British boxing – The Decades

[Memphis]

The 00's. Calzaghe, Hatton, Brodie and The Cat

November 3rd 2007 Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler meet for the WBO, WBC and WBA (Super) Super Middleweight titles.

I got no problem admitting it. I was one of the overwhelming majority that thought Jeff Lacy was going to run over Calzaghe. Calzaghe was a long reigning respected champion, but his career was average. He'd not fought the big names, nothing or no one punctuated his resume. Everyone he'd fought you'd expect him to beat. Lacy was something else. He was coming to the UK with the same kind of reputation that Gerald McClellan came with when he fought Nigel Benn. A wrecking ball.

As it turned out, the overwhelming majority of us were oh so wrong. Calzaghe humiliated Lacy. Tortured him round after round to the point that members of both camps were pleading with the Lacy corner to call a halt to the carnage. They didn’t. Calzaghe hit Lacy with the kitchen sink for every minute of every round in one of the most one sided fights I've ever seen.
As impressive as it was, the gloss came off pretty quickly with a laboured, ugly points win over Sakio Bika and a farce against Contender (the TV programme) Peter Manafredo. Manfredo had no business being in the ring with Calzaghe and the stoppage was one of the worst I've ever seen.

In steps Mikkel Kessler. Technically excellent orthodox boxer with good power. WBC and WBA (Super) world champion with a 39-0 record. He was the one. He was the one who was going to succeed where Lacy failed. Like a lot of people, I fancied him to beat Joe. As brilliant as Calzaghe was against Lacy, he didn’t look great against Bika, with the benefit of hindsight, who does? The farce against Manfredo didn’t exactly do anything to bolster his standing in a super fight for the Undisputed Supermiddleweight title. All things pointed to Kessler.

We should have known better.

Calzaghe turned in another masterclass. He switched effortlessly between boxer and fighter, between bull and matador. He changed tack on Kessler several times and the Dane just couldn’t compute. Whilst he never stopped trying, Kessler was mentally broken around about the 8th round of the fight, you could see him visibly wilt before you as Calzaghe took over with first technically superior boxing, then volume. Calzaghe had been spearing Kessler from the opening bell with straight left hands to the body. In the 8th round he turned the screw and attacked the midriff with hooks from either hand and had Kessler hurt. Mid salvo the referee warned Calzaghe for hitting the back of Kessler's head. I don't think Kessler was going to 'go' at that point, but the referee made sure we never found out. It was immaterial, the damage was done.

Kessler was too good for it to be Lacy all over again and remained competitive throughout. Competitive but second best in all departments. Calzaghe ran out a comfortable points winner and permanently laid to rest any lingering doubts about his credentials as a great fighter.

Kessler went on to regain the WBC and WBA portions of the Super Middleweight World title. He lost twice more before calling time on his career. Once to the brilliant Andre Ward, before losing his final fight to Carl Froch.

Calzaghe would go on to wrap up his career with victories over Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jnr in the US. He would finish with a perfect record of 46-0 and claim the Undisputed Super middleweight Championship of the World and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Championship.

June 4th 2005 Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton challenges formidable Aussie Kostya Tszyu for the IBF light welterweight championship of the World.

Hatton was already a long standing 'World' champion if we count the lightly regarded WBU championship with a string of defences against decent fighters. He had a massive feverish following from the boxing and football World and regularly packed the M.E.N Arena in Manchester with fight fans and the blue half of the footballing City. Such was Hatton's appeal as 'one of us' that he could regularly travel with thousands of fans to Las Vegas to challenge boxing royalty Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.

Hatton had proved he belonged in the top tier, or rather proved he was too good for the second with his reign as WBU champion and Tszyu was his acid test, his graduation. Some would have you believe that Tszyu was past it, ripe for the taking when Hatton got to him. True, Tszyu was 35 years old at the time. But he didn’t look past it six months previous when he was beating the ever loving piss out of Sharmba Mitchell. Tszyu was still class and Hatton was going to have to produce something special to beat him.

Hatton launched himself across the ring at Tszyu from the opening bell and pretty much stayed on his chest the whole fight, battering Tszyu's body and head with hooks and uppercuts. Jabs were not required.

The fight was tight, unrelenting. There was never a dull moment in the ring or crowd. The better more skilful work of Tszyu saw him open up an early lead which Hatton started to erode with will and attrition as the fight reached the championship rounds. Round eleven was especially brutal with Tszyu on the receiving end of a sustained beating from the rampant Hatton. It would ultimately decide the fight as a bruised and batter Tszyu failed to start the final round and Hatton declared the victor by TKO. Tszyu whilst still in the ring offered to assist Hatton with anything he needed in his career. I think he knew he was done right there and then. Tszyu would never fight again.

