Finally, some fights…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
We’ve been a patient group of fight fans since mid-June, and we’re finally getting a little taste again Saturday with Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell on Showtime.
Just as much interest to yours truly is the HBO documentary on the 1983 fight between Billy Collins and Luis Resto.
I plan on going from happy to sad to enraged all in the same hour. For anyone who doesn’t know the story behind this one, here’s a sampling from HBO’s preview on it:
On June 16, 1983, undefeated prizefighter Billy Collins Jr. set out to fulfill every boxer’s dream of fighting in the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden. Collins’ opponent, Luis Resto of the Bronx, moving up from welterweight, had his own dream of rising to the occasion in front of hometown fans. But what began as a match that Nashville native Collins was favored to win changed both athletes’ lives – ending Collins’ career dreams and landing Resto in prison.
Resto seemingly reached a fighter’s ultimate goal by upsetting Collins, but his post-fight victory celebration was short-lived when it was discovered that the padding had been illegally removed from Resto’s gloves by his trainer, Panama Lewis, before the fight. Resto was subsequently incarcerated and banned from the sport, while the brutally beaten Collins went into a tragic downward spiral. Resto gives his account of the story in the documentary. Lewis, whose official career as a trainer came to an end that night, was also subsequently banned, and speaks for the first time in Assault In The Ring about the events of the fight and their impact.
***
Bradley vs. Campbell is the exact type of fight I wouldn’t think would be made, so very excited that it has.
Bradley squeaked out a decision over Kendall Holt despite being dropped twice. Holt wasn’t busy enough and had no one to blame but himself while Bradley dug down deep for the win.
Campbell has been involved in weight issues in his last two fights. The first time he was wronged by Joan Guzman (in what would have been an unbelievable fight).
He turned the tables around by being the guilty party with weight and losing his title.
Bradley is a natural 140-pounder while Campbell is moving up, but that shouldn’t really be an issue.
The consensus (Boneman’s, too) is this will be going 12 rounds so sit back and get comfy to watch a good one. Plan on watching the fight live and taping the HBO doc and watching that later in the night.
***
We were supposed to be all a-buzz about the Affliction event Saturday. But with Josh Barnett out, no suitable replacement to fight Fedor, well, that card is off.
Looks like Affliction will join the rest of those “here today, gone tomorrow” MMA groups.
Next week is UFC 101 from Philadelphia and with former OSU star wrestler Johny Hendricks fighting Amir Sadollah, you know I’ll have a lot more to say on that one as we get closer.
***
Finally, still reeling from the death of Vernon Forrest. Loved him as a fighter, loved him more as a man.
I like Shane Mosley, but when Forrest beat him in their first fight (Forrest would win a rather dull rematch), still ranks as one of my favorite boxing memories.
And sad (and confusing) to hear that Arturo Gatti’s death has now been ruled a suicide. RIP to Gatti and Forrest.
Vernon Forrest (1971-2009)
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The horrible July continues in boxing. We’ve already had the deaths of Alexis Arguello and Arturo Gatti.
Now three-time champion Vernon Forrest has been killed Saturday night. I will have much more to say on this later as Forrest has long been one of my all-time favorites.
It hurts right now.
Thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. Once again, Vernon Forrest has passed away at 38 years old.
Rounding out the Cox UFC card…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Took most of this week to chime in on some national stories, but here’s a look at some of the things going on locally.
Much like the national scene, it’s pretty quiet. But it should be a full slate come fall (even without the UFC event at the Cox Convention Center).
More fights announced for UFC event in Oklahoma City
Four more Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts have been added to the Ultimate Fight Night 19 card at the Cox Convention Center on Sept. 16.
Leading the way will be a light heavyweight bout between Steve Cantwell and Brian Stann. Other fights announced include welterweights Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle and a pair of middleweight fights with Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen and Aaron Simpson vs. Ed Herman.
Ronnys Torres, who was scheduled to make his UFC debut, has pulled out because of injury in his lightweight bout against Jeremy Stephens. Justin Buchholz has stepped in.
The main event features Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard in a lightweight bout. Tickets are on sale and range from $35-200.
