Well, nobody saw that one coming.
Or should I say, nobody saw those TWO coming?
Or three or four…
It was a weekend of upsets and almost upsets, where a legend’s legend grew even in defeat and prospects were halted in their tracks by opponents who were supposed go quietly into the win column.
This past weekend also served as a reminder of why we all love boxing. Once a boxer steps into the squared circle, they literally all have a puncher’s chance.
In Las Vegas, future Hall-of-Famer Erik Morales lost a close decision to thunder-fisted Argentinian, Marcos Maidana, but once again won the respect of the boxing community. At the same site, just a few fight’s earlier, down went former undefeated phenom James Kirkland, thrice. And one night prior, in Montreal, before his home fans, up in flames went my 2010 Prospect of the Year, David Lemiuex.
Morales was supposed to be decapitated by the stone hands of Maidana, wasn’t he? At least I thought so. And I wasn’t alone.
But then on Friday ESPN’s Dan Rafael and Yahoo’s Kevin Iole were both reporting that many respected media members were giving Morales a real chance to win on Saturday night. Maybe they got information that day that nobody else had because prior to Friday I can’t recall one reporter — or fans not of Mexican descent — giving “El Terrible” a chance to win. In fact, the general consensus seemed to be that everyone loved the undercard of “Action Heroes,” but was turned off by the Morales-Maidana main event.
But after twelve rounds of action, El Terrible’s head remained attached to his neck and he stood waiting to hear the judge’s scorecards with a realistic chance that afterwards it would be his hand raised in victory. That wasn’t the case, however, and rightfully so, as Maidana earned himself a majority decision victory over the world-class veteran.
The fight was a pleasant surprise that concluded a card that was host to what will perhaps be the biggest surprise of the entire year — and could very well earn Upset of the Year honors some months down the road.
When Kevin Iole asked his twitter followers “Who do you like?” with regards to the James Kirkland-Nobuhiro Ishida bout, DiBella replied in all capital letters, “YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT?”
No way, no how, not in a million years was Nobuhiro Ishida going to beat James Kirkland. I thought so, Lou DiBella thought so, the whole boxing world thought so…except Nobuhiro Ishida himself.
And for the first twenty seconds, nobody’s thoughts changed. And then coinciding with the twenty-first second was Nobuhiro’s perfectly placed left cross that crashed through Kirkland’s jaw. His legs gave out and he methodically collapsed to the canvas for the first of three visits. The last visit, a violent knockdown that resulted in Kirkland’s entire body jolting upon impact, was enough for the firm, but fair Joe Cortez to call a halt to the bout.
Stunning.
And then there was the main event of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec where hometown hero David Lemieux took a step up in opposition when he faced the resilient veteran, Marco Antonio Rubio. Lemieux, my vote for 2010 Prospect of the Year, entered this fight with an unblemished record of 25-0, with 24 knockouts.
The heavy-handed Canadian unloaded his usual bombs on his opponent, but Rubio reacted much differently than the twenty-five that came before him. He withstood Lemieux’s blows, and by the sixth round Rubio had no problems at all trading with Lemieux — in fact, that’s just what he wanted to do.
Lemieux, against the advice of his corner, came out in the seventh and did what he knows how to do — and that was let his hands fly and look for the KO. It would come alright, but it would be Rubio who got the TKO victory.
With Lemieux hurting after hitting the canvas, chief second Russ Anber stepped up to the apron and called for a halt to the bout.
Even from watching on television, you can feel the air being sucked out of the Bell Centre. The hometown hero left humbled in defeat.
Stunning.
There were other upsets and other shocks over the weekend, but none as significant as these three. Together, they represent what we all love about boxing.
After Ishida’s TKO of Kirkland, DiBella, myself, and millions of fans around the globe collectively ate their words. But DiBella tweeted immediately after the bout, acknowledging that he and everyone else in the world didn’t see that coming. But it’s fights like these that keep people watching the sport, that keep fans on the edge of their seats.
“This kind of upset…shocker…part of the beauty of boxing,” DiBella tweeted.
And to that, I’ll simply add…this kind of weekend…embodied the beauty of boxing.
Kyle Kinder can be found on Twitter.com/KyleKinder or [email protected]
