I hate the word
"closure." It's
politically correct
and I despise
political
correctness more
than anything, even
more than spinach.
What I need is what
James Brown sang
about. I need some
payback regarding a
few fights I
witnessed over the
years, some revenge,
if you will. So call
me jaded or
whatever, but the
following are
rematch fights I'd
pay to see. I am
sure you could you
could add some so
have a go at it.
1) Tua vs Ruiz:
In their first
fight, Tua caught
the "Silent Man"
early and cold and
sent him into
unconsciousness with
as brutal a left
hook as you will
ever see. That was
along time ago, but
it has haunted Ruiz
ever since.
Interestingly, Ruiz
has a great chin.
This was the only
stoppage in his
career. Since that
fight, he managed to
win a world
championship and
fight at the top
level of his
division, albeit in
an ugly and
non-crowd pleasing
manner.
However, I believe
he possesses a
strong, quick and
sneaky right that
could floor most
opponents. He iron
chinned Tua, on the
other hand, never
managed to win a
belt and as Ruiz's
career moved up, the
Samoan's stagnated
with inactivity,
poor management and
an occasional flash
of the old David in
wins against Moorer
and Fres Oquendo.
He is now on an
unbeaten streak and
may be positioning
himself for a prime
time fight. I'd like
to see it be against
Ruiz, assuming Ruiz
gets by his next
opponent. I see it
as a closer fight at
this point in their
respective careers
but if forced to
commit, I'd go with
Tua in an extremely
ugly and dirty fight
between two guys
with solid chins. Of
course, if Tua
fights like he did
against "The
President," Ike
Ibeabuchi, then it's
"oh oh" for Ruiz.
But then again,
redemption can be a
strong motivator.
2) Wlad Klitchko vs Corrie
Sanders:
Wlad keeps an explosive Sanders
at bay with his stiff and
destructive jabs until the third
round when he takes out a
discouraged Sanders with his
signature powerful and extended
right. Wlad is a far different and
improved fighter under Manny Steward
and has far more self-confidence.
His overall arsenal would overwhelm
the game but outclassed South
African in short order. Not much
redemption here since Wlad would be
a prohibitive favorite, particularly
with the Manny factor in play. But
in a perverse way, maybe it would be
Corrie who has something to prove.
Sanders always has a puncher's
chance in any fight he is in,
assuming he would come out of
retirement for a big pay day.
3) Jorge Barrios vs Acelino
Freitas:
Wow, maybe the best rematch of
the four and with a different
outcome this time. I see Barrios
knocking out "Popo" around the 8th
or 9th round. He is simply too
tenacious for the flashy Brazilian.
Barrios is a hungry monster who
never stops coming. Exchanging with
him can prove fatal. Acelino quit in
the ring against Correleas and that
tells me some thing about his will.
His fight with Zahir Raheem did
nothing to enhance his reputation in
my mind. As far as "retirement," I
don't believe that for one second.
On the other hand, the Argentinean's
blow out of Nagy was awesome. And
his loss to Joan Guzman did nothing
to diminish his warrior reputation
(in fact, that would not be a bad
rematch either). In their first
fight , Barrios was coming on after
getting beat early and it looked
like he would finish off Freitas
until he got caught late and in
dramatic fashion (Freitas down in
rounds 8 and 11. Barrios down in
rounds 11 and 12). That will not
happen this time. Argentina vs
Brazil gives this rematch a shot at
national redemption as well.
4) Ronald "Winky" Wright vs.
Fernando Vargas:
I thought "Winky" won their first
fight, but the judges disagreed.
Since then, Winky Wright has become
one of the premier fighters in
boxing with a defensive style that
is almost impenetrable. His fight
with Taylor did nothing to negate
his reputation except that he could
have been more aggressive in the
last round. Vargas, on the other
hand, has not been the same since
his brutal losses to the "Golden
Boy" and "Sugar Shane," though he
showed signs of the old Vargas in
his courageous loss to Sugar Shane
Mosley in their first fight. Again,
this would be an interesting fight
but this time, Vargas gets even more
frustrated by Winky's stiff jabs and
great defense and losses on a late
round TKO. Though not the most crowd
pleasing bout, this would be sweet
payback for Winky who arguably got
"stiffed" in their first go-around.
The semi-sadistic side of me would
be intrigued by a third
Tyson-Holyfield match but that will
not happen so there is no need to
speculate. One is still fighting,
while the other is exhibiting. Of
course, a great case could be made
for a Trinidad-De La Hoya rematch,
but that one has already received
enough attention. Suffice to say, I
would pay double to see it and
triple to see Oscar win it.....as I
believe he would.....and early.
"You may know karate, but I know
karazor." James Brown
