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 Closet Classic: Aaron Davis vs. Mark Breland
By Lee Groves (July 11, 2006)
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The expectation game can be a brutal one. When a fighter demonstrates abilities far above the norm, the whispers of greatness turn into shouts and the hype machine shifts into overdrive. Then, when the fighter doesn’t reach the heights demanded of him, the fall from grace is steep and destructive – no matter whether the degree of the fall is deserved or not.
This was particularly true of Mark Breland, whose spectacular amateur career inspired many to compare him to the fighter many consider the greatest of them all – Sugar Ray Robinson. And why not: Breland amassed a 110-1 record that included five consecutive New York Golden Gloves titles (the first fighter ever to do so), three amateur world titles and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. He was the most feared amateur of his time because of a right hand that produced dramatic knockouts in a sport where decisions are the norm.
Though Breland made good on the gold medal forecast, some felt he wasn’t dominant enough in winning it. Still, he had top billing on the "Night of Gold" November 15, 1984 at Madison Square Garden, where six Olympic medalists made their professional debuts, many of them on ABC’s prime time air. Breland solidly beat the 6-1 Dwain Williams over six rounds, but because he didn’t score a dominating knockout some were left with a sour taste. After all, Sugar Ray Robinson scored a two-round KO over Joe Escheverria in New York when he made his pro debut 44 years before, and the "next Robinson" failed to duplicate the feat.
The air of disappointment grew thicker when Breland failed to score a knockout in his next two fights against Marlon Palmer and Steve Little, but they quieted a bit when he polished off Vince Dunfee in two rounds in his fourth bout. When Breland stepped between the ropes, he was not only fighting the man across the ring but the ghost of Robinson and the overwhelming shadow it cast.
Breland knocked out 10 of his next 12 victims and went on to win the vacant WBA welterweight title by polishing off Harold Volbrecht in seven rounds. But Volbrecht enjoyed some good moments in that bout, and because Breland won a title vacated by linear champion Lloyd Honeyghan, the voices of dissent weren’t silenced. After decisioning Juan Rondon in a non-title 10-rounder in Italy, Breland signed to defend against solid veteran Marlon Starling. A victory over Starling would have set things right in many people’s eyes, but it was not to be as "The Magic Man" made Breland’s title disappear in 11 rounds. The rematch 10 months later proved no better; though the fight was ruled a draw many believed Breland deserved to lose.
The Robinson comparisons ceased and Breland was left to reassemble the rubble.
But a funny thing happened on the road to redemption: Breland began to show the promise many saw in him. Four months after the Starling rematch, Breland dusted three consecutive opponents in a single round, the last of which was Seung Soon Lee for the WBA title vacated by Starling’s successor Tomas Molinares. In his subsequent four defenses, Breland for the most part looked sharp and powerful against Rafael Pineda (KO 5), Mauro Martelli (KO 2), Fujio Ozaki (KO 4) and a badly faded Honeyghan (KO 3). Because he no longer had to deal with the pressure of living up to the Robinson legend, Breland was free to showcase his considerable talent. At age 27 and in his physical prime, more sterling performances seemed likely.
Fresh off his destruction of Honeyghan, Breland signed to defend his title for the fifth time against fellow New Yorker Aaron Davis on July 8, 1990. Because Madison Square Garden was undergoing significant renovations, this New York turf war was moved to Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nev. At age 23, Davis was making a considerable step up in competition. His best wins in his 29-0 (16 KOs) record included a 10-round split decision over Horace Shufford, a 12-round nod over Luis Santana and a 10-round verdict over former WBA junior welterweight champion Gene Hatcher. Less than two months before fighting Breland, Davis struggled to a 10 round win over Curtis Summitt. Davis admitted he was caught looking ahead to Breland but the man billed as "Superman" promised he would be more powerful than a locomotive and make the giant leap needed to fly away with Breland’s title.
As Davis awaited the first bell he bounced on his toes and made sure his left leg was slightly forward so he could immediately be in fighting position. Breland look relaxed as trainer Joe Fariello whispered last-minute advice outside the ropes over the champion’s left shoulder.
Breland began the fight snapping jabs on the circling Davis, smartly using his five-inch height and seven-inch reach advantages. Because he moved forward behind the jab, Breland further magnified those edges and made life difficult for the young challenger.