(Truly disappointed about not seeing Torres, but I’ll get over it. Less than two months away, but it still can’t come fast enough)
Diaz coming to Shawnee
Freestyle Cage Fighting returns to the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee on Saturday and Strikeforce star Nick Diaz will be on hand.
Diaz (20-7) is coming off back-to-back impressive wins, knocking out Frank Shamrock in the second round in April and submitting Scott Smith in the third round last month.
There will be 10 fights on the card, featuring Harrah natives Mike Queen and Tony Quintero, among others.
Tickets are available at the FireLake Grand Casino gift shop or by calling (405) 96-47263.
(I went to one of the first FCF events in Shawnee in the summer of ‘07. There’s definitely a market there and snatching up all the Harrah boys is smart from a business perspective)
Brewer to get title shot
It’s been a long road for junior middleweight boxer Grady Brewer. But the 38-year-old Lawton native will get one more shot to try to make it big.
Brewer will fight Tony Thompson for the vacant IBO junior middleweight championship Aug. 22 in California.
Brewer (25-11) knocked out Thompson in three rounds in 2004 and has won his last seven fights. Included in that span was winning the second season of “The Contender” reality TV series.
(Brewer has been more than cordial with me the few times I’ve spoken to him. His story is interesting and perplexing at the same time. Definitely be talking with Grady as it gets closer to Aug. 22.)
Comanche Boy in action
When George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah met Dan Wallace in May, Tahdooahnippah was having his way with Wallace through the first round before inclement weather struck, halting the bout.
The two will try to go at it again Saturday in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Tahdooahnippah, a Lawton native, is 18-0-1 and has won 17 of his bouts by knockout.
(Tahdooahnippah should take care of business here. If he can get this one out of the way, it’ll be interesting what he attempts to do next)
Team Takedown with busy August
Former Oklahoma State stars Johny Hendricks, Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller are all so young, so you hate to say they’re in “must-win” battles.
But with the way the UFC/WEC is, they just might be. Hendricks is fighting at UFC 101 on Aug. 8. The next night, it’s Roller’s turn for a WEC event on VS. Edmond native Cole Province will also be on the card. And then Aug. 29, Rosholt will be back for UFC 102.
Much more with all three as we get closer to the bouts.
***
And finally, a little more about Kimo. The original poster is Beau Taylor from Tulsa. Of all places, just right on up the road.
Anyway, here’s a story from news writer Michael Kimball on the whole Kimo fiasco.
The strange case of Kimo…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Two weeks ago there were reports from New Zealand about the death of actor Jeff Goldblum. Nobody was shocked more than Goldblum when he found out he was supposed to be dead.
Have a feeling a certain MMA fighter knows what that feels like right about now. The news was broken on an MMA message board earlier this week that Kimo Leopoldo had died from a heart attack in Costa Rica.
So imagine the shock (for some) when Kimo showed up alive and well on Tuesday.
It’s a strange situation, to say the least. Do you put the blame on message board poster? Or the media outlets (yours truly included) for believing it?
I’ll say this for my part: I saw it on the message board. Went to at least a half dozen other MMA sites for confirmation and then went on with the blog post.
It does show just how much power message boards have in sports/media nowadays. I hope the original poster seriously had no idea that he was posting bad information.
Honest mistakes can be forgiven (even something as big as this). But just outright posting wrong stuff, ooh, that gets Boneman going.
Kimo held a press conference earlier this week, and he is thinking about legal action. The key, of course, would be to prove the original poster knew 100 percent the information was bogus. How you do that? I don’t know.
Those thinking this is a ploy to bring Kimo’s name back to the forefront are almost as bad. He had his days, let him enjoy his life now. Good to know Kimo and his family are doing well, though.
***
Showtime has announced its first installment of the “Super Six” super middleweight boxing round robin tournament.
It will start Oct. 17 with Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell and Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor. Following that will be a Nov. 21 bout between Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward.
Looking at that lineup, it would not shock me to see World 3, USA 0. The inclusion of Dirrell and Ward irks me at times. Maybe I have my Allan Green blinders on, but just feel the Tulsa native has earned this right.
