Eric Armit's World View by Eric Armit Jun 2nd 2007

The WBC seems to have it in for Oleg Maskaev. When I was at the WBC Convention in Spain his team had to fight tooth and nail and overcome three farcical “lost” votes just to get him the rating he deserved. The WBC then by-passed Oleg to give James Toney , who was rated below him, a title shot first. Despite this he took his chance when it came and beat Hasim Rahman. Now they are doing it again. The champion is normally entitled to 70% of the total purse in a defence unless there are exceptional circumstances( for that read that the challenger is Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson or Oscar De La Hoya when the champion is lucky to get an even break). For his defence against Samuel Peter they have decreed that the split will be 50-50, which is a disgrace. Despite two wins over James Toney, Peter is no superstar, so there is no real reason for the WBC to cut Oleg's share by 20%. Oleg's management are threatening to sue the WBC and I hope they do. Despite all of the years I have been involved in boxing my first love is football. Unfortunately an ankle injury at the age of 27 put a premature end to what could have been a truly mediocre career. Despite this I cannot see a kid kicking a football without wanting to join in. However I know that at my age that would be both stupid and dangerous, and yet the urge is there. I know there is no more dream of fame but if the kids ball came my way he would be lucky to get it back before I had tried to beat my keepie-upiee record. When I reflect on this I find it hard to be quite so dismissive of fighters who never know when to call it a day. It may be one last shot at fame that “inspires” them,, one last big payday, but somehow I think a lot of it is just the whole atmosphere, the experience, the routine, the remembered youth, just boxing itself. And yet how can you feel happy for guys such as Willie Guthrie and Fred Norwood. Their best days are far behind them and now they are minor players in the backwoods of boxing, in a place both physically and mentally they can never have thought their careers would take them. Guthrie is a sad case. On May 12 in Fairfax, Virginia, Willie was held to a draw by James Johnson over six rounds. Willie was an outstanding amateur and probably bound for the 1988 Olympic Games until he failed a drugs test at the US Trials. He turned pro and won his first 24 bots and in 1997 collected the vacant IBF light-heavyweight title. In 1998, in his first defence, he was carried out of the ring on a stretcher after being kayoed by Reggie Johnson. He was then out for 15 months and on his return was halted by Michael Nunn. After that his old nemesis caught up with him and he spent three years in jail for dealing in drugs. Since his return to the ring in 2000 it has been the Missouri, Carolina's, Georgia minor circuit for Willie, small crowds, small paydays and guys like Johnson who has won just 20 of his 51 fights. Poor Willie, a 40 year old former champion, former drug addict and convicted dealer going nowhere. Norwood's case is not so sad, but just as puzzling. On May 11 in St Louis the former twice holder of the WBA featherweight title belt halted Steve Mincks in three rounds. The talented, but unpredictable Norwood won the WBA title in 1998 and made three defences that year, losing his crown on the last of these when he failed to make the weight for a lucrative defence in Japan. Freddie regained the title in 1999 and made four more defences before failing to make the weight again for a defence against Derrick Gainer in 2000. The fight still went ahead and Freddie lost for the first, and so far only time in his career when he was kayoed in round eleven.. Instead of looking for a return or moving up in weight , Freddie threw his gloves away and vanished for six years. The win over Mincks was the third since he returned to the ring last June. Only one loss in 43 fights sounds like good grounds for one more turn, but at 37, and now a light-welterweight, why-Freddie-why? On to the more mundane. My Mexican “dark Horse” Leonilo Miranda retained the interim version of the national featherweight title with a third round kayo of Roman Campos in Navojoa on May 4. That makes it 26 in a row for the hard punching, 24 year old southpaw with all of the last 25 ending early. The reservation is that he has never boxed outside Sonora State. Another Mexican title fight saw Juan “Ringo” Garza halt Jorge Pimental in three rounds in Guaymas on May 4 to retain the national lightweight title. “Ringo”-so called because of the Beatle hair style he used to sport-is the brother of the former WBA super-bantamweight champion Nestor Garza and has a 29-3 record with one of those losses coming against future Alex Arthur opponent