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I was starting to get worried when my one week deadline for Ranting and Raving was coming up and news was kind of trickling. Let me rephrase that. There was no news that made my heart rate speed up. Not until a few days ago when we got Klitschko-Peter, Wright-Mayweather was called off, Mayweather-Margarito may have been made, and the suspension of James Toney is almost over. There is a lot to talk about in this edition of Ranting and Raving, so let’s get to it.
Wladimir Klitschko-Samuel Peter: They both have power, they are both reasonably young, and both have some questions that are begging to be answered. The IBF eliminator match between Klitschko and Peter has the potential to be a bombs away type slugfest. That is if the china chinned Klitschko can hang on after tasting the Nigerian Nightmare’s power.
If Wlad’s confidence and stamina have gotten better we will find out September 24th. He will need to fight the way he fought for the first 4 rounds of his bout with Lamon Brewster if he wants to beat Peter. Keep the shorter fighter at the end of his jab and rain down straight rights and hard hooks on Peter before he can get inside and do a catastrophic amount of damage.
A question some Peter detractors have asked is what if this kid cannot take a punch? Well he hasn’t faced the hardest of hitters lately but with the way this guy is built it looks like he could sustain some damage and keep coming. His lack of a neck is a great tool to have for the style he fights. Peter will have to charge in threw Wlad’s excellent power shots and hit him square on that chin if he wants to KO Klitschko.
I say that if the fight ends early it will be a Klitschko win, but given Klitschko’s stamina issues if this thing goes past 4 then Peter will stop Wlad as Klitschko will no longer be able to keep the tough and rugged Peter off of him for that long.
That fight that was about to be Mayweather-Wright: Who could have seen this coming? A jump from 140 to 154 in a matter of months would have been mind boggling. It isn’t like Floyd Mayweather Jr. was going to fight a tune up either; he was going straight at the best in the world in Winky Wright. You have to give him a B for balls on that one.
I personally am glad this fight will not take place yet. Mayweather should fight Ricky Hatton and grab the IBF strap before moving to 147 to challenge Zab Judah or his next rumored opponent Antonio Margarito. Only after those 2 or 3 fights should we be so blessed as to see Mayweather take on Wright for the undisputed Pound for Pound title.
James Toney: He’s almost back! The self proclaimed people’s champion has been making a lot of noise verbally as of late calling out Chris Byrd again, Vitali Klitschko again, you know, the usual from Lights Out.
While there is no doubt he gained a lot of fans with his win turned no contest over John Ruiz, he lost maybe just as many with his failed steroid test. Accident or not the steroids were there thus the stripping and suspension was both deserved. I just cannot wait to see Toney back in the ring and capturing a belt very soon. Time is not on his side however and he must work quickly and start avoiding these distractions such as injuries and suspensions. I just hope his weight is under control when he steps in the ring again.
Jeff Lacy’s quest for unification: It starts on August 6th against veteran Robin Reid on Showtime and could end later this year against Joe Calzaghe for the IBF and WBO super middleweight titles.
Lacy is an exciting fighter and a budding young star in boxing. But if he disposes of Reid and Calzaghe he should leave168. It is not a very glamorous division and with names like Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones only 7 pounds north, Lacy’s ticket to Canastota could be punched before he is 30 if he moves up after a unification bout and cleans up.
Now whether or not Lacy can beat Calzaghe and can clean up 175 could be a long shot. But with every fight Lacy is improving. He has eye popping power in his left hook and proved in his last fight that he has a championship chin and stamina. If he can continue to improve with each fight I give him a very good chance against Calzaghe, and then I would give him a year or two before fighting the best 175 pounders out there.
Jones Tarver 3: I am not as excited as most for this fight. I am going to buy it and watch it but I don’t think Roy’s faithful will be happy with the outcome.
I love the fact that this fight was made, it makes the most sense lucratively and competitively but these two have went in different directions since their two fights. Tarver fought Glen Johnson twice and some people think he won both fights. Roy on the other hand has been behind a commentator’s desk nursing his bruised ego.
Don’t take that last comment as a shot, but Jones has done nothing to show that he is ready to take on Tarver and be competitive since he lost to Glen Johnson. His confidence has never been lower in the ring than when we last saw him, and he hasn’t fought a tune up or done anything to step it up since their last fight.
In my personal opinion the rubber match will be Antonio Tarver’s largest payday both in his check book and his resume. Roy will be beaten by a good margin on points or even stopped and we might not ever see him again in a boxing ring unless he is interviewing the next crop of champions. I wish Roy the best because he was once one of the best ever, but he is not Superman anymore, Tarver possesses those infamous kryptonite gloves that destroyed Roy’s career.
And finally to end the 6th edition: Lucia Rijker-Christy Martin was cancelled? What an outrage. This hurt me the most because I have been looking forward to this fight since the days when it would have been a good fight. That was what, the late 90’s? Now what absurd over the hill match am I going to pick apart? I need another Mike Tyson comeback and quick!
Also See:
Dog Bites: Ranting and Raving, Edition 1
Dog Bites: Ranting and Raving, Edition 2
Dog Bites: Ranting and Raving, Edition 3
Dog Bites: Ranting and Raving, Edition 4: Klitschko Brothers, Ouma
Dog Bites: Ranting and Raving, Edition 5: Top 10 Pound for Pound
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Aaron Imholte (July 31, 2005) 
