Kings & pawns of the Middleweight Chessboard

THE KINGS & PAWNS OF THE NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHESSBOARD

Alright youngins...I wanted to do a bit of reflecting & comparing this year & that with a reprint article that I used to pump out at the first & last of they year here at saddo's just to get an idea of how far off base I was with some of my middleweight ramblings.

Here's an article from Double O6 back when I was shouting out on the front page. It's a long one...so settle in. After it's done...below will be what I consider to be an unbiased opinion & a fresh start to one of the more competitive divisions of boxing & quite possibley a handful of compelling rivalries across the board.

Enjoy...or don't...the ramblings of by gone days! Cheers bitches...& koneechewah!

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Well fellow forum go'ers...wer'e of to another fine year of middleweight boxing in 2006. Things are going to get hot in the next two to three months. Scores will be settled and titles will be shuffled.

The turmoils of another sleepless insominiatic night have gotten the brain churning again and the fingers following slowly behind. In the wake of Bernard Hopkins retirement from the middleweight division by way of Jermain Taylor this writer's mind began stirring at around 11:05 p.m. and I sprang out of bed heading straight for the p.c. for what my wife calls another trip down obsession lane.

She's dead on the money.

For some reason of late...this forum has the dubious honor of being what inspires me, every day and every single night when my head either reaches or departs from the pillow.

The obsession never seems to pass and the wife never ceases to remind me of how my compu-chair is going to forever be grafted to my ass. I'm sure those with wives or lady friends now my plight. Every single forum member here has suffered the same roll of the eyes, the same huffs and puffs, the same scorn that I generally get on route to the comforts of my keyboard and flat screen monitor.

Anywho, off of the wife (heh heh heh) and on to boxing.

Twice last year, rising young star, Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor (25 & 0 with 21 KO's) did what no man had done in over a decade...he won a 12 round unanimous decision over Bernard Hopkins subsequently breaking the "king's" clutch over the middleweight division ending Hopkins 12 year streak. Old news.

Be that as it may...the second victory over Hopkins should have cemented Taylor as the #1 middleweight king of the world so to speak, but the wins over Hopkins were questionable and lackluster leaving fans a bit befuddled & unsure of "the New Sherriff in Town". The fight being so close that all three ringside judges leaned towards Taylor by a 115-113 margin, with "The Associated Press" ringside having Taylor winning 115-114. Then you had the punchstats in which Hopkins was clearly in the lead. At the end of both "battles" with Hopkins, the sherriff appeared to be more of a deputy and this just did not sit right with the fans or media.

In the end though, Jermain did indeed walk with the titles and the belts. To Taylor's credit he did fight the best middleweight of our and of his time. To his credit again...he was able to perform a bit better than in their first fight.

Although, he still seemed as apprehensive in the late rounds as Hopkins seemed tentative in the opening rounds. Taylor did come better prepared for Hopkins, but the fans just wanted more from their new champion than he was able to give and as with the first fight Hopkins came on at around the sixth round and took Taylor's "Bad Intentions" with a grain of salt. Arguabley, from the middle rounds on Hopkins was the man that everyone wanted Taylor to be.

But in the end, Jermain retained the throne that Hopkins had owned & commanded for 20 title runs & we go into this new year with a new ruler...or do we?

As boxing fans we always question and condemn quite hastily. We always look for the next suitor...the next conqueror...nothing is every good enough for us. It's a bit shameful...but it is indeed our right to be skeptical.

Skeptical is indeed what this fan and writer will be regarding Jermain Taylor our new Middleweight Champion. After Taylor's "defeat" of Hopkins, he would then go on to spout out statements such as "I got hit alot...he was tuff...but I think I won the fight" and "I give myself a B on this peformance...I've still got a lot to learn..." at the post fight press conferences leaving many fans stuck in a perpertual state of doubt.

Forget about chessboards...the question with this kid is not a matter of knight takes pawn but whether or not to place a bet, walk away, or hold 'em or fold 'em with Jermain.

Up to this moment, Jermain Taylor has to be one confused young man, but as I said...we the fans are a fickle bunch and Taylor did not convincingly defeat our past King and there is where most of the animosity and uncertainties lie. All the promises of knocking the old man out went left the building faster than a speeding bullet...but in Taylor's defense...our previous King did not break out the big guns to defend his kingdom either.

