BOOM (erang)! Here comes the BOOM (erang)!...
Did you see Michael Grant’s mouthguard between the fifth and sixth rounds? I might be wrong but I could swear that was a boomerang.
Mean Gene Sheridan…
You gotta love the exuberance of veteran announcer of well over 700 title fights, “Colonel” Bob Sheridan. On the night of Adamek-Grant, Steve Kim tweeted, “Bob Sheridan is the ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund of boxing (And I mean that as a compliment).” “Seoul Train Steve” wasn’t kidding. You’d think we saw a prime Mike Tyson vs. an equally prime Muhammad Ali from how he was carrying on. By no means is this an insult. “Colonel” Bob is a true treasure, honestly, even if he does adore his hyperbole. I do have to say, I LOVED how he called out Showtime and HBO, as well as their respective ringside analysts Gus Johnson and Jim Lampley (in them possibly wishing they could be at ringside). Plus, the guy is all about credit where it’s due, making certain all parties in Saturday night’s fight were well propped…on more than one occasion.
To box or not to box…
I’ve always been a fan of James Toney even in his latter, post-cruiserweight years. As brash, foul-mouthed and non-P.C. as “Lights Out” is and always has been, his career has been built on a foundation of boxing artistry that prompted me to dub him, “The Paul McCartney of Boxing” (Think equally polished songwriting and bass lines). It’s that yearning for Toney at his best (or even a little less) that concerns me regarding his trip to the UFC to face light heavyweight/heavyweight legend, Randy Couture on Saturday night. “The Natural” is, without question, wrestling (and I mean, real wrestling, not “cut your own forehead with a razor blade” wrestling) personified, also showing proficiency in boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Toney has only boxing to fall back on. This doesn’t mean Couture has any sort of edge on Toney in boxing; in fact, I’m willing to bet if Toney didn’t forsake his boxing skills for strictly focusing his training on the nuances of ground-and-pound tactics, he could reasonably outbox “Captain America.” If Toney thinks he’s going to defeat Couture at his own game, he’s screwed. That’s not prognosticative science; it’s common sense. If he has to lose at a combat sport, I only wish we could see Toney walk away into retirement after losing at his own.
Marco Luck or Marco Suck…you decide…
I’m not sure if it was because I wasn’t in the finest of moods when I titled this entry but I was none too pleased with the Marco Huck-Matt Godfrey match for Huck’s cruiserweight strap. Is it me or does Huck come off as nothing more than a 200-pound Ricardo Mayorga? In this writer’s assessment, had Godfrey remembered to move to Huck’s left and cover with his own, this might’ve been a whole different game. As for the knockdowns, the only ones that seemed to have any real purchase to them was the straight right in the corner in the fifth- which, admittedly, was a beaut, and was the first time you saw real concern on Godfrey’s face- and the low-blow in the third. The second knockdown in the fifth, which saw Godfrey fall through the ropes, wasn’t even the result of a punch but Godfrey’s off-balance evasive maneuver. As for the stoppage, barely a single punch connected that warranted referee Geno Rodriguez calling off the fight. Look, I know Rodriguez is a Chicago favorite (and bless his heart for that) but I can’t allow geography to make excuses. And before you put me on blast, if you have a copy of the fight, watch it again and look real close at the different angles. Huck proved he was proficient at attacks in spurts and full-arm punches without little else to speak of. That sort of formula marks time on one’s title reign, especially if Huck’s promoter Wilfried Sauerland gets his wish for a “Super Six”-style tournament of his own at cruiserweight. If he stocks it with illegitimate challenges, then maybe Huck’s got a chance.
Band-ing together for the good ol’ U.S.A…
And exactly who’s idea was it to have former “The Calling” lead singer, Alex Band (or as the display behind him read, “Alex Max Band” making it look as if he was “Alex Max” and the band was his in support. And “The Alex Max Band Band” just has a confusing ring, doesn’t it?) perform his solo debut single, “Tonight,” as Huck’s ring walk theme only to turn around and perform the National Anthem on Godfrey’s behalf? I don’t know if that was equal opportunity musicianship or perhaps Band owed Germany a favor. Personally, Band’s exaggeratedly swanky vocal stylings made the Anthem sound a little cheesy. I’ll take his version of “Why Don’t You and I” with Carlos Santana over Saturday night any day.
Questions? Comments? Complaints? Contact Coyote at artofthepaw@yahoo.com or visit him at www.facebook.com/CoyoteDuran or www.myspace.com/coyote_duran. Please visit www.coyoteduran.com or www.facebook.com/CDCreationNation to check out Coyote’s original art. Currently, Coyote has no followers on Twitter. Because he has no Twitter.
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