Sharkie’s Week In Boxing: Ayala’s Redemption

By Frank Gonzalez

Clarence ‘Bones’ Adams Vs. Paulie Ayala

(41-4-3-19 KO’s) (33-1-0-12 KO’s)

IBO Super Bantamweight Championship

25.02 - On Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas Nevada, Paulie Ayala and Bones Adams would square off again to resolve the issue of who was the better fighter. In their last fight, back in August of 2001, Ayala walked away with a decision victory that angered many who felt that Adams had won that contest.

That fight was considered one of the best fights of 2001. In that fight, Adams had a higher connect percentage and scored what looked to be the bigger punches. It must be mentioned that Ayala almost knocked Adams down in the second round of that first fight, when he caught Adams with combinations to the body and head, stunning Adams momentarily. Adams came back though, winning the next round; dispelling the notion that Ayala could have his way with him. Ayala then came on strong in the fourth, and won that round. Adams then went on to win the next six rounds with the more effective punches. In the 11th round, heads clashed and Bones had a gushing cut above his left eyebrow, Ayala won that round. In the 12th and final round, Adams came on strong and got the better of Ayala.

I had that fight scored 115-112 for Adams. The judges saw it otherwise and gave the August 2001 decision to Ayala, who once again drew the ire of fans. Previous to the questionable decision over Adams, he had won two close fights against the popular Johnny Tapia, both by decisions. After Ayala’s history, many fans deemed him the ‘darling of the judges.’ Jokes were being made on Internet Boxing sites saying Adams would need a knock out just to score a draw in the rematch.

In the highly anticipated rematch, Adams came up terribly short. Ayala easily won the first six rounds by simply taking the fight to Adams who was surprisingly shy about counter punching. Adams passed on lots of opportunities to hit Ayala and seemed unenthusiastic about fighting until late in the fight when he was so far behind on the scorecards. He needed a knock out to win, but what he needed more was the will to win. On the rare occasions that Adams threw punches, he found Paulie easy to hit. It was noticeable that Adams had better power, but since Bones only threw punches on occasion, Paulie was able to neutralize Adams only advantage. In the seventh and ninth rounds, Bones hurt Ayala but didn’t follow up. Paulie never stopped bringing the fight forward. He was consistently persistent. One reason judges like Ayala is that he is exciting to watch. His work ethic is noticeable in every minute of every round. One can only wonder what Johnny Tapia must have thought?

Trying to figure out the how’s and why’s can get frustrating. Maybe Adams was simply having an ‘off-night’ or Ayala was perfectly peaking from his training. No one but the fighters could really speculate on that. From the vantage point of this fan, Bones performance was uninspired at best and disappointing at the least.

Ayala appears ready to move up in celebrity and earning potential. With a hopeful match up against the winner of Barrera vs. Morales, Paulie is on line to the biggest payday of his career.

Adams better hope Golden Palace.com made it worth his while to use his back as a billboard because his stock may have gone down after this unanimated effort. If he’s lucky, he may be able to capitalize on the reputation he built from the first Ayala fight. He is only 27 years old.

As much of a good fighter I think Paulie Ayala to be, I can’t see him beating either Erik Morales or Marcos Antonio Barrera, they simply hit too hard and too often. Ayala is a boxer, not a slugger. His record reflects that in the ratio of knockouts compared to wins. Could he out box Morales or Barrera? I doubt it. But never say never because you never know what can happen. That is why they fight the fights.

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Rafael Marquez Vs. Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson

(26-3-0-24 KO’s) (40-2-0-27 KO’s)

USBA Bantamweight Championship

In the first fight, Mark Johnson thought he won until he was awoken from his sleep two hours after the fight to be informed that the decision had been reversed and that he had actually lost. Mark Johnson found himself in a nightmare. Marquez, who was gambling in the casino after the first fight, was joyous to later find out he’d won. This is what happens when a close fight goes to the judges. Great recipe for a rematch!

The rematch was not a close fight or even an exciting fight. It was boring for the first six rounds with both fighters playing chess in the ring instead of punching. Johnson elected to box more and take less chances in the rematch. Marquez fought a smart fight. He was most economical with his punches and strategy but quick to execute punishment when the opportunity presented itself. Johnson was often flatfooted and eventually paid for it. By the seventh round, Johnson met the canvas compliments of a clean punch from Marquez who followed up in the eighth round with another two knockdowns which caused referee Tony Weeks to halt the contest with 41 seconds left in the round. Rafael Marquez ultimately proved ‘too much’ for “Too Sharp” Johnson.

Johnson is a good fighter who possibly just had a bad night, he would probably do better at 115 pounds, since his power escapes him at 118. I would never think three pounds could make such a difference but at the lower weight classes it apparently does. As for Rafael Marquez, I bet we’ll see a lot more of him in the near future. The most exciting fighters in Boxing exist everywhere between Bantamweight to Middleweight.

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I never thought I would miss Jim Lampley on an HBO Boxing program but I did this weekend. Lampley was so obviously absent with Fran Charles standing in for him. Charles lack of freshness coupled with Emanuel Stewart’s fuzzy contradictions and Larry Merchants slow irrelevant analogies was on the weak side of showmanship. Perhaps HBO is competing with Showtime to see who can assemble the worst announcers for their Boxing telecasts. There are so many former and current fighters who have not only a greater understanding of the sport but are charismatic enough to carry a show. Why bring in a Fran Charles, who added nothing new to the broadcast? He reminded me of a back up’s back up. The best thing about Charles was when he wasn’t saying anything. There was a stretch during the Ayala-Adams fight when all the announcers were silent. That had to be the best part of HBO’s coverage all night.

Agree or disagree? Drop me a line at dshark87@hotmail.com and let me know what you think