By the time Andrew Golota and John Ruiz began their ugliness, it was Sunday morning and some in the crowd at Madison Square Garden had had so much to drink that they were fighting among themselves.
Want to know what’s wrong with the heavyweight boxing division these days? Look no further than what took place on this chilly autumn night in New York.
Two reigning champions, three former champions and a bunch of guys who dream of being a champion were brought together by Don King to fight what would be a total of 50 rounds with two major titles at stake.
You might have thought the night would begin to sort out a division that claims four champions, any three of whom you’d be hard pressed to name.
You would have thought wrong.
The card began on a bad note, when Evander Holyfield’s pathetic quest to win the undisputed heavyweight title exposed him once again as a 42-year-old whose reflexes are shot even though his body looks every bit as good as when he made his pro debut 20 years earlier in the same building.
The crowd tried to urge Holyfield on, chanting his name halfheartedly a few times, as journeyman Larry Donald did everything to Holyfield but convince him to retire.
”In my mind I can’t realistically think that it is over,” Holyfield said.
”But I have to look at the possibility that this is a permanent problem. If this is going to happen every fight, I can’t continue to do it.”
At least Holyfield has a proud past to look back on. He won the heavyweight title four times, was an undisputed champion and conquered Mike Tyson.
The fighters who followed him on Saturday night can make no such claims.
Hasim Rahman was a one-punch wonder who lost it just as quickly on another punch, and now he’s in line for a shot at one of the titles after beating up a former rugby player from New Zealand by the name of Kali Meehan.
That set the stage for the first title fight of the night, with undersized IBF champion Chris Byrd taking on his oversized friend, Jameel McCline. Byrd got knocked down in the second round and took some early punishment before rallying to win a split decision that did nothing to bolster his claim as a true champion.
The worst was saved for last, though, when Ruiz and Golota engaged in a 12-round fiasco that had all the skill and finesse of a mugging. Ruiz ended up winning, though it was his buffoonish trainer, Norman Stone, who provided the most entertainment when he threw a punch at Golota’s trainer and then was ejected for throwing some tape at the referee.
By the end, even the drunks in the upper seats had quit fighting, resigned perhaps to the fact the evening had nearly come and gone and they still hadn’t seen a heavyweight who was more than just a pretender to the crown.
Part of that can be blamed on King, who has locked up almost any heavyweight who can figure out how to lace up his boots. King won’t risk his fighters losing titles to anyone he doesn’t have options on, which is why he resurrected Golota from boxing’s graveyard and gave him title fights in successive bouts against Byrd and Ruiz.
Perhaps the best fighter in New York over the weekend didn’t fight at all. WBC champion Vitali Klitschko was there to have lunch with some writers, declare he would fight anyone, and then explain in the same breath why he’s defending his title against one-shot wonder Danny Williams next month.
The truth is, there is no Ali, Foreman or Frazier among this bunch. There’s not even a Tyson, though Tyson will likely take his freak show on the road again in March if he can find a stiff who is so bad he can beat him.
There are, however, some decent fighters in the group, though all operate under some handicaps. Byrd is too small, Ruiz fights too ugly, Rahman is too quirky, and Klitschko is too slow.
They all have one thing in common, though. None of them can sell a ticket, which is why the Garden’s balcony section was empty on Saturday night despite King’s heavy promotion of this tonne of heavyweights.
For that to change, someone has to take a chance and the champions have to start fighting each other. What is left of a boxing public not yet alienated by multiple champions and weight divisions craves an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Let’s begin by tossing the WBO version of the belt in the trash, where it belongs. Lamon Brewster is a nice guy, but he’s done nothing to earn being called a heavyweight champion.
Next, have Ruiz fight Byrd. It may not be pretty, but at least boxing fans wouldn’t have to sit through another night where both defend titles.
At some point, if Klitschko hasn’t been exposed by then as a one-dimensional fighter, they can get together and unify the titles.
Just do us one favour: Whatever happens, don’t let Holyfield have any part of it. – Sapa-AP