With 1:38 remaining, Breland’s dominance came to a sudden end as Davis fired a ferocious jab that caught Breland with his hands at chest level. The blow likely broke his nose and definitely buckled his legs. Breland grabbed Davis hard in a clinch and managed to hold on for nine seconds as the challenger unleashed two chopping lefts to the shoulder and a driving uppercut. After referee Mills Lane broke them, Breland threw a perfunctory jab and latched on again for another six seconds. As Breland sought the safety of repeated clinches, Davis worked hard to extricate himself, hurting Breland with a glancing left uppercut to the tip of the chin, a hard hook to the jaw, a hook to the stomach and a short left uppercut to the face.
As the round closed, Breland ripped a right uppercut at short range, but after landing he put his head down, tried to grab Davis’ waist, stumbled forward several feet and fell to his knees. Upon resumption, Davis connected with two hooks to the jaw that drove Breland to the ropes, where the champion clinched the round away.
It was an exasperating start for Breland, who had tried for the past year to shake the images of the two Starling fights from the public’s mind. In those bouts he floundered around the ring on unsteady legs, falling to the canvas after the slightest provocation. Davis was more than happy to take advantage of the situation but he couldn’t do so because he chose to seek the one big bomb instead of building a foundation through combinations.
The fight may have been short on technique but it was overflowing with competitive drive. In the final 10 seconds before the second round bell, Lane had to keep the fighters from prematurely resuming the action. Davis began well by landing two hard jabs and consolidated his advantage by mixing it to the head and body. Another jab sent Breland stumbling toward the ropes, touching his injured nose with his glove and forcing yet another clinch. As Davis connected with two more jabs, it was clear he had found a way to overcome Breland’s anatomical attributes and exploit the champion’s physical vulnerabilities. Every Davis blow made Breland’s legs take on the appearance of a newborn colt. But while Breland’s legs were shaky, his fighting heart was intact. He powered Davis to the ropes behind a sharp one-two and later slammed a hard hook to the ribs. Another left-right-hook volley sent Davis to the ropes, where two more hard hooks to the body followed.
Breland, with his left eye swelling underneath and blood covering his nose and mouth, closed the round strongly by landing his best right of the fight, causing Davis to fall into a clinch until the bell rang.
It is rare for a fight this young to evolve into a battle of attrition. Davis was breathing heavily due to a combination of nerves and his all-out effort to take Breland out in the first round and the champion was struggling with a broken nose and failing legs. The sheen of physical skills had been stripped away with unusual dispatch, forcing both fighters to continue only with the force of will. All thoughts of a judge’s decision were tossed aside as the boxing match turned into a legalized street fight. Both were fixated on hurting the other man with no regard for what they had to absorb to achieve their shared objective.
Still, both appeared fresher as third began as each man’s blows carried more speed and verve. Davis’ jab was connecting more flush and with more impact but Breland’s was more diversified as he used it to set up heftier blows. A strong left-right forced Davis back a step and the challenger’s face began to lump up under the steady stream of Breland jabs, especially under the right eye. The challenger fared better in the final minute, looping in a lead right that forced a clinch and landing a strong hook to the cheek. A solid jab bounced off Breland’s face but instead of clinching, the champion fired a solid right-left-right.
With 18 seconds remaining, however, the fight turned in a most violent way.
After Breland missed wildly with an awkward hook, Davis sent Breland stumbling to the ropes with a cuffing hook that landed more with the wrist than the glove. But a second hook cracked against the champion’s face and a follow-up left-right sent Breland to the canvas. Up at two, Breland backed into the neutral corner. Blood was smeared all over his face and his mouth hung open, but he convinced Lane he was fit to continue. Fortunately for Breland, the bell sounded before Davis could launch another blow.
Between rounds, Fariello tried to encourage his charge by saying "he’s got a bad left eye. It’s swollen shut….just stay with it, kid. Just stay there with him, all right? Stop the pulling out; stiff jab and a right hand on the way in."
