Three years have gone by since the retirement of Lennox Lewis. In what we hoped for, the making of a new king has yet to come to its fruition.
A hope for certainty at last, we’re still in search of that great young American heavyweight.
If my memory serves me correctly, Larry Merchant once hailed Dominick Guinn as the best young American heavyweight since Riddick Bowe.
A great insult to Riddick it was. I’m still waiting for a heavyweight who can match the skills of Tony Tubbs.
As we begin to settle for the unexpected contingency of Russian heavyweights, Calvin Brock is here to provide his service as the American hope.
But a ‘Boxing Banker’? Hmmm…What we need is a heavyweight lawn mower.
If Calvin Brock is indeed the best young heavyweight the sport can provide, then well……We’re just gonna have to wait and see.
While Audley Harrison has gone from a publicized Gold Medalist of the 2000 Olympic Games to a walkout bout in Atlantic City , Brock, the former 2000 Heavyweight Olympian has taken the opposite route in climbing the championship ladder.
Overshadowed by his fellow teammates of the 2000 class, Brock, a consummate overachiever, has fought through anonymity and doubts to gradually land his position in possibly fighting for a heavyweight world title.
In subsequence to twenty four victories against nondescript opponents, Brock passed his toughest test of his professional career with a win over former title challenger, Jameel McCline in 2005. The bout, which Brock had to climb off the canvas to outwork and outhustle the bigger guy, was indeed an eye opener.
Displaying dexterous skills and courageous heart throughout, Brock defeated an experienced foe in McCline, who had previously challenged for the IBF heavyweight title. To stay busy in action, the graduate of UNC-Charlotte, followed up with easy wins over fringe contenders, Kenny Craven and David Bostice.
His recent chilling knockout of the spoiler Zuri Lawrence on the televised undercard of Mosley-Vargas in February garnered more interest, which led to this Saturday’s edition of Boxing After Dark.
Headlining his first HBO telecast, the weight is on his shoulders as he takes on the fellow undefeated Timor Ibragimov of Russia.
REMINSCENT OF THE GOOD OLE’ DARK
Damn, it’s been almost seven years since Oleg Maskaev knocked Hasim Rahman out of the ring.
Who would’ve thought they would meet again later for a piece of the heavyweight title?
Say it ain’t so.
Hasim Rahman vs. Oleg Maskaev II for the world heavyweight championship? Get real.
I do admit, Maskaev has been on a tremendous run since his brutal knockout losses to ‘Goofi’ Whitaker and ‘T-Rex’ Sanders, but let’s not over exaggerate – a win over ‘I AM’ Sinan Sam isn’t exactly Holmes-Mercer’esque. And it certainly doesn’t merit one for a title shot
Be that as it may, Saturday’s bout at the Caesar’s Palace has much more intrigue.
Here we have, HBO’s Boxing After Dark, the same series that brought you Maskaev-Rahman I, bringing us another Russian-American heavyweight attraction.
Both fighters, at age 31, might be nearing close to their primes.
We could be looking at the possible future of the heavyweight division down the line.
It was only a few months ago when Sergei Lykahovich practically came out of nowhere to snatch Lamon Brewster’s WBO title from their grueling encounter.
If Ibragimov can follow the same pattern of his fellow Eastern European, we could be anticipating another upset, which at this juncture, should not come as a surprise.
With the Russians seemingly taking over the heavyweight landmark, an Ibragimov win might just be another addition to their apparent dominance.
In account of Wladimir Klitschko’s recent win over Chris Byrd, Hasim Rahman now walks the lonely road as the sole titlist who speaks the American. Brock can remind the Rock, he won’t be alone in the near future.
As smart as he sounds, the’ Boxing Banker’ should be quite aware of his predicament. Anything but an emphatic win might deteriorate his chances for prosperity.
Perhaps this isn’t a test to pass. It’s a test to ace.
THE FINAL TILT
If I had my way as an HBO executive, I would’ve preferred a match between Brock and the other Ibragimov, Sultan, who’s the cousin of Timor and arguably the better of the two. It’s a match to be made down the road…..Sultan faces Ray Austin on July in an IBF eliminator, where the winner gets a shot at the champion, Wladimir Klitschko. Is Jermain Taylor the luckiest prizefighter ever? After winning two close razor-thin bouts with Bernard Hopkins, and retaining his title via draw against Winky Wright, it’s dubious to say the least, that Taylor is indeed the best middleweight in the world. I guess it’s hard to tell when you go from the Freddie Cuevas’ of the world to the elites within such a short span of time. To his credit, he proved his place among the top level, providing at best/worst (take your pick), that he could at least fight on even terms with the elites. There’s an intriguing bout tonight on ShoBox, which features a rematch between featherweights Robert Guerrero and Gamaliel Diaz. The first fight, which was won by Diaz, was an entertaining scrap. Expect Guerrero to put on an impressive performance, avenging his only professional defeat.