Fight #1 Minowaman vs Errol Zimmerman
(DREAM Rules) Prediction- Minowaman by submission first 10 minutes The same thing always happens when Minowaman fights K-1 fighters with no MMA experience, he wins by leg lock. Zimmerman will kill him if the fight stays standing too long but it won’t. This fight shouldn’t go five minutes.
Fights #2 and #3 are part of a tournament between guys I don’t know a thing about.
Fight #4
Artur Kyshenko vs Yoshihiro Sato
(K-1 Rules) Prediction- Kyshenko by 3rd round KO
This could be fight of the night, but the edge has to go to this years K-1 MAX Finallist. Sato will be in the fight early but will be broken down and likely stopped.
Fight #5
Daisuke Nakamura vs Hideo Tokoro
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Nakamura by submission first 10 minutes
There’s a big size difference in this fight and while Tokoro is a good fighter, he won’t be any match for Nakamura especially considering he’s giving up roughly 20lbs. Nakamura by armbar some time in the 2nd half of the first round.
Fight #6
Andy Ologun vs Yukio Sakaguchi
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Sakaguchi by submission 10-15 minutes
Fight #7 is the Tournament Final
Intermission #1
Fight #8
Kinniku Mantaro vs Bob Sapp
(DREAM Rules) Predition- Bob Sapp by Death
This has to be the strangest mismatch in MMA history. Bob Sapp isn’t just fighting some overmatched bum like usual, this time the bum is dressed up as an Anime character. A mate of mine who is a full blown geek told me if this was a cartoon Sapp could be in a whole world of trouble because apparently those guys know some serious shit, but in the real world Sapp crushes this guy with his 200lb weight advantage whenever he feels like it which knowing Sapp will be as soon as he feels like some pizza or gummycandy.
Fight #9
Mighty Mo vs Semmy Schilt
(DREAM Rules) Prediction- Schilt by knockout first 10 minutes Something that some of you newbies don’t know is that Schilt was an excellent fighter in PRIDE before he started kicking arse in K-1 and even won a few fights by submission. Mighty Mo is extremely outgunned in all areas of the fight here and will likely be dispatched quickly in the first round.
Fight #10
Hayato Sakurai vs Katsuyori Shibata
(DREAM Rules) Prediction- Sakurai by knockout first 10 minutes
Fight #11
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Kozo Takeda
(K-1 Rules) Prediction- Takeda on points Even though he has good stand-up for MMA fighters, Kawajiri won’t hang with a K-1 MAX veteran in his sport no matter how out of form he is. This one might not go the distance but I think it will.
Fight #12
Badr Hari vs Alistair Overeem
(K-1 Rules) Prediction- Hari by 2nd round knockout This is the same as the last fight. Overeem has good stand-up skills for MMA, but against a top K-1 striker he’s outgunned. These two will likely meet in MMA next year and the same thing applies but in favour of Overeem this time.
Intermission #2
Fight #13
Hong Man Choi vs Mirko Cro Cop
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Hong Man by knockout first 10 minutes I’m sick of going to bat for Mirko and picking him only for him to fight like shit. Hong Man will likely cause him all sorts of problems when they trade standing up and I don’t see Cro Cop getting the takedown when Fedor had to resort to pulling guard. Hong Man will catch Mirko at some stage and with those small gloves he’ll do a lot of damage.
Fight #14
Gegard Mousasi vs MUSASHI
(K-1 Rules)
Prediction- Musashi on points
Same theme again as some previous fights. Despite MUSASHI being as out of form as he is, I don’t think the smaller MMA fighter will trouble him too much in a K-1 rules match. MUSASHI should dominate the fight with his leg kicks en route to a wide points win.
Fight #15
Mark Hunt vs Melvin Manhoef
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Hunt by TKO first 10 minutes Le Banner must have pulled out with an injury because he was set to fight Mark Huny. Both Hunt and Manhoef are excellent kickboxers who have fought in MMA before, but the big difference between the two is the monsterous size advantage Hunt will have. I think at some stage this fight will hit the floor with Hunt on top and he’ll ground and pound Manhoef out.
Fight #16
Eddie Alvarez vs Shinya Aoki
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Alvarez by TKO first 10 minutes
Great matchup between the two guys who should have fought for the DREAM title at the Lightweight Grand Prix, but Alvarez was forced out with an injury leading the way for alternate (a man Alvarez had already beaten) Joachim Hansen to come in and knock Aoki out. Alvarez’s big weakness is on the ground defending submissions which is where Aoki specialises but Aoki’s big weakness is where Alvarez specialises with his huge knockout power. I think Aoki will pull guard but at some stage get caught with some heavy punches and will need the referee to rescue him.
Fight #17
JZ Calvancante vs Joachin Hansen
(DREAM Lightweight title)
Prediction- Hansen on points This fight could likely go either way but I think Hansen will come out victorious due to his better ground skills. Both guys are well rounded and I think JZ will have an advantage standing up and may even knock Hansen out, but I think he’ll have a lot of trouble defending the takedown especially as the fight gets older and Hansen will score enough of them to take the decision.
Fight #18
Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kiyoshi Tamura
(DREAM Rules)
Prediction- Sakuraba on points An excellent main event for a Japanese card like this matching two Japanese legends against one another. This prediction is probably more out of me wanting Sakuraba to win then anything, but he does have a great chance. It’s a real 50-50 fight with Sakuraba having the better ground skills and Tamura having his damaging leg kicks. I think Sakuraba will get Tamura on his back and control the fight from there, winning comfortably on the cards in a competetive matchup.
Evans pounds out Griffin in three In what was the best fight of the night, undefeated winner of season two of The Ultimate Fighter Rashad Evans won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with a third round technical knockout over Season one winner Forrest Griffin. The win marks the third man to hold the Light Heavyweight belt this year, with Griffin taking it from Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at UFC 86 before losing it in his first defence yesterday.