I get that Dirrell and Ward might become posters boys for the USA if they fare well in the “Super Six.” But they also might be overwhelmed by the moment where Green is primed and ready for his. Just a thought.
Don’t sleep on Cotto…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
It’s funny what lasting impressions of a last fight can make people do. Take, for example, the way the public is viewing the mega-bout between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao annihilated Ricky Hatton in less than two rounds in May to continue to pad his Hall of Fame resume.
Cotto squeaked by Joshua Clottey in June to retain his welterweight championship.
There’s an old saying of “win this fight, look good in the next.” And I have to believe that’s being aimed right at Cotto for this one when the two meet Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.
I’ll never say Pacquiao is headed for an emotional letdown, but I don’t think he’s faced anyone with the kind of pure punching power like Cotto.
The question, of course, will be can Cotto find the Filipino star? Coming up the ranks, Cotto was about as dominant as one could be. Since being a full-fledged welterweight, he’s been in some of the more entertaining scraps in the last couple of years. He’s looked vulnerable but has shown that heart boxing fans so do desire.
Having the fight at 145 pounds doesn’t sway me one way or the other. It’s not like Cotto is a big welterweight.
And though PacMan’s resume for the last few years is jaw-dropping, this might be considered his first “real” welterweight test.
Still have less than four months to debate the bout, but for those already counting out Cotto, think it’s a very foolish thing to do.
***
And breaking news from Affliction as it appears Josh Barnett is out of his scheduled bout with Fedor because of a positive test result.
Affliction is scrambling for a suitable replacement as the card is Aug. 1 (next Saturday). Early discussions have Vitor Belfort perhaps taking a crack at Fedor. I hope that’s not the case as I have long enjoyed Vitor and don’t want to see the savage beating Fedor would give him.
Late last night it was rumored about Bobby Lashley, but Lashley appears to have no interest in said bout at this time.
He wants to do things the right way and jumping in with Fedor on less than two weeks notice without much training, well, you get why it wouldn’t feel right for Lashley.
More on this as it develops.
Green left out of mix…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I picked a pretty good week to go on vacation as not much happened in the fight game this last week. But there is one thing definitely worth mentioning from last week.
If it actually plays out, Showtime’s six-man super middleweight round robin tournament might be the best thing in ages for boxing.
High-profile names (Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, Jermain Taylor, Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell).
Fights fans have talked about in the last couple of years, so the interest is definitely there.
It’s a dream tournament on the surface. But my one question is where is The Ghost Dog? How is Tulsa native Allan Green left off this list?
Since sorting out his promoter issues and his lone loss to Edison Miranda two-and-a-half years ago, Green has righted his ship.
And in his most recent outing on Showtime against Carlos De Leon Jr., he did everything that a fan and promoter looks for. He floored De Leon four times in the second round in earning an impressive, decisive victory in a bout that was supposed to go either way.
So where is Green? How is he not one of the elite super middleweights in the game right now?
Green isn’t the only snub, but he may be the one with the most amount of beef. Lucien Bute and Librado Andrade also didn’t make the cut, but those two are squaring off against each other in a rematch of their fun and controversial fight from last fall where Bute held on for the win.
Green was extremely candid with maxboxing’s Steve Kim last week. Don’t blame him, to be quite honest.
Here’s what he had to say:
“It’s almost like I’ve been blackballed to a degree. And I know my gift is my curse. Being a big, tall, fast super middleweight. A lot of guys aren’t going to be interested to fight you. But it’s not fair. Boxing is not the same as it used to be. That’s why a lot of the fans are starting to stray away because we get these promoters and various networks, when you try and invent guys who really aren’t the fighters that you try to make the public out to believe they are, sooner or later, they’ll get cat-called, they’ll get exposed. A lot of people are shying away from boxing because of that.”
So for now Green is on the outside looking in.
***
It was made official Monday that Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will square off Nov. 14 at 145 pounds. I’ll have much more to say about this later in the week as I feel some are sleeping on the Puerto Rican star.
***
And finally some sad news from the MMA world as early pioneer Kimo Leopoldo has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 41.
