Poche Pictures
e-mail: rich@pochepictures.com
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BIRTH OF A BOXING FAN
-My own story of how this obsession came about.
ERIC 'THE PRINCE' MARTIN
1958-2007
-My tribute to my friend and former Bay Area
boxing great
-My own story of how this obsession came about.
ERIC 'THE PRINCE' MARTIN
1958-2007
-My tribute to my friend and former Bay Area
boxing great
This fight is certainly intriguing because it epitomizes the phrase “crossroads bout”.
Both of these fighters have been to the top but suffered losses that took a lot of shine out of their
respective shooting stars. So the winner will be considered for pay per view super fights while the
loser will go into the scrap heap of boxing.
Bouts featuring former American Olympians against each other are also interesting because it so
rarely happens.
I was never a fan of Taylor but that was mostly because I’ve never seen HBO (specifically Jim
Lampley) so clearly designate someone as their “house fighter.” Lampley would scream excitedly if
Taylor would even land a glancing blow or even a bean fart. Then he would lapse into silence
whenever his opponent landed a punch. If you want proof of this go ahead and re-watch the Taylor
versus Cory Spinks affair. The fight actually doubles as an insomnia cure (I pop it in after a stressful
day at work and it makes me go to sleep.)
But I digress. Taylor is a damn good fighter with obvious athletic gifts but he does not appear to be
elite. I thought after the first Bernard Hopkins fight that he would be a middleweight answer to
Evander Holyfield. A down home Southern fighter with a ton of heart and determination. He literally
willed his way to victory over a more experienced guy*. Somewhere along the way, he diverged
from the path as boxing’s newest superstar and followed his first victory over Hopkins with four
dreadful performances…A two year slump until he was competitive but soundly thrashed by Kelly
Pavlik.
The rematch was a bit different. Taylor played it safe, Pavlik wasn’t as sharp but still did enough to
take the decision.
The damage is done, however. Taylor now has two losses on his ledger. A draw with Winky
Wright and two disputed decisions over Bernard Hopkins. He hasn’t come remotely close to
fulfilling the potential he showed around 2004/05.
Four years later, he is in a cross roads bout with his former Olympic teammate.
I think that Taylor’s regression began when he switched trainers after the second Hopkins bout. His
next bout was against the dangerous Winky Wright so obviously his management thought that
Taylor needed a more experienced voice in his corner. They brought in Emanuel Steward to work
the same magic he has performed on numerous fighters in the past. Pat Burns was thrown to the
curb.
Big mistake.
It was almost like firing an NFL coach for guiding a team to an undefeated regular season and
getting rid of him after squeaking out a playoff game.
Some fighters can survive trainer changes better than others. I’ve lost track at how many trainers
Oscar De La Hoya has employed. And some fighters improve after firing one trainer and getting
another**. But for the most part I’ve seen this strategy backfire particularly when the fighter reaches
the elite level. It is a gamble that doesn’t pay off and usually happens when a fighter thinks he
doesn't need that familiar voice anymore. He can do it on his own.
In the 1980s, Donald Curry and Michael Nunn fell victim to this mindset. In the 1990s, a prime
example is how Mike Tyson was never the same after he and Kevin Rooney parted ways.
I see the same thing happening with Taylor.
Lacy, on the other hand, has looked shaky ever since his brutal loss to Joe Calzaghe in March of
2006. I was high on Lacy around 2004/05. I thought he was a wrecking ball but in hindsight I may
have been tricked into thinking he was better than he really was. Max Kellerman is fond of saying
that “an offensive fighter is always overrated” or something to that effect. His point is that guys who
produce explosive knockouts like a Julian Jackson or a Mike Tyson are always perceived to be better
than they really are. It appears that Lacy is cut from that same cloth. His beat downs of Scott
Pemberton*** and Robin Reid were explosive and exciting. It may have been a mirage, however, as
those fighters were simply tailor made for Lacy to show off his power.
Then came the day of reckoning against Calzaghe in a bout that should have been stopped long
before the final bell sounded. Lacy suffered such a pummeling that his entire career may have ended
that night. He has since struggled against the likes of Vitali Tsypko and Peter Manfredo. There was
a point in the Tsypko fight where he was clipped and hurt. He then looked uninterested and listless
against club fighter Epifanio Mendoza. The explosiveness of the Lacy of 2004 was long gone, he
regressed to a slow guy who wades in and throws an occasional power shot before falling into a
clinch. After the Mendoza bout, he retired and un-retired after a week. The writing is on the wall.
This is a shot fighter.
Basically, this is a fight between two fighters who peaked in 2005. It is coming about three or four
years too late, particularly for Lacy.
I’m figuring on Taylor to have more in the gas tank and perhaps that is belaboring the
obvious…Stylistically, the match-up is bad for Lacy even if he were still at his peak. Lacy has
trouble with tall and rangy volume punchers. Mendoza is a jab and straight right hand boxer like
Taylor and gave Lacy fits. I expect Taylor to replicate Mendoza's effectiveness with even more
success, most likely scoring a mid to late rounds stoppage.
Both of these fighters have been to the top but suffered losses that took a lot of shine out of their
respective shooting stars. So the winner will be considered for pay per view super fights while the
loser will go into the scrap heap of boxing.
Bouts featuring former American Olympians against each other are also interesting because it so
rarely happens.
I was never a fan of Taylor but that was mostly because I’ve never seen HBO (specifically Jim
Lampley) so clearly designate someone as their “house fighter.” Lampley would scream excitedly if
Taylor would even land a glancing blow or even a bean fart. Then he would lapse into silence
whenever his opponent landed a punch. If you want proof of this go ahead and re-watch the Taylor
versus Cory Spinks affair. The fight actually doubles as an insomnia cure (I pop it in after a stressful
day at work and it makes me go to sleep.)