While Hopkins and Taylor fans alike eagerly anticipated both fights, neither man truly dominated the other and neither man really exploited the other's short comings. There were few advantages gained, less ground covered, and even less explosions of raw power or aggression from previous respective performances. All in all...most casual fans considered the fights to be nothing more than a series a snore fests.

To say that both fighters gave the other too much respect is like flogging a dead horse...so let's just leave Taylor and Hopkins both now for a moment & concentrate on some other players on the board.

Proffessionally, from writer's standpoint one can not be biased...so for the sake of this article not becoming biased....let's just do our best to write Hopkins out of the equation right now. Seeing that he is stepping up to 175lbs in hopes of beating Roy Jones Jr conqueror Antonio Tarver, in a last desperate move to solidify his legacy in history. Now that Bernard moves upwards, Taylor becomes the king of the board for the moment.

So folks...fair is fair, what is done is done, and we have our new Undisputed Middleweight Champion that maybe some of us are being a bit to critical towards.

But in the middleweight division...the move of one peice is naturally followed by another and in comes the next pawn, knight, or would be king trying to gain the commanding spot.

Enter Ronald "Winky" Wright...defensive master, technical tactician, humiliator of the great Tito Trinidad, two time dispatcher of the vastly skilled, highly regarded Sugar Shane Mosley, and conqueror of durable Sam "King" Soliman whom was just handily removed from a strong nineteen and running win streak.

Within a few weeks time of besting and retiring Felix "Tito" Trinidad, the very mention of Winky's name began thickening the plot surrounding the Hopkins and Taylor rematch. Wisely Taylor jumped in for the Hopkins rematch instead of allowing Hopkins the choice of opting out for Wright or Sturm. The money and history was made. Taylor defeated Hopkins again...keeping the titles that he had just recently won...again...and now we have what we will have.

Wright during the meantime went on to face Sam Soliman and we all know how that ended. After the defeat of the IBF's #1 man Sam Soliman, the fans have spoken...no they have practically began screaming that Taylor must face Winky Wright and he must defeat him soundly to gain any honor and glory of the belts that he now wears around his waist. It almost seems unfair, that Taylor should be...lifted up and justly glorified...but at the moment he is not championship material in many analyst's and commentator's minds.

Defeating Wright would surely give Taylor's status a "big UP" with the fans. Also, he would rightfully be recognized as the ruler of the throne that he so desperately desires to reign supreme over, but beating Wright may prove more like climbing a mountain than sitting in the big chair.

For years there has been no one out there to succesfully break down Wright's defense, nor have they been able to withstand his piston like jab and amazing accuracy...more importantly, no one has been able to match his experience and craftiness within the square circle let alone even chip his rock hard chin. To Taylor's advantage, he has size and he most definently has the power over Wright...but many men thought the same of Felix Trinidad. As proven on May 14th, 2005...power and size certainly isn't the key to unlock any of the mysteries surrounding Wright...astoundingly...nothing at all seems to solve Wright's game plan. No man is unbeatable, but one begins to wonder what it takes to get through the new and improved Ronald "Winky" Wright. Harry Simon & Julio Cesar Vasquez found a way to get to Wright, but that was then and this is not the Wright of then...this is the Wright of now.

Continued below...

Continued from above...

This writer refusing to factor in Fernando Vargas's win over Wright, breaks the promise made above regarding the ethics of a writer, but consider them broken as that fight was a bit to close for the decision's outcome and the liking of fans world wide...even the commentators were bothered by that decision. Anyways, a loss is a loss and in a 50 fight career...3 losses is nothing to cry over.

Is the young upstart Jermian Taylor worthy of the mantle that he was bestowed or is Ronald "Winky" Wright the man to be the undisputed champion of 160lbs? In this writer's heart...the answer is YES to both questions...but...alas...there can't be two kings...no matter how badly the people want to keep their royalty...only one man can fit in the throne.

With the fight looming on the horizon, contracts already inked, and Wright set in stone as Taylor's mandate...we the fans will have our answer come June the 17th, 2006 in the form of one of the most anticipated middleweight showdowns of the past two years.