Both fighters started the first round of the fight slowly with Griffin landing more shots compared to Evans solid but infrequent bombs. The second round saw some furious exchanges with both guys looking hurt at different points in the fight. Evans ate a left hook early in the round which prompted Griffin to open up and chase Evans across the Octagon raining down blows. Evans retaliated by tauning Griffin then countering with a left hook. Later in the round Evans landed a series of bombs on Griffin that looked like they hurt the champion but Griffin fired back. Griffin landed heavily with a right hand at the end of the round which cemented the round for him on my card.
In the third round the fight finally hit the deck after Griffin slipped and Evans was quick to pounce, landing some hard shots from inside the champions guard. Griffin entually got wrist control but couldn’t control the challengers posture which made his submission attempts near impossible. Griffin tried a kimura from his back but Evans never let him get close. A triangle choke attempt from Griffin saw Evans briefly pass his guard and land some shots although Forrest was quick to get back to full guard. Evans finally got the opening he was after and landed a thunderous right hand from the guard which dazed Griffin. Numerous follow-up shots with first the right hand and eventually both hands had Griffin seriously hurt. Steve Mazzaghatti finally stepped in and halted the bout after what looked like Griffin tapped (although he claimed in the post fight interview that he didn’t and was just flailing from the punches) and crowned Evans the new champion at 2:46 of the third round.
Mir becomes first man to stop Nogueira
Fedor Emelianenko couldn’t do it. Josh Barnett couldn’t do it. Mirko Cro Cop couldn’t do it and either could Tim Sylvia or Heath Herring. But Jiu Jitsu stylist Frank Mir became the first man to stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with strikes in the second round of their five round clash for the Interim UFC Heavyweight title. The win sets up a rematch for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship with Brock Lesnar, a rematch from a great fight earlier in the year which Mir won by kneebar in 90 seconds after taking heavy punishment for at least 60 of those seconds.
Right from the start Mir dominated the fight with his stand-up against the sluggish looking Nogueira. Landing with crisp combinations usually consisting of right uppercut from his southpaw stance, Mir constantly kept Nogueira off balance and forced him back when he tried for a clinch. After a brief battle on the ground courtesy of a Mir takedown, Mir then dropped Nogueira with a combination and looked to finish on the ground. Nogueira showed his usual composure when hurt which has seen him score famous come from behind victories over the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Bob Sapp and saw off Mirs attack before Mir took the fight back to the feet. Standing up, Mir continued to get off first with crisp combinations while Nogueira failed to pull the trigger on anything before Mir again dropped Nogueira at the end of the round.
Nothing changed in the second round with Mir again easily outboxing the former PRIDE Heavyweight champion and landing with clean, crisp combinations. Mir then dropped Nogueira for the third time of the night with punches but this time was able to follow up and force referee Herb Dean to step in and rescue Nogueira for the first time in his 38 fight career. An emotional Mir thanked his team and his family for helping him to get back to where he was after his horrific motorcycle accident in 2004 which cost him the UFC Heavyweight title last time he held it.
Rampage scores sweet knockout over bitter rival Wanderlei Silva Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion made his comeback fight a successful one, avenging two previous knockout losses against Wanderlei Silva with a one punch left hook knockout at 3:21 of the first round. Silva had twice knocked Rampage out in fights for the PRIDE Middleweight (205lbs) title (one was the final of the 2003 Grand Prix) but lost his fourth fight in his last five appearances, his third by knockout. For Rampage, the win likely sets up another shot at the UFC crown he lost to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 earlier this year.
Both fighters came out striking with Rampage looking the quicker early on. After eating two shots from Silva, Rampage attempted to take the fight to the ground but ate a knee for his trouble. Silva appeared to be getting set, landing a few vicious leg kicks to Rampage’s left thigh. Rampage though kept his cool and after en exchange of punches near the fence, Rampage countered a Silva left hook with one of his own that landed flush on the jaw and put the former PRIDE Middleweight champion down and out cold. Three follow up shots from Rampage left Silva unconscious for around three minutes before he woke up.
Other Results
CB Dollaway TKO1 (strikes from back mount) Mike Massenzio
Cheick Kongo TKO1 (strikes) Mustafa Al Turk
Yushin Okami UD3 Dean Lister
Matt Hammill TKO2 (strikes) Reese Andy
Brad Blackburn UD3 Ryo Chonan
Patt Berry TKO1 (leg kicks) Dan Evenson
Forget Danny Green vs Anthony Mundine or Lester Ellis vs Barry Michael. Those fights are nothing compared to what happened at Rushcutters Bay 100 years ago. Only then has the boxing World truly focused solely on what was going on in the squared ring all the way down here in Australia. At 11am on Boxing Day of 1908 (exactly 100 years ago), Tommy Burns stepped into the ring at Rushcutters Bay to give an African American the first shot at the World Heavyweight title. It’s been 100 years since the most significant event in Australian Boxing History took place when Jack Johnson became the first black man to win the World Heavyweight title. Other black fighters had previously fought for and won World Championships at lower weight divisions including George Dixon (Bantamweight and Featherweight), ‘Barbados’ Joe Walcott (Welterweight) and Joe Gans (lightweight), but it was way too risky for the white public to risk their ’superiority’ by even giving a black man a chance at claiming he was the best fighter in the World, let alone someone as ahead of his time in terms of boxing skill as Jack Johnson.
