The year 2013 ended with a huge victory for boxing. A much needed sense of dignity was restored to the sports image. A viewing treat by those in attendance, and via worldwide pay per view, from the hard core boxing fan to the general sports fan, school was in session on the night of Saturday, December 14, 2013. That night, the boxing adage that reads on a sign, which hangs on the ring apron, inside of a friends boxing gym, ” you can’t hide what you don’t know in here,” was illustrated in true fashion.
And that illustrator was Argentinian, Marcos Maidana. With a record of 34 (31) – 3, he brought his unorthodox aggressive, power punching style to a championship match. And with that effective style, he rewarded himself, and his training camp, with the WBA world welterweight title! It was that simple. Maidana had honed his skills and found success with that same approach in his previous, and most recently, challenging bouts. His career opposition, won or loss, provided him with the temperament, confidence and courage that allowed him to know where he stood going into this bout, as being discounted as the dismissive underdog.
Maidana fought bravely. And he took calculated risk and endured the ebb and flow of the give and take action that accompanies such a championship bout. His overly hyped opponent, provided just the right expectations that made Marcos’s out put so excitingly unexpected, by most fans and media. It would be fair to anticipate, that the title defenses of Marcos Maidana’s new WBA championship title, will be just as, if not more than, filled with entertainment value.
It would be amiss not to take this brilliant opportunity, to pay tribute to Argentina’s rich heritage in its historical, and current, boxing contributions. In today’s boxing world, Marcos Maidana joins fellow countryman Sergio Martinez ( middleweight ) as world champion. And along with them as top ten contenders; Diego Chaves ( welterweight ), Luis Carlos Abregu ( welterweight ), Lucas Matthysse ( former jr. welterweight champion ), Omar Narvaez ( jr. bantamweight ) and Juan Carlos Reveco ( flyweight ).
And as tradition would have it, these South American warriors, in addition to their individual skills and unique styles, bring with them into the ring, an inherent heart of honor, and an imposing will that has proven itself against the best and greatest of opposition. So, to Marcos Maidana, bravo! Thank you for reminding boxing fans, and inspiring fellow boxers, that the victory doesn’t always go to the ill characterized, modern day distraction of the moment.
The aforementioned stand proudly on the shoulders of those before them; ( just to name a few of many past outstanding Argentine boxers ) Luis Firpo, Pascual Perez, Nicolino Locche, Oscar Bonavena, Gregorio Peralta, Carlos Monzon, Victor Galindez, Hugo Corro, Juan Martin Coggi, Jorge Ahumada, Juan Domingo Roldan, Carlos Baldimor, and Jorge Castro.
Long live the best of boxing tradition in 2014!