Now if that's not enough to wet your appetite then all that need be is to factor in Germany's Golden Boy Adnan Catic...better known as Felix Sturm. A compelling figure himself, Sturm has risen up through the middleweight division like a quiet storm for the past three to four years. A name that was rarely spoken over coastal waters, Sturm made a name for himself after controversially losing a 12 round decision to Oscar De La Hoya back in 2004. Points can be argued back and forth regarding Oscar being outclassed...the performance is more frowned upon regarding Oscar's weight and lack of preperation instead of smiling on the acheivement of Sturm.
Sturm, in this writer's opinion, put on quite a show. He gave Oscar one of the tuffest fights of his career and tactically matched him down the stretch in power and abilities. Hardly anyone credits Sturm's "loss" over Oscar...but on the flip side...many writer's and fans did take notice and fell immediately in love with Sturm's workrate, his jab, and his ability take and block the majority of De la Hoya's assault. To stand toe to toe with and control such a worthy opponent as Oscar speaks leaps and bounds of one's abilities.
Since the loss to Oscar, Sturm went on to win his next five fights in a row...two of those he won by KO before the 5th round. He defeated hard hitter Jorge Sendra over a twelve round stretch with an injured hand. After coming off of the injured list, Sturm conquered hard hitting Samoan power puncher Maselino Masoe to become the WBA's Middleweight Champion. Sturm now has the prestige in his country of being a champion once again. Good for him.

Again...to be fair and open minded though...saying that Sturm is going to dominate the division is as improbable as saying that Taylor will...but if anyone can...you would have to lean towards Felix, his defense, power, and brilliant work rate.

Just as soon as one is set on the would be kings...another pawn makes a move on the board. That pawn is Arthur Abraham, argueably...he could be considered a knight or possibley even King.

Abraham is the fastest riser of the division and the most active. Like Sturm in the past, Abraham fights as often as possible. After his pro debut in 2003 he fought five times, in 2004 he fought nine times, in 2005 he fought five times, and only once thus far for 2006...each time stepping up the opposition and out of the twenty men that he has fought...he's stopped seventeen of them. Not bad for a prospect that has begun fighting the tuffest in the 160 division.

The greatest accomplishments so far have been his beating of Howard Eastman and his knockout of Kingsley Ikeke. He controls the WBA's Inter-Continental title and he also holds the IBF's strap. How long he can hold them fighting the line up that his team has arranged for him will remain the question. Next up the fighting Armanien sharpens another tooth in his mouth as he takes on heavy handed Kofi Jantuah this month. After that...provided that he wins against Jantuah...he will then match strength for strength against another prospect by the name of Edison Miranda. The kid is definently going for the cream of the crop. Royalty awaits...but can he maintain the pace that he has been steadily pushing his body to keep.

Speaking of Edison Miranda...he has followed in the footsteps of Jermain Taylor...more or less, so to speak. He did what no other man had ever done in 40 fights...he not only defeated a durable veteran war horse in Howard Eastman...he knocked him out! No small feat for a prospect. But as exciting as Miranda is...he's got a lot of question marks hanging over his head, along with a very penetrable defense.

The fight against Abraham will answer most...if not all questions of this future hopeful.

Other pieces of the board on the back burner are Kelly Pavlik, Chad Dawson, Sebastian Sylvester, Khoren Gevor, Sechew Powell, & Giovanni Lorenzo.

That's one hell of an exciting set of pawns & knights just waiting to become king of the ring.

Knocking just one key piece off the board would push all of the pawns into place...thus ensuring better matchups and also enticing a large amount of fans back to the little square box that holds all of the magic of the square circle.

It'd be checkmate for boxing fans around the globe.

Whew...

Alright childrens...I know that was a long read...but those of you who know me are well familiar with wacko's ability to be a long winded mo-fo...atleast back in the day I was.

Nowadays, most of my time is spent with my daughter camping & exploring the wilds of the Great Smokey Mountains & the likes. While me youngin' does take up the bulk of my weekends, boxing is still a large passion of mine...I just have to prioritize between PPV bouts & memorable weekends with a four year old who already seems to have a bit better of a handle on all matters of life than her father ever could.

It's amazing how fast a kid learns...fwockin' know it alls!

Heh heh heh.