Jack Johnson made his way up the same way that all black boxers of the time did; by fighting other top black boxers. After having fought the likes of Sam McVey four times and Joe Jeanette eight times as well as defeating the great Sam Langford, Johnson had proved himself to be the ‘Coloured Heavyweight Champion’ as it was back then. Johnson was the first black heavyweight to get top white boxers into the ring with him, knocking out both ‘Fireman’ Jim Flynn and former Heavyweight Champion Bob Fitzsimmons in 1907 making him easily the top contender for the title.
Tommy Burns had won the vacant Heavyweight Championship of the World by decisioning Marvin Hart in a fight that recently retired Heavyweight Champion Jim Jeffries assigned as being for the vacant crown. Burns was probably the most active Heavyweight Champion of all-time, defending against literally all comers in making 10 defences of his crown in just two and a half years. Burns travelled around the World to fight these fighters, but when Jack Johnson started publicly calling him out he travelled the World for different reasons; hoping that Johnson wouldn’t follow him so he didn’t have to fight him.
Burns toured Europe, fighting some of the best fighters over there including Irish champion Jem Roche who he knocked out in the first round and British champion Gummer Moir who lasted ten. After fighting Australian champion Bill Squires in Paris, Burns heard that Johnson was making his way there to challenge him so he fled to England. Johnson followed him there only for Burns to ship off to Australia. The British Board of Boxing sold Burns out on the condition that Johnson meet Sam Langford in a title fight should he defeat Burns in Australia (a promise which Johnson later broke). In Australia, the fight was promoted by caterer Hugh McIntosh who built a stadium at Rushcutters Bay (which later became the site for Sydney Stadium where most of the great domestic Australian bouts took place before the mid 60s) for the fight to take place.
Burns built up interest in the fight by first defending his belt against top local fighters Bill Squires (again) and Bill Lang, knocking both of them out. Both fights took place within ten days! The fight finally took place almost four months after Burns’ last fight. The fight attracted 16,000 fans (with many more unable to get a ticket) earning over a £26,000 live gate for promoter McIntosh. Burns was made the favourite but probably more out of hope then knowledge and it didn’t take long for the much bigger, more skilled Johnson to take command. Johnson toyed with Burns throughout the fight mocking and playing with him while punishing the Heavyweight Champion. Johnson seemed to be prolonging the beating in order to punish Burns for the years of drawing the colour line on him in regards to the two meeting in the ring. The end finally came in the 14th round when Burns could take no more pubishment and the local police intervened, shutting off the cameras which were recording the bout and saving Burns from being knocked out.
The aftermath of the fight was huge in many areas. Johnson was forced to defend against numerous ‘Great White Hopes’ a term coined by Jack London who referred to Johnson as a ’subhuman ape’ who needed to be ‘put in his place.’ After Johnson dispatched a number of these white hopes, former champion Jim Jeffries came out of retirement to take on Johnson and had his perfect ring record spoiled, leading to numerous riots around the United States in which over 20 people (mostly African Americans) were killed. Johnson’s victory and the arrogant way in which he held the title was the reason why no black boxer was given another title shot until Joe Louis won the crown in 1937.
This fight was arguably the most important boxing match of the 20th century and it took place on Australian soil. It’s hard to imagine that there will ever be a fight of that magnitude in the Heavyweight division ever again, let alone one in Australia. That fight was the peak of interest in boxing on Australian soil and one of the countries most significant sporting moments, yet I haven’t heard anything about it’s centennial on the news or anything like that. That is the reason for me writing this article, because I felt that it’s a moment that should at least be recognised. If anyone can tell me of anything that did actually happen to recognise this historical moment in Australian sport and World boxing, please let me know in the comments. I’ve hit up a few guys I know on other forums to spam some Australian boxing sites with this article at exactly 11am (the time the fight started 100 years ago), anyone else who would like to do the same please do so.
Just because I’m still in the Christmas spirit, heres some footage of the fight:
UFC 92 takes place this weekend with the annual years end card that the UFC seems to stack every year. This year is no exception with two title fights and a fight between a former UFC champion and a former PRIDE champion. In the main event, UFC Light Heavyweight champion makes the first defence of the title he won from Rampage Jackson in July against Rashad Evans. In the first co main event, TUF 8 coaches Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira collide for Nogueira’s interim UFC Heavyweight title. In the other co main event, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson returns to face former nemesis Wanderlei Silva.
