Bad Move Costs Garrett Wilson World Title Shot
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
New York, NY (February 23, 2013)– A bad move by promoter Russell Peltz to send the well protected United States Boxing Association Cruiserweight champion Garrett Wilson into the lion’s den in Europe ended with a predictable 12 round points decision loss by Wilson to former European Cruiserweight champion Alexander Alekseev of Russia in an International Boxing Federation eliminator bout for a world title shot in Romania. Alekseev won ten, nine and eight rounds on the three judges scorecards-a tidal wave of a win.
Peltz should have insisted in staging the bout in Atlantic City, where Wilson has won his last four casino bouts of consequence against Omar Sheika, Chuck Mussachio, Pedro Martinez and Andres Taylor. The bottom line is Russell Peltz needed to stage the Wilson versus Alekseev IBF eliminator bout in the Sands Casino in Pennsylvania, or on one of the big fight cards coming up at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, or Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Alekseev, now 24-2-1, 20 knockouts, an Uzbekistan fighter now fighting out of Hamburg, Germany, has gone unbeaten in his last four bouts totaling 44 rounds, has been in three consecutive 12 rounders. His two losses were to future world cruiserweight champions Victor Emilio Ramirez and Denis Lebedev in World Boxing Organization fights. Alekseev has fought all but one of his bouts in Europe, but he did travel once, in October 2007, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he knocked out unbeaten Francisco Alvarez, indicating he could be lured to the United States to fight Wilson if conditions were right. Wilson had gone 39 rounds in his last four bouts, including three 12 rounders, coming into the eliminator bout with Alekseev.
A much easier road for Peltz would have been to have Garrett Wilson fight directly for a WBA, WBC, WBO or IBO world title against Yoan Pablo Hernadez, Marco Huck, Danny Green, or Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, in sending Wilson from the United States to fight abroad.
Garrett Wilson cannot chase opponents with his lumbering frame. Wilson cannot put rounds in the bank against a superior jabbing fighter with superior movement. Wilson could perhaps knock them out-if they stand in front of Wilson and offer a stationary target. Less talented cruiserweight fighters such as Adam Richards, Jason Robinson and Manny Siaca have taken their chances in cruiserweight world titles bout abroad directly-without needing to fight a world title eliminator bout.
Wilson’s primary strength is he is a short, slow but very muscular and powerful cruiserweight who can manhandle and bully his opponents with incredible brute strength and force. He used this asset to knockout Chuck Mussachio and Andres Taylor in the twelfth round of both of his 12 round USBA title defenses in Atlantic City. Despite the cards favoring Wilson, Garrett did not appear from ringside to have won a single round against Chuck Mussachio, an overblown light heavyweight.
A careful analysis of Wilson’s record shows he was knocked down and outpointed by southpaw Julio Cesar Matthews, a southpaw like Alekseev. Wilson failed to win a round against Dennis Hasson, Dyah Davis, and Carlos Negron. Wilson was stopped in four lopsided rounds by Omar Sheika, a twelve loss fighter, in their first meeting. Mediocre 3-3-1 Mongolian fighter Otgonbayer Daivii would have decisioned Wilson in a six round bout in 2009 if one point had not been taken away for a foul.
Garrett Wilson is not a technical fighter who can put rounds in the bank in a step up fight. If you are going to put the muscular power hitting Wilson, a six loss fighter, into a world title bout and tell him swing away for a knockout, you have a 50-50 chance of winning. The formula might work. Winning on technical boxing skill in a major step up fight? For Garrett Wilson, it’ll never happen. His style and awkward movement cannot be changed at this point in the game.
Wilson is a slow powerful move forward fighter who can throw thunder with atom bomb power when he connects, but cannot move forward with pressure and cut off the ring, nor win rounds on technical boxing skill behind the jab. Wilson misses a lot. He can never win by the punch count or punches landed in a technical war.
If you really want to test the theory, put Garrett Wilson in with hungry Lateef Kayode, B.J. Flores, Antonio Tarver, Santander Silgado, Danny Santiago, Stivens Bujaj, Roy Jones Jr., Eddie Chambers, Brian Minto, Troy Ross, Cuban prospects Yunier Dorticos (14-0, 14 knockouts) or Yunieski Gonzalez (10-0, six knockouts), Illinoi’s rising former cruiserweight amateur standout Junior Anthony Wright (6-0, six knockouts), or cruiserweight gatekeepers Willie Herring, Harvey Jolly or Joell Godfrey-fighters who can move and won’t get knocked out by Wilson, and tell me how many rounds Wilson can put in the bank against these cruiserweight fighters. Make the bout a USBA title defense. The USBA always likes a GOOD matchup.
Disclaimer: These are opinions of correspondent, Robert Brizel in the editorial and not the opinions of Real Combat Media.
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