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When Gentleman Jim Corbett, the father of modern boxing, dazzled John L. Sullivan with lightning fast foot speed in the face of the new Marquis of Queensberry boxing rules to win the heavyweight title, a confused public was aghast. When heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali knew how to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”, the “float part” gave reference to Ali’s superior footwork. Nobody today has demonstrated the sort of superior footwork which made ‘Gentleman Jim’ and ‘The Greatest’ famous. However, once and awhile, a fighter is forced in the middle of a fight to change tactics.
Sometimes the tactics in question involve footwork, not throwing punches. Such was the Corbett and Ali-like challenge presented to welterweight contender Shamone Alvarez and his trainer Arnold Robbins in the main event at Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City this past Saturday, promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
Alvarez, now 29-2 (12) fighting in his hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey, wound up fighting a scientific boxing war with Alexis Camacho, now 17-3 (16) a Monterrey, Mexico fighter fighting out of Austin, Texas, trained by legendary Lou Duva.
The hard hitting Camacho won the first, getting Alvarez to chase him and keeping Alvarez on the outside. Camacho jabbed and hooked aggressively to the head of Alvarez.
In the second, Alvarez landed left and right hook bombs, and left and right hook body punches while on the ropes. Camacho was wobbling around the ring.
In the third, Alvarez and Camacho had heated exchanges, with Alvarez landing some power shots to the head.
In the third and fourth round, the momentum of the bout began to change as Alvarez adjusted his game plan as well as his footwork. He forced Camacho to come to him and remained in the center of the ring. Camacho remained on the edge of the ring, trying to sucker Alvarez in. Alvarez avoided this trap, remained in center ring, and landed his shots.
Camacho, holding a low right and unable to correct the flaw, got targeted by straight counter lefts over the top thrown by Alvarez Although Camacho appeared to be able to take some brutal shots, there are only so many rounds a fighter can survive counterpunch power shots to the head before that fighter will fall. Joe Louis fell in the twelfth round in his first fight against Max Schmeling. Camacho did not last that long.
As Alvarez had predicted in an interview a week earlier with Saddoboxing, Camacho knew he would need a knockout to win in Atlantic City, which is Alvarez’ hometown. Alvarez predicted that Camacho would fight foolishly and pay the price by getting knocked out.
In the fifth and sixth rounds, Alvarez was landing his straight counter left over Camacho’s low right and doing serious damage. Camacho resorted to a low blow on Alvarez, forcing a brief stop in the action.
Midway through round seven, Alvarez landed a devastating counter left to the head, followed by a right to the head, that put Camacho down and out severe enough to be a KO without a count by referee Richard Vera, who appeared serious and was on top of the action all night. After ending the contest, Vera promptly removed his belt from his pants, and returned it to the boxing reporter at ringside from whom he had borrowed it.
In the post fight interview, Alvarez explained “This was a very pivotal fight for me, this is just the beginning of the hill. I still have to go to the top of the hill.” Alvarez continued, “I thought I was hitting Camacho, I felt it in my hand. I didn’t feel him fade. In the first round, he hit me but didn’t hurt me. My new workout routine and newborn daughter have given me a new direction.”
According to trainer Arnold Robbins, “Camacho had to get closer to close the distance. It was just a matter of time before we got inside and got to him. Camacho’s shots were too short and wide, giving Shamone time to counter.”
Robbins continued, “This was one of Shamone’s best performances, it was a game plan, and it worked. I had hoped it went the way it did. Camacho took everything early on. It was just a matter of time before the tree fell down. I didn’t want to change Shamone’s defensive mind because everything was working. It was just a good game plan.”
An Analysis of the Shamone Alvarez Game Plan
Alexis Camacho looked like an amateur. Camacho kept leaving himself wide open after just about every shot he threw, leaving himself defenseless to Alvarez punches. Alvarez was just capitalizing on Camacho’s inability to mount a defense after an attack. So what happened in the fight?
Alvarez was content to counterpunch all night. Every time Camacho attacked, he left himself wide open. All Alvarez had to do was wait for Camacho to come in. The lack of straight right hands from Camacho made Alvarez’ job fifty percent more efficient. What Alvarez did right was counterpunch after the third round.
Whenever Alvarez attacked, he got caught with some monster punches that stunned him. At least twice Alvarez looked ready to go Alvarez quickly figured out that he had to stop coming in, and his job was to counterpunch. When Alvarez made this adjustment it determined the rest of the fight, and it became his fight. That is when Alvarez’ straight left hand became more evident than Camacho’s right hand. Camacho was baiting Alvarez to come in, and Alvarez negated that by staying back and not falling for the trap. Alvarez remained in center ring, and stayed put for most of the bout.
Role of Superior Footwork by Shamone Alvarez
Alvarez is a southpaw, and the southpaw’s best weapon is a straight left hand, but he also had to keep his right foot on the outside of his opponent’s left foot. By doing so, Alvarez negated Camacho’s straight right hand (his best weapon), and improved his own straight left by giving it a better chance of landing.
Camacho’s job was to keep his left foot on the outside of Alvarez’ right foot, but it never happened. It was only in the first round that Camacho was able to do this.
All night, the weak cries of Lou Duva were drowned out by the sound of Alvarez’ followers. Duva begged Camacho to move left and not right, to negate Alvarez’ straight left hand.
Duva’s corner relayed instructions in Spanish, but Alvarez did not allow Camacho to get his left foot on the outside of his (Alvarez’) right foot, thus negating Duva’s plan. After the third round, Camacho’s straight right hand was no longer apparent, due to Alvarez’ superior footwork.
Alvarez was not dancing or bouncing, he was stepping and conserving his energy. To sum it all up, this is one boxing match that was won with footwork. Amen hallelujah!