The UFC seems to be copying the PRIDE thing of having a special name for their end of year show. This years end of year event is being called ‘The Ultimate 2008′ although we’ll have to wait until next year to find out whether or not they keep this up. This card is seriously stacked with some good fights. I honestly didn’t know who else was on this card apart from one other fight until I checked out the website to write this article up. I would say that if they didn’t show any other fights apart from the main three it would be well worth the money even still but the two title fights have the potential to be a bit boring and there’s some good matchups on the undercard. I’m just hoping their isn’t a repeat of UFC 33 where they ran out of time on the pay per view because the three title fights on the card ended up all going the distance. Anway, onto the fights:
Main Card
Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans
(UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Prediction- Griffin on points
The big advantage Griffin will have in this fight is size. He’s a monster at 205lbs whereas Evans looks like a middleweight in there. Griffin’s high work rate will also be a big advantage over the sometimes lacklustre and lazy Evans but I really wouldn’t be surprised if Evans catches Griffin in this fight and knocks him out. That’s about the only way I see him winning this fight though. Griffin’s hands are very suspect and he rarely steps in with his punches. That’s not to say that his stand-up is bad because he has excellent knees in the clinch and his kicks (especially his low kicks) are very good but he boxes with his head straight up and doesn’t commit to his punches like Rashad does. If Rashad gets Griffin to the ground I doubt he’ll do much damage as Griffin was able to successfully tie Rampage up and keep him from doing damage. Griffin to outwork Rashad in a bit of a snoozer I’m afraid. I just have to say that it’s strange thinking that these two will fight for the right to call themselves the best Light Heavyweight in the world, especially when Rampage takes on Wanderlei Silva on the same card.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Frank Mir
(Interim UFC Heavyweight title) Prediction- Nogueira by third round stoppage This is fight also has the potential to be a snoozer I think. If Nogueira decides he wants to box Mir and not risk going to the ground we could very well have a repeat of Nogueira-Werdum, although I think thats unlikely because Mir is willing to duke it out if he can’t get to the ground. That’s where I think Nogueira will knock Mir out in this fight. Nogueira has excellent technique with his hands and as Mir gasses in the late rounds he should score more and more frequently, busting Mir’s face up and likely finishing him with strikes from on top. Mir will be very dangerous early especially if he gets on top in the first round. Nogueira has been submitted in submission wrestling in the past by lesser grapplers then Mir. I was almost tempted to pick Mir in the first round by leg lock but it’s hard to go past Nogueira with his big advantage in fitness. Mir rarely looks good after the first round.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Wanderlei Silva Prediction- Silva by first round knockout I’m expecting knockout of the night to come in this fight regardless of whatever else takes place. If anyone here has seen the other two fights between the two they were both slugfests with Wanderlei surviving an onslaught on the ground early from Rampage before taking his head off with knees from the muay thai clinch late in the fight. There are two things that will give Rampage an advantage in this fight that didn’t happen in PRIDE. First is that these will be five minute rounds with Rampage having to stay busy for less time in order for the fight not to be stood back up like what happened in the two previous fights. Second, this time they are in a cage and not in a ring which will suit Rampage again if they hit the ground as he’ll be able to pin Wanderlei up against the cage. Still, I’m not convinced that Rampage can deal with the Chute Boxe style yet that Wanderlei is a master of and also I’m not sure that Rampage will be on top form with his recent switch of teams and personal problems. I think Wanderlei will walk through him in about two-three minutes with a brutal knockout that should set him up with a title shot early next year.
CB Dollaway vs Mike Massenzio
Prediction- Dollaway by first round submission Massenzio is a wrestler by background although he is more that that now. Dollaway is a much better wrestler who will likely put Massenzio on his back and finish him quickly. Hopefully the fight goes to the ground one way or the other because watching CB Dollaway stand-up and outbox someone is pretty painful to think about.
Cheick Kongo vs Mustafa Al-Turk
Prediction- Kongo by first round knockout Al-Turk holds a submission win (by strikes) over the man who ate Mark Kerr in Cage Rage a few years ago and thats about his only claim to fame. He could get Kongo on his back because Kongo’s takedown defence still sucks, but I think Kongo will decapitate him with a knee early on and give Wanderlei a good run for his money when it comes to knock out of the night.
Preliminary Card
Dean Lister vs Yushin Okami Prediction- Okami on points This fight not appearing on the main card is the best decision UFC matchmakers have ever made. This fight will go like this. Lister will throw some really bad strikes and hope for a takedown but he’ll miss and Okami will counter him with just enough to win every round comfortably on points. If they show this card on the main card it’ll be because Lister got the takedown he wanted and scored a submission or because Lister got caught coming in and knocked out.
Antoni Hardonk vs Mike Wessel Prediction- Hardonk by first round knockout
I don’t know anything about Wessel other then he’s short for a heavyweight and heavy for his height. If he is a wrestler he’ll probably win on points because Hardonk has no ground game. But I think Hardonk will have way too much firepower and end this one early.
Matt Hammill vs Reese Andy Prediction- Hammill by second round stoppage Both guys come from wrestling backgrounds but Hammill’s wrestling is by far the better. He’ll put Andy where he doesn’t want to be and punch with his right hand until the referee has seen enough. If anyone has taught him how to punch with his left hand it’ll likely end in the first round.
Brad Blackburn vs Ryo Chonan
Prediction- Blackburn on points
This could be a very entertaining fight. Both men have fought some good fighters over the years with mixed results, however I think Blackburns recent form suggests that he’ll come out victorious by split decision in a fight that should be good to watch wherever it ends up.
Patrick Barry vs Dan Evenson Prediction- Barry by first round knockout Seriously, why is Evenson getting another fight? Barry is an Ernesto Hoost trained K-1 veteran who is going to chop the apparent ‘Norwegian Kickboxing Champion’ down in probably a minute or two.
I recently read an article about the upcoming DREAM/K-1 New Years Show which will feature a mixture of K-1 rules and DREAM MMA rules matches. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this fight card is looking. The things I was worried about were 1) a lack of Fedor who was meant to headline and b) a lack of Cro Cop-Alastair Overeem rematch which I’m still not sure why it was scrapped (help someone?). Still, a few of the K-1 WGP competitors have backed up and a few of the lightweights have stepped up to make this a very interesting card and one I will definately cover. I’m not sure what the main event will be and I don’t care because this is a stacked card for the hardcore MMA fans. In no particular order, here are the fights of interest:
Semmy Schilt vs Mighty Mo (MMA) Whether this was K-1 or DREAM rules, Schilt is going to tear him a new one. Still, it’ll be good to see where Schilt’s confidence level is after losing to Aerts in the Final 16 as well as how he looks in MMA after a few years of not really competing in the sport on a full time basis.
Mirko Cro Cop vs Hong Man Choi Not sure what rules this fight is under (again help somebody?) but this will be interesting either way. Fedor had trouble getting Choi on his back so this will be a stand-up war whether forced or by force of habbit between a former K-1 runner up in Cro Cop and a man mountain who troubles everyone in Hong Man. With 4oz gloves on it’ll be interesting to see how Cro Cops chin holds up to someone like Hong Man.
