British fighters and avoiding the American curse by David Statham Apr 18th 2008

David Statham looks at recent Brits who've enhanced their reputation with a trip across the Atlantic. So the Clinton Woods bandwagon has quietly left Florida and it heads back to sunny England, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty. The 35-year-old from Sheffield was easily outworked and outclassed by the dancing IBO light-heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver on Saturday (April 12th). And Woods' second defeat on American soil, for many, reaffirmed an answer to a consistently recurring question. Does a trip overseas effect a fighters performance? This weekend (Saturday April 19th) Joe Calzaghe debuts Stateside against Bernard ‘The Executioner' Hopkins. And once again, the undefeated super-middleweight champion has the same question mark placed delicately above his head. Should Joe lose to the self-proclaimed boxing ‘legend‘, he would join an ever increasing list of British fighters who have tasted defeat on their travels 'across the pond'. Frank Bruno, Herbie Hide, Robin Reid and Danny Williams are just a few who failed to ‘dazzle' beneath the bright American lights. So does an ‘American Adventure' automatically spell doom for a British fighter?  Let's take a look at three British ‘world' champions who took the long journey abroad and came back with their reputation enhanced. ‘Prince' Nassem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley, December 19th 1997 Sheffield's WBO featherweight champion ‘Prince' Naseem Hamed made a trip to New York to defend his title at the prestigious Madison Square Garden. His opponent for his eighth defence was fellow southpaw Kevin Kelley, a thirty-year old who had won 47 out of his 51 contests (drew 2). The fight proved to be as explosive as the ‘Prince's' ring entrance and by round three there had been four knockdowns; although one was ruled as a slip. The action started with Naseem easily landing jabs on the taller American, but a right-hand from ‘Flushing Flash' Kelley smashed in to the champion's chin and he crashed to the canvas. He was up at the count of two but buoyed by the his fan's excitement ‘Naz' had to unorthodoxly cover up as the American jabbed him on the ropes. Another right-hand on the chin in the second meant the Englishman had to take a mandatory eight count from referee Benjy Esteves. But Naseem was out for revenge and a solid right from the champion caught Kelley, landing him on the canvas. The American got up at the four count and unleashed a barrage of punches on the now swaggering, cocky Hamed. The audience didn't like it but their challenger was about to be finished. A couple of short lefts on the chin sent the American to the canvas for the second time in the fight. He was up at six, dazed and in the final minute of the round Hamed finished the fight by connecting with a superb left hook. The challenger landed on his back with his eyes closed. He got up to continue the fight but the referee stepped in. Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, June 8th 2002 Several American States refused to give Mike Tyson a licence before this WBC/IBF unification fight and his cause wasn't helped after he got caught nibbling on his opponent Lennox Lewis' leg at the pre-fight press conference. Fortunately, Memphis bid $12 million to stage the fight against the English champion and it took place at the Pyramid in June 2002. The fight - which wasn't Lewis' first in America but by far his biggest - was hyped up so much that a dozen security guards had to enter the ring to keep the fighters apart until the first bell. And Tyson probably wished they had stayed in there with him because by the second round, Lewis was in control, using his trademark jab and right uppercut. Tyson came back in the third after being cut over the right eye and a landed a left hook on Lewis' head but the champion came back with a strong combination. By the fifth, the man of ‘Iron' was cut again, this time above the right eye; a result from Lewis' accurate left-hand jab. The fight was ended in the eighth after a trio of uppercuts made Tyson take a standing eight count. The American, having only just recovered from his dazed position had another right hand crashed in to his jaw and he was sent sprawling across the canvas. Lying there, the once ‘baddest man on the planet' clutched his battered face and was counted out. Ricky Hatton vs. Luis Collazo, May13th 2006  The ‘Hitman' Ricky Hatton decided to relinquish his WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts to move up a division, and challenge Luis Collazo for his WBA title. The match-up was Hatton's first appearance of a three-fight American deal and it took place at Boston's TD Bankworth Gardens, in Massachusetts. Hatton's only other appearance in the States had been on the Prince Naseem-Wayne McCullough undercard eight years previous. But the ‘Hitman' didn't waste anytime on his headlining debut and he knocked down the bigger, tattooed welterweight in 12 seconds of the first round. The tough Collazo battled on and succesfully took round three and in the fourth he caught Hatton with some blistering right hooks. Hatton soaked it all up and the two stood toe to toe trying to batter each other into submission for the rest of the round. Hatton landed some trademark body shots on his opponents body in the half way stage of the fight and by the seventh he began to land close right hands on the tiring American. The all-out attack approach let Collazo get through and land a beautiful right that rocked his opponent's chin. Collazo's fast combinations had the Englishman on the back foot but the challenger's excessive work rate gave him the eleventh. The pulsating encounter came to an end after a final round of non-stop all action fighting as both fighters looked for the knockout punch. The judges gave the final round to the welterweight champion. But Hatton survived to take a unanimous decision, the WBA welterweight belt and the Ring Magazine's fighter of the year award.

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

Please login before posting comments.

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.