Hatton would go on the unify the IBF and WBA Light welterweight titles in the same year. He followed that up by winning the WBA welterweight World title. Hatton would lose his unbeaten record at the hands of all time great Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2007. A couple of wins followed the Mayweather loss before Hatton was destroyed by a peak Manny Pacquiao in two brutal rounds. Hatton would retire from boxing in 2009 before making a comeback in 2012. Hatton would lose his comeback fight by stoppage.

[Memphis]

October 18th 2003 Michael Brodie takes on South Korean In Jin Chi for the WBC featherweight World championship at he M.E.N Arena Manchester.

Chi had challenged Mexican great Erik Morales for the same title two years prior. Chi gave it his all but was ultimately outclassed by the brilliant Morales over twelve rounds. In 2000, Brodie had suffered his own World title setback and first defeat as a pro, losing a majority decision to American Willie Jorrin for the vacant WBC Super bantamweight World title. A fight many thought brodie had won.

Brodie had proved his credentials. British, Commonwealth, European champion. A near miss at World level. He was ready. Chi on the other hand was something of an unknown quantity. The Morales fight aside, he was game, tough, but limited. Brodie should win this.

The fight started and the two of them cracked heads almost immediately. Chi looked on the verge of jacking the fight in, hands over his face, slumped over the top rope. Brodie was the one who sustained any visible damage, a cut almost on the back of the head.

An inauspicious start to what would become a seriously great tear up.

They soon forgot about the head clash and set to work, whacking one another to the head and body for the remainder of the opening round. In round two, Chi hurt Brodie badly with a left hook upstairs and a series or right handers saw the Brit on the deck. Chi was all over him like a rash until Brodie landed a series of body shots that stopped Chi in his tracks and Brodie finished the round the stronger. I remember thinking at the time the that more cultured work of Brodie, especially to the body might break Chi.

Brodie continued to invest in the body attack which looked like it was taking a toll on Chi who bent over routinely up against the ropes. Brodie, bleeding throughout dominated the third and forth rounds. The second round knockdown behind him and now level on the cards if not one ahead, the first was a toss up. Brodie was in the driving seat.

The fifth round was all Chi. He came out of his corner like a man possessed and whacked Brodie with a series of right handers that had Brodie back peddling, looking for the ropes. All of a sudden, Brodie went from being in control, to possibly behind on the cards and more worryingly bashed up around the eyes and nose. He of course continued to bleed from his head wound.

Chi found himself once again slumped in the ropes as Brodie went back to the body to regain control of the contest. Every shot to Chi's body seemed to have an effect. Half way through the sixth Brodie backed off and Chi was able to spear him with long range punches, both men's shorts now covered in Brodies blood, Chi's face now showing the signs of battle.

The ninth round was a big round for Chi. Brodie was looking more and more beat up and gulping in air as he tried to evade Chi who just wouldn’t let up. Chi had looked all in after the seventh. Brodie did well in winning his rounds quite clearly and in clusters, he won the third and fourth decisively following the second round knockdown, he won the seventh and eighth clearly too but just as he appeared to be putting a bit of daylight between them, back wound come Chi with sheer will. It was still very even as the tenth started.

Brodie tried to box and move in the tenth. When he did get Chi against the ropes, he was unable to sustain the attack with anything like the venom he had done so in previous rounds. Chi as always piled forward, working hard. Brodie's right eye now looking completely closed.

Chi took the eleventh and twelfth rounds on work rate alone and watching live, I thought he deserved the nod. So did the judges. Chi was the winner by majority decision. The scorecards took and age to be announced and had to be recalculated at ringside. WBC president Jose Sulaiman then decided that there was an error in adding up the scores and the correct result was now a draw.

Brodie and Chi would do this all over again.

I remember writing at the time that there was only one winner of the rematch. Brodie had literally left it all in the ring that night. The well was well and truly dry. Chi on the other hand looked like he could do a few more rounds and would have no problem going at it again. That proved to be the case. Chi took Brodie out in seven rounds in the return.

Chi would go on to defend, lose and regain the WBC featherweight title before retiring in 2006 as Champion.

Brodie went immediately into another World title fight following the loss to Chi. A challenge to then WBO featherweight World champion Scott Harrison. Brodie went down in four rounds. After a four year lay off, Brodie returned to the ring with a six round fight before calling time on his career after being stopped in three rounds by Anthony Crolla.
Brodie Chi remains one of the best fights I've ever had the privilege to watch.

February 6th 2004 Carl 'The Cat' Thompson produces one of the best come from behind victories you'll every see. Right up there with Jorge Castro poleaxing a ridiculously in charge and on the brink of victory John David Jackson.