Mark Hunt vs Jerome Le Banner (MMA Rules) So I hear anyway. Both guys are very similar standing up but due to Hunt’s MMA experience he’ll have a huge advantage if he gets Le Banner on his back, especially with the weight advantage. If this is indeed MMA rules I expect Hunt to win by ground and pound.
Eddie Alvarez vs Shinya Aoki MMA rules of course here for what should have been the DREAM lightweight grand prix final. This will be an interesting scrap with Alvarez having the huge edge in strength and standing up and Aoki having a huge advantage on the ground. The winner will likely get a shot at the winner of the JZ vs Joachim Hansen fight on the same card for the title should DREAM not go bankrupt next year.
Joachin Hansen vs Gesias ‘JZ’ Calvacante Another great fight here. I expect this to be fight of the night with both guys liking to bang on their feet. I’m leaning towards JZ by close decision but it could go either way.
Kazuhsi Sakuraba vs Kiyoshi Tamura
A battle between Japanese MMA pioneers/legends. As long as one guy doesn’t get injured walking into the ring it should be an excellent fight. I think Tamura might go to work on Sakuraba’s dodgey knees with his leg kicks and may score a stoppage in this fight.
Artur Kyshenko vs Yoshihiro Sato (K-1 Rules)
I really don’t know much about either guy other then they’re both K-1 MAX super stars. If MAX is all it’s cracked up to be then this could be a war!
Gegard Mousasi vs MUSASHI (K-1 Rules)
Strange fight this one. MUSASHI is a bigger guy but he’s been in shit form lately and why they’re getting Mousasi to go up in weight and fight a Heavyweight K-1 fighter in K-1 rules is a mystery to anyone. Even their name’s are the same which will make things confusing.
Oh, a quick word on the site. Next year looks like a go for boxing rankings and maybe MMA rankings for the five main divisions. Also I will be writing a feature article at the start of each month based on whatever anyone wants me to write it on. January’s will be the end of year awards. I’m looking to do things in there like ‘10 greatest fights of the 80s’ or ‘Best MMA fighters of the 90s’ etc where basically I’m given a topic and I’ll go and research it for a month by watching fight films etc and then do an article on it for all you guys to flame me over. If anyone has anything in particular for February’s edition then post it in this thread. First decent idea in will get their choice. Expect a UFC 92 Predictions article and recap, a K-1 predictions article and recap plus the end of year awards and Rankings up over the next two-three weeks.
This is a new feature on this site that I will try and do as often as I can. I am about to watch Tomasz Adamek’s challenge for Steve Cunninghams IBF Cruiserweight title. I will post up after each round my thoughts of the round and my updated scorecard. I’m hoping at some time in the future I get the chance to watch a boxing match live without having to pay for it so I can do this properly but this will do for now. This is as much experimental as anything else so here goes:
Round 1 Cunningham circles for much of the first round. Adamek attempts to cut off the ring and has some success in landing combinations as Cunningham moves off the ropes. A fairly inactive round as Adamek was the busier fighter but Cunningham lands the cleaner shots throughout the round.
10-9 Cunningham (10-9 Cunningham).
Round 2 Cunningham’s shots are a bit more meaningful this round as he tries to establish his jab early. Adamek scores with some solid punches as Cunningham spins off the ropes and Cunningham responds. Adamek landing well during this round as Cunningham seems to be trying to gain his respect and it’s backfiring as Adamek outpunches the champion. Cunningham lands some good shots at the end of the round before Adamek drops Cunningham with a right-left hook combination. Cunningham beats the count easily.
10-8 Adamek (19-18 Adamek)
Round 3 Cunningham scores with a few jabs and a left hook at the start of the 3rd round. Adamek again looks to try and cut the ring off and Cunningham circles and paws with his jab. Adamek scores with a one-two but he’s eaten a few jabs to get those shots in. Cunningham scoring with his shots in this round but there’s not much power on them. Adamek lands some shots on the ropes but they didn’t do much damage. Good four punch combo to the head and body for the champion and he takes his first clean round of the fight.
10-9 Cunningham (28-28 Even)
Round 4 Cunningham jumps on Adamek and hurts him with two combinations in the first 30 seconds. Adamek tries to cover up but is taking some big shots; mainly the left uppercut. Cunningham battering Adamek all over the ring in this round although Adamek is taking the punches well. Cunningham backs off after a 90 second barrage and starts working his jab and Adamek goes back to stalking. Adamek scores with a right hand and Cunningham ties him up. Warning for Adamek for a low blow. Big right hand from Adamek over a lazy jab from Cunningham sends him down a 2nd time. Cunningham is up at 3 but that turned what was a dominant round into an Adamek round. Adamek attacks to end the round. Great round, candidate for round of the year!
10-9 Adamek (38-37 Adamek)
Round 5 The champion opens the round with two stiff jabs. Cunningham continues to score in this round as Adamek follows him around the ring. Good combination by Adamek as Cunningham gets off the ropes. Not much action from Cunningham now as Adamek lands a few jabs of his own. Solid combinations on the ropes by Adamek as he hooks to the head and then the body. Cunningham coming back now and he scores with some solid looping right hands. Good exchanges again here in the 5th with Cunningham scoring the better shots. Close round goes to Adamek for his aggression and more consistant attack.
10-9 Adamek (48-46)
Round 6 Cunningham again starts the round jabbing and landing with it. Adsamek scores to the body but Cunningham is landing his jab well in this round. The champion defends well on the ropes and goes right back to the jab. Adamek trying to land on the ropes but Cunningham having one of his better rounds although he’s wild with his power shots. Adamek closes the round well scoring with two left hooks but Cunningham landed his jab well and wins the round.
