Are we witnessing the resurgence of American heavyweights?
Posted Jul. 12, 2009 at 11:41am
By William Dettloff
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Over the last several years, the outlook for American heavyweight boxing has become bleaker than a Kurt Vonnegut novel.
The division dominated by Americans for roughly 100 years is populated today by a herd of seemingly interchangeable Eastern European clubbers who may be stars on the other side of the world, but in America appear about as interesting (and talented) as your average congressman or senator.
The exception, and it’s a tenuous one, comes in the form of the Brothers Klitschko, Vitali and Wladimir, who seem light years better than anyone else, but in this discussion that may be akin to being called the best night manager at the local Safeway.
Maybe there’s a ray of hope.
On July 4th, Philadelphia’s Eddie Chambers went all the way to Hamburg to put a whupping on hulking, Top-10 rated Ivan Drago look-alike Alexander Dimitrenko.
California’s undefeated power-puncher Chris Arreola continues to impress, even if he appears to have gone to the James Toney School of Portion Control. A shot against one of the Klitschkos looms.
And Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Kevin Johnson, once a safety-first jabber and little else, took apart undefeated Devin Vargas in May and has signed to face former Cuban amateur star Odlanier Solis in August.
What’s going on here? Are we seeing a resurgence of the ascendant American heavyweight? Or are we engaging in wishful thinking?
“Getting excited over the recent wins of Arreola, Johnson, and Chambers is like thinking you have a shot with the best-looking girl in the class because she happened to sneeze on you,” Showtime‘s Steve Farhood told RingTV.com in an email.
“My question for the question: Can you envision any of these guys defeating Wlad or Vitali? If the answer is yes, it‘s time for your doctor to rewrite the prescription.”
That may be true; the top American prospects match up poorly with the Klitschkos, and not just because they’re smaller. We all know by now (or should) that size doesn’t mean squat unless you can fight.
They match up poorly because none of them appears to possess the kind of fire, confidence, commitment and mental toughness it takes to walk into the propellers that are the Klitschko offenses and take care of business.
HBO’s Max Kellerman, who frequently says all the best and biggest American athletes are found on the football field these days rather than in boxing gyms, finds serious flaws in the current crop of American heavyweight prospects.
“I’ve always liked Chambers for his skills,” he said. “He was dominating (Alexander) Povetkin early, but Povetkin convinced him he was a sparring partner, and Chambers then fought like it. It’s always fun to watch him fight, but given his lack of pop, his size, and the indifference he shows in some fights, what’s his upside?”
Arreola probably has more going for him than does Chambers, but Kellerman, like many others, is put off by his inability to control his weight.
“Arreola doesn’t apply himself like he should,” Kellerman said. “He doesn’t exactly have that Bernard Hopkins work ethic, where he takes two weeks off after a fight and then goes right to the gym.
“He can punch and he has a really good amateur background. Because of that, he does well in exchanges against more athletic guys. He has that muscle memory. But this is a guy who as an amateur was a light heavyweight and now we’re happy if he gets under 230.”
That leaves Johnson, who is charismatic and marketable and whose jab looks a lot like the one Larry Holmes used to tame a division of big men a couple decades ago. He unveiled a good straight right hand and new-found aggression against Vargas in an ESPN-televised knockout win.
But as Farhood said, he hasn’t fought anyone of note. Also, like his compatriots, Johnson always looks soft around the middle.
Farhood is pessimistic about the trio as a whole.
“Remember the Supreme Court judge who said he knew pornography when he saw it?” he said. “Well, I’ll know the next great American heavyweight when I see him, and right now, my glasses are all fogged up.”
Don’t lose hope. One of these guys might surprise us.
Some random observations from last week:
Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko looked like a couple novice amateurs Friday night. …
Anges Adjaho can fight a little bit (just a little), but as a thespian, he makes Ashton Kutcher look like Bobby DeNiro. …
If George Takei (http://takei.fojin.com/) were a fight announcer, he’d sound just like Gus Johnson. …
The least surprising story of the month: Johnny Tapia is in jail again, this time for parole violation. What’s a guy to do when the only things that give him pleasure send him to jail? …
Michael Jackson dies and the whole world stops. They find Alexis Arguello with a hole in his chest and he gets a couple mentions on SportsCenter. To paraphrase Victor Ortiz: I give up! …
Kudos to Showtime for putting together a tournament at super middleweight. It’s not the deepest division there is, and I’d rather see Lucian Bute in there than the increasingly fragile Jermain Taylor, but tournaments are always good for business. For the record, I like Mikkel Kessler to come out on top. …
Glad to see Shane Mosley has stopped chasing Manny Pacquiao. I’d rather see him against Andre Berto, Paul Williams or Cintron anyway. Out of the three, I say Williams beats him, and not by a little. …
If you know why in the hell Shaun George gave away his fight against Chris Henry on ESPN2 Friday night, drop me a line. Tommy Brooks hasn’t returned my calls. …
Speaking of Friday Night Fights, what’s with giving Henry headphones (that kept sliding off his bald, sweaty head) for the post fight interview when Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore were eight feet away? …
Reports from Brazil indicate that police believe Arturo Gatti’s wife may have strangled him with a purse strap, of all things. Don’t try to reconcile the death of a man so young and alive as Gatti; you‘ll drive yourself crazy.
If you must find some comfort, try this: Gatti never was built for old age, or perhaps even for middle age. You saw the way he fought, and if you paid attention, you know he lived his life outside the ring just as recklessly. One way or another, he was going to die young. If he moved you with his innumerable struggles, then his was a life well lived.