That being said...let's get down to the year to date & the current Middleweight Chessboard.

With the exit of middleweight kingpin Bernard Hopkins a couple of years ago...the division was left in the hands of 160lb hopeful & former Olympian Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor & the awkwardly amazing abilities of a junior middleweight southpaw...Ronald "Winky" Wright.

Oddly enough...two years later the top two players at 160lbs have nearly dropped off the board...or been knocked off of it. Wright chased Hopkins up to Light Heavyweight only to be defeated & rarely heard from again, while Taylor went on to perform dismally against lighter weight opponents before getting crushed by Kelly Pavlik twice & left in uncertainty.

One would think that the 160lb division would be in the same mess as the 200+ pounders currently in.

Wrong.

Falling just short of welter...the middleweight division has never been quite as interesting as it is now. Most of the pawns are now knights or nearly kings scurrying for the top spot of unification & supremacy.

Depending on which side of the board (or mat) you're on...you should currently be one satisfied fan with a few choice moves!

Currently holding the WBC & WBO middleweight titles & more or less being the people's champion is the heavy handed blue collar worker Kelly "the Ghost" Pavlik. For quite sometime I've been touting Pavlik as a hopeful & for quite sometime Pavlik has been fighting in obscurity...those days are long gone by. After working his way through the ranks & defeating middleweight contenders such as Beaupierre, McKart, Thompson, Zuniga, & Zertuche...Pavlik hit the big time when he totally dismantled the mouth, mind, & spirit of Edison Miranda over seven brutal rounds. Miranda, once another heir apparent, was totally outclassed & outmustcled down the stretch & in wacko's opinion...never will be the same.

The exclamation point of that knockout was heard 'round the world of boxing & it jumped Pavlik into his next big shot & devastating performance...the seven round destruction of Jermain Taylor. Words can't really justify the show that the two put on & to say that it was all Pavlik would be a diservice to the bout...but Pavlik pulled out all the stops & completely shattered Taylor's world. A catch weight rematch would see Taylor going the distance...but still getting the short end of the stick. Pavlik was just too much for him. Pavlik was here to stay in a big way. Four months later Kelly would be pitted against Gary Lockett, Camp Calzaghe's undefeated answer to the Pavlik puzzle. Three rounds after the first bell tolled, the pieces fell apart as did the will & defense of Gary Lockett.

Pavlik retained his titles by once again brutally destroying the man across the mat. Pavlik currently rests upon a throne built of 34 wins, no losses, & 30 of the most electrifying knockouts in boxing's history.

Long reign the king!

Yet again, when speaking of kings...Arthur Abraham's name is at the top of the page. Abraham has once again defended his IBF throne & this time he did it in devastating style & form.

Widely criticized for never leaving his home turf of Germany, Abraham came abroad for one of the most exciting rematches of the last two or three years: Abraham vs Miranda II. In their first bout Abraham's jaw was broken & it looked to be nearly ripped from his face over the course of 12 grueling rounds in Germany at the hands of Miranda. The bout was slathered in controvery as fans & officiates argued points from whether Abraham was given too much time to compose himself, to Miranda pounding Abraham from his cup to the back of his head.

Clearly...a rematch was deemed necessary...so we got one...& what a rematch it was.

Fans were divided across the board on the outcome...but one thing was certain...this was one of the most demanded bouts of the middleweight division.

Abraham took his time easing into Miranda for the first round and a half due to the fact that Mirnada came out full speed ahead as usual...which, IWHO, has been his down fall. In the end, using his defense & pin point accuracey the champion Abraham showed what kings were made of as he broke the overly aggressive Miranda down over four brutal rounds & smashing the Puerto Rican belter to the mat in what would be Abraham's first U.S. soil debut. The crowd was speechless.

Abraham now faces a mandatory challenge against the veteran Marquez...but Arthur's been clammoring for a match up against Pavlik...which could become one of the most talked about & exciting bouts of the division.

Continued below...

Personally...I'd love to see Abraham face off against rival euro-star Felix Sturm...but it seems that, per the norm, finances are going to come in the way of that bout...& for that, Felix Sturm should be thankful.

Speaking of Adnan Catic...aka : Felix Sturm...the WBA champ is slowly but surely bringing himself back to the front page of middleweight news.