10-9 Cunningham (57-56 Adamek)
Round 7
Cunningham again opens the round jabbing and lands two good right hands early. More good boxing from the champion as he keeps Adamek in centre ring and keeps his jab in his face. Another right hand from Cunningham and Adamek takes it well. Adamek lands two good combinations that back the champion into the ropes. Big right hand from Cunningham and Adamek is unfazed. Cunningham finding his range with the right hand and he lands it two more times. Adamek again closes strong, throwing most of his punches for the round in the last thirty seconds but it’s another good round for the champion.
10-9 Cunningham (66-66 Even)
Round 8
Cunningham lands a big right hand early in the 2nd and again Adamek takes the punch. Another right hand from Cunningham who appears to be trying to do some damage early on here. Adamek unloads combinations on the ropes again but Cunningham defends well. The champion scoring with solid shots again in this round. Adamek lands a solid combination on the head of Cunningham. Left hook wobbles Cunningham and then sends him to the canvas for a third time on a delayed reaction. Cunningham beats the count and looks angered. Adamek tries to finish again and they exchange punches on the ropes with Adamek getting the better of it. Cunningham scores with two good left uppercuts but has an uphill battle ahead of him going into the late rounds.
10-8 Adamek (76-74 Adamek)
Round 9 Cunningham landing early with the right hand but Adamek doesn’t feel it. Cunningham outboxing a fairly inactive Adamek who is just following the champion around the ring. Cunningham showing a good variety of shots while Adamek doesn’t do much. The challenger scores with a right to the body but smothers his own work when he tries to follow up. Solid left hooks landing for Cunningham and Adamek isn’t answering back. Big two punch combo from Adamek and Cunningham seems hurt for a second but fights straight back and lands a solid left hook.
10-9 Cunningham (85-84 Adamek)
Round 10 Cunningham scoring early in the round again as Adamek tries to work the champion to the ropes. Good body punching from Adamek as he lands two good body shots. Cunningham controlling the range but not really landing a lot in this round. The pace has slowed down a lot and not a lot of shots being landed by either fighter. The challenger lands some good jabs and then a three punch combo. They exchange right hands and Adamek follows it up with a good combination. Adameks round based on the harder and cleaner shots being landed by him.
10-9 Adamek (95-93 Adamek)
Round 11 The champion takes control of the round early but Adamek finds his range earlier then usual. Cunningham landing a barrage punctuated with a right hand. Adamek comes back and lands some combinations. The champion trades with Adamek and comes off worse for wear. Adamek landing solid combinations this round as Cunningham has abandoned his jab and is trying to duke it out with Adamek. Big shots from both fighters but Adamek is getting the better of the exchanges. Both fighters looking tired heading towards the bell as they trade again. Cunningham needs a KO on this card if he wants to retain his title as I gave that round to the challenger.
10-9 Adamek (105-102 Adamek)
Round 12 Hard right hand early for Cunningham. They trade jabs and Adamek gets the better of it before Cunningham gets wild with a combo. They trade shots again, this time Adamek lands the more shots before Cunningham lands two solid hooks to finish the exchange. Sloppy work from two tired fighters during the middle part of the round although Cunningham is getting off first. Cunningham lands two good right hands as he backs up the challenger. Cunningham in control during the end parts of the fight but with three knockdowns against him it should prove too little too late although the fight was very close.
10-9 Cunningham (114-112 Adamek)
Scores are in. First judge has it 114-112 Cunningham. Second judge has it 116-110 Adamek. Third judge has it 115-112 for the new IBF Cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek!
Great fight! Would be a serious candidate for fight of the year if we didn’t have Cotto-Margarito and Marquez-Vazquez III this year already. The fight was very hard to score and I have no qualms with anyone scoring it different to me, although I felt the commentators were watching parts and judging it on them at times rather then watching the whole round. Check this fight out if you can find it, it’s well worth it.
On Sunday IBF/WBO Heavyweight titlist Wladimir Klitschko defends his belts against former undisputed Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman in Germany. Rahman is coming in as a replacement after IBF mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin injured his ankle in training and had to pull out of the fight. This will be the Klitschko’s 5th defence of his IBF belt that he took from Chris Byrd in 2006 and the 2nd of his WBO belt that he took from Sultan Ibragimov in February of this year. Unlike Klitschko’s last four bouts, this one on paper could be an exciting fight with both guys showing in the past that they have big knockout power and are also susceptible to being knocked out themselves. The winner of this fight is likely to meet former undisputed Cruiserweight champion David Haye in what would be the biggest heavyweight fight since the much hyped Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis fight in June 2002.
For Rahman he knows this could likely be his last shot at the big time and you would think would be on his game. Rahman has a history of being extremely inconsistant and should the Rahman who fought Holyfield, Ruiz or Maskaev show up he’ll likely be disposed of before the midway point of the fight. However, should Rahman come out firing his jab like he did when he fought Lennox Lewis, David Tua or Kali Meehan then we could see an upset. Sportstab in Australia have listed Rahman at 7-1 which are very generous odds considering Wladimir is very suspect to a fighter with good power who backs himself to attack.
Klitschko on the other hand basically has the fight in his hands. If he fights like he can and dominates the pace with his jab and follows it up with solid crosses and hooks he’ll make easy work of Rahman. If he fights like he did in his last two fights where he gave his overmatched opponents way way too much respect then Rahman has as much chance as anyone in there. The big difference is that unlike Ibragimov and Thompson, Rahman has proven one punch knockout power that will take Klitschko out if he’s given the oppurtunity. Klitschko cannot fight scared in this fight or he will no longer hold his belts. Hopefully (for his sake anyway, I’d love to see him lose) he’s visited the Wizard of Oz recently and been given his courage.