Breland followed Fariello’s counsel as the fourth began as he stood his ground and snapped hard jabs. Davis countered one of those jabs with a hook, but his follow-through wrapped around the back of Breland’s head and the two wrestled to the floor. As the two exchanged jabs, it was clear Davis’ was harder while Breland’s was more frequent. They were also inflicting more damage, for the area around Davis’ eye was not only swollen but also sported cuts above and below. Since the blood from the higher cut was dripping into the orbit, Lane asked the ring doctor to conduct an examination.
After the doctor cleared Davis for further combat, both men fought with more urgency. Davis feared his title challenge and undefeated record were in imminent danger while Breland wanted to preserve his title by any means necessary. Breland’s face was not a pretty sight as blood poured out of his nose and mouth, forcing him to gulp for air.
In the final minute, Breland landed his strongest hook of the fight, but Davis escaped the ropes and showed his bravado by rolling his gloves in a circular pattern. A huge hook that left Breland hanging on the ropes followed the showboat move, but after the round ended Davis tapped Breland on the arm to show his respect.
The swelling under Davis’ left eye had become a blood-filled bubble and Lane had the physician conduct another exam, and the challenger again ratcheted up the aggression by throwing hard but inaccurate blows. Breland, however, was in his best form as he snapped jabs at the swelling and thumped rights to the body. He forced Davis to retreat the entire round, and though his legs still didn’t look strong he smartly used his height and reach to dominate the round. As Davis took the blows he shook his head "no" but the ringside judges were probably saying "yes" when they marked their scorecards.
Breland continued to work the jab in the sixth but Davis, desperate to turn the tide, induced a clinch and hammered Breland with a left uppercut to the head, a hook to the ribs and two heavy hooks to the jaw as Breland hung on. One minute in, Lane again asked for a check of the eye and as the physician wiped the blood Davis pleaded his case and won the right to continue. Davis cranked up his best hooks but they sailed harmlessly over Breland’s head. The challenger smartly stayed on the inside, where Breland’s long arms would be a hindrance. The infighting was often ugly and at one point Davis flung the champion to the canvas.
With 52 seconds to go, Davis slammed a right off Breland’s cheek that caused the champ to take a knee. But because Davis helped Breland’s fall it was not ruled a knockdown. But Breland was clearly hurt and Davis fired a strong jab and a looping right to the champion’s broken nose. Breland retreated awkwardly and splayed himself against the ropes several times, and the momentum had swung back the challenger’s way.
Knowing this, Fariello appealed to Breland’s pride between rounds.
"Let’s find out if you’re a champion now," the trainer said. "You’re falling all over the place and it’s all mental, Mark. It’s all mental. You’ve got to pick it up, you understand? Let’s see if you’re a champion. You can not lose to this guy."
As another trainer chimed in with "he’s more tired than you are," Fariello continued by saying "He’s shot, Mark. You’ve got to pick it up." Then kneeling and staring into Breland’s eyes, he said "Mark, listen to me: Don’t give it up. I want you to give him a hard round this round. Go after him with your jab and fire your shots. Don’t let him take the play and don’t let him rough you up inside. It’s all you, Mark, you’ve got to be a champion."
But it was Davis who tore out the corner behind wild hooks as the seventh began. Breland managed to return to ring center to snap his jabs and dig right uppercuts to the body when the action shifted inside.
"You really sense that both of these fighters are so close to the edge," ABC blow-by-blow man Dan Dierdorf observed. "Aaron Davis is so close for having that eye swell shut and stopping the fight and Mark Breland, I’m sorry, I still get the impression he’s only one average shot on the chin away from going down and not getting up."
Throughout the first seven rounds, there was no letup in energy and intensity as both men expended their animosity. Breland ended a solid seventh by driving Davis to the ropes with a four-punch flurry and a searing hook to the liver.
Between rounds, the doctor again looked at Davis’ eye and let the fight continue. Knowing that the next examination could be the last one, the challenger fought like a wild man as the eighth began. Davis shot out of the corner and landed a right-left to the body, and a second right-left sent Breland stumbling toward the ropes. A smashing hook snapped Breland’s head straight back and a hook to the jaw forced the champion to clinch hard. Another hard hook caromed off Breland’s head and Davis drove a vicious hook to the groin to extricate himself from another clinch. Breland didn’t complain and Lane didn’t issue a warning.