I’ll best remember Kimo for stretching Royce Gracie to the limit back in the early UFC days.
He fought a list of who’s who in the early days. He lost nearly as many as he won, but they were always entertaining and left you wanting to see more.
Thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
EDIT Tuesday night: Kimo is not dead. He is alive and well. Too weird to be made up. More thoughts on this later in the week.
Lesnar the undisputed king…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I had to cover an arenafootball2 game, so I missed UFC 100. But when I got home, it was just about time for Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir.
So like any other person who wasn’t able to see it, I was hitting refresh on Sherdog.com every five minutes. Didn’t have to go that long.
Lesnar sounds like he dominated Mir in getting a second-round stoppage to be named the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Sounds like Mir tried to get the kneebar again in the first round, but this time Lesnar was ready and countered it.
From reading, a bludgeoning in the second round of unanswered strikes led to referee Herb Dean calling it off.
Lesnar, showing he still has some of that WWE bravado, played himself off as the villain. He can do whatever he wants right now because he is officially the man in the UFC.
In other bouts, Georges St. Pierre earned a unanimous decision against Thiago Alves. All scores were 50-45. GSP said he pulled his groin after the third round, but he stuck it out and prevailed.
In a minor upset (to me, anyway), Dan Henderson turned back the clock and knocked Michael Bisping out cold with a right hook. And an old favorite, Mark Coleman, won a unanimous decision vs. Stephan Bonnar.
***
Did get home to see the replay of Showtime’s boxing event, highlighted by Joseph Agbeko defeating Vic Darchinyan by unanimous decision.
Agbeko got into Vic’s head a little during the week, and Darchinyan didn’t fight with the same discipline he has in his last couple of fights.
A questionable knockdown call against Agbeko didn’t hurt him on the card, winning 116-111 and 114-113 (twice). I was right in the middle at 115-112.
***
My body slumped a little on hearing the news of Arturo Gatti’s death Saturday. The “blood and guts warrior” was only 37 and died while vacationing in Brazil with his family.
Worse yet, foul play is suspected. Don’t like where this one is going.
My first Gatti memories were his two battles with Ivan Robinson in 1998. Though I wanted Robinson to win both times, Gatti definitely had the “it” factor.
All but done, his career was resurrected by being paired with trainer Buddy McGirt. Few fights (if any) can compare to the drama and action of his triloy of with Micky Ward. After losing the first fight in what is definitely one of the five best fights I’ve seen live, Gatti would win the second and third bouts.
More on this as it develops. As for the Boneman, time for vacation. Going back home to Ohio for a week. But if anything happens big or that I feel I want to chime in, I won’t hesitate to do so.
Grice update…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
UPDATE at 7 p.m.:
Grice submitted in first round
One early mistake was all it took to deny Harrah product Matt Grice a victory at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC 100 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Grice got caught in a guillotine choke within the first minute against Shannon Gugerty after being taken down by an inside trip in the lightweight contest.
Grice was able to work his way back up to his feet, but Gugerty never let go of the choke. Gugerty took Grice down again with the choke and referee Herb Dean stopped the bout 2:36 into the first round after Grice’s right arm went limp.
It is Grice’s second consecutive loss in the UFC. He also lost in February and is now 1-3 in the UFC and 9-3-0 overall. Gugerty improves to 12-3-0.
From Staff Reports
Well, the time for talking is almost over. We’re just hours away from UFC 100 in Las Vegas. You know the main event (Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves and Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping).
And if you read today’s paper, then you know the story of Matt Grice. I was surprised and delighted by how open he was about everything. He didn’t hold back. And here’s a little more info about Grice.
Since he’ll be fighting Shannon Gugerty in a preliminary bout, I’ll try to get that result posted as soon as it comes across the wire tonight. I would think it won’t be on the PPV, but if all the fights run short, then it could still possibly end up on air.
A day away from UFC 100…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
It’s been a date that’s been circled on my mental calendar for a long time now. We’re almost there. UFC 100 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Thursday, took a look at the heavyweight championship bout between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar. Mir defeated Lesnar 17 months ago.