Prediction With 7-1 odds, I make Rahman a huge favourite and I’ve laid some money down on him. However, I think Klitschko will beat Rahman after a shaky first or second round. The fact that Rahman has taken this fight as a replacement and that he hasn’t looked that good of late lead me to believe that Klitschko will take over this fight as soon as he makes Rahman feel his power. Rahman has to back himself if he wants to cause the upset and be willing to go out on his shield trying to land his power shots. Klitschko though will likely beat the fight out of Rahman with his jab and then finish the job in the middle rounds. Wladimir Klitschko by 7th round knockout.
These are events that really don’t deserve me writing an entire article on them right now seeing that I’m flat out and can’t be bothered, but I’ll at least throw my picks up:
UFC Fight for the Troops Koscheck vs Yoshida- Koscheck on points
Swick vs Goulet- Swick by 1st round KO
Creduer vs Loughran- Creduer by 2nd round submission Wiman vs Miller- Wiman on points
Boxing Tomasz Adamek vs Steve Cunningham- Adamek on points Kendall Holt vs Demetrius Hopkins- Holt on points James Toney vs Fres Oquendo- Oquendo on points
Nicolay Valuev vs Evander Holyfield- Valuev by 8th round KO
I’ll still be covering the UFC 92 event, maybe K-1 Dynamite and the Klitschko-Rahman fight in full before the end of the year. Also there’ll be an end of year awards thread going up on New Years Day or January 2nd, depending on how hungover I am.
Manny Pacquiao moved up from lightweight and battered six weight world titlist Oscar De La Hoya, forcing him to quit after eight rounds of brutal punishment. Right from the opening bell Pacquiao was on his toes using his superior hand and foot speed to frustrate De La Hoya and land with his powerful left hand. De La Hoya was unable to get off with any sort of effective offence throughout the fight as Pacquiao repeatedly scored and retreated out of harms way. In the 7th round De La Hoya was battered from one corner to the other and twice looked like going down, however he showed heart and came out for the 8th round firing. Pacquiao soon took over in the 8th though and was back to battering ‘The Golden Boy’ come the end of the round. After a brief conversation with his corner, De La Hoya seemed to decide that fighting on was futile against the brilliance of ‘Pacman’ and surrendered on his stool.
Pacquiao deserves all the credit in the world for his performance. De La Hoya was the much bigger man and I thought was the better technical fighter, but Pacquiao keeps improving. He’s constantly adding dimensions to his game and has transformed from being the banger who destroyed Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2003 to a puncher who has among the best boxing skills in the game. While De La Hoya seemed lacklustre probably from weight loss, it’s hard to imagine what he could have done differently going on his recent form even if he didn’t have to lose the weight. No one’s done that to De La Hoya. Hopkins didn’t do it, Mayweather didn’t do it, Mosley or Trinidad didn’t do it. De La Hoya just 18 months ago took Mayweather to a split decision so for Pacquiao to do that to him cements him as an all-time great.
The obvious fight that is to be made now is Ricky Hatton vs Manny Pacquiao and it would be a blockbuster. Hatton again is the bigger guy and could smother Pacquiao and make him work for his punches, but then again Pacquiao’s power is that big that he could drop Hatton if Hatton leaves himself unprotected the way he does at times. De La Hoya should definately retire, there’s absolutely nothing left for him to do now. His skills have diminished due to inactivity and there’s no big fights to be made that are really worth being made above welterweight. The man has made millions and has plenty of businesses going and should concentrate on them and leave the fighting to the fresher men.
In what turned out to be a bizarre final match, Remy Bonjasky equalled Peter Aerts and Semmy Schilt by winning his third K-1 World Grand Prix title after his opponent in the final Badr Hari was disqualified for stomping Bonjasky in the head while he was on the ground. After Bonjasky had him down in the first round courtesy of a left hook, Hari used a single leg takedown before landing two punches and a blatantly obvious stomp that noticeably hurt Bonjasky. Time was given to Bonjasky to recover while Hari was awarded a yellow card however about five minutes later the referee took the microphone following the doctors examining Bonjasky in the ring and ruled that ‘Hari’s actions are completely against what K-1 is all about’ and gave Hari a red card, disqualifying the Moroccan bad boy. This marked the first time that a fighter have been disqualified in a K-1 World Grand Prix Final event. With the win, Bonjasky is just one World Grand Prix title win away from equalling ‘Mr Perfect’ Ernesto Hoost’s record of four K-1 World Grand Prix events.
Quarter Finals
Badr Hari TKO2 Peter Aerts Hari raced out of the blocks and Aerts was never in the race. Aerts was down 30 seconds into the fight via a left hook-right hook combination but he recovered well and landed some nice low kicks towards the end of the round. Hari started fast again in the second round and dropped Aerts with a spinning back kick to the head followed by a jumping front kick to the head. Aerts again beat the count but was clearly hurt and staggering all over the ring. After Hari landed a few more blows the referee stepped in and saved the former three time champion from further punishment. While the stoppage was premature, Aerts wasn’t going to win that fight on that night. He looked every bit of his age and didn’t seem to have the reflexes to handle Hari’s firepower. As much as people have probably said it in the past and he’s bounced back from it, I think Aerts should retire. Hari on the other hand looked like no one would deny him on this night.
Errol Zimmerman MD3 Ewerton Teixera Wow, did not expect that sort of a fight from Teixera. Zimmerman looked slow and disinterested sort of expecting Teixera to just walk into one of his punches but Teixera mixed his attacks up well, landing good leg and body kicks as well as right hands that seemingly couldn’t miss in the first round. Zimmerman attacked more in the 2nd round, landing some brutal body kicks but Teixera seemed to have an answer for everything. In the third round when it seemed that Teixera was going to pull away and win on points, a right uppercut dropped the Brazilian karate master and stole the fight for Zimmerman, earning him a spot in the semi finals with Hari.