In close quarters, Davis cranked a hook to the stomach, a left uppercut to the jaw and two whistling hooks. Another hook to the body and a looping hook to the ear connected as Breland broke the clinch. Somehow, the champion absorbed the punishment with aplomb and his durability would soon be rewarded.
After landing a hook to the ear and a solid jab, Breland’s hook brushed against Davis’ swollen right eye. The challenger’s face showed distress as he raised his glove to protect it, and Breland jumped on the opening by shooting a left-left-right and a big hook to the jaw that drove a badly hurt Davis to the ropes. Breland fired a right to the body and a right uppercut to the chin that snapped Davis’ head.
Breland, often criticized for his phlegmatic ring demeanor, unleashed all his weapons and Davis had the look of a beaten fighter. A four-punch volley further weakened Davis, who spent several long seconds in a clinch. But Breland was also tired and he welcomed the brief respite. Both men had been hurt in the eighth and they were hurtling toward a competitive cliff. The only question was who would fall off first.
Between rounds Davis was encouraged by the brevity of the doctor’s exam that indicated the eye had not gotten appreciably worse. As the ninth began, blood was pouring out of Breland’s nose and his left eye sported a small swelling – and this was the man who won the previous round. With a minute to go, Breland began to surge as a left-right backed Davis to a corner. The challenger drew in a deep breath, but sagged after absorbing a right to the body and a heavy right to the ear. It appeared Breland was finally asserting his dominance against a most stubborn challenger.
But all that changed with 15 seconds remaining in the round. As Breland reached in to throw a right after his jab, Davis dipped to his left and uncorked a wild, looping overhand right that caught Breland coming in on the tip of his broken nose. He couldn’t have been hit harder and Breland’s weakened body couldn’t withstand its effects.
Breland fell to one knee and collapsed flat on his back. Exhausted and damaged beyond description, Breland could only roll onto his right side before Lane tolled "ten" with a mere four seconds remaining in round nine. As the count was imposed, Davis walked two laps around the ring’s perimeter and when it was declared over he jumped in the air and completed a somersault. He hugged trainer Billy Giles, then collapsed in a mixture of jubilation and exhaustion. At the time of the knockout, Davis led on two scorecards by one and three points while Breland was ahead by two on the third card.
"All losses are terrible," Breland said. "I take nothing away from him, he’s a good fighter. He’s just better than me tonight. I knew he could punch a little bit (with the jab) because he’s a converted southpaw so the power hand is his left hand. I’ll get in the gym and come back, maybe try to get a rematch. I’m not going to quit right now."
Before the fight, Davis openly and repeatedly questioned the former Olympian’s fortitude but after experiencing Breland’s talents first hand he expressed nothing but admiration.
"Mark is a great man," the new WBA welterweight champion said. "Mark had more heart than I expected him to and he did not quit because he didn’t want to go back to New York a loser. But I’m coming back to New York a world champion…to the Bronx."
Epilogue: After winning the title from Breland, Davis notched a pair of non-title wins over Billy Durbin (KO 8) and Jorge Maysonet (W 10). His reign, however, was brief as Meldrick Taylor won his second divisional title by decision January 19, 1991. Davis would fight for a title one more time, losing a majority decision to WBA junior middleweight champion Julio Cesar Vazquez in Monaco August 21, 1993. Davis won nine of his final 11 fights and ended his career on a six-fight win streak, the last of which took place July 23, 2002 when he captured a majority decision over Ross Thompson in New Rochelle, N.Y. The 35-year-old Davis retired with a record of 49-6 (31 KOs).
Nine months after losing to Davis, Breland iced Ariel Conde in one round and followed with victories over Henry Anaya Jr. (W 10) and Julian Samaha (KO 1). But his momentum – and presumably his career – was halted after Jorge Vaca stopped him in six rounds.
Five years after the loss to Vaca, Breland launched a four-fight comeback that resulted in four wins. After decisioning Rick Haynes over 10 rounds March 21, 1997 in Jacksonville, Fla., the 33-year-old Breland never fought again, content he left the ring on his own terms instead of having another fighter force him out. Breland, who exited the ring with a 35-3-1 (25 KOs), never reached the Robinsonesque heights predicted for him, but he earned a degree of validation by twice winning pieces of world titles while conducting himself with unquestioned class..
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