Eric Armit's World View by Eric Armit Dec 13th 2006

With Scott Harrison not even bothering to appear at the test weight the whole question of boxer's weight continues to be a burning question. However there is a danger of losing sight of the purpose behind these test weights and the change to weighing in on the day before the fight. It was never about making sure a boxer could make the weight it was about ensuring he did not endanger his health in doing so. The change to weighing in the day before came first and then, with the realisation that the harm could be already done by a fighter starving or dehydrating himself right up to the day before the fight the test weights during training were proposed. That health concern seems to have been pushed into the background by concerns over the weight discrepancies by fight time arising from the “day before” weigh in. It strikes me that one approach might be to make the day before weigh in another “test weight” at which a boxer must be within a very small margin of the agreed weight, the margin has to be something that can be safely taken off between then and the time scheduled for the final weigh in on the day of the fight when he has to hit the actual weight. That way you still have a safety point to ensure no excessive weight loss has taken place and you also have a better chance of the weight difference at fight time being within reasonable limits. Ideally weight monitoring should have gone on throughout the training period, but when you get boxers training at remote locations then you have the problem of who pays for the formal weight checks to be supervised. To me that the responsibility lies with the boxer's management and they should be tasked with submitting formal weekly weight checks. You would think that they would want to take this on as it the health and safety of their boxer that is in question here, but I guess that bit is not in the contract. When the WBC debated this at the La Linea Convention everyone was singing from the same hymnbook until the question of who pays for the Officials to supervise the test weights at the training camp, and then everybody thought it should have been everybody else. That's what happens when a boxer's safety costs money-no one wants to foot the bill. On the subject of weight two former holders of versions of the world title were on a show in Fort Myers, Florida on November 28, and both were carrying a lot more pounds than they used to. Cesar Bazan, the former WBC lightweight champion, halted Hernan Galaviz in four rounds and the former WBO strawweight champion Kermin Guardia outpointed veteran Paulino Villalobos. Bazan was 154lbs, almost 20lbs above his best weight, and Guardia was 122, a whopping 17lbs up from his peak. Former Ricky Hatton victim Carlos Vilches is still going strong and still at the light-welterweight poundage. On November 24 in La Banda, Argentina, he made a successful fifth defence of his South American title with an eighth round kayo of Walter Diaz to go to 48-7-2. Carlos took Ricky the distance for the WBU title in Manchester in June 2004. Still in Argentina super-flyweight Julio David Roque Ler pleased his hometown fans in Cordoba as he outscored Juan Cejas there on November 24. The 26 year old has 23 wins against a single loss to former WBA champion Alex Munoz. Although they both failed to make a splash in the Athens Games Abner Mares and Ramiro Reducindo were the stars of the Mexican amateur team over the past 3-4 years. Bantamweight Mares, born in Guadalajara, but resident in California from the age of 6, reportedly turned down a $500,000 offer to turn pro back in 2003. He was a gold medallist in the Central American Games and a silver medallist in the Pan Americans. Reducindo, from Acapulco, did even better winning golds at both the Central American and Pan Americans. They are both unbeaten as pros still. Mares, just turned 21, made it ten wins as he halted Wilmer Rodriguez in four rounds in Hidalgo on November 25 and Reducindo collected the Mexican cruiserweight title in only his seventh fight as he halted Jose Cruz Rivas in eleven rounds in La Paz on December 1. Reducindo had a long time as an amateur winning, the Mexican National title as far back as 1996. He is 27 years old, but he is the best at the weight that Mexico has produced for a long time. On the same La Paz show the amazing Julio Cesar Garcia kayoed Chris Solano in two rounds at welterweight. Julio Cesar is just 19 and has a 40-2 record with 34 inside the distance. Juan Carlos Rodriguez is a total contrast to Mares and Reducindo. He did little as an amateur turning pro at the age of 15. He was badly managed earlier in his career. To make some money he hit the road and was one of those “imported to lose" fighters who every home promoter loves. On the road he lost to Vince Phillips, Oba Carr, Daniel Santos, Hector Camacho Jr, Vilches, Thomas Damgaard and others. With better management and time to train for fights he has won 17 of his last 18 and added a third title to his Mexican and WBA Fedcentro titles as he kayoed Willie Moreleo in San Diego on November 17 fir the vacant WBC Latino welterweight title. Just when Demetrius Hopkins must have thought that he could establish his own identity, rather than being known as the nephew of Bernard, old Uncle Bernie cancels his retirement. It is difficult to know how far Demetrius can go. On the same November 25 show as the Mares win he defended his USBA light-welterweight title with a points victory over useful Rogelio Castaneda to go to 25 wins and a draw. This was an IBF title eliminator even though Castaneda was not in their ratings. “The Gladiator” as Demetrius