Re: British boxing – The Decades
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.
When God said to the both of us "Which one of you wants to be Sugar Ray?" I guess I didnt raise my hand fast enough
Charley Burley
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Originally Posted by smashup
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