Paul Strauss – It was a strange night at the Grand Casino in Hinkley, MN. Not only did veteran Matt “The Predator” Vanda pull off a slight upset against hot knockout prospect Phil “The Drill” Williams, but the two who were billed as the main event fought first? The televised portion of the night ended with the pro debut of Javontae Starks?
Tony “The Bullet” Bonsante was one of three ringside announcers, who gushed over Vanda’s performance, claiming Vanda looked like he did four or five years ago. He definitely was the busier fighter of the two on Friday night, and he deserved a unanimous decision, but that was due more to what Williams didn’t do than what Vanda did do..
If you want to know the chances for either fighter to advance to higher ground, it still has to be Williams. He just let his lack of experience get the best of him. He got stung a few times by Vanda, but was never hurt in the fight, and the few times when he did really open up, it was obvious he posed the bigger threat of the two fighters. However, he was just too conservative.
Williams is a natural southpaw, but started the fight from the right side. Apparently he thought that would cross up Vanda, who expected the left-side look. Williams showed a decent jab from the orthodox position. He purposely kept it low, so it would be harder to pick up visually. The low position also allows him to snap it more. However, that could prove dangerous when he fights better opponents than Vanda. Williams also positions his feet too far apart, which adversely affects his movement and ability to punch at any given moment. The wide stance helps Williams’ power, but also causes him to tire more easily, and a faster, harder puncher than Vanda will quickly expose the flaw inherent in such a stance. .
Bonsante thought that Williams should fight more from the lefty side, because when he does, he has a very powerful straight left. However, Williams apparently feels his jab is better from the right side, and also that his left hook counter punch is just as dangerous as the straight left thrown from the southpaw side. Regardless, he didn’t do enough of either to win the fight.
Undoubtedly Vanda’s win tonight will mean another good payday for him, and rightly so. It will keep his name out there (at least in Minnesota), but the truth is he is a very ordinary fighter and no threat on the big stage to contenders in any division from the junior middleweight up to the super middle-weights. Friday night’s trio of announcers tried their best to make Vanda sound extraordinary, but in doing so they made ridiculous comparisons of him to some of the greatest in boxing. The truth is Vanda has mediocre power and speed and so so footwork. He manages a tight defense and has a good chin, but if he is matched with any of the top contenders, the best he can hope for is to go the distance.
Williams on the other hand still has the opportunity to improve considerably. He has good size, decent speed, and very good power. But, he needs to correct some glaring flaws, one of which is to do more. He cannot sit back waiting for one big shot, and let a fight slip away from him on points. Hopefully he will study the film of this fight and recognize his missed opportunities.
The rest of the card was ugly. Wilton “The Pretty Warrior” Hilario had a rabbit to hunt down. Wilton wants bigger game in the form of Jason Litzau, but it was hard to tell tonight in his match against Leon Bobo whether he has truly reached that level or not. Hilario aims to please though, and has a fan friendly aggressive style.
Cerresso Fort came out on top in a tough brawl over Lamar Harris. Cerresso had Lamar in trouble in the first round, but Harris managed to wrestle his way through the round. Meanwhile, Fort seemed to punch himself out, and as a result allowed Harris to get back into the fight. The contest resembled MMA more than boxing, mainly because of Harris’ tactics. He looked like he was going for a take down and submission hold more than boxing.
Javantae Starks’ pro debut as a light middleweight ended with a 2nd round TKO of Dan Copp, who probably shouldn’t quit his day job. Copp’s footwork resembles something like a frightened Fred Astaire. When the music stopped so did he.
If Minnesota wants to get boxing back to a respectable level on the national scale, it needs better fighters than the ones showcased tonight. Maybe Hilario and Fort can get there if they continue to improve and get some breaks. Even in defeat, Williams remains a good prospect, but it will depend greatly on whether he proves to be a good student.