Horrible Matchups of The Month
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Unscrupulous boxing promoters will do anything to sell a fight, and television will usually provide a mismatch. Of recent, some of the worst matchups ever seen have been made, which in the viewpoint of this reporter, are like sending a lamb to the sacrificial slaughter. It takes two to tango is an old Elvis Presley expression. True to form, some fighters will do anything-and take any bout for a check-even when the odds are better of winning the lottery. Money talks and bullsh*t walks, especially in the fight game.
One would think the fighters agreeing to the mismatches, as well as their trainers, managers and promoters, would know better. However, that is not always the case. Even when they do, they do it for the ‘W’ (win) anyway. People cheer for their favorite fighter.
Watching a video on YouTube of 20-0 Mike Lee getting wiped early by 18-0 Caleb Plant in an International Boxing Federation World Super Middleweight title bout earlier this year, it was not difficult to deduce Lee’s 20-0 record was padded. This reporter had seen one of his fights before. Eventually, Lee took the plunge into a title bout, and saw his undefeated record exposed. That’s a mismatch, despite the fighter’s seemingly impressive 20-0 record.
An agreed-upon pro bout becomes a horrible mismatch when both fighters are experienced veterans, and one fighter is just not in the other fighter’s class, is too inactive, too washed up, too old, or a combination of the above. Upsets like the late Corrie Sanders overcoming inactivity to put away Wladimir Klitschko early are just rarer than rare. In 99 percent of all cases, the result never happens that way.
Horrible Matchup Number One: Dereck Chisora versus David Price, Heavyweights
Chisora, 31-9 with 22 knockouts, Finchley, United Kingdom, has a deceiving record and is a brutal warrior. Price, 25-6 with 20 knockouts, Liverpool, United Kingdom, got stopped by Tony Thompson early in his career, and never recorded from getting exposed. Price has plagued by a weak chin, and could easily get knocked out early against Chisora.
Horrible Matchup Number Two: Oleksandr Usyk versus Chazz Witherspoon, Heavyweights
Usyk, the world cruiserweight champion now debuting at heavyweight, 16-0 with 12 knockouts, Kiev, Ukraine, will make his heavyweight debut against Witherspoon, 38-3 with 29 knockouts, Paulsboro, New Jersey. At age 38, Witherspoon is still around, but failed to win his major bouts against Chris Arreola, Tony Thompson and Seth Mitchell. Witherspoon is a true gentleman and a personal friend of this reporter. Witherspoon has been plagued by inactivity and lower level setup bouts against lower-tier opposition. Taking a bout like this one unprepared could end his career as Usyk is a brutal hard hitter, and knows how to close the show. Witherspoon, in his bout history, has been unable to win the big one.
Horrible matchup Number Three: Kudratillo Abukakhorov versus Luis Collazo, Welterweights
Collazo, 39-7 with 20 knockouts, Queens, New York, is 38 years old, and the former world champion is far from his former self. Uzbek fighter Abdukakhorov, 16-0 with nine knockouts, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, s ten years younger than Collazo, and is on a tear ripping through the 147 pound division. The aging Collazo would be lucky even to survive in this bout.
Horrible Matchup Number Four: Rocky fielding versus Abdallah Paziwapazi, Super Middleweights
Former world super middleweight champion Fielding, 27-2 with 15 knockouts, Warrington, United Kingdom, is fighting Paziwapazi, 26-6-1 with 23 knockouts, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, who is undefeated in his last ten bouts, but whose record is notoriously padded with wins in Tanzania. His last win, in China, was over an 11-1 fighter, however.
Horrible Matchup Number Five: Cassius Chaney versus Santander Silgado, Heavyweights
Chaney, 16-0 with ten knockouts, New London, Connecticut, will make short work of Silgado, 28-7 with 22 knockouts, Panama City, Panama. Silgado has lost seven of his last 12 bouts, and washed up when he moved up from cruiserweight to heavyweight. Silgado was at one point 23-0 and a cruiserweight contender represented by Havoc Boxing at the time WBA World Cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev knocked him out in 2012.
Horrible Matchup Number Six: Lyubomyr Pinchuk versus Garrett Wilson, Cruiserweights
This will be a vacant USA Pennsylvania cruiserweight title bout. Pinchuk, 11-1-1 with seven knockouts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, age 23, had an extensive amateur pedigree in the Ukraine. Wilson, 18-16-1 with nine knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a friend of this reporter, has lost seven of his last nine bouts, and did not make it out of the first round in his last bout this past March in Pennsylvania. Pinchuk might retire Wilson, age 37, with an impressive win or stoppage in the late rounds. Wilson, a former USBA titleholder, is a strong tough guy with power, but has little of the technical skill Pinchuk possesses. Wilson just won’t be able to deal with Pinchuk’s consistent attack which breaks down opponents in the middle and later rounds. The matchup is a Pennsylvania battle the crowd might like, for as long as it lasts.
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