With a record 30 wins, 2 losses, 13 knockouts & 1 draw...you might wonder why you've either A:) Never heard of him or B:) not seen him higher up in the rankings. Sturm has been referred to as the divisions best kept secret...by many other than me...but a set back knock down drag out loss against Castijello crushed the rising myth of the German superstar in the making. Sturm has built a record of impressive wins with either crunching power or boxing finesse...just depends on the circumstances...but either way...they young upstart is impressive. His main deterent is the fact that he rarely has & probably never again will fight outside of Germany. After a highly controversial loss to Oscar De La Hoya, Sturm went home feeling robbed & ruined, only to come back & outclass & destroy his next fight opponents. Then came Castijello. After getting knocked out in the 10th round in a toe to toe war, Sturm took four or five months off & came back to crush Topp in 6 rounds...after that it was on to Castijello in a rematch that would see some of the best of Sturm boxing skills. He then fought four more times & drew with Randy Griffin. Their rematch would end with Sturm taking a hard fought unanimous decision. Sturm was back on the map & with his WBA strap in tow.

Whether or Sturm's boxing abilities will be enough to hold him up in a division that is becoming rich with knockout artists remains to be seen.

There are shocks & surprises daily in the wide, wide, world of boxing...John Duddy & his 25 & 0 record is one of them. With 17 knockouts under his belt, one would believe him to be a bigger threat than he is...& besting the likes of Campas, Bosante, Cuevas, & former great Howard Eastman...one would also think Duddy would be toting a strap or high up on the board...but it's been the way that Duddy has won that is making him a tuff sell for ole' Wacko. Power aint everything & it shows when Duddy climbs through the ropes. To say that I'm not sold on the kid is an understatement...let's see if he can prove me wrong...but honestly, IWHO, we're looking at our next Gatti.

And last but certainly not least...little known middleweight import Sebastian Sylvester.

I've been fairly impressed with Sylvester over the years...but he just can't seem to catch a break...atleast...until he just recently blasted out former Sturm conqueror & veteran ex-champion Javier Castijello over 12 hard fought rounds. Sylvester is currently running a record of 29 wins, 2 losses, & 14 knockouts. Sylvester is another stand up orthodox euro-boxer but who's blended a bit of counter punching & speed to become a bit of a slickster threat.

The losses are the x-factor in his game...both are knockouts. One loss was a career starter against a relatively unknown russian the other was an avenged loss over the course of 8 rounds against Amin Asikainen. Sylvester has proven to be a durable challenger but unfortunately he has "Abraham/Sturm Syndrome"...rarely fighting outside of his home country of...you guessed it...Germany!

He's held & defended his EBU title for more than 12 times & had defended his WBA Inter-Continental title for two years prior to his breakout performance of totally destroying Castillejo over 12 rounds. This brings Sylvester into contention for the WBA strap which is held by none other than Felix Sturm...so...maybe something's going to come out in the wash.

Now, while there are other players on the board...those are the only ones that seem to be making the more compelling moves. Once Winky Wright comes back into the fold...things could swing towards the opposite end of the spectrum & middleweight boxing fans can once again bring their frustrations to a halt...but let's hope not.

That's all I got fellars...I know that was a long one...but it gives us some mess to discuss & there are plenty of players out there I'm sure you want to bring onto the board (so to speak), so have at it.

Always good to read your breakdowns.

What's your opinion of Pavlik-Hopkins? Lots of fans seem dead against it, IMO it's a brave chioce for Pavliks camp, not that he'll lose but he could look bad for a good few rounds.

He hsa plenty of opponents for the future and he's young, so Abraham and Sturm have plenty of time to get in the mix with him (perhaps fight each other?/???), and the Williams fight was intriguing, but could potentially be big if given time to move up steadily.

Plenty of fights to be made at 160/168 between everybody, lets hope they're made and Kessler stops sucking on the WBA belt and get some meaningful fights, and (more hope than expectation) Lacy puts a decent showing tonight. Anyway, That's my incoherent two cents.

I missed reading your thoughts. Awesome as always

So what your really saying is Pacquiao will go on to dominate at 160?











Kidding of course.
Welcome back agin Wacko, glad to see you just before Cotto vs. Margarito.