Eric Armit's World View by Eric Armit Jun 3rd 2008

Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will be on my way to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York State, for the Inauguration of the 2008 inductees. I don't know what it says about British boxing but we actually have more 'modern' promoters in the Hall of Fame than we have boxers. The only two boxers in the 'modern' section are Ken Buchanan and Barry McGuigan, whilst the promoters include Jarvis Astaire, Mickey Duff and now as a 2008 inductee, Frank Warren. The other inductees for this year are Larry Holmes, Eddie Perkins, Mogens Palle, journalist Dave Anderson and Mr Everything, Joe Koizumi. Joe is a journalist, TV commentator, matchmaker, trainer, agent and so much more and has been a friend of mine for more than 30 years. Also expected to attend are a whole galaxy of stars such as Marvin Hagler, Buster Douglas, Ruben Olivares, Alexis Arguello, Michael Carbajal, Carmen Basilio, George Chuvalo, Billy Backus, Marlon Starling, Gerry Cooney, Ken Norton, Pernell Whitaker, Gene Fullmer, Carlos Ortiz, Jose Torres, Paul Malignaggi, Steve Cunningham etc. The best part of it is that these guys are usually easily available to the fans for autographs, pictures and chats. A unique opportunity. Although he may one day make the Hall of Fame, it is probable that history will not be too kind to Chris Byrd even though he held both the WBO and IBF heavyweight titles. However, before he passes into history you have to admire that after winning an Olympic silver medal at middleweight as a pro in the space of just four fights went from super-middleweight, to cruiserweight to heavyweight and was still a quality fighter. He stretched it too far in dropping back down to light-heavyweight for his last fight (stopped in nine by Shaun George on May 16). Boxers must be one of Ghana's main exports. The latest to seek his fortune in the USA is the Commonwealth super-bantamweight champion Anyetei Laryea. He started his campaign there with a loss as he was outpointed by the former WBO super-flyweight champion Ivan Hernandez in Irvine on May 15. This was Anyetei's first fight since winning the Commonwealth title by halting Isaac Ward in October. Still only 25, “Choko” Hernandez had been inactive for 17 months. His record stands at 24-3-1 and Laryea drops to 17-4. Two of Australia's top prospects scored quick wins on a show in Campsie on May 16. Lightweight champion Lenny Zappavigna, a bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games, halted New Zealander David Wiremu in two rounds and world rated featherweight Billy Dib stopped Filipino Leon Maratas in five. The 20-year-old Zappavigna has 14 wins and “Billy the Kid” Dib has 19. It is just a short while since Mike Marrone was being touted as a future star of the heavyweight division. However, somewhere he has gone off the rails. Instead of continuing a careful build up by Main Events he turns up on May 17 in Bayreuth, Germany, after 13 months of inactivity, putting his unbeaten record on the line against Italian prospect Francesco Pianeta for the WBC Youth title. It was a disaster for Mike as he was stopped in two rounds. Pianeta ,a 6'5” southpaw, has 16 wins. Marrone drops to 18-1. On the same show the former IBF cruiserweight champion Marco Huck, a former kick-boxer, halted Slovakian Frantisek Kasanic in nine rounds and spidery super-middleweight Vitali Tsypko halted Pole Marcin Piatkowski in three. European boxing is going to become more complicated with the IBF and the WBA trying to muscle in on the European Boxing Union territory. On May 17 in Weisswasser, Germany, Hungarian Vilmos Balogh won the vacant IBF East/West light-middleweight title by outpointing Turgay Uzun. Balogh, six-time Hungarian champion as an amateur, has 21 wins, but is another who lingered too long in the amateurs and is 33. Uzun has a 27-11-2 record and lost to Joszef Matolcsi in London for the WBF title in 2006. Paulus Moses could be the next Namibian star and their first world champion since Harry Simon. The 29-year-old “Hitman” moved to 23 wins with a second round stoppage of Yauhen Kruhlik in Tokyo on May 19. This bout was part of a deal that saw Moses take some money to stand aside so that the then reigning WBA lightweight champion Jose Alfaro could make a voluntary defence against Yusuke Kobori on the same show. Alfaro was halted in three rounds so now in theory Kobori has to defend against Moses. Three former world champions met with mixed fortunes on a show in North Carolina on May 21. It was actually staged at Camp Lejuene, the Marine base . The home-town boy was Johnnie Edwards, a former top amateur who was a triple-US Inter Services champion, United States champion and Olympic triallist. He was looking to bounce back from a crushing first round loss to Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa in February and was facing the former double WBA featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. In their first clash in September 2007 Norwood had been disqualified, but this time Johnnie finished it with a seventh round kayo and raised his record to 14-2-1. Now 38, Norwood twice threw his WBA title away on the scales. Former WBC lightweight champion Stevie Johnston also ended up as a loser. He was kayoed in ten rounds by Nassau-born lightweight Edner Cherry. Only 25, Cherry, rated No 9 by the WBC, has a 25-4-2 record including a points loss to Paul Malignaggi in February 2007. Little Johnston was a subject of controversy when he tested positive after beating Billy Schwer in a title defence here in 1999 but the WBC never followed up on it. The third former champion was 43-year-old ex-IBF cruiserweight titlist Arthur Williams. He had the easiest task of the night and outpointed Clarence Moore. I am still not sure if Mexican southpaw Leonilo Miranda can fight, but he certainly seems to have a punch. In another May 21 bout, this in Leo's home town of Navojoa, he halted featherweight Lizardo Moreno in eight rounds. That makes it 29 wins, 27 by stoppage or kayo for the 25 year old . The signs are not good, usually when a guy has this kind of record the promoters North of the Border are in a hurry to find out how good he is but there is no queue forming. Never mind the quality - feel the quantity. Rob Calloway is now rated in the top 15 by all four of the major sanctioning bodies. On May 22 in St Louis the 38-year-old “All-American Prize Fighter” , stopped in five rounds by Audley Harrison in 2003, halted David Robinson in two rounds. That makes it 13 wins in a row against opposition who would be flattered to be described as “ordinary”. It is the way boxing works and you can bet that someday a cruiserweight champion looking for a “safe” challenger will land on Rob. Best of luck to him. Still on 38-year-olds, heavyweight Cedric Boswell outpointed Zach Page in Memphis on May 23. A pro since 1994 and with just one loss in 27 fights, Cedric could give Albert Sosnowski lessons on how to take forever to get nowhere. For me, Aaron Williams seemed a can't miss prospect. The 22-year-old cruiserweight had been an outstanding amateur and impressed more with each pro outing. Well, I might have to revise that opinion after he was halted in five rounds in Lincoln, Rhode Island, on May 23. Williams battered Colombian Jose Luis Herrera in the early rounds, but then ran out of gas. Could be the puncturing of the balloon, or a case of him getting the sort of lesson the David Haye received at the hands of Carl Thompson. On the same show Jason “Big Six” Estrada halted Moultrie Witherspoon in seven rounds. Estrada was the most successful American amateur heavyweight in a decade, but his style just does not excite and he is struggling to make an impact as a pro. In another May 23 show Belgian Carmelo Ballone retained his European bantamweight title for the first time with a tenth round stoppage of Belarus southpaw Valery Yanchy in La Louviere. Ballone has a 21-2-1 record, with the two losses coming in challenges to former champion Simone Maludrottu. It could be that Ian Napa, rated No 2 by the EBU, might have a better chance against the 32-year-old Belgian. Why do they do it? After almost eight years out “The Turkish Delight” Orhan Delibas returned to the ring in Tilburg, Holland on May 24 with a first round stoppage of two-fight novice Vaclav Fiala. The 37-year-old walked away in 2000 with a 24-2 record after losing to Roman Karmazan for the vacant EBU light-middleweight title. As an amateur Orhan was World Military champion and won silver medals in the European championships and 1992 Olympic Games, including ending Robin Reid's hopes in the semi-finals, but that was a long time ago. Two veterans clashed for the vacant IBO super-flyweight title in Gauteng, South Africa on May 31. South African champion Zolile Mbityi took a split verdict over returning former IBO flyweight champion “Hawk” Makebula. The 37-year-old Mbityi lost here to Lee Haskins for the Commonwealth flyweight title in 2006. On the same show Silence Mabuza retained his IBO bantamweight title with a fifth round stoppage of moderate Argentinian Damian Marchiano. Mabuza has 22 wins against two losses to Rafael Marquez in challenges for the IBF title. An all-Mexican title fight in San Luis Potosi on May 31 saw WBO super-flyweight champion Fernando Montiel retain his crown with a third round stoppage of Luis Maldonado. A former WBO flyweight champion Montiel has taken part in 16 WBO title fights in his 37-2-1 record. Maldonado has a 37-3-1 record and all three losses have been in world title shots, but he has a draw against the current WBC and WBA super-flyweight champion Cristian Mijares.

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