las vegas boxing - articles

Showtime Championship Boxing at Caesar's Palace

by Gregory Robinson

Jeff “Leff Hook” Lacy takes on Syd “Jewel” Vanderpool for the vacant IBF Super Middleweight Championship

Both of these fighters were out for blood. Canadian southpaw Syd Vanderpool may have had an extra dose of adrenaline since Wayne Gretsky was in attendance - no true Canadian wants to lose in front of Wayne Gretsky. 2000 US Olympian Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy might have been upset since Canada wouldn’t join our “coalition of the willing” in Iraq. Whatever the reason may be, both fighters were ready for a war. Lacy came out aggressively, but Vanderpool took the first two rounds by covering up, waiting for Lacy to charge in and punch himself out a bit, and then unleashing left hook combos to Lacy’s torso and head. Some of these shots hit Lacy’s midsection like depth charges hit a submarine. Incredibly, Lacy didn’t even look tired. He came back in round three and continued chasing Vanderpool around the ring, but this time he began to find his mark. He also became increasing better at avoiding Vanderpool’s counters.

From then on, it was Lacy’s fight. Vanderpool moved slower each round, waiting for Lacy to punch himself out, but it never happened. Lacy was unstoppable and relentless. Referee Joe Cortez at ringside noted that he looked like a young Mike Tyson - straightforward and unstoppable. Vanderpool managed to land a huge right in round 5 that sent Lacy stumbling backwards a bit, but it was the last attack he had to offer. Lacy reaffirmed his control in round 6 as he landed repeated hooks and looping rights to Vanderpool’s head. Vanderpool did what any champion would do - he held on to Lacy for dear life. He managed to make it through that round and the following round, but by the 8th he no longer had the energy to keep running. Lacy continued his straightforward attack, and when he caught Vanderpool with an uppercut to the head, Lacy went in for the kill. As he flurried and Vanderpool backed up and tried to cover, Referee Robert Byrd stepped in and stopped the fight.

Vanderpool may have had some fight left in him, but it wasn’t enough to take the day away from Lacy. Lacy moves on to 17-0, earns $50,000, and becomes the new IBF Super Middleweight Champ. Despite the loss, Vanderpool racked up a cool $70,000, and proved that he has a lot to offer the fight game. I, for one, would certainly be interested in seeing a rematch.

Verno Phillips vs. Kassim Ouma.

Watching this fight was like trying to read a Leo Tolstoy novel in one sitting.

For 10 rounds Phillips and Ouma swung and missed, and then held on to each other while they rested. Both fighters were active, but no one seemed to be getting hurt or even hit. It was much closer to a friendly sparring session at the local boxing gym. To make things even worse, while these two goofed around, Mayorga and Trinidad were having an incredible slugfest in New York.

Fortunately, in round 11, the fight actually started. Ouma threw a huge overhand left that made Phillips stagger. He followed up with a big right that also landed soundly. Phillips appeared to be exhausted and in trouble, but he managed to run away and survive the round. Ouma came out just as strong in round 12, and sent Phillips stumbling across the ring in an attempt to keep his balance. Ouma gave chase, and caught up with Phillips just in time to receive a beautiful left that Phillips threw as he was backing up. Ouma continued to move in for the kill, but Phillips proved slippery enough to keep away and make it through the round. After 12 rounds, it like Ouma had done just enough to win. Two of the judges agreed with this analysis, scoring the fight 114-113, 114-113 in favor of Ouma. Judge Dalby Shirley believed that Ouma had done more than “just enough” and scored the fight 117-110 in his favor. By beating Phillips for the second time (they fought before in 2001) Ouma becomes the new IBF Jr. Middleweight champ and walks away $40,000 richer. Phillips may have lost ignominiously, but his $135,000 paycheck should ease the pain.

DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson vs. Wladamir “Steelhammer” Klitschko

After Klitschko’s loss to Lamon Brewster in April, everyone knew he had something to prove. He needed to win dramatically to prove that Brewster’s incredible KO was a fluke. Klitschko’s opponent for this comeback fight was the well-known DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson, who is best know for his recent loss to Baby Joe Mesi, and his narrow victory over Eliecer Castillo for the NABF heavyweight title. Williamson is a solid fighter, but fairly small for the heavyweight division. He’s fought most of his career at around 210 pounds, although tonight he came in at 218. This is big for Williamson, but a full 16 pounds lighter than Klitschko.

At the very least, Williamson was smart enough not to go toe-to-toe with Klitschko. He came out circling the ring, looking for openings through Klitschko’s heavy hands. In the first and second round, he had no success finding those openings. Klitschko, however, did have some success in cutting off the ring. And when he got Williamson pinned he unleashed a jab that scored repeatedly. He also managed to land a beautiful left hook but he was reluctant to capitalize on it. Instead, he remained cool and calculated, and kept his right hand cocked back for the occasional bomb.

In round 3, Williamson finally landed a straight right, but Klitschko responded with a straight right of his own that rocked Williamson’s head back. Nevertheless, Williamson had found the target he was looking for, and in round 4 he threw the same punch with devastating accuracy. Klitschko went sprawling backwards and touched the canvas briefly before bouncing back up. It was hardly a devastating knock down, but it completely removed Klitschko’s calm, professional demeanor. The one thing that Klitschko didn’t want was for the world to believe that any punch to the head could put him down. However, that is exactly what had just happened.

The fight immediately became personal, and Klitschko violently swung at Williamson and landed two big rights and a straight left. Williamson was hurt, but well-aware that he had shaken the giant’s cool demeanor. Williamson came out with renewed confidence in round 5, but was unable to find the success he had earlier. At some point during this round, the two butted heads, and it opened up a cut on Klitschko’s head. The doctors took at look at the cut and stated that it was severe enough to end the fight. Since five rounds had passed the bout went to the score cards. Amazingly, it was a split decision. The first judge scored the bout 49-46 for Klitschko. The second scored the bout 48-47 for Williamson. The third scored the bout 49-46 for Klitschko, making him the victor.

Even though he gets another win for his record, he has effectively proven that he is no longer a force to be dealt with seriously in the heavyweight division. If he continues to fight, he’ll be the first choice of every up and comer that wants to make a name for themselves by knocking out a major heavyweight. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.