is known, is 5'11” tall. He was National Golden Gloves champion in 1999 but lost to Ric Williams in the Olympic Trials for the 2000 Games. It is difficult to know how far Demetrius can go, but with Ricky Hatton back at 10stones, Miguel Cotto gone to weightier things, the possibility of Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales joining their ranks and new champions in Junior Witter and Ricardo Torres it is wide open with some good potential matches in the division. Back to the Mexican scene briefly. I mentioned in an earlier column how some Mexican fighters can bang around in the “Provinces” for years and then emerge as if out of nowhere. Featherweight Leonilo Miranda could be the next to take that path-or he could either just stay at that level content to be a big fish in a small pool. The 24 year old southpaw kayoed Rodolfo Garay in two rounds in Benito Juarez on November 26 and now claims 23 wins. He won his first fight on points and has beaten all of his last 22 inside the distance, all in his home State. He could show up, or he could blow up. Final Mexican piece. They traditionally hold their Golden Gloves competition in December. So what! Well when you realise that the list of former champions includes Ruben Olivares, Vicente Saldivar, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Daniel Zaragoza Gilberto Roman, Rodolfo Martinez, Raul Macias and many others you get some idea of why the pro managers keep a watchful eye on the tournament. As America has so few good heavyweight prospects you would think the last thing they would want to do is get one knocked off. That's what seems so curious about the Travis Walker-Jason Estrada match in San Jacinto on November 17. Walker was 21-0-1 and Estrada 7-0 with one no contest going in. Estrada had constantly beaten Walker when they met as amateurs, but this time Walker came out on top with a majority verdict. Estrada won everything except the Olympic gold medal as an amateur. He was US champion 2001/2/3 and also Pan American gold medallist in 2003, beating Cuban Miguel Lopez. He won the US Trials (beating Walker there) and went into the Olympics as the favourite, but lost to Lopez in a poor quarter final. He just does not seem to have what it takes as a pro. Walker was National Golden Gloves champion in 2003 but was 2-2 in the Olympic trials (losing to Estrada and current unbeaten pro George Garcia). A Floridian, the 6'4 ½” Walker rejoices in the nickname of “Freight Train”. He has 17 wins inside the distance, but the jury is still very much out on him until he takes a few steps up. Ratings Watch: Once again the 4 major sanctioning bodies all take a very different view of British boxers. Heavyweight: Henry Akinwande is No 13 with the WBC and IBF (effectively No 12 as they have no No 1) and Matt Skelton is No 12 with the WBO. Cruiserweight: Enzo Maccarinelli is WBO champion. David Haye is No 2 with the WBC, No 6 with the WBA and No 7 with the WBO. He does not make the IBF top 15, but 42 year old Arthur Williams who David stopped in three rounds does! Light-Heavyweight: Clinton Woods, the IBF champion is the only one to get a mention. Super-Middleweight: Joe Calzaghe is WBO champion. Carl Froch actually makes it into all four sets of ratings, No 3 with the WBC, No 13 with the WBA, No 6 by the IBF and NO 4 by the WBO. Middleweight: Scott Dann gets No 8 from the IBF, but is not rated by the other 3. Light-Middleweight: Jamie Moore is No 15 with the WBA and No 14 with the WBO and Thomas McDonagh is No 13 with the WBO. Welterweight: Michael Jennings is No 8 with the WBO (but no mention for Young Mutley, who beat him, or Kevin Anderson who beat Mutley!!) No other fighter rated by any of the 3 bodies Light-Welterweight Junior Witter is WBC champion. Ricky Hatton is No 6 with the IBF (but really No 4 as the top two spots are empty) and the WBO, whilst not finding anywhere for Ricky have Jon Thaxton at No 13 and Lenny Daws at 14! Lightweight: Graham Earl is No 5 with the WBC and No 1 with the WBO. Super-Featherweight Apart from Carl Froch, Alex Arthur is the only other fighter to make all 4 lists. He is No 5 with the WBC, No 3 with the WBA and WBO and No 13 with the IBF. Featherweight: At the time the ratings came out Scott Harrison was WBO champion. Nicky Cook is No 7 with the WBA and No 9 with the WBO. He would probably been in the WBC top 15 but would have been dropped for doing the disgraceful thing of fighting for the WBO title (Jose Sulaiman has a thing about the WBO). Super-Bantamweight: Michael Hunter is No 5 with the IBF (Really No 3 as the first two spots are again empty) and No 8 with the WBO. Bantamweight: Only Damaen Kelly who is NO 14 with the WBC. Super-Flyweight: Martin Power at No 12 with the WBO. Flyweight: The good old reliably stupid WBO have Dale Robinson No 9 above Lee Haskins at No 13. That is it. You could do better with a blindfolded monkey using a pin than the WBO but the others are better-marginally! One to watch Alexander Povetkin-Russian heavyweight. 6' 2”, 221lbs, 27 years old fighting out of the Sauerland stable in Germany. Ended the reign of Alexei Lezin who had dominated Russian and European super-heavyweight boxing for years. World, European and Olympic champion and winner of almost every other tournament he entered after impressing as a 71kg youngster back in 1995. Has won ten straight as a pro beating dangerous journeymen Willie Chapman, Richard Bango (17-1- going in), Friday Ahunanya (20-4-2 going in), trial horse Ed Mahone and former IBF cruiserweight champion Imamu Mayfield. No certainties in boxing, but this has to be a very good bet.

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