The heavyweight savior still hasn’t arrived
By Michael Woods March 10th, 2006Woodsy’s Ringside Results from The Hammerstein Ballroom
NEW YORK (March 9, 2006) – Always on the lookout for the next big thing in the heavyweight division. I admit, I’m a heavyweight hound. They are so… American. Frequently overweight, possessing unparalleled power…
Anyway, we can scratch Osborn Machima, a South African, off the list. Saw him in action on DiBella’s Hammerstein ballroom show on Thursday evening.
Maybe it was jet lag.
Maybe he got suckered into buying meat on a stick from a street vendor before his bout…..But Osborn was’t good.
Bad sign: he’s flabby. C’mon, you want to impress…. Square one: get in shape! James Toney is the exception to the rule, people. He can’t be your role model…
Livin Castillo upset the South African with a UD8 win. DiBella wasn’t totally bummed out that the fight wasn’t too entertaining – he snagged Castillo as the next opponent for comebacking Fres Oquendo….
Dino Duva was in the house with his second-slot heavyweight, Brian Minto. I thought Minto looked familiar and said as much, and was surprised when he said who he was. Minto isn’t tall. I thought he was a local middleweight. Which makes his accomplishments that much more impressive. Duva has him fighting Billy Zumbrun underneath Sam Peter/Julius “Timbeerrrr” Long on April 28 at Mohegan…Duva says Kendall Holt’s sprained ankle is better and he’ll fight in May….Also, Duva has chatted with Dan Goossen about Peter fighting Toney if Toney beats Rahman on March 18.
Security wasn’t as tight (no frisk when I entered) as it was for the last DiBella show with Curtis Stevens and Co. on it.
Jerson Ravelo is an explosive power. He’s moved up on my “Must Watch” list. Off the list: Machima. Oh wait, he wasn’t ever on it…
Edgar Santana is a patient fighter who will ground you down and turn it up late. Best be prepared to have a full tank of air when you fight him, because he will take you into deep water….
PS Got an email from a Frank Warren employee who had a beef with “hymen-thin chin.” I should have clarified that, as I told him: Calzaghe’s chin has gotten more questionable in the last few years. Is it china? No, it’s not. Maybe I just liked the word flow too much…
March 12th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
just wanted to add a lil to the topic of in search of the next great heavyweight. it has been nearly non-existant since the days of Holyfield-Lewis. The heavyweight didvision is boring now. the middle, welter are and even lightweights are where all the action and talent worth watching is whre it’s at. I watched the Mormeck-Bell crusierweight bout in January, the undercard to Judah-Baldomir (which is another story). They put on a great show and sportmanship. If that was a heavyweight bout, I would’ve been really satisfied, it was genuinely an entertaining fight. i wish there were more boxer’s like these two high caliber athletes. I looked forward to seeing them in future bouts.
March 13th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
“I should have clarified that, as I told him: Calzaghe’s chin has gotten more questionable in the last few years. Is it china? No, it’s not. Maybe I just liked the word flow too much…”
that’s funny, on the e-mail you returned you just said something about me ‘flipping burgers for a living’, no mention at all about the fight. bad memory - maybe. full of shit - absolutely.
March 14th, 2006 at 2:04 am
FYI I haven’t corresponded with Frank Warren in an email–at least not knowingly. Maybe “Frank” was using an email account under an assumed name. Hey, it the Web, people go on dating sites, and tell prospective mates that they’re 6-2, when in actuality they’re 5-8. Buyer beware. So I’m foggy on what “Frank warren” is referring to here. But just so we’re all on the same page, if someone writes me and is an ass, and tries to make a point while acting like a jagoff, I’ll call them on it.
And perhaps, if I’m irked enough, say something along the lines of:
“Hey. I don’t come to your job and tell you when to flip my burger, so don’t address me and tell me how to write.”
But in general, getting pissy and taking it personally, as “Frank Warren” does here, tells me that I hit close to a nerve, and it hit home.
Also, mudflinging contests are basically a waste of time and energy, so I won’t prolong it here.
Now, why don’t you put your apron back and flip my burger, Mickey D.
Just kidding, that’s a takeoff on Frank Vincent’s GoodFellas line….
Sorry your fellings got hurt,
MJW
March 14th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
christ….
if my 2 line response prove you “hit close to a nerve”, what does your rant say about you?
i must say i’m honoured - a mere burger-flipper taking up so much time of a ‘writer’s’ (not to mention fight-picking extraordinaire’s) time.
seeya!
March 21st, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Being a super heavyweight fighter, I really agree with the fact that the heavyweight division has gotten EXTREMELY boring! I still hope that there will be a fighter of the caliber of Lennox Lewis, or the young Mike Tyson especially, to arrive on the heavyweight scene. If not, then you’ll just have to wait till I get there.