion, you had.
Now rewind to Saturday night with Marquez’s brother, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Juan Diaz. I’m not saying we’ve seen the Fight of the Year. But if we haven’t, wow, 2009 is going to be one heck of a great year.
For the record (and just as I predicted), Marquez won via TKO in the ninth round and what is easily the best fight of the young year.
Frankly, I wasn’t surprised at anything in the fight. Diaz came out and put the pedal to the medal early and never let up. He stalked Marquez for every minute until the ninth round.
He made Marquez open up. He made the 35-year-old fight at the 25-year-old’s pace. Problem is Marquez isn’t just a good fighter or a great. No, I will go on record as saying right now he is an all-time great.
After spending years of being ducked by Prince Naseem Hamed (remember him?) and unable to secure that big bout with either Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera (until 2007), it’s Marquez’s career that is finally blossoming.
Through three rounds, I had Diaz winning 30-27. Marquez wasn’t overwhelmed by the pressure but maybe a little shocked Diaz came out the way he did. Diaz landed solid shots and rocked JMM in the second but didn’t know how to finish. And bottom line, Diaz is not a finisher.
A subtle change took place in the fourth and fifth rounds as Marquez started to attack the body. And despite getting a cut over his right eye, the tide was slowly turning toward Marquez.
Through seven, still had it 5-2 Diaz, but in the eighth, it no longer mattered. I made a mental note in the beginning of the eighth of “wow, Marquez is finding a home with his uppercut.”
But then the HBO announcers caught on, too, and I can’t make it seem like I’m some genius. But with both the left and the right uppercut, Marquez was beating down Houston’s favorite son.
A bad cut opened up for Diaz, and you had a feeling the scorecards weren’t going to mean anything.
Sure enough, in the ninth, Marquez capped off the night. A beautiful right hand led to the first knockdown and a right uppercut dropped Diaz cold late in the ninth and the bout was stopped.
In nine rounds, both landed more than 250 punches. That’s nearly 30 punches per round. This can’t be considered an all-time classic, but it might be Marquez’s finest hour. Taking on a young, hungry kid who some felt was going to make JMM feel his age, not so.
I said I thought Marquez would think his way through the fight and make an adjustment. He did. He is one of the smartest boxers when in the ring. Smartest I’ve seen (though that doesn’t say much). You’re not going to out-think Marquez.
Though he was on the ropes and getting tagged, he figured out what to do. He picked his spots and with the body punching and the uppercuts, well, there you go.
For Diaz, man, I want to keep seeing him do his thing. However, that style is going to make him an old man at 28. He can box, but it’s not his best option. His pressure is his thing. But without the power, you start to worry about what he’s getting hit with in return.
For Marquez, what’s next? He talked about a bout with Floyd Mayweather. Ha, if Prince and Morales and Barrera didn’t want a piece, you know there’s no money that’ll bring Mayweather out.
No, I think in his heart, he wants that third bout with Manny Pacquiao. If PacMan can get by Ricky Hatton on May 2 (which I think he will), that’s what Marquez wants. I don’t think PacMan wants a third bout with him though.
Ya thought maybe after Pacquiao edged him out last March that Marquez wouldn’t have that fire in the belly. How about knocking out Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz in the next two fights as a statement?
I love Jim Lampley, and the HBO announcer has probably forgot more boxing than I know. But I have to get on him for not knowing the date of Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. He said he thought it was 2003.
Oy. Some boxing dates stick with you forever. May 7, 2005, Corrales and Castillo waged an epic war that is still talked about. Corrales won by TKO in the 10th after having been dropped twice in the same round. Never forget it.
March 8, 1971, the first fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Sept. 30 (or Oct. 1, depending on time zone), 1975, Thrilla in Manilla with Ali and Frazier. Feb. 10 (or 11, again on the time zone), 1990, Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson. You remember those dates.
All that being said, Lampley is still my favorite in the business.
But another solid outing of boxing on HBO. Really good start to the year, punctuated by a masterful performance by Marquez.
