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Vera and Casamayor Ain’t No Set-Ups
By Brett Conway (March 26, 2008)
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In 1949 came a classic boxing movie: Robert Wise’s “The Set-Up.” It’s a story about a club fighter named Stoker Thompson, a boxer on the down-and-outs, facing an up-and-coming fighter named Young Nelson. Thompson’s manager arranges with Nelson’s manager that Stoker lose the fight. In the action that ensues, Stoker is never told about the arrangement, doesn’t know he has to lose, and never believes that a share of the dive money – fifty smackeroos! – should be coming his way. Instead, he fights the fight of his life and knocks out Young Nelson in the final seconds of their four round fight. Being a mob dude, Young Nelson’s manager must seek revenge for the “double cross.” He does it the only way he knows how: he and his cronies beat Stoker in an alley, making sure that that right hand he used to knock out Nelson can never be used again.
I thought of this movie last weekend while watching two bouts. Both seemed to be revivals of “The Set-Up” only set in real boxing matches. And just like the movie, the Stoker Thompson of each match defied the odds to win.
The first pitted “Contender” alumnus Brian Vera against the Irish fighter Andy Lee on ESPN. The other pitted lineal but disputed lightweight champion Joel Casamayor against Michael Katsidis. Both fights -- exciting nip-and-tuck with plenty of action -- had me reflecting on poor old Stoker and his pyrrhic victory.
On Friday, Vera went up against Andy Lee. This was supposed to be a walkover for Lee. Vera is a straight ahead plodder with his face doing much of the catching; Lee is a southpaw with long arms, good movement, good height, and plenty of amateur experience, including a showing at the 2004 Olympics. It seemed inevitable that some combination would stall Vera’s forward progress, causing him to blink for a moment, and then Lee would finish him off.
The other thing on Lee’s side was Emanuel Steward, the trainer of greats like Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis and potential greats like Wladimir Klitschko. Steward also has a perch on HBO, and no doubt had thoughts of flying Lee, described on the broadcast as Steward’s best friend, onto the big cable channel. When the fight was set to begin, I saw the Irish middleweight and thought of the other high profile Irish middleweight John Duddy receiving the weightier numbers on the judges cards despite receiving the weightier blows throughout fights against Yory Boy Campas and Walid Smichet. And I thought about how deserving fighters with good talent are often shortchanged in decisions and how the dude with the complexion to get the connection, as Muhammad Ali used to say, often gets the nod in a close fight. I had to cheer for Vera.
Lee wasn’t the only favored fighter with the favored complexion that I cheered against this weekend. The other was on HBO. And that guy was fighting for all the marbles: the lightweight championship. That guy, Michael Katsidis, was taking on champion Joel Casamayor. I grant that Casamayor lost on everyone’s cards in his last fight against Jose Armando Santa Cruz – except for the judges’. And I grant that with fighters like Nate Campbell, Juan Diaz, David Diaz, and the tease of Manny Pacquiao, he may not be the best fighter in his weight class. But on Saturday night, he was still the linear titlist, the man who beat the man, the late Diego Corrales. And because he was fighting Katsidis, Casamayor was my man on Saturday.
Although undefeated and with plenty of knockouts, Katsidis was my nemesis in this one: he was my Young Nelson. And here’s why. Katsidis had been touted as the next Arturo Gatti for his blood and guts take no prisoners style. But many have forgotten that Gatti was an excellent boxer, something Katsidis isn’t. “Thunder” Gatti had a jab and movement and good control of the action in the ring. If you don’t believe me, you can watch his fight against Terron Millett in 2002. The Gatti connection wasn’t the only thing that bothered me. I didn’t like the way Katsidis earned the title fight. Katsidis was given his shot against Casamayor for his bloody TKO over tough Czar Amonsot back in July. In that fight, Katsidis had his left eye cut open, leaving him bleeding and a mess. In any other ring in the world, that fight would’ve been stopped and the Filipino fighter would’ve been awarded a justified TKO win. Instead, the fight continued and Katsidis eventually wore down Amonsot and not only won the fight but ended his opponent’s career as Amonsot suffered a brain injury. Had Katsidis not had the big money guys pegging him as the one to catch the eyes of the Gatti fans lonely for another fighter, that match, I believe, would have been stopped, and Amonsot would not be out of a job. That fight appeared to be a big money, big network set-up.
On Saturday, though, it was not to be Katsidis’s night. The Aussie, undefeated, against the champion in his mid-thirties, got a boxing lesson early on as he was knocked down twice but then showed why he is so highly touted by some when he, bloodied and hurt, came back to knock the champ down. That momentum couldn’t last though: Casamayor’s boxing had done too much damage. Katsidis was knocked out in the tenth after being tagged by a terrific left hand. In the end, Casamayor despite his age showed he still had something left in his boxing tank, but Katsidis probably lost a little something of himself after getting knocked out. Fighters cut out of his mould – the Tysons, the Vic Darchinyans, the Jeff Lacys – usually begin their decline after such a one-sided loss. It seems Katsidis was exposed as a determined but reckless fighter with a short shelf-life.
Brian Vera, too, pulled the rug out from under Friday Night Fight’s version of Young Nelson when he knocked out Andy Lee. He overcame the effective counterpunches and straight rights and lefts from Lee to mount his own offense, an offense that soon had Lee reeling. Vera was knocked down in the third but didn’t let that persuade him to quit. He kept coming against the guy who had everything going for him. He eventually had Lee rocking back on his heals as he continued to throw his wild hooks landing more and more often as Lee backed away. When the fight was stopped in the seventh, some thought it too soon. But it seemed Lee would’ve been knocked down or out in the coming minutes or seconds. He had little left except the will to fight on.
Lee for his part forgot to throw a right hook after a one-two. Replay after replay on the air showed Vera would’ve been a sucker for that punch as between his jaw and Lee’s right hand he always left a clear path. The problem was the Irishman wouldn’t let his fist walk it.
In “The Set-Up,” Stoker’s wish was to beat Young Nelson, so he could make some real dough (in the low three-figures) in a rematch. If Lee and Vera do have that rematch, it should be a good one since they have the styles to always bring a good fight. But this time I don’t expect Vera to win. Lee will learn from his mistakes and will throw the hook. He will keep his head – physically and mentally speaking -- but no matter what he does Vera will keep coming, reminding Lee, ESPN, and the boxing fans watching at home that he, like Stoker Thompson in that old Robert Wise film and like old Joel Casamayor on Saturday, will never be anybody’s set-up.
 brettconway@hotmail.com
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