Koba Gogoladze. Guthrie is not the only fighter to have seen the inside of a jail. Mike “The Machine” Oliver spent a spell inside in 2003. The “forced break” came when he was just six fight into his pro career after being one of the USA's top amateurs. Southpaw Mike was out for almost two years, but is making up for lost time. On May 4 in Uncasville he took a technical verdict after eight rounds over Vernie Torres. That take his total to 19 wins and his record include victories over Adam Carrera(18-1 going in) and Gary Stark(18-0). It shows that his management has faith in the 27 year old super-bantamweight and he is now rated No 8 by the IBF. How do you qualify for a shot at “world” title? If you answered “By being an active fighter and having a good record”, then go to the bottom of the class (have you read and understood nothing that I have been writing for the past 40 years???) Take the fight for the vacant WBF super-middleweight title in Liege, Belgium on May 5. It pitted Lansana Diallo against Sean Connell, which Diallo won by a mile on all three cards. Lansana is 35 and his last fight was in June 2005. Australian Connell has a 10-9-2 record and had lost 3 of his last 5. Perfect credentials! Lansana promptly retired and will probably wait for three years when he can expect to come back and fight for the WBF light-heavyweight title. Just as bad in its way was the fight for the vacant EU super-featherweight on the same show. It featured the “official challenger” Ermano Fegatelli against the Italian champion Antonio De Vitis. Fegatelli won a majority verdict but only has an 11-2 record and De Vitis is now 8-1-1. Fegatelli has lost to two of the challengers who were rated No 8 and No 15 and De Vitis, whilst rated No 14, had six Brits rated above him. I guess it must be difficult to get guys to fight for the EU titles, but this is only just better than having Antonio Palatis fighting for an EU title. Actually the rest of the show featured some quite good Belgian boxers as Michael Henrotin made it 16 wins in 18 fights by outpointing previously unbeaten Najim Ettouhali for the vacant IBF Intercontinental super-middleweight title, middleweight Jamel Bahki moved to 14-1-2 with a points victory over Kai Kauramaki and heavyweight Geoffrey Batelllo halted Radoslav Milutinovic in two for win No 10. Watch out for Jean Marc at cruiserweight. No, I don't mean Mormeck, I mean Monrose. The 25 year old French champion was in action in Bouches-du-Rhone on May 11 when he halted Jindrich Velecky in four rounds. He is rated No 6 by the EBU and has a 19-1 record but has won his last 19 after losing inside the distance in his first fight. Ex-Champions Vincenzo Cantatore and Alex Gurov are down to fight for the vacant title, but Monrose is in the queue. The only thing predictable is the unpredictable nature of boxing. Back in October the unbeaten Mexican light-middleweight Juan De La Rosa took an easy one as he faced Mikel Williams. Juan was unbeaten with 16 wins and a draw and Williams has won just 6 of his 27 fights. Well Williams was one of boxing's dyslexics as he failed to read the script and halted De La Rosa in eight rounds. On May 12 in Marksville, Louisiana, De La Rosa showed that whilst he may be able to read scripts he can't read signs, and Williams obviously has what is known as the “Indian Sign” on the promising 20 year old as he beat him again, this time on points, but by nine points on the scorecards of two of the judges and five on the third. Best left alone Juan. On the same show a young middleweight by the name of Wilford Scypion had his first paid fight and kayoed one Cedric Blake. Dad, also Wilford, was a good class middleweight back in the 1970's/ 1980's. He beat guys such as Willie Classen, Curtis Parker and Frank Fletcher, but was outclassed in a challenge for the world middleweight title against Marvin Hagler in May 1983. PROSPECTS Leonilo Miranda-I guess it is time I put him into the frame. He holds the interim Mexican featherweight title and has a 26-0 record including inside the distance wins in each of his last 25 fights. Leonilo, a pro since 2003, is a southpaw and can obviously punch but the question mark that hangs over him is the quality of the opposition and he may get found out against better techniques. Kgotso Motua-Perhaps the hottest prospect in South Africa.25 year old southpaw(another one). Won the vacant South African middleweight title in his ninth fight and has made two defences, both first round stoppage wins. Has 11 in a row-all inside. As an amateur holds a win over Ric Samms. Won silver medal in the All African championships and competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the 2003 World championships and the 2004 Olympics.

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