Boxing Perspective: Greatness

Teetering On The Brink Of Greatness: A Doctor, A Dragon and A Defensive Master

The word “great” is one that is often based on opinion. Everyone’s opinion varies, so while one person may think that McDonald’s is a great place to eat, another may disagree, nominating the Russian Tea Room instead. One is a fast food restaurant while the other is a five star establishment but both are great places to eat, it just depends on who is asked.

The same rule applies for opinions on fighters. Some may think Mike Tyson was great, yet others think that Evander Holyfield was great and Tyson was not. It depends on the fan and how they view the concept of “great”. The concept of “Greatness”, on the other hand, is a different story.

Greatness is not a designation of opinion but rather one achieved by actual accomplishment. To achieve greatness, you must out perform not only your competition, but also those who achieved greatness before you, or at least perform to the level that those predecessors did.

Jack Johnson achieved greatness because not only was he the first black heavyweight champion, but also dominated in the ring and overcame his problems outside of it. Joe Louis achieved greatness because he was such a dominate champion for so long. Ali became great not only because of the men he beat, but in the fashion that he did so. Hopkins because of his timely reign and amount of title defenses he successfully made.

For every fighter who achieves greatness, there are ten who almost achieved it and for one reason or another, fell just short and are more known for that shortcoming rather then their accomplishments. Meldrick Taylor is a former pound for pound fighter who was on his way to greatness when he faced Julio Cesar Chavez. The Mexican won a tough fight via TKO in what many feel was a bad decision by referee Richard Steele, who stopped the bout with just seconds remaining in the final round.

Taylor was ahead on the cards and he would have won the fight if not for the stoppage. No one ever talks about Taylor’s wins and how he was one of the best in the world at the time. They only talk about the stoppage loss against Chavez.

The same goes for former light heavy and heavyweight champion, Michael Spinks. You don’t hear about his skill at light heavyweight or his heavyweight title reign; instead, all you hear about is how easily Mike Tyson destroyed him.

These men were great fighters and it took just one incident to keep them from greatness and haunt their accomplishments forever. Right now, there are three men in this sport who teeter on greatness but all need to do something before they retire so they are not haunted by a shortcoming instead of revered for accomplishment.

Getting knocked out in a definitive manner will always stick with the fans mind when they speak of you. Roberto Duran, as good as he was, will always be in the conversation of best knockouts due to his KO loss at the hands of Thomas Hearns. The straight right had Duran flat on his face and out cold! He still went down as an all time great after he retired, because he had so many good fights but the KO loss still sits there as a blemish along with his “No Mas” loss to Ray Leonard.

Wladimir Klitschko, the current IBF heavyweight champion, is the best in the division at the moment. He has the power and skill to go against anyone else in the weight class and be successful. He is also getting better with every fight, but is plagued by soft chin syndrome.

You always have to wonder if Klitschko’s chin is going to stand up every time he gets caught clean as he has been laid out three times. Ross Purity, Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster all put the big man to sleep. Even if he remained champion for ten more years, those fights will always follow him first and foremost.

What Dr. Steele Hammer needs to do is make us forget those losses. He also must avenge one of them. If he dominates the division and cleans up with all the titles, it may be enough to put his soft beard on the back burner. Can he can rid us of the pretenders and give us one heavyweight champion? That just might be enough to make his fans happy and then convince his critics that he is the genuine article. If he doesn’t, Klitschko will always just be the big European guy who could have been great. Wlad has the tools to do it and we are in need of a heavyweight we can call legit. Wlad can be all he wants and more. The question is, can he be all we want in the heavyweight champion?

One of the least talked about divisions in boxing is super middleweight. Since it’s beginning, that weight class and the cruiserweight division have been almost non-existent. Roy Jones and James Toney changed this for a while, but it faded as soon as they left. The WBO title is also the least talked about of the big four championship belts and it was not until about a year or so ago that it was even considered a real world title.

Joe Calzaghe not only fights in the super middleweight division, but also holds the WBO title; a double whammy! He’s currently boxing’s longest reigning champion and is undefeated in 41 pro fights. After his dismantling of the hard hitting IBF Champion of that time, Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, Calzaghe’s stock rose to new heights. It started to look as though the claims by Joe and his people that Joe Calzaghe is one of boxing’s best fighters in the world pound for pound might be legitimate.

So with two title belts and an undefeated record, why is there still so much criticism of the number one super middleweight in the world? A Big Name! Yes, I know his win over Lacy was impressive but was Jeff really a top caliber opponent? He did hold a belt but today, that doesn’t always mean a whole lot.

Jeff was on a path to bigger and better things before the loss. The keywords being “was on”. He had not gotten there yet. Joe is a dangerous fighter, no doubt about it, and the super middleweight division is one that he alone owns but ownership of an inferior product is of questionable value.

With divisions being so close in weight, he could easily move up or down for a few fights. Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright are all within reach. All of those fighters can be that marquee name for Joe to solidify himself as a pound for pound great, even if he moves up or down for just one fight and returns to the super middleweight division immediately after.

I know Joe cannot believe that he is such a huge draw that he feels these men should come to him. The guys I mentioned either already have a full card or have nothing to gain from a fight with him, win, lose or draw. I am not making any predictions on who would win a bout between any of these fighters. I am not even saying that these are the fighters Calzaghe should fight. I am saying that win or lose, he needs a big fight against a big name who has proven their worth.

If Joe doesn’t, then no matter what he does, he will always be just another one of those guys who thrived in a small pond. Worse yet, this Dragon will be best known as a great super middleweight. That, my friend, is the chapter that most people skip in the manual.

Chris Byrd became a top heavyweight because he could frustrate the hell out of you. James Toney has never been knocked out because he knows how to roll with the big shots and take the starch off. Until the Tarver fight, Roy Jones’ speed allowed him to be hardly ever hit cleanly. Winky Wright? He, uh..well…mo one has really quite figured that out yet, because Wright is so hard to land a clean shot on. His defense is almost impenetrable and on the rare occasion that he is hit cleanly, so far, he seems durable and he seems to get better with age.

The list goes on but on to what? Its one thing to be hard to beat, but t it is another to be able to go after and dominate opponents when on the offensive. His career thus far has him in the P4P list and he is usually never below number two. Again, although it is because of what his opponents cannot do to him that has him there, not because of what he does to his opponents.

Winky needs to go out and dominate some opponents, both offensively and defensively. He needs some highlight reel moments that show him as the conqueror. If he does not get some more of those moments, he will never be the guy who went out and beat the best. He will always be the guy who was never beaten by the best. The difference is small but hugely different.

These men at nowhere near the ends of their careers. They still have a lot of fight left in them. Chances are high that they will all accomplish that level of success that will give them the greatness I speak of. For all I know, they may already have achieved it.

Boxing is a funny business and its followers can be unforgiving. If you want the approval that cements your status in the sports history, you must give them what they want. After all, it is they and they alone who decide. All the blood sweat and tears you shed may never be enough in the eyes of some but if you can do something to help prevent that from happening, then why not just go and do it? Unless, of course, you like teetering on the brink of greatness?