Gokhan Saki UD3 Ruslan Karaev In what was av evenly fought battle, a knockdown in the 3rd round via a Gokhan Saki spinning backfist scored him the decision. The first round was very close with Saki landing his trademark leg kicks and Karaev scoring with short inside punches when he caught the Turk on the ropes. Karaev seemed to win the 2nd round by a comfortable margin as he backed Saki onto the ropes and blasted away with left hooks and body rips. Saki opened the third round with the knockdown which caught Karaev flush but left him more stunned then seriously hurt. Karaev knowing he needed to knock Saki out at this point became desperate, opening himself up to counter shots from Saki and giving him the only clear round in the fight. Saki won the fight with a unanimous decision, earning himself a semi final birth in his first K-1 WGP.
Remy Bonjasky TKO3 Jerome Le Banner In what was a disappointing way to go out for the unlucky Frenchman, Le Banner had his right arm reinjured (Ernesto Hoost broke his arm in the 2002 Final to defeat Le Banner) by two Bonjasky roundhouse kicks to the body and the doctor ruled him unable to continue. While Bonjasky seemed to be taking over before the unfortunate injury, it would have been good to see Le Banner go out in a fight rather then on another injury. The first two rounds were slow with Bonjasky having as slight edge due to more activity. Bonjasky opened the third round strongly with kicks to Le Banners legs and midsection and after Le Banner turned away in pain from a body kick and a referee standing count, the doctor was called in to examine Le Banner. Despite Jerome’s protests, the fight was stopped because of the arm and Le Banner’s World Grand Prix again ends in disappointment.
Alternate Bouts
Ray Sefo UD3 Hong Man Choi Sefo fought a brilliant fight, thats all that needs to be said really. He kept moving and didn’t let Choi get off with his punches and he mixed up his strikes very well which kept the big man guessing. There wasn’t one point in the fight when Hong Man looked like winning. I expect both guys will likely get voted into next years Final 16 so they won’t have to worry about going through any qualifiers.
Melvin Manhoef KO1 Paul Slowinski Wow! I didn’t expect Manhoef to be able to bully a big heavyweight like Slowinski like that. He repeatedly backed him into the corners and landed with big punches. The first knockdown was via a right hand over the jab and the knock out came from a monster left hook. Whatever Manhoef decides to fight in next year it’ll be worth watching as the guy is pure entertainment.
Semi Finals
Badr Hari KO3 Errol Zimmerman Fight of the night! Zimmerman knew he had to come out firing and he did and while Hari outscored him in the first round, ‘The Bonecrusher’ landed his fair share of solid blows back. With Hari outscoring Zimmerman early in the 2nd round, Zimmerman landed an absolute monster of a right hand that floored Hari heavily. Hari took the 8 count and went on the attack, backing Zimmerman up with jabs, low kicks and body shots. With about ten seconds remaining in the round, Hari beat Zimmerman to the punch and dropped him heavily with a right hand. Zimmerman beat the count but looked hurt and tired. Hari opened the third round with head snapping jabs before opening up with kicks to the body and legs. A right hand then dropped Zimmerman violently and he couldn’t beat the count. Hari headed to the Final to meet the winner of Gokhan Saki and Re,y Bonjasky.
Remy Bonjasky KO2 Gokhan Saki Both guys were cautious in the first round and the round was fairly uneventful. Then out of nowhere in the 2nd round, Bonjasky lept in with a flying roundhouse kick to the body that caught Saki halfway up the ribcage. Saki was down in obvious pain and had no chance of beating the count. ‘The Flying Gentleman’ scored with one of his famous flying strikes to earn himself his third apperance in a K-1 WGP Final, having won his previous two.
The Final- Badr Hari vs Remy Bonjasky Both guys fought in the quarter finals last year and went to war with Bonjasky taking a razor thin decision over Hari. However, the energy he used up in the fight left him unable to offer much resistance to Peter Aerts in the semi finals. Having both gone through their previous opponents inside the distance, the Final match seemed to be an even one with only Hari having been in any sort of trouble when he fought Zimmerman.
In complete contrast to last years match, both fighters opened slowly and circled. Both guys seemed to be finding their range in the first minute. Halfway through the round, Bonjasky caught Hari with a left hook on the ropes that stunned the K-1 Heavyweight Champion, a follow-up high kick was ducked and Hari fell to the deck from the effects of the hook. Hari beat the count with ease but the knockdown was a big edge for Bonjasky on the cards and he knew it, refusing to take any chances for the rest of the round. Hari came out firing in the 2nd round and was getting the better of the exchanges. Bonjasky landed a solid body kick but was countered with a right hand that forced him to give ground. Hari caught a kick in an exchange and took Bonjasky down where he punched and stomped Bonjasky earning his disqualification.
It’s hard to know what was going through Hari’s mind. I’m sure it was a spur of the moment thing and not a premeditated action. He had a lot of adrenaline flowing knowing he needed to hurt Bonjasky and probably just got carried away. It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as when Tyson bit Holyfield in the infamous 1997 rematch. Still, Hari was rightfully disqualified and the fact that he didn’t really seem to care about what he did isn’t a good sign. I’m sure both guys will meet again in the future at some stage.
Final Thoughts Overall I greatly enjoyed the event despite the bizarre ending. I’ve followed fight sports long enough to know that these sort of things happen. I can definately say I’ll be a K-1 fan for a long time to come. I’m already looking forward to next years K-1 series. With the Final 8 already guaranteed their spots in the Final 16 next year, the make-up of the other eight will be interesting. I doubt Semmy Schilt can get a fan voted spot because everyone hates him so he’ll likely have to qualify in one of the qualifying events. Then again, if he defeats Bonjasky or Aerts (the two guys I think are most likely to face him in the Super Heavyweight title fight) then who knows.