But I digress. Taylor is a damn good fighter with obvious athletic gifts but he does not appear to be
elite. I thought after the first Bernard Hopkins fight that he would be a middleweight answer to
Evander Holyfield. A down home Southern fighter with a ton of heart and determination. He literally
willed his way to victory over a more experienced guy*. Somewhere along the way, he diverged
from the path as boxing’s newest superstar and followed his first victory over Hopkins with four
dreadful performances…A two year slump until he was competitive but soundly thrashed by Kelly
Pavlik.
The rematch was a bit different. Taylor played it safe, Pavlik wasn’t as sharp but still did enough to
take the decision.
The damage is done, however. Taylor now has two losses on his ledger. A draw with Winky
Wright and two disputed decisions over Bernard Hopkins. He hasn’t come remotely close to
fulfilling the potential he showed around 2004/05.
Four years later, he is in a cross roads bout with his former Olympic teammate.
I think that Taylor’s regression began when he switched trainers after the second Hopkins bout. His
next bout was against the dangerous Winky Wright so obviously his management thought that
Taylor needed a more experienced voice in his corner. They brought in Emanuel Steward to work
the same magic he has performed on numerous fighters in the past. Pat Burns was thrown to the
curb.
Big mistake.
It was almost like firing an NFL coach for guiding a team to an undefeated regular season and
getting rid of him after squeaking out a playoff game.
Some fighters can survive trainer changes better than others. I’ve lost track at how many trainers
Oscar De La Hoya has employed. And some fighters improve after firing one trainer and getting
another**. But for the most part I’ve seen this strategy backfire particularly when the fighter reaches
the elite level. It is a gamble that doesn’t pay off and usually happens when a fighter thinks he
doesn't need that familiar voice anymore. He can do it on his own.
In the 1980s, Donald Curry and Michael Nunn fell victim to this mindset. In the 1990s, a prime
example is how Mike Tyson was never the same after he and Kevin Rooney parted ways.
I see the same thing happening with Taylor.
Lacy, on the other hand, has looked shaky ever since his brutal loss to Joe Calzaghe in March of
2006. I was high on Lacy around 2004/05. I thought he was a wrecking ball but in hindsight I may
have been tricked into thinking he was better than he really was. Max Kellerman is fond of saying
that “an offensive fighter is always overrated” or something to that effect. His point is that guys who
produce explosive knockouts like a Julian Jackson or a Mike Tyson are always perceived to be better
than they really are. It appears that Lacy is cut from that same cloth. His beat downs of Scott
Pemberton*** and Robin Reid were explosive and exciting. It may have been a mirage, however, as
those fighters were simply tailor made for Lacy to show off his power.
Then came the day of reckoning against Calzaghe in a bout that should have been stopped long
before the final bell sounded. Lacy suffered such a pummeling that his entire career may have ended
that night. He has since struggled against the likes of Vitali Tsypko and Peter Manfredo. There was
a point in the Tsypko fight where he was clipped and hurt. He then looked uninterested and listless
against club fighter Epifanio Mendoza. The explosiveness of the Lacy of 2004 was long gone, he
regressed to a slow guy who wades in and throws an occasional power shot before falling into a
clinch. After the Mendoza bout, he retired and un-retired after a week. The writing is on the wall.
This is a shot fighter.
Basically, this is a fight between two fighters who peaked in 2005. It is coming about three or four
years too late, particularly for Lacy.
I’m figuring on Taylor to have more in the gas tank and perhaps that is belaboring the
obvious…Stylistically, the match-up is bad for Lacy even if he were still at his peak. Lacy has
trouble with tall and rangy volume punchers. Mendoza is a jab and straight right hand boxer like
Taylor and gave Lacy fits. I expect Taylor to replicate Mendoza's effectiveness with even more
success, most likely scoring a mid to late rounds stoppage.
FOOTNOTES
*I know there are plenty of folks who think Hopkins won their first match. I beg to differ.
Hopkins gave away the first six rounds. Taylor was simply the busier man that night
despite the late round surge by “B-Hops.” Their second fight was such a dismal affair I
thought neither deserved to win.
**With the exception of his time with Taylor, Emanuel Steward has been the premier
trainer for improving fighters. Mainstream fans can point to his polishing of Lennox Lewis’
skills after replacing Pepe Correa. One of his best training jobs, however, was done with a
guy named Dennis Andries in the late 1980s. Andries was strong but raw as hell. Andries
came under Steward’s tutelage after losing to Thomas Hearns (if you can’t beat ‘em, join
‘em) and looked like a completely different fighter after some quality time under Steward.
***I actually thought Pemberton was knocked out dead in the second round versus Lacy.
Scary stuff.
*I know there are plenty of folks who think Hopkins won their first match. I beg to differ.
Hopkins gave away the first six rounds. Taylor was simply the busier man that night
despite the late round surge by “B-Hops.” Their second fight was such a dismal affair I
thought neither deserved to win.
**With the exception of his time with Taylor, Emanuel Steward has been the premier
trainer for improving fighters. Mainstream fans can point to his polishing of Lennox Lewis’
skills after replacing Pepe Correa. One of his best training jobs, however, was done with a
guy named Dennis Andries in the late 1980s. Andries was strong but raw as hell. Andries
came under Steward’s tutelage after losing to Thomas Hearns (if you can’t beat ‘em, join
‘em) and looked like a completely different fighter after some quality time under Steward.
***I actually thought Pemberton was knocked out dead in the second round versus Lacy.
Scary stuff.
