By James Slater – There was a pretty big upset last night in Canada, as largely unknown 32-year-old Romanian Victor Puiu improved to 19-1-2(9) with a close points win over Britain’s Junior Witter. The fight was an awful spectacle, with lots of holding by Witter and lots of wrestling also, but the younger man will still be happy seeing as he went home with the biggest win of his pro career..
36-year-old Witter, having his first fight back since opting to remain on his stool at the end of the 8th-round of his Aug. 2009 fight with Devon Alexander, was hoping to re-launch his career up at welterweight. Instead, perhaps due to being rusty, perhaps because he no longer has enough left at anything approaching world level, Witter lost the ten-rounder by scores of 95-94, 97-91 and 96-93. Now 37-4-2(22), Witter will have to have a good long think about what he does now. Could it even be that the once almost untouchable switch-hitter will opt to hang up his gloves?
Rewind to a few weeks back, and Witter was talking big on Sky Sports’ Ringside show. Stating that we would be seeing him back as a world champion, this time up at 147-pounds, Witter said he was targeting a fight with WBC champ Andre Berto. Convinced he had seen flaws in Berto, ones he would be able to take advantage of, Witter sounded ultra-confident. The tune-up with Puiu was never a fight he envisaged himself struggling in, let alone losing.
Now, having lost three of his last four and never really having recaptured his old from since losing his WBC belt to the unbeaten Tim Bradley, Witter’s career appears to be going nowhere. No, four career losses do not signify the end necessarily, but at his age and having already been out of action for so long, it will be some tough road back for Witter.
Some less sympathetic fans may well choose to say, ‘who cares?’ if Witter is to fight no more. Never a fighter with a fan-pleasing or eye-pleasing style, Witter was a talented contender and champion without ever sending the fans home happy having seen a thrilling fight. Most U.S fans gave up on Witter after his poor showing against Zab Judah way back in 2000. Junior took that one on short notice, but his largely negative, hit-and run tactics resulted in a dreadful bore of a fight.
Now, having turned in a losing stinker some eleven years on, Witter has probably lost any chance of becoming a fan-friendly operator. The odds will surely be massively against Witter ever becoming the holder of a major title again.
And to think, at one point during the Amir Khan, find-an-opponent-for-April 16th saga, Witter was briefly mentioned as a possible challenger. How one-sided would that fight have been had it actually taken place?