By Ted Sares:
Did the boogie
I did the boogie, boogie
I did the boogie
Yeah, hey hey
–John Lee Hooker
When Bert Cooper squared off with Michael Moorer in 1992 and George Foreman brawled with Ron Lyle in 1976, you could hear the snap of their punches and the furious shuffling of their foot movement. You just knew you were witnessing something special, for they were engaging in all-out war from the get-go. The winner would be the last man standing. Tommy Morrison did it against Indian Joe Hipp in 1992 when he suffered a broken jaw and hand during this savage affair and Hipp had his cheekbone shattered. The last one I remember was when Courage Tshabalala put Darroll “Doin’ Damage” Wilson down twice in the first round at the Blue Horizon in 1997, before he himself was iced by Wilson in the fourth as each took turns rocking the other throughout.
The thing about the above fights is that they were in the heavier weight divisions which made them all the more intriguing. No one punch endings in these. The outcome was in question until the very end. The winner would be the last man standing. The rumbling started from the second the bell sounded. This was boogie chillin; this was special.
Fast forward to the new millennium
A new caliber of heavyweight fighter has come from Eastern Europe with a disciplined and focused approach, one that has achieved numerous titles and has dominated the division. But when was the last time you saw one of these guys engage in a real war? When was the last time one of the current champions fought with the fury of a Foreman-Lyle or Moorer-Cooper? Oleg Maskaev comes closest and his two KOs over Rahman were sweet ones, but I did not hear the snap of their punches and the furious shuffling of their foot movement.
And maybe that’s the key to slowing down their dominance–assuming that is something you would like to see happen. Brewster almost did it against Serguei Lyakhovich and their brawl took a toll on both. Klitchko breaks down his opponents with jabs before he ices them with his lethal right. Sultan moves in and out and is strategic. The Giant, well, he is feather fisted. I don’t see the potential for an all-out war with Ruslan Chagaev, but maybe Alexander Povetkin can engage in one of these, but first he must get by Fast Eddie Chambers. McCline exposed Peter, and Briggs remains immobile in the ring. Danny Wiliams tries but failed. Toney has eaten himself out of contention and Ruiz is Ruiz. Tua remains a question mark, but has that hook.
There is one fighter out there who perhaps could test the Eastern European dominance. He did it twice and succeeded once (against Wladimir Klitchko). He has fast hands, pop, and is willing to boogie as he did with Hasim “the Rock” Rahman in 2000. His name is Corrie “The Sniper” Sanders, 42 (KO 31)-3, and he is in the process of a comeback. He fights Osborne Machimana next month in a 12 rounder in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. I’ll be watching with interest.