While you know I go a little ga-ga for Lesnar, have that same type of affection for one Georges St. Pierre. GSP takes on Thiago Alves for the welterweight championship in another main event-worthy scrap.
At 28 years old and with an 18-2 record, GSP has a legit claim to being called the best fighter pound-for-pound. Anderson Silva might have something to say about that, but GSP has been busy and looking good against top-notch foes.
Alves is no slouch, though. He’s won seven straight UFC fights and is only 25 years old. His best days are yet to come, if you ask the Boneman.
Alves said the key to his success is that he fights from behind from the start. He acts as if he’s already losing the fight on the scorecards and needs to make something happen.
Alves is naturally bigger than St. Pierre, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s cut up and ready or weight-drained.
In the end, still like St. Pierre to continue to rise up to the occasion and raise his profile as one of the best.
Also on the card is the bout between The Ultimate Fighter coaches Dan Henderson (USA) and Michael Bisping (United Kingdom).
Henderson is getting up there at 38, but there isn’t anything or anyone out there that will take him out of his game.
Bisping’s only loss was to Rashad Evans at light heavyweight. He’s got the tools to be something special and this is his night to make a name for himself.
And I think this is Bisping’s night. It should be a good one, but Bisping will win a close unanimous decision.
***
Look for the Matt Grice story in Saturday’s paper. A car accident derailed what could have been a promising wrestling career at Oklahoma. He went through eight surgeries in one year.
Enticed yet? Find out more Saturday. Grice, from Harrah, takes on Shannon Gugerty in a preliminary bout at UFC 100.
***
Also the same time UFC 100 will be going on, 15-year-old boxer Juan Saucedo of Capitol Hill High will be fighting in a national junior golden gloves tournament.
For more on his story, here’s what I wrote Thursday. Saucedo is a quiet kid, almost too quiet. But get him in the ring, man oh man, look out.
Revenge or repeat?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir were supposed to fight back in May.
A Mir injury pushed it back to Saturday. For the best though as UFC 100 needed to have a heavyweight championship fight.
And for the UFC right now, this is the best matchup that can be made not involving a certain heavyweight named Fedor.
Lesnar’s 31 while Mir is 30. Both took on living legends in their last bout albeit much older legends. Lesnar stopped Randy Couture in the second round at UFC 91. Mir returned the favor to Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira at UFC 92 in December.
This fight alone would make me want the card, but when you fights like Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves, you know you’ve done something right.
The lasting impression for MMA fans though will be the Lesnar-Mir fight. It wasn’t all that long ago when Lesnar was in there with Mir, only to be submitted by a kneebar in the first round at UFC 81 in Feb. 2008.
Conventional (and Boneman) wisdom says Lesnar has learned a lot from that night. Most agree it was a fluke, but has Lesnar become smart enough to never put himself in that position again?
Mir made his UFC debut back in 2001. Remember that? And after a loss to Brandon Vera in 2006, has finally received that wakeup call. He can and should be one of the best heavyweights in the world.
In their first bout, Lesnar charged at Mir like a bull. If Lesnar does that again, think he’s going to get caught again. Patience will be the name of the game Saturday.
Lesnar has been working on submission game, but Mir still believes the only way Lesnar can win is by brute force. Hey may be right, but it may be all Lesnar does need.
It would be interesting if Mir tries to test Lesnar’s chin. With all the focus being about how Mir has tapped Lesnar before (so you know that’s what Lesnar has been prepping for), what if Mir tried to strike Lesnar first?
I see this going at least to the second, maybe the third round and Lesnar wearing out Mir to solidify himself as the heavyweight champion.
Either way, it should be a good one.
***
One word on the Cox Convention Center card heading to Oklahoma City on Sept. 16. That is a Wednesday, so don’t worry Oklahoma or Oklahoma State football fans. You’re not missing anything.
It’ll be Wednesday at 8 p.m., live on Spike. The buzz has already been strong here locally for this show. Very interested to see how fast the tickets go.
Back tomorrow with a closer look at the other two mega-bouts as well as more with Harrah product Matt Grice.