Bill Dettloff can be reached at Dettloff@ptd.net
The division dominated by Americans for roughly 100 years is populated today by a herd of seemingly interchangeable Eastern European clubbers who may be stars on the other side of the world, but in America appear about as interesting (and talented) as your average congressman or senator.
The exception, and it’s a tenuous one, comes in the form of the Brothers Klitschko, Vitali and Wladimir, who seem light years better than anyone else, but in this discussion that may be akin to being called the best night manager at the local Safeway.
Maybe there’s a ray of hope.
On July 4th, Philadelphia’s Eddie Chambers went all the way to Hamburg to put a whupping on hulking, Top-10 rated Ivan Drago look-alike Alexander Dimitrenko.
California’s undefeated power-puncher Chris Arreola continues to impress, even if he appears to have gone to the James Toney School of Portion Control. A shot against one of the Klitschkos looms.
And Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Kevin Johnson, once a safety-first jabber and little else, took apart undefeated Devin Vargas in May and has signed to face former Cuban amateur star Odlanier Solis in August.
What’s going on here? Are we seeing a resurgence of the ascendant American heavyweight? Or are we engaging in wishful thinking?
“Getting excited over the recent wins of Arreola, Johnson, and Chambers is like thinking you have a shot with the best-looking girl in the class because she happened to sneeze on you,” Showtime‘s Steve Farhood told RingTV.com in an email.
“My question for the question: Can you envision any of these guys defeating Wlad or Vitali? If the answer is yes, it‘s time for your doctor to rewrite the prescription.”
That may be true; the top American prospects match up poorly with the Klitschkos, and not just because they’re smaller. We all know by now (or should) that size doesn’t mean squat unless you can fight.
They match up poorly because none of them appears to possess the kind of fire, confidence, commitment and mental toughness it takes to walk into the propellers that are the Klitschko offenses and take care of business.
HBO’s Max Kellerman, who frequently says all the best and biggest American athletes are found on the football field these days rather than in boxing gyms, finds serious flaws in the current crop of American heavyweight prospects.
“I’ve always liked Chambers for his skills,” he said. “He was dominating (Alexander) Povetkin early, but Povetkin convinced him he was a sparring partner, and Chambers then fought like it. It’s always fun to watch him fight, but given his lack of pop, his size, and the indifference he shows in some fights, what’s his upside?”
Arreola probably has more going for him than does Chambers, but Kellerman, like many others, is put off by his inability to control his weight.
“Arreola doesn’t apply himself like he should,” Kellerman said. “He doesn’t exactly have that Bernard Hopkins work ethic, where he takes two weeks off after a fight and then goes right to the gym.
“He can punch and he has a really good amateur background. Because of that, he does well in exchanges against more athletic guys. He has that muscle memory. But this is a guy who as an amateur was a light heavyweight and now we’re happy if he gets under 230.”
That leaves Johnson, who is charismatic and marketable and whose jab looks a lot like the one Larry Holmes used to tame a division of big men a couple decades ago. He unveiled a good straight right hand and new-found aggression against Vargas in an ESPN-televised knockout win.
But as Farhood said, he hasn’t fought anyone of note. Also, like his compatriots, Johnson always looks soft around the middle.
Farhood is pessimistic about the trio as a whole.
“Remember the Supreme Court judge who said he knew pornography when he saw it?” he said. “Well, I’ll know the next great American heavyweight when I see him, and right now, my glasses are all fogged up.”
Don’t lose hope. One of these guys might surprise us.
Some random observations from last week:
Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko looked like a couple novice amateurs Friday night. …
Anges Adjaho can fight a little bit (just a little), but as a thespian, he makes Ashton Kutcher look like Bobby DeNiro. …
If George Takei (http://takei.fojin.com/) were a fight announcer, he’d sound just like Gus Johnson. …
The least surprising story of the month: Johnny Tapia is in jail again, this time for parole violation. What’s a guy to do when the only things that give him pleasure send him to jail? …
Michael Jackson dies and the whole world stops. They find Alexis Arguello with a hole in his chest and he gets a couple mentions on SportsCenter. To paraphrase Victor Ortiz: I give up! …
Kudos to Showtime for putting together a tournament at super middleweight. It’s not the deepest division there is, and I’d rather see Lucian Bute in there than the increasingly fragile Jermain Taylor, but tournaments are always good for business. For the record, I like Mikkel Kessler to come out on top. …
Glad to see Shane Mosley has stopped chasing Manny Pacquiao. I’d rather see him against Andre Berto, Paul Williams or Cintron anyway. Out of the three, I say Williams beats him, and not by a little. …
If you know why in the hell Shaun George gave away his fight against Chris Henry on ESPN2 Friday night, drop me a line. Tommy Brooks hasn’t returned my calls. …
Speaking of Friday Night Fights, what’s with giving Henry headphones (that kept sliding off his bald, sweaty head) for the post fight interview when Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore were eight feet away? …
Reports from Brazil indicate that police believe Arturo Gatti’s wife may have strangled him with a purse strap, of all things. Don’t try to reconcile the death of a man so young and alive as Gatti; you‘ll drive yourself crazy.
If you must find some comfort, try this: Gatti never was built for old age, or perhaps even for middle age. You saw the way he fought, and if you paid attention, you know he lived his life outside the ring just as recklessly. One way or another, he was going to die young. If he moved you with his innumerable struggles, then his was a life well lived.
Bill Dettloff can be reached at Dettloff@ptd.net