Thompson is one of my favourite fighters. Unfashionable, susceptible, big hitter. He had all the ingredients to make one of the best bang for your buck fighters I can't help but love. He proved it time and time again with his demolition job on the bright (literally) young thing Nicky Piper. His ridiculous up and downer with Ezra Sellers, and outlasting of soon to be unified World cruiserweight and WBA heavyweight Champion of the World David Haye.

Sandwiched somewhere between the bonkers Sellers brawl and the humbling of Haye, Thompson would go up against South African Sebastiaan Rothmann for the IBO World Cruiserweight title.

It was as one sided as you'd care to see. Rothmann from the opening bell sneering and smiling at an always game but easily out boxed Thompson. The cheeky cunt was throwing bolo punches in the opening three minutes. I hated him immediately. Rothmann continued to boss the fight throughout, Thompson plodded forward huffing and puffing but going nowhere. Dropped in the 4th…..on his way down in the 5th…….and then…..Just as Rothmann looks to be putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive victory, Thompson does what Thompson does and pings a beautiful right uppercut off of Rothmann's chin as the bell goes. Rothmann's legs go limp and he falls into the ropes. But the round is over. Rothmann staggers back to his corner where his second are already in the ring. Referee Ritchie Davies manhandles them back out of the ring. There's a count to be administered here boys.

Rothmann recovers well, gets back behind his jab and normal service is resumed. Thompson goes down again in the 6th. Rothmann starts with the bolo punch shit again in the 8th and 9th. I really fucking hate him. I think I start singing the Spitting Image song at this point. With a minute to go Rothmann arcs a right hand over the Thompson guard and The Cat is hurt, he backs off and cops several more right handers, the fights over now!! And it was. Thompson takes a step back and cracks Rothmann with one the cleanest right handers you'll ever see and Rothmann collapses in a heap face first. Rothmann somehow beats the count but he's on rubber legs and the fight is called off.

Rothmann would go on to challenge O'Neil Bell for the IBF Cruiserweight title in a losing effort before retiring two fights later.

Thompson would fight twice more. The humbling of Haye and a points victory over Frenchman Frederic Serrat. He won the British and European cruiserweight titles as well as the WBO and IBO World Cruiserweight titles, upsetting the apple cart all the way.

[Master]

My firs boxing memory would be Ali v Holmes, not seeing the fight but hearing of it in the news. As a result I think I have always subliminally favoured the older sportsman against the youngster coming up from Ray Reardon v Steve Davis to Bjorn Borg v McEnroe.

Watching boxing on BBC at that time meant I followed Frank Bruno, Barry McGuigan, Herol Graham and Lloyd Honeyghan. So watching Barry winning the title against Pedroza brings back good memories as he united the (Irish) nation and gave us some good memories.

Never liked the fact Frank Bruno v Tim Witherspoon was never televised in Britain live. They did the pre-fight build up on national TV and then left it at that.

It was around this time that I started following boxing and Mike Tyson was shown as an up and coming fighter who blasted Frazier out in 30 seconds. I was hooked on him and started a scrap book and collected posters of him. Stayed up until 4am to watch him beat Berbick but was worried for him because Trevor just went at him like a man possessed and who believed he could not be hurt. Tyson annihilated him and went on to make a number of defences.

Nigel Benn was coming up and destroying everyone in round 2. I know that because I recorded his fights on VHS and if the tape was near the end I hoped Benn would smash his opponent before the tape finished. I lived on the edge in those days. Benn improved after every loss which is a testament to his character and nature.

I wanted the British middleweights Benn, Watson and Eubank to fight Herol Graham but they avoided him. Instead Graham had to take on dangerous and real world class fighters in Kalambay, McCallum and Julian Jackson. Graham would have toyed with the Brits as he did with Rod Douglas who had beaten Benn in the amateurs and was like Mr T, vicious southpaw with a Mohawk.

[smashup]

Nice Writing @Memphis son 😎
It's the Missus Bday so struggling to see straight at present 😂 but will properly read it all soon 👍🏻😎

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Nice Writing @Memphis son 😎
It's the Missus Bday so struggling to see straight at present 😂 but will properly read it all soon 👍🏻😎

Her cunt isn't worth fucking, you slime bag.

Wait, let me say it to your face, cunt.

[Fenster]

I can remember where I was for everyone of these fights apart from the Ragamuffin man (well I was certainly sleeping but don't recall the build up or anything). Ironically, Honeyghan was from the exact same area as me in South London and treated like a hero after, that's what I remember, seeing him with all the bling fancy clobber. Good stuff, Memphis.