July 21 - Showtime 11:30
pm
David Tua vs. Robert Daniels
No secret here what I think about David Tua. David is an quick and explosive
boxer who throws thunderous combinations with both hands that stop his victims cold. In
Mar of 96 he stopped WBA title contender John Ruiz in 19 seconds. He stopped David Izon in
the 12th in Dec 96, and stopped heavyweight hopeful Oleg Maskaev in 11 Apr 97. Recently he
stopped Gary Bell in 97 seconds last July (as predicted),
Shane Sutcliffe in 2 rounds last Oct (as predicted) and
in his last outing, pounded out veteran Obed Sullivan in 51 seconds this past June (as predicted). He offered and was cleared to fight John
Ruiz the following weekend after the single round destruction of Obed, but Ruiz's camp
refused. I wonder why. . . .
Tua is the IBF mandatory challenger for Lennox Lewis, and in my opinion, will hand Lewis
his ass in a basket. That being said, this is a tune up fight for that title match, and
David's trainer and manager Dan Goosen wouldn't put him in a dangerous fight.
In walks Robert Daniels. Robert is no stranger to the boxing scene. He is a former WBA
cruiser weight champion, and has fought professionally for over 16 years. He defended his
title twice, and lost it in Mar of 91 to none other than Bobby Czyz (the person who will
be giving professional commentary on the fight). This will be Robert's third fight start
since May 98, and in his last outing lost a 10 round nod to undefeated heavyweight
prospect Lawrence Clay-Bey last Jan. Robert's inactivity, age and Tua's ferocious attack
will more than likely have career ending ramifications on Robert. Look for David to open
quick and end it inside 5 frames.
Tua inside 5
Mount Whitaker vs. Dave Dixon
Lance is a huge banger from the L.A. area. He stands 6'8" and has equally
big power. His only professional loss was at the hands of recent Tyson KO victim Lou
Savarese. They went 10 grueling rounds, and in my opinion, if this were a 12 round fight,
the outcome would have been different. Needless to say, since that fight, he went the
distance to beat Monte Barret, and stopped Thomas Williams this past June in 2. Lance
needs impressive wins to get into title contention. Expect a showdown between these two
tonight. At a press conference, they almost went toe to toe before Dan Gossen and others
intervened. Dave has nearly zero fights of notoriety and about his only claim to fame is
his 95 technical draw against Larry Donald. Oh yeah, he was also stopped in the first
round by Tony Tucker in Jun 96. Dave like many challengers on this weekends cards are
tomato cans set up for the favorites. Dave's job is to go in there, look competitive, yet
lay down. Make no mistake about it, David is there to help make Lance look impressive. I
suspect he will perform as expected.
Whitaker inside 6
July 22 - HBO 7:45 pm
Felix Trinidad vs. Mahmadou Thiam
(WBA jr middleweight championship)
Felix shows the mark of a true champion in taking on #1 contender Thiam. Tito is no
stranger to making big fights, although I believe he lost to Oscar. Both fighters have
been inactive for some time, but more than likely, this will not affect the outcome of the
fight. Tito has proven himself making good showings in both the De La Hoya fight, and in
his last start when he moved up in weight and captured the WBA 154lb. belt from David
Reid. On the heals of that tremendous victory, and in only his second fight at 154 lbs, he
defends against the WBA #1 challenger Thiam. Now that's ballsy! Not only is Thiam the WBA
#1, he's also ranked #6 by the IBF and #1 by the WBO. Very impressive rankings for someone
who has fought nearly ALL his fights in France. He has minimal experience against western
fighters, let alone Puerto Rican pugilists. Boy is this kid in for a surprise. Thiam's
only loss was early in his career to unheralded Mourad Hakkar in Jun 94. Mourad stopped
Thiam in 6 rounds. Hmmm . . .
He has since reeled off 27 wins and has stopped his last 6 challengers. And?
He hasn't the world or championship experience of Tito. Hell, this kid has never been in a
championship fight for a regional title, let alone a world title. He's in for a schooling.
Tito will start slow, but establish the jab early. Tito want to make a statement, so I
expect him at some point to press for a stoppage. Thiam's folded once, he'll fold again.
When Tito starts landing lead right hands, the end is near. This will occur in the later
rounds. I don't foresee Thiam answering to the final bell, with a little help from Tito of
course.
Trinidad inside 10
Randall Bailey vs. Ener Julio
(WBO jr weltereight championship)
Every since Randall exploded on the scene with his one punch destruction of champion
Carlos Gonzales, I've been a believer. Randall has natural ability and solid one punch
stopping power. Prior to the dethroning of Gonzales, Randall was relatively unknown. In
his first defense of the title, he scored a ninth round TKO of Hector Lopez, then stopped
Rocky Martinez in a one sided blood bath in 6 this past Apr (as predicted).
All Randall's wins have come inside the distance and has been past the 7th only twice. Now
he steps in against #9 ranked Ener.
Ener is a Colombian banger who is the former IBO world champion and is the current IBF
Latin Americas champion. He's a tough and tenacious fighter who has never been stopped.
Could Randall be the first? Of course. Question is when . . .
Randall will open quick and go right after Ener's body. As these body punches take their
toll, Ener's hands will start to drop. That's when the bombs will fly. I suspect Randall
will have his man down for the first time in the early rounds, and will stop the Colombian
just past the middle stanzas.
Randall inside 8
In Retrospect:
David Tua vs. Robert Daniels
As expected. David plowed over the poor unsuspecting Daniels. Tua knocked down Daniels in
each of round and finished Daniels off at 47 seconds in the third round with 2 left
uppercuts and a short right. Tua showed championship poise, patience and the ability to
read his opponent. Another great showing by the New Zealand superstar! He has been inked
for a showdown with Lennox Lewis this Nov.
Mount Whitaker vs. Dave Dixon
Almost as expected. This is another Richard Steele special. Both fighters start dirty,
both land low blows, slips are called knockdowns and knockdown are called slips. What can
you say? Well, I guess you can say Steele go home, but this fight proved nothing to
nobody. I'll keep an eye on Lance. none the less.
Felix Trinidad vs. Mahmadou Thiam
Almost as expected. I figured the Frenchman would hang a bit longer, but that's where the
lack of international experience comes to play. Trinidad stung the French challenger with
a left hook and an uppercut in the first round, sending Thiam to the ropes. Trinidad
unleashed a seven-punch combination as Thiam staggered away. It was quite obvious at this
point this wasn't going to go the distance. By the beginning of round 2, Thiam's right eye
was swelled shut, and he was trying to go toe to toe with Trinidad. He landed a couple of
left hooks on Tito, but the damage was already done. Tito is now lining up a deal with
Fernando Vargas. It looks set for Dec. This fight I'd like to see.
Randall Bailey vs. Ener Julio
Not as expected. Randall was down in the first round by a big left hand, but made it to
his feet to finish the round. Randall did knock Julio down in the 6th and 9th frames, but
was being out hustled by Julio. By the mid rounds, Randall's right eye was swelling shut,
and in the 11th Julio was taking full advantage by landing left hook at will. A very
exciting match that in my opinion could of went both ways.
